Just remembered a couple-more wish-fors:
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Miller_(Canadian_politician) "Miller endorsed a 2005 panel report which gave the mayor additional powers and created a formal city executive." (a step towards the "strong-mayor" system). "In May 2006, the provincial government passed legislation to extend municipal terms from three years to four. Miller supported the change, saying that municipal leaders need longer terms of office to carry out their mandate."
70% of Torontonians think Mayor Ford has a substance abuse problem according to Forum's latest poll.
I've been polled twice now (one of the benefits of having a land line), and the substance abuse question kinda squicks me. It feels prurient, like American-style politics.
+1. I'm just amazed, and saddened, that Rob Ford isn't one of the 70%.
On Friday I saw a shameful clip from Sun News which was on the Toronto Sun webpage. I have tried in vain to find it since.
The topic was Rob Ford's campaign launch from the night before. (not a mention of the disappointing turn out.)
The host was mildly critical of Ford who was vigorously promoted by Joe Warmington and a young blonde commentator whose name I did not get.
She was simplistic even for the Sun but surpassed anything I have yet heard in this campaign when she said that Olivia Cow would be a " communist mayor. She compounded this by saying that we have had communist mayors in the past so it did not seem to be a slip of the tongue.
Wow.
Re Gene Jones, Toronto Community Housing Corp. and the Rob Ford cronyism gravy train: http://torontoist.com/2014/04/answers-to-your-tchc-scandal-questions/
Ford Nation is fighting BACK, showing their support to Rob Ford including George Smitherman's brother!
“Mr. Ford will come back and the left, too bad, you’re not going to win this one,” former Toronto councillor John Papadakis said confidently as cheers erupted around him.
Papadakis, who is running for a seat on council in Ward 29-Toronto-Danforth, is not the only candidate who has thrown his full support behind the controversial mayor.
Arthur Smitherman — brother to past mayoral candidate George Smitherman — is running for council again in Ward 8-York West and told reporters Saturday that Ford’s personal life is a “side issue.”
“Rob Ford is a fighter,” Smitherman said. “This is just an opportunity to show the world that he’s a world champion. He’ll be back"
“The left is not going to get what it wants,” Papadakis said.
Paul Bell — candidate for council in Ward 33-Don Valley East — pointed out many volunteers present Saturday have had their calls returned and concerns addressed by the mayor in the past.
“His personal life has become something that he’s determined to address,” Bell said. “How we treat him (when he returns) is a reflection on us.”
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/05/03/candidates-backing-rob-ford-hold-sc...
Interesting story about John Papadakis. A former East York councillor before amalgamation, he was actually endorsed by the Toronto-Danforth NDP in the 2003 election where he ran against conservative incument Case Ootes. What a difference a decade makes 
But what a boomeranging diifference *two* decades make: Papadakis was the federal PC candidate in Broadview-Greenwood in 1993.
Oh, and re Arthur Smitherman: for proof of his fringeness, he was the federal Canadian Action Party candidate in York West in 2011.
Mayor Rob Ford’s popularity has sunk to its lowest point since he took office, a new poll shows. The poll was conducted Wednesday and surveyed 923 Toronto voters. It found that just one third of voters (32 per cent) now support the embattled mayor. Some 65 per cent of respondents said they disapprove of Ford.
. . . .
The poll also found that Olivia Chow continues to lead the pack of contenders for the mayor’s chair with 36 per cent support, while John Tory trails with 27 per cent. Ford remains in third place in the mayoral race with 24 per cent support for his re-election bid.
http://www.cp24.com/news/2014-municipal-elections/rob-ford-s-popularity-...
Could it be that Ford voters are finally showing some sense?
I think Olivia will remain the favourite as long as the Con vote is divided between Tory & Ford, but her lead over Tory is not enormous, so Tory still has a shot at it.
So far I think Olivia is getting more of the Liberal vote than Tory. Many Liberals are supporting Chow rather than Tory (Warren Kinsella being an obvious example, of course).
Seeing Ford in 3rd makes me happy.
I wouldn't be surprised if the core Ford voters left at this point include a contingent that is more amenable to Chow than Tory.
I wouldn't be surprised if the core Ford voters left at this point include a contingent that is more amenable to Chow than Tory.
Some surveys and analysis suggests that some of the Ford voters may prefer the Chow populism to the somewhat elitist vibe that Tory gives off.
Some of it is that Chow has been successful in casting herself as more of a pragmatist than the far-left ideologue as relentlessly promoted by John Tory.
