I remember when the Nigel Wright senate scandal first started erupting in (I think) May, that suddenly this Rob Ford thing went off. Now that the Senate scandal has been erupting again, I notice the Rob Ford thing is also going off. Coincidence? Or a plot to protect King Steve?
Rob Ford: The Mirror...er...Cracked...
Wed, 2013-11-06 00:20
#152
Wed, 2013-11-06 01:07
#153
Wilf - I think [url=http://rabble.ca/news/2013/11/bye-bye-ford-and-harper-would-their-depart... article[/url] reaches the same conclusion about clearing the way for Karen Stintz as you did. What do you think of the article (if you have a moment to read it)?
Interesting article. How did we get to the point where the working class sees an unstable, reactionary substance abuser as their best protection against the depredations of the elite.
Wed, 2013-11-06 01:26
#154
bagkitty
Calgary could we borrow your mayor for a few months?
No, not until you apologize for creating Harper and sending him our way.
Wed, 2013-11-06 01:50
#155
Calgary could we borrow your mayor for a few months?No, not until you apologize for creating Harper and sending him our way.
Wed, 2013-11-06 08:43
#156
How did Toronto create Harper? We have own own neo cons
Wed, 2013-11-06 08:47
#157
RevolutionPlease
Harper grew up in Leaside.
Wed, 2013-11-06 09:00
#158
Forum Research released a new poll taken on Monday, one day after Ford's "apoogy"and one day before his confession.
It still shows Ford with significant support in the mayoral race. It remains to be seen wht effect his confession will have.
1. Stintz 38 Ford 33 Solnaki 8
2. Chow 39 Ford 29 Stintz 16 Solnaki 6
3. Chow 32 Ford 26 Tory25 Stintz 10 Solnaki 2
The poll also indicates that Chow has only modest lead at this point.
Wed, 2013-11-06 09:01
#159
I personally apologize for the growing up of Harper in Leaside...Now can we borrow your Mayor?
Wed, 2013-11-06 09:32
#160
Regarding the Forum research poll, it's too bad they don't have one without Ford. I'd like to see how Chow polls against either Stintz or Tory in the absence of Ford. Chow takes votes from Stintz when it's a race against Ford, likely due to people betting on her to be the best bet to beat him. But if Ford is not in the race, then where do Ford voters go? With Chow? With Stintz? With Tory? Or do they stay at home?
Wed, 2013-11-06 09:41
#161
Re post #139 - Ford staffer hired hacker ...?
Staffer denies it all . Says maybe his account was spoofed ...
http://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/ford/ford-spokesperson-denies-media-repo...
Wed, 2013-11-06 11:50
#162
Regarding post 159 about polling without Ford, and how Chow would do against either Stintz or Tory in this circumstance, here are some polls. Generally Tory comes out on top, IE if it's Chow vs Tory without Ford.
Wed, 2013-11-06 12:04
#163
Anyway, regardless, I suspect Ford will be gone soon.
Wed, 2013-11-06 12:06
#164
bagkitty
I personally apologize for the growing up of Harper in Leaside...Now can we borrow your Mayor?
Okay, but we don't want any scratches on him when you send him back. Oh, and remember to read the maintenance manual, most of it is common sense, but make sure he gets plenty of sleep... he get's very giggly when he hasn't had enough sleep.
Wed, 2013-11-06 12:18
#165
So, uh, Ford's policy advisor Brooks Barnett resigned this morning. Is this the beginning of the second exodus of staffers from Ford's office? Here's a link to (of all things) the Sun reporting on this latest l'il development:
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/06/mayor-rob-ford-policy-advisor-brooks-barnett-resigns
And here's a rather astonishing detail from the story about Ford's little drunken stupor last St. Paddy's Day...though it sounds like less of a stupor, and more of a rampage:
The night included Ford knocking Brooks off his feet in an apparent rage, jumping on his giant Cut the Waist challenge scale and stripping off his clothes, smashing his cellphone on the wall, crying uncontrollably and even throwing racial slurs and his business cards at a cab driver.
Holy shit! And this is from former Ford ally, the Toronto Sun, people! 
Wed, 2013-11-06 16:03
#166
The Sun has been blasting him:"Nightmayor" and now "StuporStar". lol
I hope all of Ford's staff will quit.
I like Colbert's line:
" Rob Ford can’t change the past,” Colbert went on. “He can’t even remember the past." lol
More laughs here:
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html?b=arts.nationalpost.com/2013/...
