Tory Releases New Attack Ads

"Dalton McGuinty said smog was responsible for over 1,900 deaths a year in Ontario so he promised to shut down all of our coal burning power plants. He's had four years to do so and still no action so that's 7,600 deaths and counting."

"...paid for by the Ontario PC Party"

The good news is that Tory's people didn't stoop to 1993 as I feared. The PC's also finally decided to put their leader in their own ads, something the Liberals have been doing with Dalton since before the campaign kicked off.

The bad news is that Tory has been criticized for being too negative and is desperately struggling to appeal to women voters and well these ads probably won't do much to change those facts.

The TV ads focus on autism, crime, economy and coal plant closures. The radio ads, well someone should be fired over those things:"Me too"?? I wrote better ads in college.

Tory's ads not only suggest that Dalton McGuinty's policies are responsible for 7,600 deaths (even though the coal plants aren't the only source of smog nor is all of Ontario's smog generated right here in Ontario) but one of his radio ads smacks of shrewd personal bitterness.

"Dalton McGuinty was open to the idea of extending funding to faith base schools beyond the catholic system -- where he was a student, where he sends his kids and where his wife coincidentally teaches..."

Laaaaaaaaame! (Not to mention the fact that the McGuinty children are no longer in the Catholic system!)

Every single TV and radio ad is a slam against McGuinty. Almost all of the radio ads lack a single policy idea or plan by John Tory.

His campaign is hurting in part because of negativity. Down with less than two weeks to go or entering the 'final period' as Tory said yesterday, why not change the game plan a bit?

Three other PC radio ads feature Tory supporters phoning up "Dalton McGuinty" and giving him an earful over his broken promises but it turns out that all three Tory supporters phoned the wrong "Dalton McGuinty" -- some plumber guy with the same name and made the guy feel rotten. They're supposed to be funny but I think they highlight incompetence.

Some of the acting (I will not suggest for certain that they were all actors) in the TV ads will instantly make people giggle. I mean the PC's themselves seem to be making a joke out of the ads. In the transcripts it describes women and men "looking directly into the camera" yet they appear to be gazing off talking to someone else.

Can John Tory look directly into the camera and tell us how he would come up with his proposed $1.5-billion in "efficiencies" within the provincial government.

Maybe that's why the set designers included this nifty pie chart which shows John Tory's support.Tonight John Tory debates Liberal Education Minister Kathleen Wynne in their home riding of Don Valley West. What a showdown that could turn into.

There is going to be a lot of media at this event and if Wynne can deliver a good debate, things could get ugly behind the scenes at Tory headquarters.