I wouldn't be surprised if the core Ford voters left at this point include a contingent that is more amenable to Chow than Tory.
Yes, though when I try and make sense of this I just throw up my hands. I've been saying for 2+ years that if Tory ran, the Ford voters would flock to him. All the conservatism, none of the embarrassing behaviour.
If I were to guess, I'd say Ford voters are more motivated by personality rather than politics. And Tory has the whiff of failure about him.
Some of it is that Chow has been successful in casting herself as more of a pragmatist than the far-left ideologue as relentlessly promoted by John Tory.
I wouldn't be surprised if the core Ford voters left at this point include a contingent that is more amenable to Chow than Tory.Yes, though when I try and make sense of this I just throw up my hands. I've been saying for 2+ years that if Tory ran, the Ford voters would flock to him. All the conservatism, none of the embarrassing behaviour.
If I were to guess, I'd say Ford voters are more motivated by personality rather than politics. And Tory has the whiff of failure about him.
It is hard for Tory to connect with the average Joe, because he gives the impression of being an elitist.
To get that suburban vote, they can imagine having Tim Hortons with Ford. But not with Tory. He is Starbucks.
That is why the Ford Nation votes havn't moved as much as they should towards Tory.
Some surveys and analysis suggests that some of the Ford voters may prefer the Chow populism to the somewhat elitist vibe that Tory gives off.
Some of it is that Chow has been successful in casting herself as more of a pragmatist than the far-left ideologue as relentlessly promoted by John Tory.
Yes, though when I try and make sense of this I just throw up my hands. I've been saying for 2+ years that if Tory ran, the Ford voters would flock to him. All the conservatism, none of the embarrassing behaviour.
If I were to guess, I'd say Ford voters are more motivated by personality rather than politics. And Tory has the whiff of failure about him.
I'm more making reference to the part of Ford's base that often slips through political commentary - his inner-suburban base that demographically leans toward lower incomes and immigrant or refugee backgrounds. Perhaps as you said "personality rather than politics". These are people who are not necessarily bred-in-the-bone conservatives but for whatever reason are drawn to Ford's brand of politics. I would wager they are a significant fraction of the mysterious voters who say in polls they voted for Ford and also for the federal or provincial NDP. And they are more likely to find common ground with Chow than Tory.
And Tory has the whiff of failure about him.
Indeed. Tory has lost nearly everything he has ever done in politics.
Was a terrible manager of the Federal PC Campaign in 1993.
Lost the Mayoral Election in 2003.
Lost a winnable election to Dalton McGuinty in 2007.
Couldn't even win a seat in Don Valley West against Kathleen Wynne.
Couldn't even win a by-election in a solid PC seat in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.
I'm pretty confident that if Ford stay's on the ballot he will garner at least 15% of the vote, taking support away from Tory and making it hard for him to beat Olivia, who has been consistantly polling in the mid- to high- 30's.
However, with Rob Ford's political career continuing to implode, the big question for this election is: can Olivia still win if Ford is not on the ballot come October and the race for the mayor's chair is, essentially, between she and John Tory?
http://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/5253169/
Nikki Benz, adult film star is about to enter the race for Mayor of Toronto. So we have a other person who is more qualified to ru Toronto then Ford, Stintz, Tory, Thompson, and that other rightwing guy who I forget. Of course my cat is more suited to running Toronto, so maybe I neee to raiae the bar.
Still its good to know the people have a choice if anything happens to Chow. I mean Ms. Benz, not my cat, he likes to bite ankles for fun, which is frowned on by city hall I believe.
Nikki Benz, adult film star is about to enter the race for Mayor of Toronto. So we have a other person who is more qualified to ru Toronto then Ford, Stintz, Tory, Thompson, and that other rightwing guy who I forget. Of course my cat is more suited to running Toronto, so maybe I neee to raiae the bar.
We're experiencing something similar in Winnipeg, where people are all of a sudden coming out from obscure corners to throw their names in for Mayor. Interestingly enough, the 2 main contenders from the last campaign, the incumbent Mayor Sam Katz and his challenger Judy Wasylicia-Leis have not announced their intentions.
Nikki ran into some burocractic issues because her lience laps.
I do like a her slogan. Trade in your Ford for a Benz. Clever.
Her first campaign promise to bring the adult video industry from California to Toronto. Still a better jobs plan then John Tory.
I'm not sure what stops them from working in TO honestly, so I'm not sure how she plans to changing things.