Wed, 2013-11-06 16:40
#167
[url=http://redioactive.blogspot.ca/2013/11/three-reasons-why-ford-should-sta... reasons why Ford should stay[/url]
Everyone’s clamouring for Ford to resign: he lied, he smoked crack, he was wasted on the job, the city needs a competent administration. Balls, I say. I’ve seen competent administrations and I can say for certain in the present climate that a “competent administration” will focus its attention on further austerity and attacking those who resist austerity. Need I remind that the entire left wing on council voted to applaud the role of the police in attacking G20 protestors? Well, a couple of them stayed away for the vote but you don’t get bravery points for that now, do you? So I can think of three good reasons why we will be better off as a city if Rob Ford stays and then runs in the next election:1) His removal will be on a conservative basis that does nothing to strengthen the left. [...]
2) By Ford staying the right wing can spend the next year tearing the shit out of each other and can then proceed to split the vote three ways. [...]
3) The left and the unions need time to rebuild confidence and activism. Let’s be honest – the left has been for shit. Besides the librarians – who fought a good strike and basically won – and one significant, union-led, anti-austerity protest of several thousand people at City Hall, Ford has faced less resistance than even David Miller. Garbage collection was privatized without a whimper from CUPE. If Olivia Chow is elected mayor – and, again, let’s be honest it will be with a Miller-esque team that includes “progressive” business leaders – and there is no anti-austerity movement in the streets or in the unions, she will implement a more socially progressive version of the same pro-business policies. I would bet money that her “cabinet” would include Karen Stintz, the anti-Ford Tory councilor who is chair of the TTC (and being touted as the person to beat Ford by the media).
Wed, 2013-11-06 17:01
#168
Excellent article. I completely agree with it, and could add a few more reasons. I hope he's wrong about Chow, but I know he's probably right.
Wed, 2013-11-06 18:53
#169
The inevitable Hitler Downfall Internet meme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTzMf515t-w Hitler learns Mayor of Toronto Rob Ford smokes crack.
Wed, 2013-11-06 18:59
#170
Tim Hudak weighs in:
[i] Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak has joined the chorus of friendly voices calling on Ford to take some time to resolve his personal problems.“You’ve got to put family first, and you’ve got to bring the family together and get help,” Hudak said Wednesday. “If I were in that situation, (and) that meant taking some time to do so, I would take that time.“There’s the man and there’s the mayor and you’ve got to make sure you take care of your family and yourself first,” he said.[/i]
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/06/bring-the-family-together-and-get-h...
The only person who hasn't told Rob to takea leave and get help is brother Doug, the only one Rob might listen to. Meanwhile, Doug's provincial aspirations may be going up in 'smoke'.
[i] Hudak said it was not the time to talk about a possible Doug Ford candidacy.“I think provincial politics is probably the farthest thing from Doug Ford’s mind at this point,” he said.[/i]
Wed, 2013-11-06 19:01
#171
Live discussion on CBC beginning at 7PM where people can ask George Rust-D'Eye (lawyer) and Dave Seglins (reporter) questions about the saga.
Wed, 2013-11-06 19:43
#172
Well, my question wasn't answered in the CBC webcast. So, I'll ask it here:
There has been talk of minimizing Mayor Ford's power with motions regarding the executive committee. Given that Mayor Ford is just one vote on council, what is the concern over the executive committee and the mayor's powers within it?
Wed, 2013-11-06 20:21
#173
Pogo
Thanks Lagatta. I like the line "real mayors have someone else buy their crack for them"
Wed, 2013-11-06 21:08
#174
lol
They should put that in the code of conduct.
[i] According to Toronto’s code of conduct, council members are to “perform their duties in office and arrange their private affairs in a manner that promotes public confidence and will bear close public scrutiny.”
[/i]
Wed, 2013-11-06 22:04
#175
Here's an excellent rabble piece which puts Rob Ford's "lying" (horrors!) into perspective:
[url=http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/michael-stewart/2013/11/on-lying-or-why-... lying; Or, why Rob Ford should keep his job[/url]
A lie is not a bad fact or an untrue statement. It's a lying, a performance. Those gasping for air at deceptions that would make a Barnum and Bailey's Ringmaster blush would do well to consider that there is no single perfect "proof" that will undo Ford -- and, in fact, even if there were, it's irrelevant. The single most corrosive lie in the West in the early part of the twenty-first century -- that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and was in imminent danger of using them -- had nothing to do with Hans Blix or SCUD missles. That is, the "truth" of that lie wasn't that Saddam Hussein had exactly zero WMDs, or even that Bush, Blair &co wanted a war; rather it's a much more complex constellation of political intentions, history and competing ideologies leading to a point where Colin Powell's PowerPoint presentation became the best way at that moment to perform American imperialism. And so the lie came to be. Mission Accomplished.
