Rob Ford: The Mirror...er...Cracked...

The redacted Lisi stuff is being released to the media, as well.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/agJIP.gif[/img]

Prostitues?

<a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> wrote:

Prostitues?

Some "respect for taxpayers".  Ford's allegedly just slurping up public gravy for himself:

Quote:

Petty errands for staff

Police say they were told by Fickel that he was regularly called upon last minute to change lightbulbs at the mayor's home, or replace the batteries in his kids' toys. He is cited in the police report describing several duties, including buying cigarettes, bleach, laundry detergent and Diet Coke for the mayor's wife. (Page 110)

link

Child services needs to be called to get Ford's kids out of that environment.

Then maybe, just maybe Ford will get help if the Judge orders him to, for the sake of those kids.

Tim Powers was on Power & Politics yesterday, and he said he was told by former Ford staffer that his addiction problem has been going on for many many years, and even back then he was urged to get help.

He's isolated and hanging on by a (desperate) thread now.  I doubt he'll be in the game a year from now.

Considering Ford emphatically says he name will be on the ballot (and these past weeks have shown us how stubborn he is), no poll should be done without Ford in the poll.

Come hell or high water (or arrest), his name is going to be on the ballot come 2014

BREAKING

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says he will launch lawsuits against former staffers who alleged a litany of misbehaviour to police.

“It’s unfortunate I have to take legal action,” he said as he arrived at City Hall Thursday morning. “Those are outright lies, not true.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/mayor-rob-ford-vows-legal-ac...

I doubt he will go through this lawsuit. Because if he does, this is civil matter and depositions will have to be taken. Which means Ford will be forced to answer questions (under oath) about all his drug and alcohol use, on and off city time.

This is just going into the crapper very fast.

Time for Ford to step away.

http://looniepolitics.com/mayor-fords-race-bottom/

I doubt he will go through this lawsuit. Because if he does, this is civil matter and depositions will have to be taken. Which means Ford will be forced to answer questions (under oath) about all his drug and alcohol use, on and off city time.

Ford strikes me as exactly the sort of person who'd lie under oath. And consider himself quite justified in doing so. ("Rule of law? Whuzzat? Buuurp!")

Not that I think it'll come to that. This is just the usual bluster and defiance we get from him whenever an obstacle presents itself.

I doubt any legal action would have traction because he has no cause of action.

If Ford's politics were left rather than right, I wonder what I'd think?  IE, what if there was "Left-Ford" rather than Ford?  For instance, let's replace his slogans with left equivalents:  respect for taxpayers/respect from government; end the gravy train/end the service-fee swirl; stop the war on cars/stop the war on transit.  So, Left-Ford starts bellowing about how government does not respect people, charging fees for it's services, saying that he'll personally cut all recreation centre fees, library late charges, transit fees (including fares), etc, while claiming taxes won't be increased due to savings realised from a more sensible LRT rather than subways plan (the parallel being that Ford claimed services would not be cut to implement his no taxes promise, when in fact Ford did cut services).  Left-Ford wins.  And begins to implement these changes, but does increase taxes to do it.  People don't really care, however.  They like having more accessible public services -- free transit is something they can see NOW.  But then he's found to be smoking crack.  He is found to be a wild partier with some racist and sexist overtones (though he has no problem employing and working with either women or visible minorities, but perhaps has been abusive to and misused staff, regardless of race or sex).  He's lost the respect of council, and former allies have dropped their support for him due to his behavioural excesses.  It's questionable how much any of the changes had anything to do with him, but his presence seemed to have emboldened actual decision makers to make the changes (which I approved).  So, the question I have for myself is what would I, as a member of Left-Ford Nation, think of the current situation? 

mark:

I rememeber when Marion Barry made his mayoral comeback after doing the jail term for crack, I read an article by some journalist in a centre-right American political magazine. The guy, a DC resident, started by saying he didn't like Barry, but went on to describe seeing him "work the room" at a public forum for constituents. He said that Barry was responsive to concerns raised by participants, and quite knowledgable about the relevant issues, even down to the very local level. The gist of the piece was: "Okay, Barry's a crackhead who has disgraced himself and his city, but it's not totally illogical that he would maintain a lot of support from the public."

Barry, prior to his late-in-life conversion to the anti-marriage equality bandwagon, being probably the closest thing I could think of to your hypothetical "Left Ford".    

That and Sun News is prominently featuring a segment on "Liberal leniancy {sic} lunacy" on their front page, talking about how Trudeau is too soft on crime. How do people that can barely think, let alone spell, learn how to operate a TV station?

Quote:

Scenario 4: Olivia Chow and John Tory would be in a tight race. 

