Word. A whole segment of the population isn't going to show up at Ford Fest or any campaign rally, or even discuss politics on social media. Some won't follow politics enough to even know what the issues are, let alone his or any of the candidates stand is on them.
This. Retail politics to me is more perception, and emotion based, not all of it positive. It's something Rofo still plays on. If an opponent is intelligent, and well spoken, Rofo can and has turned it into, 'they're condescending, and elitist'. Maybe it's wearing thin by now, but there are people who view others who speaks 'too well', to be too slick, and suspicious. And they may not be entirely wrong all the time with that suspicion.
Looking at that clip where Rofo was talking to people re: garbage pile. To me he still demonstrated a pretty good ability to do his retail charm schtick. Maybe he wasn't as hungover. But he spoke in short sentences. He says 'sir'. He adopts a 'how can I help you today, I will move heaven and earth to fix your problems' personality. And he shows up in person, with a camera crew. Like it or not, it can leave a strong impression with people.
Rofo's actual record and competence is 99% dismal. He has shown little to no ability to grasp a bigger picture beyond himself. But, the perception of him personally caring about your problems, may still hold among some people. That's how he built his myth, and it didn't happen overnight. I thought his scandals would dismantle that right quick, yet here we are.
However, they are likely to quietly go vote, if a candidate represents something to them that makes it important. Making them feel as though he alone is on their side and looking out for their interests (or at least, to curb the dollars spent on things they don't care about) may be enough. Hard to say how many of the votes he got that way last time, would be turned off by the notoriety and criminal behavior this time 'round, or realize that he didn't act in their interest after all. Whether he'd pull any new 'sympathy' vote or 'better the devil you know' votes is also unknown. So can't count him out, no. Alas.
Absolutely. I think his numbers are stuck, but with this circus, I can't discount any potential bizarre and nasty surprises. And it's tiring I tells ya. I kinda miss the old days of Toronto the Good and Boring.
