Hmmm, how much subterfuge can be shoehorned into one election postcard?
A 10” x 5” postcard was left in my mailbox this week by the local Conservative candidate in the federal election. It is not quite subliminal advertising, but not far off it either. The card is split into three rectangles depicting the party leaders. I can’t resist breaking it down to expose the tactics at work.
Let’s start with the photos. Trudeau and Mulcair are positioned on the left side of their respective rectangles while Harper occupies the right side of his. The implication: Trudeau and Mulcair are both on the left side of the political spectrum, making Harper the only option on the right side of the spectrum. Really? Last time I checked the Liberals occupied the middle ground.
Justin Trudeau’s photo (in monotone black and white) shows him with a microphone making a speech with his eyes cast dreamily upward. Beside him: the infamous “The budget will balance itself” quote on a torn scrap of paper.
Now jump to the top where “Justin” is in black but “Trudeau” is in faint grey. A red circle with “J” in the middle and beside it the catch phrase Just Not Ready. (J – Justin – Just Not Ready. My, how insidiously clever.) And in tiny, almost illegible print: Applying for Prime Minister.
In the middle, “The Liberal Plan” (as construed by the Tories) on a cheap piece of yellow, grade school, foolscap with the key words scrap, cancel and eliminate in red.
Translation: Justin Trudeau is a dreamer who can’t deliver on what he promises, isn’t worthy of the Trudeau name, is taking the Liberals to the left side of the political spectrum, will tear down Canada instead of build it up, and cannot be taken seriously as a candidate for Prime Minister.
Mulcair’s photo (in monotone black and white) depicts him with his trademark scowl and his glance cast sideways in what comes off as a shifty-eyed look. Beside him: the accusation Raising taxes is in the DNA of the NDP. At the top: Thomas J. Mulcair – Career Politician – Applying for Prime Minister of Canada – “Can’t Afford!” written overtop of the NDP logo.
In the middle, “The NDP Plan” (as construed by the Tories) on a cheap peace of yellow, grade school, foolscap with the words higher, bigger, more and fewer underlined and the distinct brown stain of a coffee mug on it.
Translation: Mulcair is an uncaring, highbrow, career bureaucrat who can’t identify with the common man, can’t be trusted even with a cup of coffee and is preprogrammed to raise taxes and destroy the economy.
And finally, Harper’s photo – in colour and air-brushed to within an inch of its life – showing him smiling serenely and looking straight at the camera. Below his boyish photo: Proven Leadership for a Stronger Economy.
At the top in caps: Prime Minister – red maple leaf – Harper. In the middle, in Tory blue print on a pure white background, four glowing accomplishments of the governing Conservatives as construed by Tory spin doctors.
Translation: How can anyone not like this guy? Trustworthy, a proven commodity, as Canadian as maple syrup and the only one who can steer the Canadian economy through stormy waters. So iconic that he does not even need to use his first name anymore.
I shudder to think of the cost of the brain trust of advertising gurus and political consultants who convened to create this masterpiece of subterfuge. It is a damning metaphor for the psychological warfare that federal election advertising has become. And we wonder why voter turnout is so poor.
Parting shot: J for Justin and Thomas J. Mulcair. Happenstance? Leroy Jethro Gibbs Rule 39: There is no such thing as coincidence.
~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.
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Tags: Conservatives · federal election · Justin Trudeau · Liberals · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · NDP · Stephen Harper · the budget will pay for itself · Tom MulcairNo Comments