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Speaking of which, let’s consider again the double-edged nature of the modern attack ad. Many will argue Trudeau’s drop from first to third place in the polls was at least partly a result of the steady drumbeat of messaging holding him to be “just not ready,” though he has “nice hair.”

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They have a point. But the corollary is a Conservative party with a record that is in key respects laudable – as regards the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant, for example, and moderate, centrist economic stewardship – that has sullied its own brand, exacerbated Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s personal negatives and created a frame within which Trudeau can exceed expectations. Should Harper lose power Oct. 19, it will be difficult to argue the low-brow, schoolyard stupidity of these ads, which many Conservative supporters dislike, were not at least partly to blame.

But we digress: given how the ads set the stage for Trudeau to unmask himself as an imbecile, unable to string three words together without praising a communist dictatorship, what has he done to turn things around? It’s interesting and gets to the subtleties of leader brand-building in the era of 24/7 video.

As a starting point, Trudeau changed the way he speaks. Three years ago or even 12 months past, the Liberal leader had a noticeably more florid speaking style, rife with unconscious small nods and gestures that together lent him an impression of drama and lacked gravitas. Those are gone now — though occasionally, when he’s feeling especially confident or addressing an audience he considers friendly, the tics can creep back in. Trudeau has learned to frown stolidly, glare impassively and scowl grimly – all important for a leader measuring himself against Harper, for whom these expressions come naturally.