[LowPolygon]

more great publicity for Rob on American television

Crack Video: Massive Police Raids Makes 'Teabagging,' Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford Sweat

[video=youtube;n2hsJ81SOBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2hsJ81SOBE[/video]

 

[Gavin]

The Sun wouldn't support even a more centrist candidate anyway so there's no point trying to cater to them. They'll be pushing for whoever the Conservative political machine runs.

Right, but my point was more that Chow won't likely have as broad an appeal as we think/hope she will. The Sun will do a hatchet job on her, Ford will still have his frothing base, and Chow will be polarizing enough that the CN Towers of the world would rather vote for a spousal/alcohol/substance abusing (not necessarily in that order) liar than her.

 

[Irishmonk]

Right, but will her reputation as an MP precede her? Because we can only imagine the hack job that the Sun and the rest of the right will do to her.

Of course they will, but they'll be preaching to the choir. Nationally, and locally, Olivia Chow is still something of a beloved figure--her grace throughout her husbands death and aftermath still touches a lot of people. In that way she is the opposite of the Ford horrorshow.

 

[tiffer24]

Well, I can tell you with 100% certainty from my experience and that of my friends that he does not return all phone calls, unless he counts putting your number on a robocall list.

Edit: But then again, we know that with Ford math 800 could equal 8 in the real world.

I know a number of people who work in the city's 311 office at Metro Hall. They've known for a long time that the mayor's claims on customer service are a lie. An average day sees a 311 operator handle 100-120 calls, give or take. The idea that one person could even get through 400 or 800 calls in a day is beyond ridiculous. People need a few minutes just to explain the reason for their call and so, even if the mayor passes them off to an assistant, those few minutes will add up. Then you will have a few people during the day going on and on about their cat or their neighbor's fence. Highly unreliable numbers from the mayor's office

 

[CN Tower]

Of course they will, but they'll be preaching to the choir. Nationally, and locally, Olivia Chow is still something of a beloved figure--her grace throughout her husbands death and aftermath still touches a lot of people. In that way she is the opposite of the Ford horrorshow.

She lost her husband. That's a tragedy for any woman.

Politically she's left of socialist. Her husband's tragic death does nothing to change that position.

 

[Tulse]

Politically she's left of socialist.

See, it's comments just like that one that make you impossible to take seriously.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

She lost her husband. That's a tragedy for any woman.

I am fairly certain she isn't the only individual in the city's history to have lost a spouse. The only tragedy in it all is the attempt to use a loss to belittle.

Politically she's left of socialist.

That's a pretty meaningless statement. What does "left of socialist" meant, other than a being a wan attempt at reflecting the "left of Stalin" jibe by Ford many moons ago?

And FYI, I don't really care how you vote - and if you intend to take the personal route to the discussion, well, there are forum rules for that.

tiffer24:

Given the mayor's fast and loose ways with numbers, I wouldn't trust it an iota - remember those "thousands" of calls of support, 1B in savings, etc? He will be pulling a Carl Sagan soon.

AoD

 

[syn]

MetroMan,

Thanks for your sleuthing work on the Rob Ford file the past few weeks. However, when it comes to predicting Rob Ford's demise, your track record has been less than stellar ever since RF put his hat in the mayoralty ring in early 2010. I am going to call you out on this one, too.

I don't think Olivia Chow is a certain "lock" on the mayoralty because she is largely preaching to a choir of downtowners who stayed away from Rob Ford in record numbers last time. Even though I am no longer a resident of the City of Toronto, I would vote for Olivia Chow with the same amount of reluctance as I did for George Smitherman - and I consider myself to be more left of centre than the average elector. I think many other people are in the same boat, and I'm just thinking about the downtown vote, let alone the suburbs.

I also wouldn't count on the "Chinese vote". For starters, there aren't enough people of Chinese descent in Toronto to tip the election. This isn't like the Hispanic vote in California or the Desi vote in Brampton. Secondly, Chinese voters aren't suddenly going to vote for Olivia Chow because she is Chinese. Thirdly, and most importantly, Chinese people (I'm one) are pretty disengaged from politics, especially considering that they are generally wealthier and more educated than other ethnic groups. I think this is especially true in municipal politics.

