Line from the unsuccessful 2003 Ontario Progressive Conservative re-election campaign that stands as an example of overreaching political attacks that boomerang back on to campaigns.
Early in the provincial election campaign, a member of the War Room staff of the Ernie Eves Ontario Progressive Conservative campaign, in an email to the media, described Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty as an “evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet”.
Needless to say, this singularly bizarre designation engendered a storm of controversy, immediately putting the Tories on the defensive. Indeed, it has been cited as a defining moment in what was a losing campaign for the Eves Conservatives.[1]
Among political cognoscenti, the phrase “kitten-eater” can be sure to evoke the image of over-the-top political attack tactics.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
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