Oh, Canada... your Toronto's Mayor...

Tonichelle · Nov 19, 2013

What is going on there in Toronto, how bad was the "other guy" that you voted Ford in?! Seems to be a huge mess, but admittedly I'm coming in from a viewpoint of American Media (and he's become a daily joke on all broadcasts). Is he really as big of a mess as it seems? Dude sounds like he's in total denial about his drug and alcohol problems.

Mathman · Nov 19, 2013

Well, I can't say anything. Last spring the former mayor of Detroit was sentenced to 28 years for extortion, racketeering and bribery.

Tonichelle · Nov 19, 2013

Mathman said:
Well, I can't say anything. Last spring the former mayor of Detroit was sentenced to 28 years for extortion, racketeering and bribery.

ah but did he do daily (or even hourly) press conferences for weeks to apologize? only to turn around and make it worse with his crazy press conference?

Violet Bliss · Nov 19, 2013

Tonichelle said:
ah but did he do daily (or even hourly) press conferences for weeks to apologize? only to turn around and make it worse with his crazy press conference?

I think he sent his wife to a reality show to do his pre trial PR.

Scrufflet · Nov 19, 2013

Tonichelle said:
What is going on there in Toronto, how bad was the "other guy" that you voted Ford in?! Seems to be a huge mess, but admittedly I'm coming in from a viewpoint of American Media (and he's become a daily joke on all broadcasts). Is he really as big of a mess as it seems? Dude sounds like he's in total denial about his drug and alcohol problems.

What's going on here is something we're not used to and everyone is gobsmacked. It's not a case of "other guy" as we don't have just 2 candidates. Someone can win with a small percentage of the vote if people can be divided. Yes he is a big mess, actually bigger because there is so much that hasn't come out yet. Will it? I don't know. The brothers Ford are very nasty, vicious bullies with the most dysfunctional family I've seen in a while. The sister was shot in the face by her boyfriend, she is a drug addict (she says "was") and the mom acts like a mafia don. Oh and don't forget the niece who played in a lingerie football league. Could anybody make this up? But people in the suburbs are angry. As Rick Mercer said, they'd vote for a gerbil if it would reduce taxes and get them a subway.

Olympia · Nov 19, 2013

It sounds so distressing. How painful it must be to have this man representing your city (which is one of Canada's premiere cities, no less), and to seem to be unable to get rid of him. My sympathies to the people of Toronto.

Tonichelle · Nov 20, 2013

Thanks for the info Scrufflet - I wasn't thinking there were really just two... it was more a figure of speech I suppose...

I keep hoping that somehow this is Chris Farley, not back from the dead but maybe that his death didn't really happen and he's been in hiding all these years only to use this "real life sketch" to come back and be like "fooled all of you!"...

Is there any sort of way that the people of Toronto can oust him? Impeachment? Right now he's only got the power of an unwanted figurehead it seems.

Olympia · Nov 20, 2013

Yeah, isn't there some sort of moral turpitude clause in the city charter?

iluvtodd · Nov 20, 2013

I love Toronto (my favorite NA city), but this mayor is a disgrace. I hope the people of Toronto can somehow get him completely out of office!

phaeljones · Nov 20, 2013

Scrufflet said:
What's going on here is something we're not used to and everyone is gobsmacked. It's not a case of "other guy" as we don't have just 2 candidates. Someone can win with a small percentage of the vote if people can be divided. Yes he is a big mess, actually bigger because there is so much that hasn't come out yet. Will it? I don't know. The brothers Ford are very nasty, vicious bullies with the most dysfunctional family I've seen in a while. The sister was shot in the face by her boyfriend, she is a drug addict (she says "was") and the mom acts like a mafia don. Oh and don't forget the niece who played in a lingerie football league. Could anybody make this up? But people in the suburbs are angry. As Rick Mercer said, they'd vote for a gerbil if it would reduce taxes and get them a subway.

The city is divided, but I sense less so in respect of Mr. Ford. At least now.

I agree with most everything here except that Ford won with 47 per cent of the vote against two major candidates. He actually had more than the 2nd and 3rd candidates combined. It was a landslide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_mayoral_election,_2010

The Wikipedia is accurate imho. As well, Smitherman did have baggage.

