I am not joking, Tamils came out huge for Ford.
If you think it was only crazy old white guys, you are dead wrong..
You guys downtown don't see this stuff...
If true, this is very odd. I mean, Ford goes on TV and basically says that there are enough Tamils in Toronto and immigration should be halted.
Come on fitzy, you can do better than that. Based on your belief that all Ford voters are bigots, why don't you answer your own question? Don't chicken out now.
As a visible minority and son of immigrants, I will tell you why Ford was popular with immigrants: Most immigrants don't give a shit about yuppie issues like the environment, public spaces, the waterfront, the arts or anything that might propell Toronto to World-Class status. Immigrants typically have less money, larger families, and less time. Ford's simple and populist message resonated with them, because all they care about is having more money in their pockets to spend on their families. I'm afraid that they don't realize the potential effects of the cuts someone like Ford will make, but since this requires some deep thinking, it's not populist and doesn't come into the picture.
In the end, Ford was a straight family-man who doesn't go to the Opera. This is why he won over immigrants. However, I still don't get how his comments on immigration were completely glossed over.
I don't think they ever supported Smitherman with much conviction. Which is sad, because he would have been best for the city. I say this because I've supported him ever since the specter of a possible Ford victory came into being, unlike some of you pseudo-literati.
Let's be real here: Even though I voted for him, Smitherman was a horrible candidate who ran a horrible campaign. He was cold, impersonable, and for some reason thought he could present himself as a fiscal conservative in spite of the eHealth scandal.
Rob Ford ran (in his OWN words) as a fiscally Conservative BUT socially liberal candidate.
This is what most Canadians WANT!
We want someone who will have RESPECT FOR THE TAXPAYER while at the same time could care less what happens in the bedroom.
Stephen Harper is the OPPOSITE OF ROB FORD ! He WASTES BILLIONS of OUR MONEY sending it to 3rd world sink holes like Haiti and Africa OR on Fighter jets we DO NOT NEED. I don't know if he is trying to buy votes or if he is compelled by his Christian ministry beliefs to give away OUR MONEY. On the SOCIAL side Harper is someone who WOULD try to intervene in the bedroom if he had a majority.
We NEED to have MORE politicians like Rob Ford at Queens Park and in Ottawa. Fiscally Conservative Socially LIBERAL
THIS IS A WINNING COMBINATION!!!!!
My guess is that this drivel is representative of the typical Ford supporter, which supports my earlier post about IQ and THE FORD SUPPORTER.
To me, Fords win is indicative of the shift that the common person (the silent majority who is not an activist, artist, or elitest) has had enough and voted for change. In other words, the common person who actually works hard for a living in the private sector.
I think the difference is that your "common person" wants Toronto to look like Houston and the "elites" want Toronto to look like Barcelona, Berlin, Chicago, New York....
Oh yeah, those trash filled, vacant lots along the Don River are really bringing in the bucks and tourists.
When was the last time you went down to the waterfront?
Also stoping the Gravy Train is not a right wing message, it is a message of common sense.
It is like a Common Sense Revolution! Which is not right-win at all!
As someone who works in the 'evil' private sector, lives in the suburbs and drives a car to work - I am happy that Ford won. Oh and I'm from an immigrant family and have two university degrees so I must be a an idiot bigot based on the logic in this thread.
Honestly, your motivations make sense to me. And I think the fact that they do proves that the mega-city does not work. You don't give a shit about the waterfront, and I don't give a shit about your commute home. We should both support
DE-AMALGAMATION.
