Musings —09.28.2018 11:08 PM
—Globe: “Why the Keesmaat campaign is faltering”
• “Jennifer Keesmaat is in trouble. Her campaign to replace John Tory as mayor of Toronto has not achieved lift off and, with the election only three weeks away, time is running out.”
• “…she must bear part of the blame. The attacks she has made on Mr. Tory have often been unfair and ill-founded.”
• “[Her campaign] has a canned, scripted air about it. When she speaks you can almost hear the trainers in her corner…”
• “Ms. Keesmaat oversimplifies [crime,] a tough problem. She is doing the same on transit and housing. If Toronto is behind on building them, it is not down to Mr. Tory alone. All three levels of government, over many years, are at fault.”
• “…it just looks strange when Ms. Keesmaat pretends there is a yawning chasm between them. Having stood by his side at city hall, she makes an unlikely attack dog.”
Who’s worse as a mayoral candidate, Keesmaat or Chow?
Also, a lot of NDPers don’t think she’s one of ‘them.’
She’s too Liberal, too technocratic, too North Toronto. She doesn’t have a history of labour organizing or activism. As a result, many of my Dipper friends prefer Sarah Climenhaga or Saron Gebresellassi.
Keesmaat is just there becausethe hard left needed a candidate and true Dippers like Layton and Cressy weren’t ready/didn’t want to run against Tory this time around.
They think he’ll be easier to beat in 2022 after he’s had eight years in the mayor’s chair.
As for Saron Gebresellassi, I see why the Dippers would like her. Her platform is free everything for everyone.