Lashinger wins more than he loses. He did manage the PC campaign in 2007 - but he also managed Miller in 2003.
Who'll run Canada's biggest town?
Mon, 2010-03-22 13:03
#52
Mon, 2010-03-22 14:58
#53
remind
I would bet organized crime just as it is now.... ;)
Fri, 2010-04-16 11:18
#54
A new poll was published in the Star today:
*Smitherman - 34% (down 10% since Jan 11)
*Ford - 27%
*Pantalone - 14% (up 9%)
*Rossi - 13% (down 2%)
*Thomson - 7%
*Mammolitti - 3% (down 1%)
*Other 2%
Fri, 2010-04-16 12:51
#55
With 51% undecided.
Fri, 2010-04-16 13:00
#56
Good to see Pantalone moving up.
Fri, 2010-04-16 13:07
#57
Rob Ford?!
Fri, 2010-04-16 13:12
#58
Maysie
Rob Ford?!
Yes.
ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!
Fri, 2010-04-16 13:50
#59
Strangely enough, Rob Ford being elected mayor is not the worst possible outcome in the mayoral election. The fact is that unless Pantalone can win - all the other candidates have very rightwing agendas and whether they are explicit about it or not - they will try to use the bully pulpit of mayor of Toronto to push lots of privatization and union-bashing etc...My fear is that someone like Smitherman is enough of a bully and has enough allies on council and enough big "L" Liberal ties that he would probably get his way on everything. If Ford became mayor it would be good in a way because he is such an object of ridicule and is so uniformly hated by virtually everyone on council across the political spectrum - his administration would quickly fall into disarray. He would never get the votes on council to pass anything. It would be a biut like the Larry O'Brian situation in Ottawa.
The mayor of Toronto is only one vote on council and has very limited executive powers - so he would just be a buffoon who would make a lot of noise and get absolutely nothing done. I'd rather have a mayor who is an ineffectual buffoon than have one who is effective at bringing in a rightwing reign of terror!
Fri, 2010-04-16 17:11
#60
Rob Ford?!
That would be the fuck city council, fuck city workers crowd - not a small constituency these days since it's not entirely undeserved, self-destructive as the result will be if that turns out to be a majority opinion.
Fri, 2010-04-16 18:19
#61
Stockholm has a really good point about Ford ability to implement his Tea Party agenda of bullshit. The only really bad thing about having Ford as Mayor would be the whole he's the public face of the city. That guy has got some serious problems when it comes to dealing with other people. I mean it's one thing to berate a fellow councilor (which is pretty bad) But this guy has gotta deal with other Mayors and the Provincial government a disagreement could (nay will) get ugly and real fast. He'd make us all look like fools. But like I said before six months away and 51% of voters who responded to that poll are undecided so NBD its early just wait until the debate or the actual start of the campaign. It's a beautiful day in the city enjoy it'll be 2 degrees tonight and raining tomorrow.
Fri, 2010-04-16 18:40
#62
It's going to Smitherman and a city administration that will hack and chop budgets and services and give big business and developers everything they ask for.
Fri, 2010-04-16 21:05
#63
The Ford poll doesn't entirely surprise me--after all, he did put on the biggest campaign-launch splash, and he does presently have the most "vocal" support base. Reminds me of when Reform made its appearance in Ontario in the early 90s.
But his polls won't go much (if any) higher, and barring a miracle his support won't be much broader, either. We're not talking about a potential Larry O'Brian (or Mel Lastman, for that matter) situation here...
Fri, 2010-04-16 22:15
#64
Sat, 2010-04-17 15:54
#65
Don't see Ford having much Yonge/Bayview corridor appeal.
Sat, 2010-04-17 18:02
#66
Don't see Ford having much Yonge/Bayview corridor appeal.
Rossi?
Sat, 2010-04-17 18:06
#67
Don't see Ford having much Yonge/Bayview corridor appeal.
Rossi?
Believe it or not, even Pantalone would have more Yonge/Bayview corridor appeal--at least, as long as he remains in the hands of "Team Laschinger".
Sat, 2010-04-17 18:50
#68
Rossi?
Ward 25 (Don Valley West) seems to have the most potential for Rossi.
Sat, 2010-04-17 18:59
#69
Ford has more fans in the Yonge Baywiew corrdor than Pantilone. Rossi would be second. But its early.
Wed, 2010-04-21 15:32
#70
Rob Ford would do very well in the inner city wards, like St. Paul's or Toronto Centre-Rosedale. He may sweep Etobicoke, though.
Joe Pantalone's campaign has been a disaster. He's been around forever and he can't make any headway, and he has no vision for the city.
I'm in in his ward so perhaps I'm biased - but I've always thought Joe Mihevc would make a great mayor. He can certainly express a "public good" perspective that is sorely lacking in this race.
