Rob Ford's Toronto

[uptown]

Given that Steve Paikin's son wanted to be policy chief for the federal Liberal party and is now seeking to win the nomination to be the Liberal candidate in a Hamilton area riding in the next federal election I can see Steve being hyper-sensitive about appearing partisan and lobbing soft-balls at Doug as a result.

 

[inyyz]

Sorry to be late! Well, considering each time I go out of town, the Ford circus ramps up, (trip in November: Ford admits to smoking crack, trip in January: Ford's drunken Jamaican rant), then I will have to say March 11th, the day after I leave for Jamaica. If not arrested, he will do something epic between March 10th and March 20th.

 

[blackballed]

He was definitely out of it. Whether just tired or hungover/sketched is up for debate, although past behaviour after a difficult day suggests the latter.

Notice as well that he wouldn't take the bait on Blair, and his staffer ended the interview at that point. I'm guessing he's been advised that not even the dwindling membership of Ford Nation is buying his crap.

Notice also that every time this whole thing with Blair boils to the surface, it traces back Doug. Rob reacted yesterday because he's like a moth to a flame, but Doug made sure he was asked about it by talking to the press about 20 minutes earlier.

I think that on some level not far below the surface, Doug hates Rob.

 

[OSS 117]

Notice as well that he wouldn't take the bait on Blair, and his staffer ended the interview at that point. I'm guessing he's been advised that not even the dwindling membership of Ford Nation is buying his crap.

Notice also that every time this whole thing with Blair boils to the surface, it traces back Doug. Rob reacted yesterday because he's like a moth to a flame, but Doug made sure he was asked about it by talking to the press about 20 minutes earlier.

I think that on some level not far below the surface, Doug hates Rob.

I think there's definitely a "Nobody's going to beat up my brother but me" thing going on there.

 

[JWBF]

As far as I know, if a leave of absence of extended time is needed, then the counsel has to sign off on it, if not then the member of counsel must vacate their seat on the counsel.

I think that on some level not far below the surface, Doug hates Rob.

Your probably right, Dougie is all about control, and what effects his image. The brothers, especially Dougie, talk about the importance of the Ford family name, but it all comes down to what is good for Dougie, Robbie as mayor, Rob and Doug being Cllrs, etc. is to showcase Dougie's "skills".

Robbie has as much importance as a fart in a wind storm, anyone can see this by his rants and managing by Dougie. The new circle jerk is a great example, the questions are controled and there is no fear of Robbie being "candid".

 

[Johnny Au]

The only good thing Rob Ford had ever done to Toronto is to give the city more international recognition.

To the Fords, bad publicity is good publicity.

 

[Les Nessman]

Notice as well that he wouldn't take the bait on Blair, and his staffer ended the interview at that point. I'm guessing he's been advised that not even the dwindling membership of Ford Nation is buying his crap.

Notice also that every time this whole thing with Blair boils to the surface, it traces back Doug. Rob reacted yesterday because he's like a moth to a flame, but Doug made sure he was asked about it by talking to the press about 20 minutes earlier.

I think that on some level not far below the surface, Doug hates Rob.

Doug is the "capo" attacking Blair. It's in his...err.....his bosses best interests to have a weak TPS. Makes them untouchable!

 

[OSS 117]

The only good thing Rob Ford had ever done to Toronto is to give the city more international recognition.

To the Fords, bad publicity is good publicity.

The sad part is that it's the recognition that a very large percentage of Torontonians are stupid. Notice how every non-Canadian article or segment on him ends with the writer/host saying something along the lines of "and with all that, a large percentage of Torontonians say they'd vote for him again!" That's really the hook of their story---not that Ford is an insane criminal, but that people don't seem to care. Ford seems to be mostly used, by U.S. media in particular, as a weapon to take us smug Canadians down a peg

 

[atodaso]

Hotmail Lawyer is essentially a real life Lionel Hutz, right? A nasty, cheap little small-time shit artist with delusions of grandeur. The perfect fit for Slob and Thug, in other words.

I fuckin love the nickname 'Hotmail Lawyer'.

 

[rightwingSUVdriver]

Ford seems to be mostly used, by U.S. media in particular, as a weapon to take us smug Canadians down a peg

Clearly we deserve it. The well-worn image of the ignorant American and the enlightened Canadian has never been less defensible. Unless we acknowledge our own worst tendencies, there's no telling how much damage could be done by the kind of short-sighted, reactionary, populist politicians epitomized by (but not entirely localized in) the Fords.

 

[blackballed]

Hotmail Lawyer is essentially a real life Lionel Hutz, right? A nasty, cheap little small-time shit artist with delusions of grandeur. The perfect fit for Slob and Thug, in other words.

