Has there ever been a politician elected to such a higher and important office that has been more in over his head than Rob Ford? Will this buffoonery ever end?
Um, I can think of one…
His reaction to the 22 Minutes crew was priceless… the guy is a total buffoon, eclipsed only by the ass-clownery of the TO electorate who actually bought the ‘gravy train’ garbage and voted for him… 
That said, he was democratically elected…
Is he that pudgy blonde guy in the hilarious youtube videos that made the rounds about a year ago?
He’s not the mayor, is he?
That said, he was democratically elected…
Beyond the buffoonery and the non-stop gaffes, this is the part of find actually a bit disturbing - a significant number of people voted for this guy - enough to democratically get elected Mayor. How did it happen? Did they blind-fold themselves in the ballot box and go eenie-miny-moe. Because, if voters really looked into the issues, and they really knew who Rob Ford was, and they really knew what Rob Ford stood for, his level of intelligence and leadership, they would know that he was basically one step above those joke candidates that you get in many elections - seriously. It speaks to a huge dis-engagement in what is actually going on, and the reality of the economic situation that we are really in. It’s the dumbing down of politics so that we actually elect “Joe-The-Plumber” types to run important things, because, they are “like us”.
This is what I don’t understand about Toronto. They go and vote Conservative for the Federal election, Liberal for the provincial, and complete loon for local.
If anyone needed any more evidence that Torontonians have lost it, they need look no further.
M~
That said, he was democratically elected…
Beyond the buffoonery and the non-stop gaffes, this is the part of find actually a bit disturbing - a significant number of people voted for this guy. How did it happen? Did they blind-fold themselves in the ballot box and go eenie-miny-moe. Because, if they really looked into the issues, and they really knew who Rob Ford was, and they really knew what Rob Ford stood for, they would know that he was basically one step above those joke candidates that you get in many elections - seriously. It speaks to a dis-engagement in what is actually going on, and the reality of the economic situation that we are really in. It’s the dumbing down of politics so that we actually elect “Joe-The-Plumber” types to run important things, because they are “like us”.
I lived in TO for 5 yrs, and I remember him on the radio - he built a huge following by appealing to the people who ‘believed’ that City Hall was full of waste and discretionary spending. I’ve been gone for 4 yrs, so not too familiar with the issues, but I do recall being in town alot for business during the campaign and hearing him make alot of noise…
It was a perfect storm - the previous guy was viewed as ‘wasteful’, the opponents were less ‘likable’, and the media pushed hard for Ford… just hope that people wake up. When a clown - and his brother - run the largest city in the country, you know things are just not ok…
yup. his whole belt-tightening thing makes sense, especially in a recession. but that’s not a coherent plan. that’s something that takes a couple of days and a red pen. then what’s the plan for the next 4 years?
i’ll give ford this - and harper too. the man won because he set the terms of the debate (no matter how ridiculous those terms were). like the last federal election, when other candidates are talking about things like health care or the economy, and suddenly harper’s hammering on ‘getting tough on crime.’ he invents a crime wave, creates a big response to it, and suddenly the other candidates look like chumps because they don’t have an answer, too. they’re busy talking about yesterday’s talking points.
but i think that ultimately governance by balance sheet is silly. any highschool math class could balance a budget, it’s a pretty simple piece of arithmetic. the challenge for leaders is to present us with a compelling vision of the kind of society we want to live in. the budget grows from that, not the other way around. ford came forward without any specific vision for the city, just a balance sheet. and now we’re seeing the results.
-mike
i’ll give ford this - and harper too. the man won because he set the terms of the debate (no matter how ridiculous those terms were). like the last federal election, when other candidates are talking about things like health care or the economy, and suddenly harper’s hammering on ‘getting tough on crime.’ he invents a crime wave, creates a big response to it, and suddenly the other candidates look like chumps because they don’t have an answer, too. they’re busy talking about yesterday’s talking points.
I’ll get into trouble here, but it seems like many voters like to be played the fool then by politicians. It does not take much to figure out that the country is not being swept by a crime wave and thus there is no reason to spend $billions getting tough on crime. In fact, crime of all kinds is at 40 years lows in Canada right now. It’s been naturally in decline for a long time. But many people don’t take the time to look under the hood so to speak - they just listen to the head-line “City Hall Swamped with Gravy”, and that’s it. For our style of democracy to work, it’s important that the citizens are engaged in what’s going on. They don’t need a degree in Political Science, but even a little reading, and asking a few questions would reveal the rouse that the Harper Government has foisted on Canada with this Tough on Crime thing and that, Rob Ford grand-standing non-stop about gravy at City Hall was, was and is a bunch of crap!