Shelley Carroll would be great as well - she is a Liberal from Don Mills who is practically an NDPer. I hope she re-considers.
Wed, 2010-04-21 18:45
#71
My guess is support for Rob Ford is very strongly correlated with Toronto Sun readership...so what wards have the most Sun readers?
Wed, 2010-04-21 22:13
#72
Rob Ford would do very well in the inner city wards, like St. Paul's or Toronto Centre-Rosedale.
I'm pretty sure you mean NOT do very well in those wards.
Wed, 2010-04-21 22:13
#73
Rob Ford would do very well in the inner city wards, like St. Paul's or Toronto Centre-Rosedale. He may sweep Etobicoke, though.
He may win Etobicoke, but I'm not sure whether he'll sweep it, unless his community council colleagues galvanize on his behalf, rather than opting for someone less abrasive like Rossi...
Wed, 2010-04-21 22:17
#74
Ford may be at 27% but he probably has the least room for growth, as Rossi I would think would be deemed the more "sane" small-"c" conservative option. Ford is probably in second place because he ranks second in terms of name recognition.
Then again, Rossi could be more of a LeDrew than a Pitfield.
I can't find this most recent poll online, but it would be interesting to see demographic and geographical breakdowns.
Thu, 2010-04-22 00:23
#75
If one thinks of central Etobicoke as the Richview Collegiate hinterland (Harper's alma mater, remember), I suspect that a Rossi type would have more "pull" there than Ford, presently. They may be uptight conservatives, but they're not exactly uncouth...
Wed, 2010-05-19 05:08
#76
Georgio Mammoliti promises to "make Yonge Street infamous around the world"
Are we getting a red light district there? No, it's a promised pedestrian mall.
Wed, 2010-05-19 09:38
#77
and be careful where you park.
Mammoliti thinks the city's bylaw officers could also help the police out, and he's promoting the idea of giving them more tools – "maybe even guns," he said.
He is full of great ideas.
Wed, 2010-05-19 12:32
#78
Mammoliti: the guy that makes even Rossi look (relatively) reasonable.
Could someone please buy Georgio a dictionary?
Wed, 2010-05-19 22:31
#79
Could someone please buy Georgio a dictionary?
Why? If it worked for Allan Lamport...
Wed, 2010-05-19 22:35
#80
Maysie
Mammoliti: the guy that makes even Rossi look (relatively) reasonable.
I think it's a secret plot, myself.
Scary and Scarier?
Doofus and Doofussier?
Wed, 2010-05-19 23:29
#81
Cueball
Yeah, I know. Guys like that make you want to vote NDP, or something. But I will not be intimidated.
Thu, 2010-05-20 09:11
#82
He was an NDP MPP under Bob Rae. Be careful what you wish for.
Thu, 2010-05-20 12:30
#83
I think it's a secret plot, myself.
Scary and Scarier?
Doofus and Doofussier?
I like to think of Smitherman, Rossi, Ford and Mammoliti as:
Dumb,
Dumber,
Dumberer
and
Holy Cow that Guy Really is Dumb.
Fri, 2010-06-11 02:51
#84
George Smitherman has trip to China paid for by Chinese government
George Smitherman will be speaking at a “mayor’s forum” and touring around Shanghai courtesy of the Chinese government later this week, and some of his opponents in Toronto’s mayoral race are crying foul.
The Chinese Consulate invited Mr. Smitherman, generally regarded as the early front-runner, to the International Mayor’s Forum on Tourism forum, which starts Thursday in the inland city of Zhengzhou. They will be covering his expenses.
While as a candidate there is nothing legally preventing him from doing this, I still don't think it's smart.
Mon, 2010-06-14 17:15
#85
Apparently there was a recent poll that has Ford and Smitherman nearly tied, with forty (fifty?) percent of respondents suggesting they'd rather vote for John Tory.
And Tory didn't close the door...
Thu, 2010-06-17 09:41
#86
So now Rob Ford's been caught trying to score Oxycontin:
In conversation on June 4 with Dieter Doneit-Henderson, the man Mr. Ford famously apologized to over insensitive remarks about homosexuality and HIV, the councillor says he’ll try to get more OxyContin for the man. Mr. Doneit-Henderson, a 30-year-old gay married man who suffers from a fractured rib and fibromyalgia, tells Mr. Ford the last doctor he went to refused to give him more. Mr. Ford says repeated that he’ll try, according to a copy of the tape obtained by the Toronto Sun, and asks how much the prescription painkiller sells for on the street.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/06/17/rob-ford-to-speak-out-about-drug...
Thu, 2010-06-17 10:03
#87
Fortunately Ford's name is not Adam Giambrone so he's getting a pass from the media. He's a victim. Why does it matter that the person who called him is a "gay married man"? One can only wonder what Ford would have to say if another candidate were in his shoes.