So too with Ford. What good is truth when a disgraced mayor will pose as an anonymous listener to a radio show in order to defend himself? When he will hire a hacker with city money to destroy a videotape he publicly claims does not exist? What good is truth when the mayor of Canada's largest city is caught in a photograph, high on cocaine, his arm draped around a subsequent murder victim and two known drug dealers -- and the mayor refuses to admit this might be problematic (even if he doesn't smoke crack)? What is the real story we're waiting for here?
Hannah Arendt has written that if we look at politics from the perspective of truth, we take our stand "outside the political realm." For Arendt, this is what gives truth its force: its isolation from social and political influence in idealized institutions of the judiciary and the academy. But we might also interpret her words as suggesting that if we demand our politicians tell the truth, we are asking them to stop being politicians.
Ain't that the truth!
Thu, 2013-11-07 08:45
#176
Ford Nation, the base, is still behind Ford.
One day after the mayor admitted he smoked crack cocaine a year ago while in a “drunken stupor,” The mayor’s approval rating remains nearly unchanged at 44 per cent from previous polling on November 4 (43%) and October 31 (44%).
If the mayor doesn’t take time off, Stintz would defeat Ford 40 per cent to 34 per cent, with Soknacki taking nine per cent of the votes.
If he does go to rehab Ford would narrowly defeat Karen Stintz by a vote of 38 per cent to 36 per cent, while former budget chief David Soknacki would take one-tenth of the ballots, according to the poll results.
Furthermore, if both John Tory and Olivia Chow throw their hats into the 2014 mayoral race, Ford would be in a statistical tie with Chow at 29 per cent to 28 per cent, while Tory would take 25 per cent of votes. Stintz would capture one-tenth of the ballots and Soknacki two per cent, if the mayor doesn’t seek help.
However, if Ford goes to rehab, the mayor would win with 32 per cent to 28 per cent for Chow, 21 per cent for Tory, 12 per cent for Stintz and three per cent for Soknacki.
http://globalnews.ca/news/951837/rob-ford-wins-2014-mayoral-race-if-he-g...
Thu, 2013-11-07 12:37
#177
"
"I need fuckin 10 minutes to make sure he's dead': New Rob Ford video surfaces
“I’m gonna kill that fucking guy. I’m telling you, it’s first-degree murder,” Mayor Rob Ford rages as someone in the room secretly uses a cellular phone to film the chief magistrate’s addled tirade.
“I’ll rip his fucking throat out. I’ll poke his eyes out. . . . I’ll make sure that motherfucker’s dead,” Ford says, then hitches up his pant legs as if bracing for action
A new video has surfaced showing Mayor Rob Ford acting wildly and belligerent and using threatening words including "kill" and "murder" with reference to an unidentified person.
>
"No one is" going to "f... around with me" and when it comes to he and his "brothers . . don't tell me we're liars."
Ladies and gentlemen, the mayor of Toronto.
Thu, 2013-11-07 13:01
#178
He's already held a press conference (at which, incidentally, he looked blotto) to declare once again that he had been "extremely, extremely inebriated". One of the first shouted questions was "Are you involved in a murder plot?" I love it when press conferences begin that way.
Thu, 2013-11-07 13:03
#179
Quite the contrast between the crude, threatening language and the elegant room with its pretty flower bouquet and framed paintings on the walls.
Creepy indeed.
Thu, 2013-11-07 13:05
#180
" "I need fuckin 10 minutes to make sure he's dead': New Rob Ford video surfaces“I’m gonna kill that fucking guy. I’m telling you, it’s first-degree murder,” Mayor Rob Ford rages as someone in the room secretly uses a cellular phone to film the chief magistrate’s addled tirade.
“I’ll rip his fucking throat out. I’ll poke his eyes out. . . . I’ll make sure that motherfucker’s dead,” Ford says, then hitches up his pant legs as if bracing for action
A new video has surfaced showing Mayor Rob Ford acting wildly and belligerent and using threatening words including "kill" and "murder" with reference to an unidentified person.
>
"No one is" going to "f... around with me" and when it comes to he and his "brothers . . don't tell me we're liars."
Ladies and gentlemen, the mayor of Toronto.
A real embarassment.
Thu, 2013-11-07 13:09
#181
That Michael Stewert piece has got to be the most contemptible pile of shit I've ever read at Rabble. Why, lying is just a performance art! Giggle! Tee hee! It's showmanship! It's adorably naughty! Our politicians shouldn't be held to any standards at all! Let's judge lies by their effectiveness! Titter! Guffaw! It's not like they have any real world consequences! Hannah Arendt says so!
