[Blovertis]

A poll showed that if Miller were running, he'd win by a landslide.

Does anyone for a minute believe that's true? I've never witnessed an election yet where a hypothetical candidate didn't poll high only to fall to earth once he jumped in. And if Miller is so popular, why is his annointed heir at a mere 10 percent while right wing candidates are at 60+ percent combined?

If Miller were running, he'd now be polling 20 percent tops.

 

[Fac1]

And if Miller is so popular, why is his annointed heir at a mere 10 percent while right wing candidates are at 60+ percent combined?

I think you're reducing the importance of an individual's personality in the context of a mayoral race and underestimating how important that is to the populous. I'd say Joe's biggest weakness is his soft-spoken nature, perhaps a result of not being a native Canadian, and seemingly inability to be assertive. He lacks charisma and his polling reflects that. I think that if the left had a more indentifiable and exciting candidate, they would fare much better in this election.

 

[Northern Magus]

Does anyone for a minute believe that's true? I've never witnessed an election yet where a hypothetical candidate didn't poll high only to fall to earth once he jumped in. And if Miller is so popular, why is his annointed heir at a mere 10 percent while right wing candidates are at 60+ percent combined?

If Miller were running, he'd now be polling 20 percent tops.

Joe was never supposed to be his "anointed heir", it was always supposed to be Giambrone.

If Miller was running, it would be a completely different dynamic. He'd have spent the whole campaign dealing with his baggage, especially the garbage strike fiasco. All of his opponents would be running "choose change" campaigns, meaning they'd probably have to do even more to differentiate themselves from him. Miller's core appeal would probably be "save Toronto by saving the waterfront and saving Transit city - only I can ensure that the Pan Am Games mark the city's coming of age party".

He'd have more name recognition and more job cred than his opponents, but it would be a double edged sword since the things would drive people to support his opponents would be the same things that draw his supporters to him.

But in any event, polling in the low 20s would actually make him a strong contender. And it's doubtful that, unlike George, he would have spent the entire summer in reactive mode letting Ford set the agenda.

 

[TwoDogs_39]

ATTN: There's a radio debate LIVE on CBC Radio, and also online. I'm listening as I type.

ALSO: We just got a phone call from an automated polling firm asking who'd you vote for for mayor. Unfortunately, my mom answered and passed it on to me, and something happened cause the line died, so I never got to vote. GRRR! But clearly there's a poll going around. I wonder when the next will be released.

 

[Northern Magus]

I still think Rossi has fundamental likeability issues that will hurt him in any campaign but if he picks the right riding and gets weak opposition then, sure, he could be an MP.

Rocco's shown himself to be an excellent communicator and campaigner. Put him in a suburban swing riding as a star candidate, and he'll stand a very good chance of pulling it off.

 

[ladyscraper]

Joe's (not so) secret weapon will be unleashed tomorrow, Wednesday @ 11am.

They've been holding off on this for a while but this could potentially throw Joe into 2nd place. This is the best PR possible. Miller continues to be popular and when he endorses a candidate, his would be voters will follow his lead.

I'm a would be Miller voter but I really wish he wouldn't do this. I don't want the vote splintered more than it already is. There won't be enough to push Pantalone into the lead... just enough to ensure he steals enough from Smitherman to let Ford win.

 

[Fac1]

ATTN: There's a radio debate LIVE on CBC Radio, and also online. I'm listening as I type.

ALSO: We just got a phone call from an automated polling firm asking who'd you vote for for mayor. Unfortunately, my mom answered and passed it on to me, and something happened cause the line died, so I never got to vote. GRRR! But clearly there's a poll going around. I wonder when the next will be released.

Thanks, listening to it right now.

This link should work - http://www.cbc.ca/video/radio-popup.html#/networkKey=cbc_radio_one&programKey=toronto

 

[TwoDogs_39]

Anyone else think that Rocco Rossi is the most intelligent candidate out there? Like, I won't be voting for him, but he comes across as quite brilliant and very well-spoken. I think he'll go far in Provincial or Federal politics.

 

[Northern Magus]

@Big Tony: I'm convinced that George is smarter than Rocco -- and the best candidate for mayor -- but both are brilliant and well-spoken people. Give Rocco some political experience as an MP or MPP, and he'll have a very promising future.

@Ladyscraper: this epitomizes what I can't stand about the NDP: it's always all about them and they never look at the bigger picture. I wouldn't at all be surprised if they do all they can to split the vote and help Ford win - just to further the chances of the NDP candate winning in 2014.

 

[MetroMan]

Given how the debates have been going, and if people are paying any attention now, Ford has nowhere to go but down, and fast. He's sounded like a whiner at every debate and always comes across as an angry grumpy man. He's been laughed at and booed at in every debate I've watched, listened to or attended in the last 2 weeks.

Regardless of previous polls, the performance in debates suggests that Smitherman and Rocco should be neck and neck for first, with Joe in 3rd place and Ford way behind.

I wonder how debate performance is going to affect the polls, given that's how a significant number of people decide who to vote for.

 

[urbandreamer]

Joe dead last. I wasn't impressed by Joe and Rocco being "family" in supporting each other--for those that listened to the entire debate on cbc, the candidates were asked who they'd vote for if they weren't running. Interesting how both Italian candidates supported each other....

Here's who I feel felt like the strongest to weakest leader:

1)Smitherman
2)Ford
3)Rossi
4)Pantalone

 

[GraphicMatt]

Attended the debate tonight and damned if Rossi didn't impress. I've never him so good. And I never thought I'd say anything that nice about him.

Noticed he didn't take many (any) shots at Smitherman through the debate, focusing on Ford. Not sure what that means.

 

[MetroMan]

^ Hmmmm... Well, if the next poll shows Rossi still stuck in the single digits, he seriously could spare himself the embarrassment on election day. The problem is that there are people who are already voting as of today. That would be a pretty shitty thing to do to supporters of his who already voted for him.

 

[MetroMan]

I must say, Rossi dominated that debate. The biggest laugh of the night:

Ford - "If you have a problem, call me and I'll personally make sure I resolve your problem"
Rossi - "You can't run a city by bat-signal"

HAHAHAHAHAHA! O.M.G. I laughed out loud at that one. I'm still laughing at it lol

 

[Hipster Duck]

^Maybe Rob Ford can het his own 1-800 number so that he can personally rush to every little complaint.

The more I follow this campaign, the less I find Rob Ford a bigoted oaf and more a ridiculous folk hero; I wouldn't be surprised if his favourite movie character is Jimmy Stewart's character from "It's a Wonderful Life". I think his heart is in the right place, but we don't need a mayor who will help coach little leagues and rescue cats from trees. We need an effective manager and a disciplined public administrator. Someone who understands that the city is a complex place where millions of people must coexist and yet compete for resources, and that nobody will get exactly what they want if we want to aim for some collective good. I think if I had one word to summarize Rob Ford it would be "naive" - or, even better: "childlike". I'm not even going to go so far as to say that he's a control freak; I think that he's just some naive, childlike individual who thinks that it's his job to attend to each and everyone's little concerns, unaware that he has a city to run.