I've said this before, but in financial terms, Rob Ford is a vehicle for transfer of wealth from Doug Ford Sr. to Dennis Morris. Ironically, not a particularly tax efficient one.

 

[hper]

The sad part is that it's the recognition that a very large percentage of Torontonians are stupid. Notice how every non-Canadian article or segment on him ends with the writer/host saying something along the lines of "and with all that, a large percentage of Torontonians say they'd vote for him again!" That's really the hook of their story---not that Ford is an insane criminal, but that people don't seem to care. Ford seems to be mostly used, by U.S. media in particular, as a weapon to take us smug Canadians down a peg

Clearly we deserve it. The well-worn image of the ignorant American and the enlightened Canadian has never been less defensible. Unless we acknowledge our own worst tendencies, there's no telling how much damage could be done by the kind of short-sighted, reactionary, populist politicians epitomized by (but not entirely localized in) the Fords.

These ↑

Toronto, the GTA, the Province and the nation as a whole has a substantive "Hoser", "redneck", proud-to-be, in-yo-face, belligerently ass-holish population. And they can't be discounted. They vote, mostly. The 'Just Society', Pearsonian, Blue-Helmet, Peacekeeper Lovin' populace obviously still roams the land in great numbers, but they're getting slaughtered in the Message Delivery dep't. It often seems Advertisement trumps Government. The Fords truly get this, love it, spread it.

So, that smugness has to go. We have to wake up, acknowledge The Fordian Knot amongst us and figure out how to counter their - let's face it - effective sloganeering, sound-bite nonsense with more effective counter-comms. Or that populist, reactionary bent will continue to destroy the policulture, burn the furniture and piss on everything. Just because it's 'catchy'.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Doug is the "capo" attacking Blair. It's in his...err.....his bosses best interests to have a weak TPS. Makes them untouchable!

The very day Blair calls a press conference standing next to Vince Hawkes to announce the hand over of the investigation, is the day Doug and Ford say, oh crap.

 

[blackballed]

And the Gravy Train narrative hasn't really gone away. He hired KPMG to find waste, and they found next to none. That should still be a huge story, that there is no "gravy," but that narrative is continually reinforced even though it isn't true. Same with "the private sector will pay for it." If he wants to be judged on his record, these should be key points. And no one is touching them.

The "private sector will pay for it" line is the most insane crap I have ever heard any politician anywhere spew. It has zero basis in reality. If the private sector builds subways at no cost to the public, why doesn't every city on the planet have a subway?

I get that there are P3 financing deal, which can makes sense. But they are promising a subway network at no cost to the taxpayers. This is insane and frankly dangerous. They've sold people on the idea that that they can get whatever they want at no cost.

I didn't pay much attention to the 2010 campaign because it took me about 5 seconds to realize that Ford was insane, but in retrospect I'm furious that he was allowed to spew this stuff unchallenged. How did anyone with more than a fifth grade education vote for this imbecile? Moreover, why aren't they furious that he has utterly failed to deliver on his great-sounding but in no way deliverable promises?

 

[blackballed]

These ↑

Toronto, the GTA, the Province and the nation as a whole has a substantive "Hoser", "redneck", proud-to-be, in-yo-face, belligerently ass-holish population. And they can't be discounted. They vote, mostly. The 'Just Society', Pearsonian, Blue-Helmet, Peacekeeper Lovin' populace obviously still roams the land in great numbers, but they're getting slaughtered in the Message Delivery dep't. It often seems Advertisement trumps Government. The Fords truly get this, love it, spread it.

So, that smugness has to go. We have to wake up, acknowledge The Fordian Knot amongst us and figure out how to counter their - let's face it - effective sloganeering, sound-bite nonsense with more effective counter-comms. Or that populist, reactionary bent will continue to destroy the policulture, burn the furniture and piss on everything. Just because it's 'catchy'.

Agreed. This is why Chow infuriates me when she says stuff like "Toronto is so much bigger than Rob Ford." And, while she may be the most aloof, none of the other candidates seem to have much appetite to call Ford on his crap. Unless we undertake a full-scale effort to expose Fordism for what it is and eradicate it from our system, it will come back. I'm as concerned about 2018 as I am about 2014. Because this mess is not something that will go away by putting the chain of office around someone else's neck.

Pretending Ford doesn't exist is the fastest way to lose my vote. It's like talking about the importance of fire detectors when my house is burning down. Because you know how Ford got to where he is? People assumed everyone would realize that he was talking nonsense and couldn't be bothered to defend their ideas or expose him for the morally bankrupt snake oil salesman that he is.