Bob Rae says Liberals won’t abandon airways to right-wing “jerks” after Conservative attack ad

More than a week after the Conservatives began running ads attacking interim Liberal leader Bob Rae, Rae himself came out swinging Wednesday, saying the Liberals will soon respond in-kind to defend him and the party against right-wing “jerks.”

“You can’t abandon the airways to the jerks on the right hand side of the spectrum,” Rae told reporters in Ottawa after a caucus meeting.

There was a momentary pause as everyone took in the quote. Rae started to walk away from the microphone in the foyer of the Commons.

“Did you say ‘jerks’?” a reporter asked.

Rae stopped, took a step back and leaned back into the microphone.

“Yes,” he said succinctly with a smile.

There you go. We all heard correctly.

The attack ads took aim at Rae’s record as the NDP premier of Ontario and his personal political ambitions. Here’s what our own Lee Berthiaume wrote when the ads first aired last week:

    The ad, the first paid for by the Conservatives and specifically targeting Rae, features photos and videos of the interim Liberal leader now and in the 1990s when he was the NDP premier of Ontario.

    It accuses Rae of wanting to be prime minister before citing his handling of the Ontario economy from 1990 to 1995 as proof he is unfit to govern the country.

    Conservative party spokesman Fred DeLorey defended the attack Monday, saying in an email that Rae “refuses to rule out his intention to seek the full-time leadership of his party.” He also noted that Liberal news releases no longer refer to Rae as “interim leader, but as leader.”

    DeLorey would not comment on how much money was spent on that ad or another that seeks to promote Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s own record on the economy.

    Both are expected to air on television across the country in the coming weeks.

In response, the Liberals launched a fundraising campaign to counter the ads. Over the weekend, the party raised $225,000 as a result of the Tory attack ad, Rae said, adding that he wanted to thank Prime Minister Stephen Harper for helping the party pad its coffers. The more the attack ads run, Rae said, the more Liberals and those who oppose the government will want to donate.

Rae didn’t say how much would be spent — maybe the party would put some of the money away for a rainy day. He said spending decisions will be made after the Conservatives deliver their budget Thursday.

Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Jordan Press