08.19.2010 10:18 AM

Rob Ford: Mr. Law and Order

“Hurry up! Hurry up! Man oh man, do I ever have the munchies.”

Mayoral frontrunner Rob Ford told reporters Thursday, about a guilty plea for failing to provide a breath sample in Florida 11 years ago.

The Etobicoke councillor said he did 50 hours of community service and paid a fine.

Mr. Ford revealed the Valentine’s Day, 1999, incident at a news conference after a local newspaper reported that he had been caught with a marijuana joint in his back pocket the same night.

And:

He has been charged four times in three separate incidents: Once when he was 18, after a hockey fight, once when in 2008 for assault against his wife Renata, and two charges in the Florida incident.

And:

“Ford initially denied knowing about the drug charge when confronted by a reporter on Wednesday, then admitted to it without mentioning the driving under the influence charge, for which he was convicted.”

No one is saying he’s a drunk-driving, drug-using hypocrite who beats up on people who are smaller than him. Β No one.

But, sooner or later, someone will, I suspect.

Rob Ford Arrest Report

43 Comments

  1. Brad says:

    I would like to know why the radio station CFRB, mostly Jerry Agar, has decided to endorse this fat clown.

  2. Sandra says:

    I personally don’t care about mistakes someone makes when they are 18 – but, the other stuff is worrisome.

    CFRB – supports any Conservative even if they shot their mother in the face.

  3. Namesake says:

    I… did… not… inhale… that woman.

  4. Cam says:

    I don’t think it’s necessarily a slam dunk that this kind of thing makes someone unelectable (Ted Kennedy), but it’s painful to watch it appear uninvited half way thru the mayoral campaign.

    This stuff needs to be in the public domain at the *beginning* of the politician’s career, preferably announced by the candidate. Maybe when one considers running for council, hospital or school boards they have feeling that this kind of thing is deeply buried and will never surface. But I don’t know why one would assume that.

    Timing is everything.

  5. Mulletaur says:

    I can’t help thinking that these latest tidbits will help him with the people he appeals to anyway. I hope I’m wrong.

    • Namesake says:

      Yup. “Nothing rums like a Ford.”

      (and it’s spelled ‘Timbits,’ now, BTW, by official PMO-lamation)

      • Namesake says:

        and, hey, I see he’s not only appealing to the Trailer Park Boys crowd for votes, he wants to hire some of them for, um, beer & dope instead of wages, to save the city some dough on construction costs. Everybody wins when you drive a Ford!

        http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/849503

      • Sandra says:

        What does that say about the people who would vote for a guy who assaults his wife?

        • The Other Jim says:

          Sigh.

          A guy who was accused of assaulting his wife. The charges were dropped:

          http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/428338

          There is a difference, and you benefit no one by making statements that can’t be backed up with facts.

          • Gene Rayburn says:

            “There is a difference, and you benefit no one by making statements that can?t be backed up with facts.”

            Hope you remember that when the Tories come up with their next tall tale.

          • Namesake says:

            Well, at least he’s an equal opportunity alleged assaulter; he’s been accused of bullying and slapping (much smaller & younger) men, too:

            http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/835480–rob-ford-told-he-was-unwelcome-as-a-football-coach-at-toronto-high-school

          • The Other Jim says:

            @namesake – Except that’s not true (or at least supported by facts) either:

            http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/07/28/rob-ford-never-assaulted-me-former-player/

            There are many, many, many reasons not to elect this lying buffoon as mayor of Toronto. False and unproven allegations just aren’t necessary and are, frankly, beneath this blog.

          • Namesake says:

            Well, what I said was 100% true: he certainly was accused of slapping & bullying his charges.

            And even if the alleged victim denies there was a slap, the To. Star is standing by it’s story* (that a parent in the stands testified that he witnessed that incident; plus there were others saying he had to be restrained from attacking the player when he swore back at him, and another student saying he saw him apply a chokehold on a different player in a different incident)

            * http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/08/20/15091791.html

            (*and I knew that when I posted the above.)

            And there are certainly different forms of bullying: with verbal abuse being one of the most prominent kinds.

            There’s little doubt in my mind, that he _is_ one of those angry, bullying, constantly insulting-one’s-masculinity coaches that ruin organized sports for so many, and there’s nothing in those Nat’l Post articles to suggest otherwise.

            And I don’t think that’s an irrelevant consideration when considering the merits of a mayor, who must build a consensus b/w the various councillors and b/w the city and its unions & police & fire chiefs, among other things.

          • The Other Jim says:

            @Namesake – We clearly share the same opinion of the man, but I just find that it feeds the whole “everyone is out to get Ford” fire (which at this point is helping his campaign, not hurting it) when we repeat claims that are of dubious credibility.

            The best example of the type of guy that Ford is can be found here:

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8EpSdyB0zY&feature=player_embedded

            This is NSFW as it uses the F-bomb repeatedly. This video is an exchange between Ford and Globe reported John Barber. There’s a bit of conflict between the two before a third guy (presumably an associate of Ford’s) claims that Barber called Ford a “fat f**k”. Ford then goes into attack mode. The problem isn’t so much that Ford “defends himself”, but rather the glee on his face as he chases Barber down, refuses to let him on the elevator, etc.

            Let Ford’s words and actions speak for themselves.