However, with Rob Ford's political career continuing to implode, the big question for this election is: can Olivia still win if Ford is not on the ballot come October and the race for the mayor's chair is, essentially, between she and John Tory?
Considering the long list of Tory losses that I listed above, it's certainly possible that Chow can still beat Tory even if Ford withdraws or goes down even further.
Tory is a loser - many times over. He has to hope that this campaign is the exception to the rule.
Latest ad from Olivia Chow:
John Tory's Massive Flip Flop
For three months John Tory has had one priority, and one priority only. Now it's changed--because Mr. Tory didn't do his homework. Our city deserves better than indecision in the mayor's office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qwmodtNBw7M
As to how the respondents say they’d vote, in a five-way race, Chow wins with 38 per cent, followed by Tory with 28 per cent, Ford with 20 per cent, Socknacki at 5 per cent and Stinz at 4 per cent.
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/toronto2014election/2014/06/09/new...
Tory's doing a bit better than some of us thought he would, but so far the edge still goes to Chow.
Ford seems down for the immediate future.
The only way Ford won't run is if he's in jail. He certainly won't step aside to make way for Tory.
I can't find any place to put this comment but here. The day after the Ontario election, Doug Ford has said Mayor Rob Ford is an NDPer! Or rather a social NDPer.
“Rob and I represent the front-line union folks. We’re populists. We’re fiscal conservatives, but social liberals. Rob’s a social NDPer."
-Doug Ford
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2014/06/13/doug_ford_says_progress...
"Doug Ford says Progressive Conservative party needs an ‘enema’"
I don't think an enema is going to do enough when you're so full of shit that you can taste it.
"Doug Ford says Progressive Conservative party needs an ‘enema’"
I don't think an enema is going to do enough when you're so full of shit that you can taste it.
The enema of my enemy is my friend.
Is enema just a polite word for backwater?
Nikki ran into some burocractic issues because her lience laps.
I do like a her slogan. Trade in your Ford for a Benz. Clever.
Her first campaign promise to bring the adult video industry from California to Toronto. Still a better jobs plan then John Tory.
I'm not sure what stops them from working in TO honestly, so I'm not sure how she plans to changing things.
My vague, non-technical understanding is that California is one of the few places in North America where the prositution laws are written so as to exempt the production of pornographic films. I THINK that their law states that if both of the people having sex are being paid for it by a third party, it's not considered prostitution.
With no one having any clue what Canada's prositution laws are gonna look like a year from now, I would not think this an opportune time to be inviting the California adult-film industry in.
What Ontario election means for Toronto’s mayoral race
By John Lorinc
http://spacing.ca/toronto/2014/06/13/lorinc-ontario-election-means-toron...
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/councillor-giorgio-mammoliti-c...
When that Ford's atart thinking of you as "crazy" maybe you should seek help. I mean seriously calling Parkdals High Park a fucking Pddophile District. Thank goodness Mammoliti isn't running for moyor, this race is weird enough.
Chow had 34 per cent support, Ford 27 per cent, Tory 24 per cent. David Soknacki hit 6 per cent, the highest he has been at any point of the campaign. Karen Stintz was at 3 per cent, her worst showing in relation to Soknacki and tied for her worst showing overall. Another 6 per cent of respondents said they didn’t know who they would vote for.
Forum.
http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/1077461/rob-ford-still-competitive-afte...
So Ford has moved ahead of Tory in this one (although they're statistically tied). Shows Ford is still competitive, but Chow is maintaining a lead.
Would be interesting to know what would happen if either Ford or Tory dropped out. Where would the votes go?
---
Eric Grenier's analysis:
Chow maintains lead in Toronto race ahead of Ford, Tory.
http://www.threehundredeight.com/2014/06/chow-maintains-lead-in-toronto-...
Move over Joe the Plumber, it's time for Shirtless Joe:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/02/shirtlessjogger-rob-ford-joe-kil...
It just boggles my mind that Ford is still so popular. It's the kind of thing that really makes you question if we can make it as a species.
Forum poll:
Chow 36
Tory 27
Ford 26
http://poll.forumresearch.com/post/90/rob-fords-numbers-not-boosted-by-r...
It just boggles my mind that Ford is still so popular. It's the kind of thing that really makes you question if we can make it as a species.
It is the ailenation the suburbs feel and have felt for the last ten years. Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke never got any attention as all the focus was on the Downtown core.
