Rob Ford's Toronto

[facepalming_brooklynite]

You see it in this thread where many with no legal expertise believed with strong conviction that Ford was going to jail.

You don't need legal expertise to recognize that by far the most likely motive for Lisi's alleged extortion was that RoFo put him up to it. Whether this will lead to conspiracy charges and actual jail time depends on the available evidence (and on the willingness of TPS and prosecutors to go through with it). But I strongly disagree with your implication that this possibility is just wishful-thinking by uninformed people.

 

[dforthandbview]

I don't have any inside info, but I imagine it has to do with the new information that Nordheimer is about to release.

CBC's John Lancaster tweeted that it could be months before we see anything from the wiretaps. Whether he was talking out of his ass, I do not know.

 

[Dubster]

I've heard rumblings shit is about to hit the fan again for Rub. And it will be shocking.

Next couple of days should be interesting

Yes, please at least give us the benefit of some context. We're all a bit war weary up in this piece.

 

[ttk77]

And the return to the gravy train is all that a lot of people will hear and believe.

Perhaps the strategy of the right wing opposition to Ford in the next election should point out that Ford is his own worst enemy in terms of implementing a right-wing agenda and that re-electing Ford will just be a return to what we have now with the centre-left council calling the shots. In other words, a vote for Ford is a vote for a left-wing agenda.

 

[jje1000]

While I won't underestimate Ford's ability to come back from the brink, this article is underestimating the "anybody but Ford factor", the many people who voted for him who would never do so again under any circumstances because they didn't know who they were voting for and now do. I find it hard to believe that Ford could get to 40% ever again. He's directly insulted and purposefully neglected entire swaths of Toronto's population and inflamed citizens who don't normally vote but have taken up arms against him. A high turnout will hurt him this time and the international headline making circus he's created has turned Election 2014 into the SuperBowl.

In theory, Ford can still win an election with mid 30s but that would require a very unfortunate 3 way vote split amongst his competitors. A 4th candidate rarely (ever?) registers above single digits if they even make it to the ballot at all. Stintz and Minnan-Wong will most likely drop out and register for their councillor chairs in the summer when Tory, Olivia and Ford get all the spotlight. There haven't been any elections that I can remember where more than 3 candidates made it to the end with any serious contention. Pantalone stubbornly remained in the last election and influenced the outcome but Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson dropped out. If Tory runs, I can't imagine Stintz mounting a serious offensive that will take her to Election Day. She declared too early and that's why Tory is considering declaring in May.

The article is also not accounting for the power of party machines. Conservatives have shown that they won't align themselves behind Ford -- they're ready to back John Tory or Karen Stintz if Tory decides not to run. The Liberal machine is also very powerful. Ford won't have the fundraising and organization power behind him. Celebrity will only take you so far.

Ford doesn't have a campaign team. Ford is gaff prone and he won't have Nick Kouvalis behind him to clean up this time. One only needs to look to his office staff. Nobody wants to work for him -- he just barely managed to cobble together a bunch of kids fresh out of college looking for any job and he just lost all his remaining talent to Norm Kelly. It may look like it but you can't simply put your name on the ballot and hope for the best. Organization, fundraising and experienced campaign talent are all critically important.

Finally, Ford does not have a funded campaign as the article states. Olivia and Tory are the ones being thrown millions of dollars at. I don't know where the author of this article got their backwards information.

Back to multiple candidates, there's a danger in a crowded field but it could also be a blessing. If enough credible candidates run and get traction, voters of all stripes will have somebody to back without having to support Ford. This could easily turn into a John Tory vs Olivia Chow campaign with Ford hyperventilating in 3rd place getting attention for his antics but not taken seriously as a candidate.

I'm cautiously optimistic but still fully guarded and not taking anything for granted. It won't be smooth sailing but I'm confident that Ford will not get re-elected unless *all* the other candidates and their experienced campaign teams seriously mess up.

I'm still holding my chances. If anything these last few months have shown, it's that things that should be straightforward usually aren't. Remember how months ago people were completely sure that the Star article would nuke Ford? Well, he still has his enablers like Doug and his millions of dollars with the chance that small donators will toss him millions more. And there's still the question of who's running- I believe that Tory has a chance of seriously messing up his campaign, Chow might be the one who can win, and if neither of them run, then all preconceived notions are thrown out the window.

The good thing is that Kouvalis doesn't seem to be inclined to help Ford, but then again, enough money will make him do anything.

I think that people should discard any notion that this election will be smooth sailing. If anything, you should always campaign as if you're polling behind Ford.

 

[Bennett000]

Rob Ford continues to say that he returns every call. That should mean that he is on his (cell) phone during council meetings, media scrums, banquet speeches, in his car, etc.. Most likely calls would go to his voicemail. My cell phone and land line has a 25 message capacity. If he is occupied, and with 40% of 2.6 million people in Toronto, that will fill up, which might be where he gets his support because he got a pothole filled in.

While he maybe good at answering and acting on complaints, that is the job of the 311 operator. Shouldn't he, as Mayor, be going over contracts, agreements, planning, etc.? He didn't have time to read the council handbook. He didn't have time to read the transit agreement, nor did he get council approval to kill Transit City. What other documents did Rob did not have the time to read, because he was filling in potholes? Or was he doing something else... like going drinking?

