[Outside Looking In]

Every time a new poll comes out I'm shocked that Doug is ahead of Olivia. I can't get used to the idea that more than 25% of the people around me are fucking crazy enough to vote for either of the Fords. I wish I hadn't heard about the crazification factor, I look at people a little differently these days.

Me too. I would not call myself a progressive and can't see myself voting for her if I lived in the city, but I am baffled that her numbers are so far behind DoFo. How can such a plainly unsuitable and unlikeable jerk poll so much higher than a thinking, reasonable, credible candidate with her experience? I do confess though that I have looked at people differently for a long time now.

 

[JGHali]

Doug said that the environmental assessments are already done for this subway lines, including "Sheppard". I am beyond certain that only the LRT EA's are complete. Has it even been started for the BD extension?

 

[casita]

No doubt John Tory is a rabid anti-dentite. We've already established that he supports separate schools.

(I'm sad that there will be a day not long from now that no one will get these Seinfeld references...)

Remember on Curb Your Enthusiasm when Larry needed a divorce attorney?

 

[Irishmonk]

Me too. I would not call myself a progressive and can't see myself voting for her if I lived in the city, but I am baffled that her numbers are so far behind DoFo. How can such a plainly unsuitable and unlikeable jerk poll so much higher than a thinking, reasonable, credible candidate with her experience? I do confess though that I have looked at people differently for a long time now.

Surely Chow would be leading Ford if Tory weren't in the race. But, yeah, it is highly demoralizing and reflects poorly on Toronto and humanity in general.

 

[Anna]

Found a birth notice for Kara in The Star, March 5 1994, page B8. Nothing in their marriage, at least not from TPL's TorStar digital archives.

 

[JGHali]

Me too. I would not call myself a progressive and can't see myself voting for her if I lived in the city, but I am baffled that her numbers are so far behind DoFo. How can such a plainly unsuitable and unlikeable jerk poll so much higher than a thinking, reasonable, credible candidate with her experience? I do confess though that I have looked at people differently for a long time now.

I think the only conclusion we can safely draw from any of these polls is that Tory is ahead by a comfortable margin, with both Chow and Ford well back. The issue is that Mainstreet's numbers have otherwise been all over the place. Somehow Doug went from 16% to above 30% in the space of a week, despite press that would only charitably be called "negative". That level of variation speaks to a bad methodology and significant sample bias. Sure, they quote some margin of error of +/- 2%, but this is best understood as the minimum error margin. Another issue with Mainstreet is that they don't seem to use any sampling weights apart from age and gender. Adjustments are made post-sample, which means they don't represent real strata in the population, and I see nothing to indicate that they weight for Old Toronto vs Scarborough vs North York etc. The only way that works is if support for each candidate is uniform across all parts of the city - and we know that this probably isn't true.

So does that mean that Chow isn't actually behind Ford? Maybe - maybe not. But it does mean that these polls are highly questionable. One way or the other, I feel (and, yes, more a "gut" thing) that Doug's support is vastly overstated, even if we only see evidence of this on the 28th.

 

[the lemur]

Doug Ford to call imminent presser informing public that he too--indeed the whole Ford clan, including his brother (who resumes chemo today)--is Jewish. Which he would have mentioned at the debate if that mean, waspy, elitist, anti Fordite, anti-semite, (and possible anti-dentite) John Tory hadn't interrupted him.

 

[Cooper]

"You're a fucking idiot" and a weary, very small smile to herself go together perfectly, IMO. She clearly would not be shocked that he's an idiot.

Ah. Of course. I know that look.

 

[GavinTheAlmighty]

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[Riverdale Rink Rat]

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THAT is some amazing sleuthing. If Mme. Julie was married to a gentleman 'known for his devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ', I'd say it's stretching the truth like a rubber band to say she remained Jewish in any tangible manner. Most likely the opposite -- born again Christian -- if anything.

Bravo, Anna.

ETA: last attachment didn't open on my first read -- OMG the Fords lie like sidewalks. It's hilarious and more than a little sad.

 

[LowPolygon]

Every time a new poll comes out I'm shocked that Doug is ahead of Olivia. I can't get used to the idea that more than 25% of the people around me are fucking crazy enough to vote for either of the Fords. I wish I hadn't heard about the crazification factor, I look at people a little differently these days.

I'm certain that most of this Ford “support†is coming from very uncommitted people who enjoy being “politically incorrect†in a poll. They’re trolling the polling companies, because they like the idea of poking a stick in the eye of people like “usâ€. I wouldn’t pay much attention to it.
There are definitely harsher elements at play here though—because Chow is unquestionably hitting up against the very real racism that exists in the city. It's not even veiled at this point.

 

[Videodrome]

https://twitter.com/siomo/status/519167796790689792

Doug called 1010 and wanted a retraction. The Tory campaign didn't do that.

 

[pud99]

Do you happen to know when they were married? Saves a lot of random clicking!

1980s, latter part, I think. DF is 49 IIRC, so born 1965 or 1966.

Karla's maiden name is Middlebrook. That might help.

 

[JGHali]

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Okay...

Karla Ford, born Karla Middlebrook to father William John Middlebrook. Devoted to Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not Jewish.

Daughter of Julie Renwick, and whose sister Florence got married in a church. To someone named Thompson.

Now, through my mom's side of the family I am rather familiar with Toronto Jewish names... don't remember any Renwicks. And I went to elementary school in Thornhill.

Interestingly, apparently the Evangel Temple hosts some sort of program to "heal" gays:

At Living Waters Toronto, the program is led by a team of volunteers, including a preschool teacher, a personal trainer and a pastor. Leaders give hope that God can heal participants’ “sexual and relational brokenness,” an umbrella term that includes such issues as homosexuality, masturbation and pornography addictions.

But some of those former participants told the Star stories of personal anguish and spiritual crisis when their attempts to become straight failed. (Their stories appear in Part 2 of the investigation..)

These stories chip away at Living Waters’ facade as a healing ministry, revealing instead a religious organization that hurts some participants in its attempts to heal sexual dysfunction and relationship problems.

(...)

The Evangel Temple has allowed Living Waters to use its premises ever since Barry Lee, a self-described psychotherapist counsellor and former pastor of the church, founded the program more than 10 years ago.

 

[Irishmonk]

Doug is actually starting to remind me of that certain annoying character on SNL that Kristen Wiig used to play.

[video=youtube;W69nqO1X5yU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W69nqO1X5yU[/video]