If it's a two-way race between Rob Ford and Olivia Chow, I would actually put my money on Ford winning.

Those are good points, but Chow has nowhere near the noteriety of Smitherman when it comes to the misuse of public funds. Rob Fords core supporters won't budge, but I think a lot of moderate voters would give her a shot.

 

[Hipster Duck]

Those are good points, but Chow has nowhere near the noteriety of Smitherman when it comes to the misuse of public funds. Rob Fords core supporters won't budge, but I think a lot of moderate voters would give her a shot.

I think that it will actually lead a lot of moderate voters to stay away on election day. A lot of people who voted for Ford last time will not vote for him again, but they probably won't do a complete 180 and vote for someone who is really to the left. If it were a 2-way race between Ford and Chow, I'd expect that voter turnout would plummet since the last election and Ford would win by a squeaker.

 

[vic]

It's a scenario like this that would really make me want a ranked ballot.

 

[LowPolygon]

In a race between Chow and a former but not current crack user Rob Ford I'd vote Ford.

In a race between Chow and a current crack user Rob Ford I'd vote for the Libertarian candidate.

are you going to be personally request a hair or urine sample to determine if he's clean?

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I also wouldn't count on the "Chinese vote". For starters, there aren't enough people of Chinese descent in Toronto to tip the election. This isn't like the Hispanic vote in California or the Desi vote in Brampton. Secondly, Chinese voters aren't suddenly going to vote for Olivia Chow because she is Chinese. Thirdly, and most importantly, Chinese people (I'm one) are pretty disengaged from politics, especially considering that they are generally wealthier and more educated than other ethnic groups. I think this is especially true in municipal politics.

If it's a two-way race between Rob Ford and Olivia Chow, I would actually put my money on Ford winning.

The fact that she's Asian will certainly help her pick up votes among other Asians. I wouldn't expect her to get 90% of the Asian vote, but it will certainly give her a boost.

 

[MetroMan]

I think that it will actually lead a lot of moderate voters to stay away on election day. A lot of people who voted for Ford last time will not vote for him again, but they probably won't do a complete 180 and vote for someone who is really to the left. If it were a 2-way race between Ford and Chow, I'd expect that voter turnout would plummet since the last election and Ford would win by a squeaker.

This might have been a factor in a regular election but you better believe that with the massive - MASSIVE! - public attention the office of the Mayor has received, the public interest in the outcome of the election and the power that everybody eligble has to choose the Next Mayor... I find it likely that this election is going to be huge. It's probably going to be the biggest event in recent Toronto history, covered nationally and internationally. It'll be the fricken Wrestlemania of municipal politics everywhere and Toronto is hosting it.

I also expect more candidates to run because of the spotlight they'll be getting but the high profile progressives will likely stay out because they can gather around Chow. Mammo will probably run, Stintz may as well. This isn't going to be a Miller vs Pitfield election, that much we know for sure.

 

[Dilla]

I think that it will actually lead a lot of moderate voters to stay away on election day. A lot of people who voted for Ford last time will not vote for him again, but they probably won't do a complete 180 and vote for someone who is really to the left. If it were a 2-way race between Ford and Chow, I'd expect that voter turnout would plummet since the last election and Ford would win by a squeaker.

Polls from a few months ago suggested that a sizeable number of people who would otherwise vote for Ford actually would switch and vote for Chow, should she run. I found it bizarre, but that's what they indicated.

I can't say I wouldn't vote for Chow, but I don't particularly want to vote for Chow. I'll plug my nose vote for the person who's most likely to beat Ford. The madness must end.

 

[CN Tower]

That's a pretty meaningless statement. What does "left of socialist" meant, other than a being a wan attempt at reflecting the "left of Stalin" jibe by Ford many moons ago?
AoD

Someone who supports increasing taxes, profligate spending on social programs, a redistribution of wealth to raise the safety net far above where it currently sits at the expense of hard working higher income earners and taxpayers. Also someone who bends to every union demand.

Just off the cuff thoughts before I have to head into a long meeting.