  6. James Bow says:

    You know, of all the things to hold against Mr. Ford, I think this is the least amongst them. The guy’s platform will do more damage to the city than simple marijuana possession.

    Still, it’s fair to ask him: do you believe that marijuana should be decriminalized? If not, why not? And what changed your mind between then and now?

    • The Other Jim says:

      He’s actually on record as favoring decriminalization. He’s seems to have a fairly consistent lite-Libertarian perspective on most social issues.

  7. The Other Jim says:

    Does anyone else get kind of depressed reading the comments sections on the newspaper websites? I understand the “wild west” nature of those sections, but they are just so entirely devoid of thought, perspective, and intelligence (let alone correct spelling)…I just feel like banging my head against the wall every time I foolishly decide to skim through the comments.

    The comments for the Ford articles are a perfect case-in-point. The Ford partisans just keep shouting “it was only a joint in his pocket, so what?”, completely missing the point that he directly and emphatically lied when first confronted about the issue (as he’s done in the past when confronted with bad behavior). He didn’t just deny it, he did so belligerently and feigned offence at the very question.

    ?I?m dead serious. When I say no, I mean never. No question, Now I?m getting offended. No means no.?

    Just because we expect politicians to lie does not make it okay. This isn’t about smoking a joint – its about honesty, maturity, and common sense.

    I have to admit, though, that I got a chuckle out of the handful of comments that described the Sun as a “left wing paper”. πŸ™‚

  8. Brian says:

    I’m rapidly coming to the view that if Smitherman won’t do the honorable thing and tap out of his loser Babs campaign to help Rossi, the next best likely result is to see Ford win after all. That way, all the fools voting for him can suffer through four years of learning about the consequences of their actions. Rational people should concentrate on Council campaigns to make sure the inevitable – Ford getting nothing done – happens for the best of reasons instead of the worst of reasons.

    Mulletaur is right: Ford’s fans are so deeply sold on the ‘little guy like me’ schtick that Ford could go on a killing spree in Riverdale with a chainsaw, and they’d explain the incident away as some sort of leftist con. The triumph of brand over reality is one of the most disturbing trend in politics today.

    • DAVID says:

      Ford could go on a killing spree in city hall with a chainsaw, and they’d explain the incident away as some sort of leftist con. I DON’T GET IT BRIAN YOU SAY IT LIKE IT’S A BAD THING

    • James Curran says:

      Why the hell would Smitherman, being the most seasoned polititician of the bunch, and soon to be winner and leader in the polls, jump out of this one man, one freak show race to help the fourth or fifth place Rossi? As in behind Pantalone and Thompson Rossi? If I was Rocco’s team, come September 1, I’d be wondering what the hell I was doing flogging a dead horse…..but his “team” does that often.

      ….speaking of fools and the people they vote for.

  9. jp says:

    Of the many times Ford’s past has come to the surface (alcohol, abuse, lying, etc.), I am always reminded that Ford says “I’m only human. I made a mistake. etc.” How many mistakes, lapses in good judgement, should Torontonians allow a mayor?

  10. DAVID says:

    anyhow this whole thing will not hurt his campaign as much as the pileing on will hurt the”fat clowns”to use BRADS vernacular. just as an aside i do not want ‘ROCCO WHO”?

  11. DAVID says:

    Write down this number and report to your Kommissar at the nearest railroad station.
    Don’t forget warm clothes and a shovel!
    99138

  12. Masked Evenger says:

    The tiresome Toronto leftish in-crowd is now scared Ford could win. Very scared. That is clear. Kinsella piling on simply underlines the obvious fear. Given that the Toronto in-crowd and their accepted opinion has been proven time and time again as badly wrong on every major and minor issue, this means Ford is a candidate to take seriously. Oh and just a friendly FYI: John Tory is a hapless fool in the dismal tradition of Joe Clark. Had he run for mayor he would have lost. If no other major players run for Mayor, look for Ford to win.

  13. A bunch of digging for dirt by a lot of people.
    Must be a lot of concern out there that the “people’s choice”,may win out over the choice of the “elites.
    A fight when 18 and two other charges 11 years ago.Post says he was “charged” with assault against his wife.No elaboration as to whether he was found guilty,innocent or had the charges dropped.
    Sounds like the establishment ganging up on the “rocker of the boat” in this election race.I wonder if he has been seen kicking the neighbors dog????

  14. Not from T.O. , but this guy can not seriously be the front runner.

  15. Stewart says:

    I’m sorry, but sometimes you really can tell a book by its cover and this guy is a meathead, plain and simple. Fought with them throughout public schooling. The thought that he would be mayor of Toronto is unsettling.

    Oh and look above, “Tim from Alberta” says

    “Post says he was ?charged? with assault against his wife.No elaboration as to whether he was found guilty,innocent or had the charges dropped.”

    someone from Alberta is defending this meatheads abuse of his wife…ooops alleged abuse. Riiiight. Leave it to an Albertan to think that being charged with wife abuse is no big deal. judging from the quotes around the word charged I guess “Tim from Alberta” doesn’t believe the charges were even laid.

    That province is an embarrassment to the country. Though it will be neat to watch them scramble when they have used all their drinkable water to extract oil for their US overlords(12 barrels of fresh water for 1 barrel of oil I believe). Hard to drink Tar Sands.

  16. TEd says:

    oh, ok, he is not perfect, i will leave it at that. he will be great for the city, just give him a chance.

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