Google Pelosi, Biden or Reid.
sure is a bunch of crap. and it sure won them both their elections.
-mike
That said, he was democratically elected…
Beyond the buffoonery and the non-stop gaffes, this is the part of find actually a bit disturbing - a significant number of people voted for this guy - enough to democratically get elected Mayor. How did it happen? Did they blind-fold themselves in the ballot box and go eenie-miny-moe. Because, if voters really looked into the issues, and they really knew who Rob Ford was, and they really knew what Rob Ford stood for, his level of intelligence and leadership, they would know that he was basically one step above those joke candidates that you get in many elections - seriously. It speaks to a huge dis-engagement in what is actually going on, and the reality of the economic situation that we are really in. It’s the dumbing down of politics so that we actually elect “Joe-The-Plumber” types to run important things, because, they are “like us”.
You’re right on all this, but it also speaks to the success that right-wing politicians have had in reframing politics into a simple question of taxes and budgets. Basically, they can appeal to the idiots by saying ‘I’ll cut taxes and won’t spend money’. Because people seem to understand on a rudimentary level that a government spends tax dollars to do things, they can say ‘well if we do less stuff, that means we’ll tax you less’. Of course, this glosses over the whole reason that we have governments in the first place, but apparently that doesn’t matter anymore.
It effectively simplifies politics down to one black-and-white issue. This kind of thinking appeals to simple people.
this is it - it’s about framing the debate. in toronto, most of the candidates were running on ‘fine-tuning/long-term’ platforms. basically they agreed that toronto was a pretty good city, a good place to live, a powerful economy, and so on. ford came along and basically said toronto was a dump that was teetering on the brink of disaster. he then picked up the ‘gravy train’ meme and kept hammering it home every chance he got. he refused to engage in meaningful debate on any other issues but constantly repeated his own talking point. in this way, he completely owned the debate. partly i think this is a problem of canadian political discourse (and media) being too polite.
unrelated, but also annoying about ford: i used to really like that municipal politics were basically pragmatic. people presented platforms based on fixing potholes, putting up park benches, and pitching visions for the city. it’s a level of politics that’s mostly free from party-line hackery and instead is about real plans for real local stuff. ford’s platform was actually hugely partisan and not particularly practical at all - he’s keen on cutting some services not to save money (lots of services run at a profit) but because of a blind political motive. that’s something i don’t like seeing in municipal politics and i hope it’s gone soon.
-mike
This is Toronto who cares!
Go Sens Go! Go Sens Go!
Fred.
Now maybe Torontonians will finally understand why their city is the place the rest of the country loves to hate. You can thank Rob for furthering this confirmation. LOL!!
The guy’s an embarrassment but don’t forget who he was running against - George Smitherman. Let’s not forget that Smitherman was the worst ever health minister that Ontario ever had. The guy ran a camera shop before becoming appointed health minister. What a great qualification for the job. He cut chiropractors, physiotherapists and optometrists off OHIP, and was largely responsible for the e-health crap although he didn’t take the rap. After that it was obvious he was totally over his head as his time as enviroment minister. Then he deserted his own provincial party and in his typical arrogance assumed he was a shoe-in for the mayor job. Also he’s openly gay. That in itself wouldn’t prevent me from voting for him although as a Ontario chiropractor I’d never in a million years vote for the s.o.b., but there is a large segment of the population that will not vote for a gay mayor. That’s reality.
It wasn’t a vote for Ford, it was a vote against Smitherman that elected your mayor. Plus Ford is perceived by fiscal conservatives as the “balance the budget” guy.
Sorry Stephen but its your city and not mine. I live half way between Toronto and Montreal and last year visited Montreal four times and Toronto not once. As Rob Ford wants to restrict bicycle lanes in Toronto, Montreal is striving to become the most bicycle friendly city in North America its a bit of a no brainer.
I personally feel that Ford will likely hang himself with his own rope, but if you really want to get rid of the guy next mayoral election, then don’t run another George Smitherman against him.
As a transplanted lifetime Torontonian and very happy not to live there anymore I always saw the mayoral elections as a joke. Here in Ottawa the mayor and city council actually seem to get things done and work together. The Toronto city council was largely a bunch of money wasting lazy bums who only worked if they absolutely had to. Small wonder that when time comes to run for mayor, nobody wants the job except a bunch of people who would never get elected anywhere else.
I have 2 in mind. Both are local politicians in and around my area.
Bernie