Olivia Chow edges out John Tory with 36 percent support, while Tory received 28 percent of the vote. Rob Ford got 20 percent support, Karen Stintz received 13 percent support and David Soknacki had 3 percent. 

The Ipsos Reid poll was conducted between November 8-12 for NEWSTALK 1010.

I was just listening to AM640, and the DJ was grilling Ford supporters on air.  Conservatives want him gone.  Partially because he's not up to the job.  But I think also (largely) because he'd no longer be able to win, and he'd take votes away from any other right winger who may run, allowing Chow to win. 

ETA:  Just noticed felixr's post.  Hmm.  Perhaps I'm wrong in what I stated above.  I don't really know.

Apparently Kathleen Wynne is going to be speaking at 2:30 PM today about the Ford issue.

mark_alfred wrote:

Apparently Kathleen Wynne is going to be speaking at 2:30 PM today about the Ford issue.

Ah . . . . No, never mind.

Oh I must say, Wynne spoke well. I especially liked the appeal to non-partisan cooperation and unanimity.

When is child services going to go in there and take those out of that environment?

If the system works anything like it does in the US, one parent admitting to drug and alcohol use wouldn't suffice unless there's evidence that the children aren't being clothed or fed or are being abused, which no one has so far suggested.

I want to reiterate what mersh said upthread:

mersh wrote:

Still, CBC has published a statement from Mohamed Farah, which provides so much more context and critique than their own 60 minutes of sensationalism:

"My intention for coming out and telling my story is to shed light on the hypocrisy of a system that punishes the vulnerable for minor misdemeanors while the rich and powerful are protected by the same laws for crimes that are much more egregious."

That statement from Farah is by far the best thing I've read about this whole disaster, mostly because it says next to nothing about Ford and plenty about how society allows people like Ford (and has in fact structured itself to allow people like Ford) to flourish -- hypocritically at the expense of people like Farah and those he strives to protect and help.

I agree with Unionist that rabble has published some very thoughtful pieces on Ford (although I'm biased, obv).

mark_alfred wrote:

The Ontario NDP, according to Global news, has rejected supporting any such provincial interference in the affairs of Toronto City Council.

ETA:  I heard that on TV, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere else.

Thanks for this, Mark. I didn't know the NDP had an official position. I wrote a letter today to NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, my MPP. She replied within 2 hours. Here's my letter:

Sineed wrote:

I urge your party to work in collaboration with the Wynn government and the conservatives to get rid of this mayor. If all three parties work together in a non-partisan way for the good of the city and respect for rule of law, it will help minimize the inevitable accusations of hijacking democracy from the bullies, thugs and liars who are taking advantage of our better nature.

The Ford family is holding this city hostage and turning us into an international embarrassment.

Cheri DiNovo's reply:

Quote:

Hi Sineed,

Thank you for your concern. There is no provincial mechanism to remove a Mayor nor, I believe, would we want one. It would be interference in another democratic, duly elected, level of government.

A majority of Torontonians voted Rob Ford into office and in less than a year we will have the opportunity to remove him. Unless criminal charges and a conviction intervene that is the democratic solution. 

I have called for his resignation and urged him to get help for his addiction issues as have other politicians. 

Clearly he's not listening. We also must remember that he maintains a great deal of voter support. That is what needs to change.

Thank you for being part of that change.
Cheri

It's a reasonable point of view.

Another interesting thing I heard today: I was chatting with a former head of my union local (I'm in OPSEU), and he mentioned that leaders of the CUPE inside and outside workers are reopening those cases where workers have been dismissed for drinking on the job during the current mayor's administration.

One of the funnies is the Ford Motor Co. crying foul about Rob and Doug supporters donning "Ford Nation" t-shirts and other regalia with the Ford Co. logo. People must not remember that the thin Ford was even worse than the portly one. He was a Nazi symp, who penned the articles dripping with hate in the Dearborn Independent and his infamous tome, the "International" (or "Eternal") Jew". And behind racist hiring restrictions at Ford Hospital, and residency or even presence restrictions in Grosse Pointe (posh Detroit suburb) Michigan. Black people, even domestics, had to leave before sundown... Racist, Nazi scum.

Despite what I heard on the Global news broadcast earlier, and despite the opinions expressed by Cheri DiNovo (that Sineed shared), I don't think the ONDP have released an official position.  What Global said has not been repeated anywhere else, including on CBC tonight.  So, I think the Global journalist made an error.

The Toronto Argonauts have complained about his wearing their sweater and disinvited him to the CFL Eastern Final on Sunday; the Santa Claus parade has made it clear it does not want him at their parade; and the Toronto School Board has announced it will not have any trips to City Hall because of his actions.

Perhaps councillors should follow their lead and tell him he is not wanted at city council.