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Rob Ford - Why the Supervillian?

Oh btw tkip - I might be inclined to cut you some slack when you said it's just a personal opinion and nothing more, but this discussion jogged my mind as to another situation you're in and your response to it:

http://urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?5460-Complicated-nightmare-work-situation

Somehow, your assertion of your opinions being just that isn't as believeable as I first thought.

AoD
 
So get this: I spoke to the people behind Smitherman's FordonFord.com site and there is a lot worse stuff coming. They've dug up over a decade of trash on this guy and they're going to be releasing the worse bits "as needed". They're also trying to get in touch with witnesses from the ACC incident to interview and release to the press so if you know them, have them e-mail info@fordonford.com or get in touch directly with Smitherman's campaign.

While I think that it's only right that he owns up to his past (continuing) demonstrations of being a buffoon and an extremist that most Torontonians would be afraid to have run their city, this is a recipe for Smitherman's destruction. Cutting off the leading candidate doesn't necessarily mean that the runner up will take his place, specially if everybody just remembers him for being the negative candidate.

Just like his provincial government days, Smitherman is serving as the attack dog, ironically to his detriment. He's going to go down with Ford and leave Pantalone, Thomson and Rossi the opportunity to come in and put on a positive campaign that people will find attractive after weeks of ugly fighting amongst the top two.
 
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If Smitherman attacks Ford and ignores the rest, then the numbers are telling him no one besides Ford is a threat in this race.

I almost wish Giambrone was still in this. Imagine the endless bimbo eruptions!
 
I'm not sure why people here are so threatened by tkip's uninformed opinion.

The guy has clearly never taken a sociology class. Or he'd realize that the heterosexual nuclear family didn't even exist on a large scale until, well, around the 1950s. Many societies have WILDLY diverse family models. Often, one's female or male influence will come from other family members than just their mother and father, one or both of which the children may never spend time with in their life.

That was a very rushed sociology lesson, but... I imagine it will be helpful to tkip. Though he probably won't believe it, because, he knows better than people who study society and families.
 
MetroMan said:
So get this: I spoke to the people behind Smitherman's FordonFord.com site and there is a lot worse stuff coming. They've dug up over a decade of trash on this guy and they're going to be releasing the worse bits "as needed". They're also trying to get in touch with witnesses from the ACC incident to interview and release to the press so if you know them, have them e-mail info@fordonford.com or get in touch directly with Smitherman's campaign.

While I think that it's only right that he owns up to his past (continuing) demonstrations of being a buffoon and an extremist that most Torontonians would be afraid to have run their city, this is a recipe for Smitherman's destruction. Cutting off the leading candidate doesn't necessarily mean that the runner up will take his place, specially if everybody just remembers him for being the negative candidate.

Just like his provincial government days, Smitherman is serving as the attack dog, ironically to his detriment. He's going to go down with Ford and leave Pantalone, Thomson and Rossi the opportunity to come in and put on a positive campaign that people will find attractive after weeks of ugly fighting amongst the top two.
Click to expand...

I don't think you get it do you?

People are so SICK and tired of Miller antics that they are willing to put up with some bigoted traits of the mayor (which he has no power over) to deal with.

This last council meeting is simply feeding the Rob Ford fan base as they try and 'squeeze' through a bunch of items that are visibly not in the interest of the people, or ones that shoudl be decided AFTER the election.

The more this council/administration plays politics in it's lame duck status, the more FORD's profile will grow.

Attacking his personal record doesn't really help. The voters are telling the polls that they want no part of this old administration. One that has catered heavily to special interest groups and one that has continued with with playing the 'political' game.

Most people that i've spoken to regarding ford is that they don't believe he's the image of grace and sophistication to represent Toronto, but they know that FORD will be the only one that is 'stubborn' enough to go in and clean house. Sometimes you need a bull in a china house.
 
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I get it perfectly. What's the point of letting the bull destroy all the china? Rob Ford will do more harm than good to this city. First because in a weak Mayor system, the only thing he'll be able to bully through will be to cancel and veto programs. Second, he has a proven track record of not being able to work with council so he won't get anything done. He won't be able pass any reforms he's promising simply because nobody will support him. He'll destroy the city's programs with nothing positive to show for his term.

I'd rather a proven meticulous manager like Sarah Thomson, but at this point, her profile hasn't reached the mainstream yet. I'd gladly vote for her over Pantalone but like a lot of the "Anybody but Ford" movement that is emerging, I'll plug my nose and vote for his nearest rival if that's what it takes to prevent a Mayor Ford.
 
All this "get the city's finances in order" and "cleaning house" rhetoric essentially means raising residential property taxes and implementing more user fees, right? And going to war with the unions, which will lead to pain and work stoppages in the short-term?

Or could it mean simply slashing transit and social services, running up hidden deficits and then blaming them on the left-leaning mayor who takes office in four or eight years? Because we've seen that before.
 
Well said GraphicMatt.

I'm a Miller supporter but I'm flexible in my support because I know the city needs a more right leaning Mayor to overhaul the city's expenses. The big bull's eye is on the unions because all the overspending is going towards their members. A war with the unions is the only way to resolve this problem and I'm willing to bet that most voters won't be willing to be without transit and garbage collection (among other services) for multiple months. I agree that Rob Ford is the best to do that -- and I'm willing to give him up as a sacrificial cow for that purpose (because nobody would re-elect him after a months long strike on his rap sheet) -- but weighing the negatives of a Ford term as Mayor is just not worth it.

Smitherman is a good alternative. He'd be able to play the tough Mayor with the unions without throwing the baby out with the bath water. He is a Liberal (progressive) after all and his networking within the provincial government would help him in a potential war with the unions. The downside with Smitherman is that I don't expect him to follow through on his campaign promises. He'll say anything to get elected.
 
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I don't think Ford has the knowledge or the experience to really deal with the city's public sector unions. For evidence of this, just look at his continued call to designate the TTC an essential service. Why would someone who opposes the union want to do this? There's no logic behind it.
 
True. I think that if he had an experienced side kick to lead him through, he could be the public face of such a war on unions but I don't think he has any real allys on council right now.
 
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http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/tor...-mayoral-candidates-clash-on-immigration?bn=1

Umm... really? Is Toronto turning into f*cking ARIZONA now?

Holy crap! Why live in Toronto and deal with Republicanism Lite when I can apply for a transfer at work to a Texas, Alabama or Florida office and get the REAL THING?

If this isn't proof of RF's latent racism, then you're a f*cking idiot.

There is absolutely NO reason for this man to be mayor. We are not going f*cking bankrupt like California, so please people, use your heads and stop using "we need to clean house" as an excuse.
 
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