— Musings —12.02.2012 01:00 AM
In today’s Sun: Rob Ford, human shrapnel machine
In politics, when one becomes radioactive, friends rapidly become few and far between.
Scandal and controversy are usually the cause. A politico gets enmeshed in some sort of mess, and people who previously returned his or her phone calls become elusive. Invitations to events and get-togethers start to dry up. Encounters in public places get awkward. And former colleagues and friends start to drift away.
It’s sometimes unfair, and it’s often painful. But, in politics, that’s just the way it is. As the late Elizabeth Taylor once observed: “You find out who your real friends are when you’re involved in a scandal.”
Rob Ford, the soon-to-be-former mayor of Toronto, is a walking, talking scandal. He is a human shrapnel machine. He is also a disgrace of biblical proportions. When the politics of this era are reviewed, learned people will be bewildered as to how so many people came to cast a ballot for such a colossal idiot.
Because, whether we progressives like or not, many did. When Ford was elected Toronto’s mayor in October 2010, more than 380,000 people voted for him. He beat his main rival, a rebarbative former Liberal politician, by a substantial margin — nearly 100,000 votes. No one considered Ford too radioactive back then.
He’d been controversial, to be sure. He’d been charged with drunk driving and marijuana possession in Florida, the latter charge dismissed.
He had a long and well-chronicled record of bigoted remarks and idiotic behaviour.
But plenty of folks voted for him just the same.
ps: the marijuana line of attack is weak:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M-zSXF_dBU
I looked at poster comments for the first time – I cracked up laughing. Man, the Sun attracts some angry bastards.
The level of intelligence & discourse on here is on a much higher level.
Sometimes, just sometimes, you get the governance you deserve…sorry Toronto.
Ottawa went through the same situation with Larry O’Brien.
O’Brian and his election handlers…Harper’s people on the Hill…did all they could to encourage voter apathy and suppression.
(O’Brien went to court to fight a charge that he attempted to bribe one of his opponents — to drop out of the election — the offer? A job on the federal parole board.)
Larry O’Brien had never attended a city council meeting…which is not the issue…the issue was even after being elected…he seemed to feel he was about due process and diligence. Three years in O’Brien still needed some one to guide him through standard city council meeting. He never studied up on what it means to be the mayor. To watch these events televised on community cable was painful.
It really woke up a lot of people…voters…in the following next election…
O’Brien was basically dismissed as a very bad mistake due to voter apathy and a right leaning media that built the guy up to something he was not.
Not a leader. Zero governance. And…this sounds familiar with the right…a bully.
And Ottawa really paid for it…too many examples to cite here.
Toronto will come around. People will vote this time. In droves.
And know the Fprd Bros. Campaign trail…there will all sorts of “conspiracy” theories thrown around…
Warren:
See the problem with the “left” is you always gloat too soon.
You’re so sure Ford is the “soon to be former Mayor”?
Hate to burst your bubble, but he will win his appeal. Why?
Because the original vote that started this how thing in 2010 by Toronto Council that found Ford in breach of The City Of Toronto’s code of conduct was INVALID. That’s right, INVALID. YES he broke the code of conduct by using City letterhead to solicit donations for his football charity, nobody is disputing that fact. Council however had NO AUTHORITY to come to the decision they did regarding punishment.
They ordered Ford to repay the $3,150 back to the donors OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET. Nowhere, in the Code of Conduct, the City of Toronto Act, the Ontario Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, or ANYWHERE, does council have the authority to levee the penalty they did.
They had two, and ONLY two options: Issued a formal reprimand or suspend Ford’s pay. That’s it.
Because the original vote was invalid EVERYTHING that came after it is null and void. Add to that fact, Justice Hackland made several errors in his ruling. The following is from an INDEPENDENT lawyer who did not vote for Ford:
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/11/30/marni-soupcoff-maybe-were-the-ones-who-owe-rob-ford-an-apology/
Ford will come out of this STRONGER, and the Left will be WEAKER looking like petty children trying to use the courts to do something they know they can’t do at the ballot box. Even ultra left union leader Sid Ryan acknowledges this point.
As for the poll showing Olivia Chow winning. PLEASE. It’s a FORUM RESEARCH poll conducted for the Toronto Star. They also have Justin Leading the Liberals to a majority in 2015. Need I say more?
Oh please. First, the $3k is a trivial amount. It was well within Ford’s means to pay it painlessly. It would have also been painless for some of Ford’s supporters to noisily raise the $3k while claiming the moral high ground, and this would have all gone away, with Ford smelling like a misguided but good-hearted rose. But, no.
Second, the conflict of interest thing, which as resulted in his ouster, stands entirely on it’s own, as impeachable stupidity.
Even ignoring this issue, anyone who still thinks Ford is a competent mayor needs their meds adjusted.
It would seem it is you who is dense. What part of COUNIL VOTED FOR A PUNISHMENT THEY HAD NO AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE do you not understand? The had 2, and ONLY 2 options – reprimand or suspension of pay.
The conflict of interest is a result of the second council vote where council (and Ford) voted to overturn the first council vote.
It is a CONTINUATION of the same issue. The original vote WAS INVALID, therefore the SECOND vote, based on that first INVALID vote is ALSO INVALID.
The conflict of interest conviction stands on its own. There was no excuse for it; it was entirely avoidable
Like most disgraced politicians, it’s not the initial act, it’s the followup that has brought Ford down.
You R Full of Shit Graham Anonymous … Why NO REAL NAME You Drive-By-Smear Amateur !!
Graham is my name, you moron. Middle name’s Matthew.
Funny you accuse others of a drive-by smear when you just did one to me.
Tell you what. When Ford wins his appeal, I’ll buy you a latte to cry into.
That should of course be, vote that started this WHOLE thing.
Radio Activity is what real politicians should be seeking. It seperates the wheat from the chaff. Downtown is the chaff. The Nature of politics is that the Chamber seat is hot even when it is unoccupied, and the door is wide open.
In their defence, those wonderful Toronto Folks who did indeed vote for the Duo Ford Fiasco way back in October 2010 could not have been REASONABLY expected to know The Depths Of Absolute Stupidity These Two MORONS were prepared to take us to … the LINK below will take you to a lengthy TORONTO LIFE synopsis (May 2012 Issue) of The “Fraud Ford Fiasco Duo” … Yet Even This Piece Which Adds Much More Behind The Scenes Stuff ONLY SPEAKS (for the most part) to the tip of the ICE-BERG, metaphorically speaking … Smiles !!
http://www.torontolife.com/daily/informer/from-print-edition-informer/2012/05/15/rob-ford-the-weirdest-mayoralty-ever/
Holy jumping… That is one long article about Ford. It is actually mesmerising. The family is actually quite sinister. Rob is a buffoon, but there are genuinely scary genes in that pool.