It took several days, but the strained mea culpa finally came out.
On June 23, Premier Brad Wall responded to numerous questions regarding the Crop Insurance strike.
On July 20, the Sask. Party claimed the NDP were running a radio ad which spliced together two separate sentences that were several minutes apart, and then used them in a different context.
They could determine this because each time I, or any other reporter, puts a tape recorder or camera in front of the premier, one of his staff has a recorder of his own, right beside mine, to ensure no one is misquoted. Media, including myself, were e-mailed the audio files.
July 20, the provincial NDP put out a press release. "The Wall government's childish, over the top response to the latest radio advertisement from the NDP Caucus shows just how afraid it is of its anti-working family record," NDP House Leader Kevin Yates said in the release.??
"'We stand by the advertisement, which displays in Brad Wall's own words the disdain he has shown for middle class, working families from teachers to health care professionals, from Crown workers to government employees. The ad is an accurate reflection of the government's attitude toward working people, and we will continue to expose that attitude," Yates said."??
Then on July 25, we find this on the www.saskndp.ca website:
"NDP Caucus chair Judy Junor today announced that the NDP's radio campaign would continue for a second week with a new advertisement focused on the party's message that everyone deserves to benefit from the province's resource fuelled economic prosperity. This new ad clearly conveys the message we've been trying to get across: that not everyone is benefitting from a resource 'boom,' and working families deserve a government that cares enough to try and make sure they do."
Acknowledging the controversy surrounding the use of audio clips of the premier in the previous ad, Junor regretted a discussion about the ad distracted from the important issues that matter to Saskatchewan families.
"It's frustrating to be talking about three seconds of a sixty-second ad," said Junor, "especially when we stand by the basic message that this government is not doing enough to ensure working families benefit from the province's prosperity, but we take responsibility for any confusion created in the minds of Saskatchewan people, and believe this new ad will eliminate any such confusion about our message during the rest of our radio campaign."
This almost writes itself.
Negative advertising works, but I would think it generally works best if you are from a losing position and need to bring the other guy down.
If you wait long enough, nearly all politicians will at some point or another say something that inserts their foot into their mouth, and thus can and will be used against them by the other side.
So when one side has to resort to splicing together a fake quote, that's saying something; a few things, actually. For one, whoever put together what was essentially a lie is by definition a liar, and needs to be booted from the team. These campaign workers often end up in government roles, and such a person should not be in my government.
Next, whoever approved it needs to take responsibility. The buck, in this case, stops on NDP Leader Duane Lingenfelter's desk, not MLA Judy Junor's.
Finally, it shows the NDP is so desperate to sling mud, that they can't, or won't, wait for the Sask. Party to generate their own missteps, but have to make them up.
If the Sask. Party hasn't given themselves enough rope over four years of government for the NDP to have ample material to hang them with, that's saying something, too.
Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at [email protected]