I especially love the second paragraph. I don't understand why the second paragraph doesn't register with more Ford supporters. If it is indeed a good idea to run the city like a business, why is our CEO spending all his time performing the duties of a mail clerk? Don't get me wrong, a CEO taking the time to answer the odd letter, or phone call is a great thing, but it's obscenely wasteful for it to be their prime directive. We're paying a buffoon around a hundred and fifty thousand dollars to do the job of an hourly. Worse actually, thanks to FOIs, and the ITO we know we're paying a buffoon to score drugs, drink in public parks, endanger the lives of citizens, and urinate on schools.

Yet we have to listen to this menace get up, and tell us he's saving us money, and that he's a hard worker. Ford has never even had what he would consider a "real job".

 

[christiesplits]

Doug Ford yesterday: "Who is keeping an eye on the cash register?"

God I hate his little riddles and analogies. "Everyone wants their hand in the cookie jar." "Next stop on the gravy train."

Here's a free metaphor for Chow's campaign team: "The Hogwarts Express." An invisible locomotive that only exists in a fantastical world of wizardry and free subways.

 

[Cooper]

CBC's John Lancaster tweeted that it could be months before we see anything from the wiretaps. Whether he was talking out of his ass, I do not know.

I think Lancaster's comment is on the mark. The blacked out sections of the ITO could relate to charges before the courts. If that's the case, Nordheimer has to walk a line between public disclosure and the risk of previewing evidence in advance of trials, which would be prejudicial. That could take a while. We'll just have to wait and see how long.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Because the socialist city council is ignoring the wishes of taxpayers and going back to its old tax and spend ways. Re-elect Ford in 2014 to send them the message that your hard-earned money can't be taxed to fund their pet projects. Rob Ford promised a 1.75% increase, and when you vote him back in that's what you'll get. Guaranteed.

Except that Rob Ford appointed HIS budget committee. That committee includes Rob's Big Brother, Doug Ford (seems like nepotism to me doing that), so Rob will certainly know what's happening on the committee. And the committee has been working on the budget since the SPRING. Not just the past week.

 

[evvabeing]

I think Lancaster's comment is on the mark. The blacked out sections of the ITO could relate to charges before the courts. If that's the case, Nordheimer has to walk a line between public disclosure and the risk of previewing evidence in advance of trials, which would be prejudicial. That could take a while. We'll just have to wait and see how long.

i think we'll see the project traveller wiretaps that are included in project brazen 2 sooner than that.

 

[Huge Seagull]

Doug Ford yesterday: "Who is keeping an eye on the cash register?"

God I hate his little riddles and analogies...

Next time Dougie Jr. goes off like this, why can't some gadfly in the media ask him how exactly his experience slinging hash in Etobicoke has prepared him to be such a good fiscal manager? Maybe work in a reference to 'Six Sigma' management techniques while they're at it. Until these two clowns start addressing the many unanswered questions surrounding them, the only appropriate response is mockery. Giving such pathological liars any kind of platform in the news media is taking them way too seriously.

 

[Bennett000]

Yes I am well aware (as everyone is) that Ford has a DUI conviction from Florida dating back to his youth. Here is the difference. When confronted with his Florida DUI Ford owned up to the mistake. In contrast - after Bailao was charged with a DUI she surrounded herself with council colleagues to proclaim that she was going to fight the charges - i.e. she proclaimed her innocence BEFORE finally admitting the truth that she was indeed way over the drunk driving limit that night. Another big difference is Bailao drunk driving arrest came after a night of being wined and dined by Casino lobbyists and yet somehow she is so virtuous that she can stand in judgement of Ford?

There is no question that what Rob Ford has admitted to and is alleged to have done are far worse than Bailao's offenses. What I hate is the hypocrisy of a Councillor who was convicted of drunk driving after a night being entertained by lobbyists piling on Rob Ford's because of his personal failings.

Warmington, you're better than this. I'm way behind, and I'm sure this post is already refuted, but I'm piling on because this myth has to die.

Here's a piece from your own paper disputing your claims "He put the incident so far behind him, he said he was caught off guard and adamantly denied having been charged when first approached by the Sun"

Sure, one might argue Ford legitimately forgot, but we know his pattern of behaviour: deny, deny, deny until confronted with irrefutable proof.

Also i would like to add that this didn't occur during Ford's "youth" unless your late twenties, or earlier thirties count as youth.

 

[evvabeing]

is this / could this be the juiceman mentioned in lisi's ITO?

Calypsonian Dick Lochan, a.k.a. The Juiceman

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/17/block-parties-popular-part-of-torontos-black-community

 

[Huge Seagull]

Warmington, you're better than this. I'm way behind, and I'm sure this post is already refuted, but I'm piling on because this myth has to die.

Here's a piece from your own paper disputing your claims "He put the incident so far behind him, he said he was caught off guard and adamantly denied having been charged when first approached by the Sun"

Sure, one might argue Ford legitimately forgot, but we know his pattern of behaviour: deny, deny, deny until confronted with irrefutable proof.

Also i would like to add that this didn't occur during Ford's "youth" unless your late twenties, or earlier thirties count as youth.

Not only did he repeatedly deny the incident, he did so using very sanctimonious language, bemoaning the lengths to which political opponents will go nowadays to smear an innocent man, claiming he's the victim of a witch hunt, etc. Always the victim. So tiresome.

 

[arksi]

is this / could this be the juiceman mentioned in lisi's ITO?

[video=youtube;keelyCzPS2o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keelyCzPS2o[/video]

Yeah, that's totally him. Just exchange those carrots (?) with lead pipes and you have your man.