Next Mayor of Toronto?

[christiesplits]

Hotmail lawyer's proclamation that the footage shows Ford smoking pot is pablum for the last vestiges of Ford Nation - the nutty die hards who will back their man right to the end. Ezra Levant and his flock are already claiming that Trudeau was given a pass for his pot smoking admission, yet when His Worship smokes *pot* it's a national disgrace.

 

[js97]

Hotmail lawyer's proclamation that the footage shows Ford smoking pot is pablum for the last vestiges of Ford Nation - the nutty die hards who will back their man right to the end. Ezra Levant and his flock are already claiming that Trudeau was given a pass for his pot smoking admission, yet when His Worship smokes *pot* it's a national disgrace.

Let's not kid ourselves - Rob ford is most likely smoking crack. Furthermore, it's never the 'act', but the blatant denial of it is what counts.

 

[PinkLucy]

Unfortunately, a number of people don't seem to care about the ongoing lies (hell, Ford lied yesterday when he spoke to the media and said he was going to go back in his office and return phone calls but then promptly left). They conveniently forget them and latch on to "there is no video" which has now morphed to "it was just pot or tobacco".

 

[Johnny Au]

Talk about moving the goal post.

Let me use gridiron football analogy. It is like moving the endzone further away such that it would take much longer for them to score a touchdown (and perhaps not bother with the field goal).

Ford Nation is like a Texas sharpshooter as well. The Texas sharpshooter would just shoot randomly and then paint the target where he shot the most.

 

[Neil]

Rob Ford is as honest as the day is long. On a related note, I hope everyone remembered to set their clocks back.

 

[BurlOak]

Rob Ford is as honest as the day is long. On a related note, I hope everyone remembered to set their clocks back.

This day was exceptionally long - well 1 hour longer. Does that mean that Mr. Ford was exceptionally honest today.

 

[Neil]

This day was exceptionally long - well 1 hour longer. Does that mean that Mr. Ford was exceptionally honest today.

I was thinking daylight, meaning he'll get less and less honest until the winter solstice. After that, I suppose he'll get more honest, but you'll hardly notice.

 

[King of Kensington]

Scary part is I could still see willfully ignorant Ford Nation re-elect him, just to "stick it to those downtown elitists".

I don't there's enough of these people. "Ford Nation" isn't as ideologically homogeneous and coherent as both Ford and his detractors seem to think.

Ford received 47% of the vote in 2010. Probably 30% right off the bat were the small-"c" conservative usual suspects. The remaining 17% would have voted for Ford for a myriad of reasons, because he was the most "populist" candidate, seemed the most honest and said what he believed in etc. I recall reading from polls that something like a quarter of Ford's vote either would have either voted for Miller if he was running again or thought he did a good job as mayor. Six months later 3 ridings that voted for Ford municipally voted for the NDP in the orange wave.

It's almost certain that virtually all mainstream conservatives and elite conservatives would bolt to a John Tory or Karen Stintz, while a good number of working class voters would defect as well. With Tory or Stintz capturing "business liberals" and "mainstream conservatives" and Olivia Chow gets the progressive middle classes and a significant share of the working class vote, I don't think Ford's "coalition" would be enough to beat them.

 

[pman]

I don't there's enough of these people. "Ford Nation" isn't as ideologically homogeneous and coherent as both Ford and his detractors seem to think.

Ford received 47% of the vote in 2010. Probably 30% right off the bat were the small-"c" conservative usual suspects. The remaining 17% would have voted for Ford for a myriad of reasons, because he was the most "populist" candidate, seemed the most honest and said what he believed in etc. I recall reading from polls that something like a quarter of Ford's vote either would have either voted for Miller if he was running again or thought he did a good job as mayor. Six months later 3 ridings that voted for Ford municipally voted for the NDP in the orange wave.

It's almost certain that virtually all mainstream conservatives and elite conservatives would bolt to a John Tory or Karen Stintz, while a good number of working class voters would defect as well. With Tory or Stintz capturing "business liberals" and "mainstream conservatives" and Olivia Chow gets the progressive middle classes and a significant share of the working class vote, I don't think Ford's "coalition" would be enough to beat them.

I really hope you're right. But I wonder if Ford is going to run on a straight suburbs vs city platform that will transcend ideological lines. Thanks to Harris there are a lot more voters in the suburbs and they seem to share Ford's concept of what a good city should look like. Anyway, I truly hope you're right and I'm wrong, but I have a terrible feeling the bastard will get reelected thanks to voters in the old boroughs.

 

[adma]

I really hope you're right. But I wonder if Ford is going to run on a straight suburbs vs city platform that will transcend ideological lines. Thanks to Harris there are a lot more voters in the suburbs and they seem to share Ford's concept of what a good city should look like. Anyway, I truly hope you're right and I'm wrong, but I have a terrible feeling the bastard will get reelected thanks to voters in the old boroughs.

It ain't necessarily so simple and homogeneous. In fact, any "city" representative (viable political candidates not excluded) who buys into that logic is IMO a simplistic insult to their own cause.

Plus the fact that he likely won't last until e-day--*physically*, never mind politically.

 

[js97]

I really hope you're right. But I wonder if Ford is going to run on a straight suburbs vs city platform that will transcend ideological lines. Thanks to Harris there are a lot more voters in the suburbs and they seem to share Ford's concept of what a good city should look like. Anyway, I truly hope you're right and I'm wrong, but I have a terrible feeling the bastard will get reelected thanks to voters in the old boroughs.

Isn't that the most ignorant statement ever? And all of a sudden detracting the idea of democracy when it doesn't share your views? FYI, the burbs pays a good chunk, if not the majority of the cities property tax revenue. 2010 election, almost a third voted for Ford in Trinity-Spadina, supposedly the heart of NDP and Pantalone's own riding. I think many people knew he would be a bit of a side show, just not to the extent it has been so far. Interestingly, Chow's best chances are to have Ford stay in the running as he will split the center/right vote, possibly giving Chow the majority. But who knows, Toronto's municipal election is an absolute marathon ... too many things can happen.

 

[SJD_Toronto]

After what happened today at city hall, I really want to see Karen Stintz elected to the mayor's job next fall.

 

[King of Kensington]

Looking at the Forum poll demographics this week, it seems that Catholics and homeowners are the biggest Ford supporters.

 

[PinkLucy]

I read somewhere today (can't remember where amongst all the Ford goings on) that Tory will declare soon.

 

[MetroMan]

I've heard it from enough people to say it: John Tory is running for Mayor.