Paikin did alright in his handling of Doug last night. Gentle but firm was probably the best approach. To question him more aggressively would have resulted in Doug retreating into his "we know you want Rob out, you're biased like the rest of the media" pose. But I found it frustrating how he casually, both in his conversation with Doug and with Robyn Doolittle, reinforced two Ford narratives. First, that of Rob answering phonecalls and fixing potholes, which seems to me typical Ford mythmaking built on obvious exaggerations and fabrications. Journalists, I think, should be looking at these claims much more critically, but seem to simply accept them as easy shorthand explaining Ford's success. Second, Paikin suggested more than once that there was much to admire in the Ford agenda of efficiency and cost-cutting, but that the mayor became distracted by his substance abuse problems. This is the Ford outline. No mention that many of Ford's financial plans are wishes that purposely ignore any real-world evidence that things need to be paid for and private-sector fairies don't exist. Also no mention that there are more serious concerns about Ford's personal activities beyond boozing and crack, like his associations with criminals on several fronts and his exposure to extortion.