Well, allow me to quote Gore Vidal on the subject of lies: "Lies are not cute or amusing. Lies hurt people." I like how Unionist puts quotation marks around Rob Ford's 'lying," as if Ford demonstrably being a pathological liar isn't true, or is no big deal even if it is. A stand that Mayor Moron himself would surely agree with. I guess Harper and all the others who've lied through their teeth in regards to the Senate scandal should be let off the hook, eh? It's not like it's about anything important, after all. It's only lies!
The main arguments for keeping Ford around in the artciles that Unionist is (sadly, unsurprisingly) pimping seem to be along these lines: 1.) Dumping Ford would only open the way for a more competent reactionary to come:
I’ve seen competent administrations and I can say for certain in the present climate that a “competent administration” will focus its attention on further austerity and attacking those who resist austerity.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that happening now? What else was Ford's crusade against the "gravy train" about if not a pro-austerity agenda? Doesn't putting Ford's "populist" face on this particular stance make it more palatable to his fans?
2.) Keeping Ford will almost assuredly gurantee a right-wing clusterfuck at the next election, splitting the conservative vote and letting in a more progressive mayor, presumably Olivia Chow. (If she runs.) I'm sympathetic to this point, but I'm not nearly as certain of it actually working out this way as its proponents seem to be. It just strikes me too much as eleven-dimensional chess, i.e. far too cute and clever for its own good.
Neither Karen Stintz or John Tory, who would appear to be Ford's main challengers from the 'respectable' right, are exactly what you'd call super-popular...or even particularly well liked. The aptly-named Tory has lost election after election in his pitiable career, and Stintz is probably looked upon as a traitor by the collective brain trust in Ford Nayshun. These people don't forget or overlook slights. Unless Ford really does end up being dragged off in handcuffs, his base is going to stand by him - hell, they might even if he ends up being arrested on something far more serious than the charges being lobbed against him at the moment. I was discussing just this with a friend of mine some time ago, and he wondered why a more mainstream conservative wasn't being groomed to replace Ford. I thought he missed the point entirely: This was tribalism at work. They didn't want a more tepid stand-in for Mayor McCheese, they wanted him, end of story.
If the vote is split, I can easily see Ford being the one who ends up on top again. That helped him slither into City Hall last time, didn't it? If he lasts that long (i.e. isn't in prison by that point), it'll only make him look even better in the eyes of those inclined to support him anyway. ("Oh, isn't he heroic? Swoon! After all he's been through, he still persevered against all odds!") As much as I hate to have to report this, I've been following comments in quite a few forums, and there seems to be a lot of negativity directed against Olivia Chow, and from people who aren't reactionary or even especially conservative. I intend to vote for her if she runs, but I'm not convinced she'll be able to win. Looking at many of the creatures who've won various elections over the past several years supplies ample fuel for pessimism.
3.) Oh, he's harmless! Tee hee hee! Let him stay in office and discredit conservatism! Yay!
Uh huh. As we saw during the Scarborough subway debacle, Ford isn't "harmless." He's actually capable of causing a great deal of harm indeed. And he isn't finished yet. Don't make the dangerous assumption that he's been completely neutered. He's clinging on with sociopathic tenacity, and if he somehow manages to slime his way in for a second term in City Hall, he'll be far, far worse.
Edited to add: Yeek! It took me a while to write this post, so much so that I completely glossed over the latest fun that cco links to just above! That "being lead out of City Hall in handcuffs" theory is looking more plausible all the time, no?
Thu, 2013-11-07 13:13
#182
Interesting. Seems the Star has gotten over its initial journalistic quandary over whether it should pay people for videos or not.
ETA: Ford should definitely consider revising whom he befriends. Seems a lot are simply out to make and peddle recordings of him.
Thu, 2013-11-07 13:23
#183
It sounded as if he was talking about setting up a boxing match. He stated "give me 15 minutes" and the friend cautioned that this guy was like Tyson, advising not to do it, or if he did, to only go a maximum of 5 minutes. Mind you, it could be a coded way of speaking of something else, I'm not sure.
Thu, 2013-11-07 13:55
#184
"Mind you, it could be a coded way of speaking of something else, I'm not sure."
If he was in a sufficently rational state to go to the trouble of encoding plans for some criminal action, I doubt he would otherwise come off as such a jacked-up, screaming buffoon. It would be more like "Ya know the guy I'm talking about, he's been pissing me off lately. We need to take care of him. Understand? Good. Make it happen."