Then comes along Ford who makes it his mission to gves those three areas equal time as DT Toronto. Plus keep taxes low.
He has gone after the Toronto Sun/Tim Horton's voter. Espousing a five point plan, and ble to break it down in a 30 second soundbite. So everyone can understand it.
So keeping taxes low and giving equal weight to an ailenated electorate = undivided loyalty.
It just boggles my mind that Ford is still so popular. It's the kind of thing that really makes you question if we can make it as a species.
You need to look at what he came into office to do. In his case, it was to "stop the gravy train," so regardless of whatever scandals arise, as long as he is doing this he has a reasonable base to rely on. To beat this, ask whether or not he did what he said. On transit, for example, Chow has clearly articulated why Ford's plan will hurt Scarborough, how his plan to remove buses has hurt people outside of downtown, and how Ford's plan ends up costing Toronto more overall. Find more information like that, get it out, it shows that he didn't do as he said, and he will be vulnerable.
It just boggles my mind that Ford is still so popular. It's the kind of thing that really makes you question if we can make it as a species.It is the ailenation the suburbs feel and have felt for the last ten years. Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke never got any attention as all the focus was on the Downtown core.
Then comes along Ford who makes it his mission to gves those three areas equal time as DT Toronto. Plus keep taxes low.
He has gone after the Toronto Sun/Tim Horton's voter. Espousing a five point plan, and ble to break it down in a 30 second soundbite. So everyone can understand it.
So keeping taxes low and giving equal weight to an ailenated electorate = undivided loyalty.
Exactly.
Observing how Ford is being mobbed at all these events (with the exception of the Canada Day parades) makes me wonder about the polls.
Him using the 'disease' card is letting him clean the slate from the past year. And start anew with the elctorate. Judging by the crowds, and talk radio, It seems like they have forgiven him.
This election will be decided by the suburbs (Scarborough, Etobicoke and North York). And if the crowds that surround Ford at public events are any indication, he can win this election without a electorial machine behind him.
Nanos:
Tory 39
Chow 33
Ford 23
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/mayoral-hopeful-john-tory-leading-the-race-new...
Funny. And sad.
Ford behaves the same way at rehab as he does in City Council meetings:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/07/08/rob_ford_disruptive_in_reh...
“Ford broke things, got into fights with other residents,” said one source with knowledge of the mayor’s time in rehab at the resort-turned-drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Muskoka.
“Ford stopped people from sharing their stories, which is key to a successful rehab experience,” said another source. “Other residents felt intimidated. They felt he was a bully. He was always saying he did not belong there.”
Management was concerned Ford continued to use drugs or alcohol during his time in rehab.....
Just a few days into his time there, according to sources, addiction counsellors were shaking their heads.
“We are not paid enough to deal with this guy,” one counsellor remarked during a conversation with another counsellor.
“Rob Ford literally had the run of the place. There were no rules around Rob Ford,” said another source.
I think if Ford just admitted he was a functioning addict, then turn the campaign into a refererndum on his record against others he would be in a much better place poll wise.
He could frame it in a way that says many people are able to function in society and in work as an addict. And he is no different than others who function successfully as an addict.
But then again Ford is in such denial and is so out of control as a person, being an addict is the least of his worries.
Ford is climbing out of the swamp
http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/toronto2014election/2014/07/23/tor...
H.G. Watson: [url=http://dailyxtra.com/toronto/news/rob-ford-supporters-and-lgbt-activists... Ford supporters and LGBT activists clash at Ford Fest[/url]
Interesting article by Desmond Cole of Now Magazine on why Black in Toronto support Rob Ford, despite him using the N word when describing blacks
http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=199045
Personally, I think it's understandable that, if people TRULY believe that a particular politician represents their interests(whatever those may be), they would care more about that then the fact that he was caught in a private conversation using racial slurs against them.
And, let's be honest, some of the most notorious quotes are pretty ambiguous. "They're fucking minorities...", out of context, doesn't really tell us much about his attitude towards the people he's talking about. I've often heard the gerund "fucking" used simply for emphasis, not to express negative sentiment. eg. "Of COURSE I don't vote Conservative. I'm a fucking New Democrat!""
Not that I think Ford was neccessarily using "fucking minorities" that way, just that if you were someone who is postively disposed towards him to begin with, it's probably easy enough to believe that he was.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2014
Is the John Tory bump for real?
http://www.threehundredeight.com/2014/08/is-john-tory-bump-for-real.html
