11.18.2013 09:27 AM

Torontoist: who to talk to, and not, about Crackhead Mayor. Also: I’m on Sun News tonight – right after the Fords

Their list is here.  It’s funny but completely wrong.  Totally wrong.

Print folks don’t understand TV very much.  They don’t understate the dichotomy between TV and print.  Print is about information; TV is about emotion.

That’s why, as no less than John Doyle has said, Sun News Network made a smart move in signing on the Ford freaks for a few weeks.  As I told blogger Queen Bathurst last night:

“My main objection to the [Newstalk 1010] radio program was that they clearly screened calls. I felt that that was against the CRTC rules. In the case of the TV show, the show will be taped, and will have no callers as such. Because Ford has said that he will be registering as a candidate in the first week of January, their new program can really only last six weeks. I do, however, look forward to both of these idiots falling flat on their face, and potentially providing more ammunition for those who are seeking their ouster. 

Given the legal circumstances in which they find themselves, I predict that their participation in this program will end very, very badly for the Fords. That makes me very happy.”

“[Kory Teneycke is] setting him up to fall. Only Ford’s too stupid to realize it.”

I will be on Brian Lilley’s show immediately after Ford Nation tonight.  Tune in.  I will have a few things to say.

15 Comments

  1. PP says:

    While I agree that it is likely to go badly, with Ford’s further meltdowns being shown publicly on Sun TV, I do not understand why Kory would want to set him up to fall. Kory is very close to Harper (unless their relationship has gone south; is that the case?) so why would he set Harper’s buddy up for a fall? Ford Nation votes for Harper. Perhaps Warren you know something the rest of us don’t and might want to share it with us.

    • Warren says:

      Not every Conservative is as dumb as Harper is on Ford. Chris Alexander distanced himself over the weekend, for example. Ambrose, Oliver and MacKay would not.

      Big mistake.

      • PP says:

        Neither has Harper distanced himself … yet, anyway. Harper will support Ford as long as Ford Nation sticks with the latter. And they will. Which likely means that Harper will be reluctant to throw Ford under the bus. Which was why I would be surprised that Kory would set Ford up, unless you are suggesting that the order came from Harper to Kory to set Humpty Dumpty up for a big fall. But then the disillusioned Ford Nation might stay home come 2015 and not vote for Harper … which is why I doubt Harper would take this route.

  2. EB says:

    If I had an opportunity to question the Fords, it would be about all the clandestine meetings with Lisi. I think that hasn’t received enough attention, so far. Ford’s current modus operandi is to portray everything that has happened as isolated incidents for which one apology each is clearly acceptable. Those meetings with Lisi are recurring events, where deliveries seem to be involved.

    Tell us more about those, please, Mr. Ford. Especially, the ones in school yards.

    • Chris says:

      It’s weird and sort of too bad that the important details have been pushed aside in favor of the sensational.

      What was in the envelopes? Why did they have to be exchanged in such a secretive fashion? Why were so many calls made to Lisi.

      I’m sure that there are many who already know the answers, and I’m hoping that this information is percolating its way to the public as well.

  3. doris says:

    I would like to know from Duggie just what kind of behaviour would violate the code of conduct badly enough to make him resign

  4. Michael says:

    I think everyone is getting their shorts in a knot for nothing.

    All you have to do is wait and be patient. The mayor engaged in obvious criminal actions while under police surveillance. One has to wonder why the police did not act. Usually the police will not act in those circumstances because they are gathering evidence of an even greater crime.

    You also have to wonder about Lisi. Presumably he was not freelancing and trying to get the video back. I have the distinct feeling another bigger bombshell is going to hit before too long.

  5. SondraL says:

    I’m concerned that if the TO city counsellors vote to strip the Mayor of powers and it is found illegal, they will be forced to resign their council seats for knowingly attempting to enact illegal motions.

    We are witnessing a grand power struggle now, and there may be blood on the floor soon.

  6. JH says:

    Given what the G&M referred to as his ‘rockstar’ treatment at Sunday’s game, I suspect a lot of federal and provincial politicians will be clamming up and not taking positions for a while yet on the mayor.
    Same for those weighing their mayoralty runs.
    I also don’t think Mulcair helped his TO by-election candidate Linda McQuaig (spelling?) with his anti-Ford Ford comments on the week-end.
    The usual disconnect between pollsters, media, politicos and the public, still seems at play for the moment.

    • Matt says:

      Take what happened at the football game with a grain of salt. Although true, he was mobbed by hundreds of people wanting autographs and pics, how many were actual supporters, and how many just wanted a pic with a guy who could be considered as one of the most famous people on the planet right now, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

  7. Matt says:

    Question: Once Ford files his papers to run in the 2014 election, he can no longer host this show, right?

    Doug has already indicated he won’t be seeking re-election (unless he changed his mind)

    What if anything is there to prevent Doug from continuing to host the show and have Rob as a “guest” every week?

    Assuming of course the show lasts until it’s time for Rob to file his papers.

  8. No question that Sun news is gonna do very well with the Fords. I got rid of vastly overpriced cable and bought an aerial for watching the news, because my entertainment is mostly streamed, or on the pages of a book. BUT I find myself wishing I had cable with Sun so I could be really entertained. People who actually adore the Fords will probably consider Sun TV mandatory watching from this day forward. I am guessing that they have gone from a few thousand, to a hundred thousand subscribers, (is that what you call someone who pays for a TV channel?), in Toronto alone.

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