Thu, 2013-11-07 14:02
#185
He's already held a press conference (at which, incidentally, he looked blotto) t...
If he's still going to the office - driving - drunk, then the police are not doing their job. Neither are his staff. He should be escorted out by security if he's wasted at work.
Thu, 2013-11-07 14:33
#186
From the It Can't Get More Surreal Department: The Iron Shiek and Brutus Beefcake each paid a visit to City Hall over the past couple of days. Coincidentally enough, Brutus was himself a coke addict back in the day.
I say "coincidentally" because Boss Hawg is clearly whacked out of his gourd on something in his latest video release, and it's not merely alcohol. That, combined with the death threats and threats of physical violence, make for a pretty picture indeed, wouldn't y'all say?
Thu, 2013-11-07 14:48
#187
From the video, I'll bet $5 that man is on cocaine.
Thu, 2013-11-07 14:51
#188
I don't think they're death threats. Just a typical temper tantrum from someone with the mindset of a six year old.
Thu, 2013-11-07 15:02
#189
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/if-rob-ford-won-t-go-show-him-the-...
Denzil Minnan-Wong is going to draft up a motion to have the province show him the door.
Thu, 2013-11-07 15:13
#190
In my workplace we deal with people who have taken various drugs. A couple of us had a look at the video on a computer in a secluded spot (it's rather NSFW). In our experienced opinion, he looks like he's used some sort of stimulant. Doesn't have to be crack, but that seems most likely, given recent revelations.
For some alcoholics, alcohol use is an entirely separate category from drug use. Like an alcoholic in rehab told me years ago, when I worked in a medical detox ward at Addiction Research Foundation, "I may be a drunk, but at least I'm not a f**kin junkie." So drinking is a legitimate way for a hard-working tax-slashing man of the people to let off steam. You'll notice how he's been emphasizing the drinking over the past few press conferences, even speaking of it in a dismissive and casual way, like "I was in a drunken stupor when that happened..."
I'm getting off work soon and I'm biking over the Nathan Phillips Square to see if a protest is happening, and join in. Any other babblers going to be there?
Thu, 2013-11-07 15:28
#191
I'm getting off work soon and I'm biking over the Nathan Phillips Square to see if a protest is happening, and join in. Any other babblers going to be there?
I'm not clear. Are you protesting non-bike-friendly policies, or alcohol, or crack?
Thu, 2013-11-07 15:50
#192
Thu, 2013-11-07 16:12
#193
Jim Flaherty got very emotional when talking about Rob Ford today, urging him to get help.
Thu, 2013-11-07 17:33
#194
I think I'm gonna hurl if I hear another politician urge Ford to get help. Ford has not asked for help and does not acknowledge having an addiction problem. And this urging him to "get help" is just BS anyway. What they're really saying is "Ford, get lost". I respect Adam Vaughan for being one of the few to be honest about it:
“Ford Nation is a failed state,” Vaughan said. “It’s time for city hall and those of us elected to govern responsibly and honestly and truthfully to step forward and take the responsibilities in hand.”
Thu, 2013-11-07 18:39
#195
Rob Ford, so little compassion and leniency for others, now demanding it for himself.
Thu, 2013-11-07 18:53
#196
Rob's mother, Diane Ford, just gave an exclusive interview to CP24 and she said Ford's only problem is his weight. He has a weight problem, not a drug problem.
And once he tackles his weight, all his other problems will fall into place.
Thu, 2013-11-07 18:55
#197
Rob's Mom:
[i] "It's not acceptable behaviour. He’s the mayor of the city,” his mother said.Later in the interview, Diane Ford said her son does have a problem -- but not a drug problem.
"He has a weight problem,” she said, adding that the mayor’s size affects his demeanour.[/i]
http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/canada/robbie-s-not-a-drug-addict-sister-mo...
It's sad. How can Rob face his alcohol problem with his family in denial too?
Doug said he should just drink in his basement.
And why is he still driving?
Thu, 2013-11-07 20:04
#198
Ford's behaviour on the 2nd tape showed a person who was high on something beyond alcohol. Crack is being down played b/c alcohol has become in some ways an acceptable addiction but crack addiction is associated with low economic status. Just saying.
Fri, 2013-11-08 13:01
#199
Fri, 2013-11-08 14:20
#200
If he takes his mother's advice he will join Weight Watchers.
Fri, 2013-11-08 14:22
#201
Ford is now considering rehab now that his radio show got the axe.
He doesn't need to go away for a few weeks.
He needs to go away for at least six months into hardcore rehab for his addictions.
His overeating is part of his addictions, trying to stuff some sort of emptiness he carries with him. Doing everything to excess.