Thu, 2010-06-17 12:19
#88
Apparently there was a recent poll that has Ford and Smitherman nearly tied, with forty (fifty?) percent of respondents suggesting they'd rather vote for John Tory.
And Tory didn't close the door...
I thought Tory has slammed the door on the possibility. At least twice.
Thu, 2010-06-17 13:38
#89
Not that day.
Wed, 2010-07-07 18:04
#90
What's with all Council unanimously supporting a motion to commend the police for their handling of the g20? Is this some pro forma that they have to do, but the good one will press for a thorough enquiry?
I was going to support Pantalone, in spite of the unlikelyhood of his winning, but this issue is a real decider for me. I don't know anybody who's going to support someone who commends the police even if the others are worse.
Tue, 2010-08-10 18:39
#91
I just got a call from the Pantalone campaign. I haven't given them my details in any shape or form, so I'm left to wonder where they got my contact details from. I can only think a list of Toronto-area NDP members has sprouted legs and walked over to the Pantalone campaign.
Tue, 2010-08-10 19:21
#92
Cueball
What's with all Council unanimously supporting a motion to commend the police for their handling of the g20? Is this some pro forma that they have to do, but the good one will press for a thorough enquiry?
I was going to support Pantalone, in spite of the unlikelyhood of his winning, but this issue is a real decider for me. I don't know anybody who's going to support someone who commends the police even if the others are worse.
It's a tricky one for sure. Definitely Pantalone could get some milage by distancing himself from Mayor Miller and supporting a full enquirey.
Fri, 2010-08-13 02:41
#93
Say it ain't so. Not Ford!
Ford widens lead in Toronto mayoral race
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/08/12/ford-poll.html
Fri, 2010-08-13 07:38
#94
The Pollstra poll also asked the 432 respondents for their voting preference in federal politics -
and the results show Ford's appeal stretches across party lines.
Not surprisingly Ford has an enormous lead among Conservative supporters, with 65.7 per cent of those voters saying they intend to vote for him. The next closest candidate is Sarah Thomson with 11.6 per cent.
Surprisingly Ford also leads with Liberal supporters, although the margin of error puts him in a virtual tie with Smitherman, the former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister.
Among Liberals, 36.8 per cent of those surveyed say they would vote for Ford. Smitherman has the backing of 34.2 per cent.
When it comes to NDP supporters, deputy mayor Pantalone comes out on top with 36 per cent and Smitherman places second with 32 per cent. But 20 per cent of NDP supporters say they will vote for Ford.
Anyone wish to do a profile of those Rob Ford NDP voters?
Fri, 2010-08-13 12:38
#95
I'm not surprised...when you do these crosstabs - you always get some people with seemingly odd combinations of views. Its like in the US you can find something like 20% of people in Nevada who claim to be liberal Democrats who say they will vote for Tea party crackpot candidate for Senate - Sharron Angle!
Keep in mind that about 90% of the population only pays attention to politics for about 5 minutes a week (and maybe one of those minutes is municipal politics) - they know nothing about Ford excpet that they keep seeing his name in the news and he has a one syllable name that's easy to remember!
Fri, 2010-08-13 12:44
#96
Annoyingly, there's not a link to the poll itself, so we're left to guess what the exact numbers are. We're dealing with a portion of a portion here, so we should treat this 20% with caution.
As to who: I'm guessing protest voters who don't have a deep ideological commitment to where the NDP is coming from, but want to twist the tail of those in power.
Fri, 2010-08-13 14:28
#97
Lets not forget that we're dealing with 432 people, not exactly a large sample, phone polled, so we've lost almost half of Toronto who don't own land lines.
That said, Rob Ford wins, and I'm seriously considering leaving this city before the apocalypse.
Fri, 2010-08-13 14:34
#98
We don't know if they included cell phones or not and the proportion of Torontonians who have cell phones only and no land line is estimated to be about 8% not "half" - and in any case almost all of those people with no landline are under 30 - meaning that almost none of them will actually vote anyways.
Fri, 2010-08-13 15:04
#99
under 30 - meaning that almost none of them will actually vote anyways.
Mmmm, ageism! It's why I always did love politics in Canada. Being treated like erstwhile shit for being under 45. And people wonder why the young don't vote!
ROFLCOPTER
Fri, 2010-08-13 15:14
#100
Hey Stockholm, do you have any details on that? I would love to see those numbers. I admit to have completely made up the "half" because frankly I have no idea. I know two people who have land lines, my mother in law, and a friend who has one for work purposes, everyone else I know in Toronto (just about everyone is 35 and under) only has a cell phone.
Fri, 2010-08-13 18:21
#101
Call is "ageism" if you want - but it is a pretty well-documented FACT that voter turnout tends to be very very low among people under 30 - esp. for municipal elections.