The suburbs were and are angry, but it is over a lot more than the subways. There are way, way more issues than that. And the core (as evidenced by Mercer's comments) tends to mock the suburbs, only making them all the more want to exercise their democratic right and piss the core off. It seems that the suburbs act passive-aggressive politically (articulate what they want through rejection) whereas the voters in the core act aggressively (just say what they want but don't ask what anyone else wants). What the burbs realize though is that they have the numbers, and they seem to get a certain satisfaction out of angering the core because they feel that the core will never listen to them anyway or otherwise. That is just my analysis, but it seems to fit what has happened regarding voting. There seems to be no middle candidate acceptable to both the core and the suburbs. What the city needs imho is someone who will bridge the divergent interests rather than polarize them. The name calling and over-simplification only exacerbates the divide. Even without Mr. Ford, it is a very dysfunctional council. People have to come together and stop throwing mud. The first part of the solution is getting Mr. Ford to step aside.

Scrufflet · Nov 20, 2013

phaeljones said:
The city is divided, but I sense less so in respect of Mr. Ford. At least now.

I agree with most everything here except that Ford won with 47 per cent of the vote against two major candidates. He actually had more than the 2nd and 3rd candidates combined. It was a landslide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_mayoral_election,_2010

The Wikipedia is accurate imho. As well, Smitherman did have baggage.

The suburbs were and are angry, but it is over a lot more than the subways. There are way, way more issues than that. And the core (as evidenced by Mercer's comments) tends to mock the suburbs, only making them all the more want to exercise their democratic right and piss the core off. It seems that the suburbs act passive-aggressive politically (articulate what they want through rejection) whereas the voters in the core act aggressively (just say what they want but don't ask what anyone else wants). What the burbs realize though is that they have the numbers, and they seem to get a certain satisfaction out of angering the core because they feel that the core will never listen to them anyway or otherwise. That is just my analysis, but it seems to fit what has happened regarding voting. There seems to be no middle candidate acceptable to both the core and the suburbs. What the city needs imho is someone who will bridge the divergent interests rather than polarize them. The name calling and over-simplification only exacerbates the divide. Even without Mr. Ford, it is a very dysfunctional council. People have to come together and stop throwing mud. The first part of the solution is getting Mr. Ford to step aside.

Good analysis phael. Particularly in reference to Rick Mercer's rant. I do think that the city core has to learn why Ford has been successful and listen to what the suburbanites want and compromise. I'm realizing they haven't been heard. I really have limited knowledge of municipal politics but was really surprised that impeachment was not an option. So much a lot of us never knew but are now learning. And I'm finally watching council sessions on tv and attempting to understand it. Sure do need someone to bridge the divide and heal things but I don't think we can rely on one person to do it. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a group could show that collaboration is the way of future politics instead of adversarial action? Optimists might say that is what is happening now but I'm too nervous to declare that yet. Thanks for your insight phael!

Tonichelle · Nov 20, 2013

We have some pretty heated city councils/local politics - and our share of black eyes...

I see Mr. Ford and sibling lost their talk show after only one episode. Producers said it was due to the high cost to produce the show. Anyone believe that raise your hand. :disapp:

CanadianSkaterGuy · Nov 21, 2013

Rob Ford is a spectacle. He is a thick-headed, loose-lipped, boorish, racist, homophobic, misogynistic bully, and I'm appalled that he is supposedly a "representative" of my city.

The craziest thing is that his supporters don't even care that he's a crack-smoking drunkard. They see him as the underdog, and the everyman candidate, a staunch fiscal conservative.

Like, our mayor LITERALLY smokes crack, and he's somehow still in office. Toronto needs to de-amalgamate so that the suburbs can have their hot mess of a mayor. :disapp:

Tonichelle · Nov 21, 2013

He definitely makes the voters of Toronto look like their all whackjobs, unfortunately. Like I said - how bad were the other guys that you went with the crackhead. I now know a little of how it works there, but still...

