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MetroMan said:
I'm told that Olivia Chow's campaign machine is now running, managing her PR and implementing strategies. Her public appearances for her book tour and her inevitable comments on her run and opinion on Rob a Ford all have John Laschinger behind them.

Her book tour is the perfect tool to campaign without officially entering the race. She's out there being visible, meeting people and talking to the media from the start but gets to delay the Big Bang of her campaign launch until much later so she can peak on October 27, not in the summer like Smitherman did.

Her campaign nonetheless was smart to delay her book tour to January so that there's no appearance of illegal campaigning. Like any other candidate for councillor or mayor they're allowed to unofficially campaign as long as they're not raising/spending money and not using the words For Mayor/Councillor.
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When does this book tour start. Parliament returns to work at the end of January and she does not want to be seen doing "secret" campaigning while being absent from her real job.
 
BurlOak said:
When does this book tour start. Parliament returns to work at the end of January and she does not want to be seen doing "secret" campaigning while being absent from her real job.
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Hasn't it started already? She was at U of T last week (link is on the last page I think.) And the students were calling on her for mayor.
 
It already started. She's been all over the news for her book tour which is exactly the intention. It's reintroducing her to Toronto, keeping her visible and meeting people and setting straight past allegations (ie. the government housing abuse myth).

Laschinger's performance with Pantalone shook my confidence in him as a campaign manager but from what I've seen about this campaign so far, I'm fired up and optimistic that it'll work to turn Olivia into a superstar.

Ford's best asset right now is his superstar status -- even though it was earned for negative reasons. People still recognize him and want to meet him and that helps with the herd mentality that makes it look like he has support and all is forgiven.
 
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I really hope that Soknacki picks up his efforts to boost name recognition. I liked what I heard from him about the Scarborough subway.
 
I don't think anything Soknacki does will win him this election. Even if he wins the right, he'll never take away all of Ford's support and he needs most of it plus some support on the left to win. Unless Olivia Chow doesn't run, Soknacki will not win. He may however set himself up for an election down the road the same way Tory did.

Nonetheless, I'll be supporting him while also pushing for Olivia. Soknacki will serve a purpose and pitching to those who won't vote for Olivia is a useful strategy.
 
Anyone think Smitherman would give it another go? He's got some public sympathy and positive media exposure, and the cloud of eHealth, Ornge and whatnot is mostly past. He's publicly endorsed Chow, so if she doesn't run, maybe he will.

What's Smitherman doing otherwise? Does he have a job?
 
MetroMan said:
I don't think anything Soknacki does will win him this election.
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Toronto's loss then. I'm not saying at this point that Soknacki should be Mayor, as I know little about the guy in action. But if he managed to maintain through the run of the campaign what he has done so far, clearly stating issues of concern where other politicians have sought to position or pander, like with the Scarborough subway or the police budget, then he should receive equal consideration to the known name candidates. To rebalance Toronto in the aftermath of Rob Ford, it needs a straightforward, even boring, centrist a lot more than it needs someone from the NDP old guard.
 
Crazy said:
Blatchford slams Chow's autobiography:

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com...ney-an-exhausting-attempt-at-legacy-building/

I like Chow, can't stand Blatchford...but boy, if those excerpts are a fair representation of the book...
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She was the one "journalist" to run a mean, nasty vindictive column in the wake of Jack Layton's death. This latest column isn't that bad (she does hint that the book should have a different direction, a reasonable point), but I would take it more seriously if it wasn't from Blatchford.
 
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StevieD said:
If any candidate drops out first, it wouldn't surprise me if it's David Soknacki.
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I think he will have a strong campaign this time around. For me, he is a refreshing option and an alternative to Tory/Stintz for the centrist and center-right vote.
 
A person close to the Ford family told me tonight that Ford still hasn't secured any major donors for his campaign. It's early but Doug has been getting doors slammed in his face for months now.

I'm beginning to get the feeling that not only is Ford not going to get re-elected, he's going to get humiliated at the polls in October. I have trouble imagining his concession speech. Will he even give one? Will it be a "the people still love me" or a "this was a Toronto Star conspiracy" or "I'm still going to work for the taxpayers" or a "I'm running for Provincial/Federal government"... I'm going to make sure I attend that in person, it'll be cathartic.
 
MetroMan said:
A person close to the Ford family told me tonight that Ford still hasn't secured any major donors for his campaign. It's early but Doug has been getting doors slammed in his face for months now.

I'm beginning to get the feeling that not only is Ford not going to get re-elected, he's going to get humiliated at the polls in October. I have trouble imagining his concession speech. Will he even give one? Will it be a "the people still love me" or a "this was a Toronto Star conspiracy" or "I'm still going to work for the taxpayers" or a "I'm running for Provincial/Federal government"... I'm going to make sure I attend that in person, it'll be cathartic.
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Still holding out for a Budd Dwyer type concession speech.
 
MetroMan said:
A person close to the Ford family told me tonight that Ford still hasn't secured any major donors for his campaign. It's early but Doug has been getting doors slammed in his face for months now.

I'm beginning to get the feeling that not only is Ford not going to get re-elected, he's going to get humiliated at the polls in October. I have trouble imagining his concession speech. Will he even give one? Will it be a "the people still love me" or a "this was a Toronto Star conspiracy" or "I'm still going to work for the taxpayers" or a "I'm running for Provincial/Federal government"... I'm going to make sure I attend that in person, it'll be cathartic.
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Who does Rob mean by "taxpayers"? Does he mean the taxpayer who pay property taxes or the taxpayer who has to pay user fees AND property taxes? If its property taxes, then businesses (like Deco Labels) would have to be included. Businesses don't want to pay for things the business does not use, such as libraries, public transit, or parks. Businesses do use the roads of course, so that why tolls are a no-no.
 
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