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Eug said:
If anyone says the "gravy train" again, I'm going to kill him.

Oops. I just said it.
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Now, here's one heck of a "Rob Ford getting his just desserts" image
chow-hound-what-no-gravy.jpg
 
lafard said:
I'm not sure I want a mayor that puts his hobbies ahead of his job. I don't want to hear the mayor was absent from council because he was coaching football.
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To be fair, he has said that this would be his last season coaching football. I'd think the season would be near over by the time he becomes mayor in December.
 
toto said:
The Ford camp has taken a page of Harper's media control book. Which is to say, avoid the media as much as possible, especially media that has challenged you on your policy. Run and hide if you have to. The saving grace, is that Ford cannot control councillors, were as Harper does control his ministers. I suspect the reason they want Ford not to interact with the media is to be able to control their message. Historically, Ford has proven that he rarely knows what the message is, let alone deliver it. I give it 3 months before some media will be tossed out of the council chamber and 6 months, before the public is banned as well.
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Not to mention what I've suggested in the past about heightened security at City Hall, guards-with-wands and all.

Though the trouble with Ford aping Harper's media technique is that, well, he's so baldly graceless at it--even Harper wouldn't be caught so slothful, inarticulate, contemptuous, and distracted as Ford was on CBC.

In fact, I've been wondering if that contains seeds of ticking-time-bomb collapse even sooner than expected--there's something about the Ford juggernaut that seems to have been caught up entirely in the mayoral race, without a clear and realistic concept of how to handle what comes after. As in, "WTF do I do now?!?"

And--of course--yes, I know that all the fat-fvck jokes only firmed up his base. However, with debacles like As It Happens in mind, I can't see any end soon to the ridicule, not least among the anti-Ford contingent. Unfortunately, he's going to be pummelled with fat-fvck and Flounder-in-Animal-House humour to no end now, and...knowing him, he's not going to take it well. He's the kind who'd "break". And confronted with somebody like him, the left has no mercy.

I can see him, personally, destroyed by the stress of his mayoralty, a stress he was too pigheaded and drunk-on-adrenaline to foresee.
 
^ and of course, the two biggest media outlets in Toronto are both just waiting for him to make another mistake. The Star on Tuesday in particular made it very obvious they were unhappy with the results. Snarkiest "journalism" I've ever seen.

Not only will the media make his life a living hell, but I get the feeling that he was probably happiest puttering around ward 2 and coaching football. Four or five months from now, once it becomes clear what he's gotten himself into, I figure we're in for a huge change of demeanor. The arrogant bluster will be gone within a month or two and I bet he's beaten by late spring.
 
Indeed, what I find to be the eternal problem with the "sanctimonious left", so to speak, is their indiscriminate usage of a common template. Invoke Reagan/Thatcher; Bush/Harper; whatever. Trouble is, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen: Rob Ford is no Reagan/Thatcher/Bush/Harper. He's bush-league, not Bush-league.

Mayoralty might just wind up being more tragic for him, than it is for the city.

Heck, even Mel Lastman was more adept, being a natural huckster and all--and except maybe in the final years, he could handle the ridicule (wasn't his office plastered in political cartoons or something?)
 
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nfitz said:
Yeah, because you wouldn't want to let the entire country you know your a buffoon. Bizarre interview ... did anyone tell him he's won, and he can stop campaigning?
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Let's make that the entire world. AIH is distributed on many NPR station in the US and around the world on Public Radio International.

Dilla said:
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/10/rob_ford_torontos_newly_electe.php
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I'm sure the first of many. How long before The Daily Show or Colbert Report are on to this guy?

Peepers said:
The CBC is actually suggesting that Pantalone cost Smitherman the election http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/10/28/toronto-election-results.html
Under this scenario almost every single person who voted for Pantalone would have had to cast their vote for Smitherman instead. I wonder what makes the writer think this would happen.
I am sure many Pantalone supporters can't stand Smitherman.
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Yup, you are right. It's not as easy as suggesting they all would have migrated.

Put it this way...

If Pants hadn't went hard against Smitherman the last few weeks, it may have got Smithy 20,00 more votes. If Pants dropped out it probably would have got Smithy 60,000 votes. If Pants dropped out and endorsed Smithy, it may have got him close to what would have been needed, although some would likely not have voted for Smithy and stayed home ensuring Ford still won. If Pants/Smithy sat in a room together a month ago and figured this out, with Smitherman ensuring Pants he wouldn't gut the city, and Pants dropping out and endorsing Smitherman, it "could" have created the momentum needed to stop Ford, but it's hard to say.

allabootmatt said:
Pretty strong case for deamalgamation you got yourself there.
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If McGuinty wins a third term, I think it is possible his government would consider some form of de-amalgamation. Under Hudak, not a chance.

adma said:
Not to mention what I've suggested in the past about heightened security at City Hall, guards-with-wands and all. Though the trouble with Ford aping Harper's media technique is that, well, he's so baldly graceless at it--even Harper wouldn't be caught so slothful, inarticulate, contemptuous, and distracted as Ford was on CBC. In fact, I've been wondering if that contains seeds of ticking-time-bomb collapse even sooner than expected--there's something about the Ford juggernaut that seems to have been caught up entirely in the mayoral race, without a clear and realistic concept of how to handle what comes after. As in, "WTF do I do now?!?" I can see him, personally, destroyed by the stress of his mayoralty, a stress he was too pigheaded and drunk-on-adrenaline to foresee.
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I'd say there's a 50% chance of this. Especially once councilors stop clamouring for power and stop automatically supporting him. He's can ride this wave for a bit, but he's a giant time bomb and will collapse at some point. When he does, he'll blame the CBC and "the elites," but not himself.
 
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adma said:
In fact, I've been wondering if that contains seeds of ticking-time-bomb collapse even sooner than expected--there's something about the Ford juggernaut that seems to have been caught up entirely in the mayoral race, without a clear and realistic concept of how to handle what comes after. As in, "WTF do I do now?!?"
Click to expand...

Except I wonder to what degree Ford is the populist 'likeable' front man to the real power behind the throne? to the extent that a Bush/Cheney comparison may be more apt than a Bush/Harper one?
 
The Ford campaign didn't really surround themselves with a bunch of old guard conservative politicians, though. Bush came into office backed by a bunch of castaways from the Reagan-era (including Cheney) who all had an explicit agenda with regards to domestic and international issues.

That's not to say that Ford couldn't start being influenced by the PC party at the provincial level and the federal Conservatives, but I honestly don't know if those two groups have much of an agenda for Toronto.
 
Their agenda for Toronto is to somehow break into the fortress. They can't do that by investing in the city (as their suburban/rural base hates that), so they would do it by trying to play-up the populism of tax cuts and ending wasteful spending a la Rob Ford.

A bit of a long shot, but after October 25th, is there anything that isn't possible?
 
GraphicMatt said:
That's not to say that Ford couldn't start being influenced by the PC party at the provincial level and the federal Conservatives, but I honestly don't know if those two groups have much of an agenda for Toronto.
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I'm pretty sure Ford only appeared on Harper's radar after he won...

His strategists are now probably wetting themselves over the idea of possibly using the "Ford momentum" to capture a few North York/Etobicoke/Scarborough seats next election...
 
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