CanadianSkaterGuy · Nov 21, 2013

Tonichelle said:
He definitely makes the voters of Toronto look like their all whackjobs, unfortunately. Like I said - how bad were the other guys that you went with the crackhead. I now know a little of how it works there, but still...

The vast majority of the downtown core voted for others (and split the vote amongst them at that). However the majority of "Torontonians" includes the suburbs, who voted for Ford. Ford also benefited in that his campaign slogan of "stop the gravy train" resonated with resentful suburbanite voters. Ford pandered to an suburban underclass with false pretense that he was going to stop excess spending at city hall and not raise taxes. Classic case of "we'll buy whatever you lie"... he's just raised property taxes. When suburbanites are upset with the status quo and the supposed leftie elitists of downtown Toronto, they vote for the guy who speaks out against that, no matter what kind of a person he is.

And now, they don't even care that Ford has lied to them about the video, and don't even care that he smokes crack. As long as in their minds they believe that "he's done what he's said he would do, stop the gravy train, fight for taxpayers, built subways" and whatever else he's parroted so many times that his supporters actually believe him. It's absolutely insane. I don't know what they tell their kids when their kids ask why they support a crack-smoking drunk mayor that's turned Toronto into a laughing stock.

Tonichelle · Nov 21, 2013

well I'd argue the same happens here with a certain national leader, but I'd get myself in trouble. needless to say, I feel ya! :laugh:

the mayor of Kenai is a very bubbly, cheery way too perky mayor... she used to annoy me because she seemed to "try too hard" to get people to like her... especially after her bout with cancer... but honestly I will take her any day over some of the real crazies that become Mayor elsewhere :eek:

Do you think he'll win re-election come that day?

phaeljones · Nov 21, 2013

Tonichelle said:
. . . Do you think he'll win re-election come that day?

oh wait . . . :popcorn:

well, seriously :rofl:

no.

it would be a good reality tv show to rival the kardashians though. I would like to hear what others think on that. I mean his chances of re-election, not the reality television show. he is finished, right? tell me he is finished. I just don't believe it is possible that he can be re-elected in Toronto. he has lost the support of his base, let alone the floating voters. council is working around him. it would be really nice if the city did come together because of this (leaving him out of the picture). maybe there is a silver lining.

on a compassionate level, I hope he deals with his problems (as I hope everyone who smokes crack cocaine will), but he does not belong in the mayor's chair. And I know that crack cocaine is only one of his problems (bullying being another, hypocrisy being another, arrogance another), but really he should just leave office and I wish him the best to work out his issues in life. there is a certain part of me that feels very sad for anyone who is that screwed up no matter what their political stripe.

Tonichelle · Nov 21, 2013

well if his supporters are still blindly following him and they're the reason he won this last time... it's a valid question!

phaeljones · Nov 21, 2013

Tonichelle said:
well if his supporters are still blindly following him and they're the reason he won this last time... it's a valid question!

it is a totally valid question. a good one. I gave you the optimistic answer. that and I wanted to use the rofl icon and the popcorn munching icon, which are my two favorite icons, neither of which I have ever used before.

I am just having problems believing reality watching it. Nothing makes sense. I would love to hear other input from Toronto people on this one. personally, I think he has to be fried. what do the others think?

Scrufflet · Nov 21, 2013

Valid questions. I did not vote for him. When he was running, I honestly believed that nobody would be stupid enough to vote for him. I thought he'd go the route of the oddball candidates (like someone's cat or the transvestite model) that show up every election. Naïve! I was stunned when he was elected. I don't want to do it again and assume that he won't get in. I want him to be arrested and jailed because I am sure of his involvement in criminal activity, not just a matter of boorish behavior. If there are enough candidates to split the vote, he could get in. It may be a case of voting for AnyoneButFord. So many of our elections go that way. We vote to keep someone out.

Oh, Canada... your Toronto's Mayor...

Tonichelle

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Mathman

Tonichelle

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Violet Bliss

Scrufflet

Olympia

Tonichelle

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Olympia

iluvtodd

phaeljones

Scrufflet

Tonichelle

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CanadianSkaterGuy

Tonichelle

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CanadianSkaterGuy

Tonichelle

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phaeljones

Tonichelle

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phaeljones

Scrufflet

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