I hardly know what to say. I will point out that everyone keeps mentioning Ford said "drunken stupor" but he said "ONE OF my drunken stupors."
I don't care if it makes me sound paranoid but I think this is all Doug, who was standing alongside glaring. Rob took a step forward when Doug was out of the building and then he came back and said, "Number one, you are going to tell everyone I didn't know and number two, you are not quitting. You're not going to ruin my road to the premiership!"
I agree with you ... but I think there's more to it. I admit to just riffing on this with no knowledge of anything.
I truly believe Rob has nothing in his life but his job as mayor/politician and maybe his kids. His marriage appears to be a sham. He has had no discernible career prior to being elected to council. He lied about his football days at university and I bet he was only truly happy coaching the high school kids. He strikes me as the loser all his life, likeable but with no direction. Fortunately, his family had money so he could get away with it.
I also can imagine that, back when they were kids, Mama Ford saying stuff like "Dougie, take Robbie with you. He has nobody to play with." Dougie would roll his eyes and do what Mama said because she apparently has those kids by the short and curlies. (Wouldn't you just love a look at the father's will???) I bet he's been carrying Rob all his life.
So, because being mayor is all he is, Rob wouldn't want to quit no matter what. And we know he's in denial about his substance abuse problems. Why wouldn't he be in denial about what may be coming down the legal pike? And, on this score, Doug may well be ignorant, although I don't buy for a second that Doug did not know about Rob's addiction(s). (Don't tell on me Doug. Don't hit me Doug. We know that Rob is an abuser so why wouldn't have been abused, right?)
Where I see Doug fit in is not only his own provincial political ambitions but also the strong sense I have that there are shady contracts yet to be signed. Land deals where the subway stations will go? That's a possibility.
As for Doug's political ambitions, he has got to be toast.
What I don't get is how disconnected from reality this bunch is. Doug's speech today to Ryerson students was mindboggling.
P.S. And yes, I am a female UTer too. But you already knew that, right?