The Conservative attack ads: Bringing the dance party to an end?

Greg Fingas wonders if the Conservative attacks on Justin Trudeau are an attempt to cut down on the Liberal leader’s public displays of fun.

But I have to wonder whether the first salvo against Trudeau is less an indication of the Cons’ ultimate plan to define him, and more a form of inoculation against future scenes like this.

The Libs will naturally want to build up a unique persona for the man who holds their party’s future in his hands. But the Cons will now have a ready-made counter to any step outside the political straight and narrow – with any originality on Trudeau’s part framed as evidence of a dilettante “in over his head” rather than a distinctive personality. And the flat-out falsehoods within the Cons’ ad will seem far less significant in the long run if Trudeau’s actions make the underlying theme seem plausible – forcing the Libs into some much more complicated calculations as to how to set Trudeau apart without risking the Cons’ message sticking to him.