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Rob Ford's Toronto

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Can’t make sense of Fordese? Allow me to translate

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/comm...fordese-allow-me-to-translate/article4446412/

TABATHA SOUTHEY
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Saturday, Jul. 28 2012, 12:00 AM EDT
Last updated Friday, Jul. 27 2012, 10:18 PM EDT


I have called the Prime Minister to find out if there’s any laws with respect to immigration and citizenship status in the city. People are caught. I don’t care if you’re white, pink or purple, I don’t care if you’re a Canadian citizen or not, all I’m saying is if you’re caught with a gun and convicted of a gun crime, I want you out of this city.

And the portfolio for the cabinet minister is immigration and citizenship. I don’t think the other half of my statement came out quite clearly. It has nothing to do particularly with immigration or where you come from … All I want to do is get information where I’m not an expert on – and I’m sure nobody is until we talk to the minister – and I can only get that information from the Prime Minister’s office.

– Mayor Rob Ford last week during a call to radio station Newstalk 1010, attempting to explain earlier statements regarding recent shootings, in which he suggested that people convicted of gun crimes be banished from the Goode City of Toronto.

Because some of us in Toronto have heard tell that some of you do not live in the city of Toronto, in which case, you must know Phyllis (say “Hey†for me), and because our mayor clearly has failed to bring clarity to his position even to those more familiar with his idiosyncrasies, I offer Canada The Annotated Rob Ford:

When Mr. Ford says “I have called the Prime Minister†as if that suggests a solution to the problem at hand has been found, it’s important to remember that Rob Ford calls people. That’s his thing – making calls.

He calls his constituents all the time. When their garbage doesn’t get picked up and they complain, he calls them, and then he calls the garbage people. Calling people is what kept Rob Ford a city councillor and when he became mayor, he just called more people and expected that to work and, when it didn’t, he seems to have put 1010 on speed-dial, often to hilarious effect.

Calling people is how he governs, and so when something really big happens, like many innocent people are shot at a street party, every instinct in his body tells him that he has to make a big call. Calling the Prime Minister is Rob Ford super-governing.

When Mr. Ford says, “I don’t care if you’re white, pink or purple,†he means what everyone else means when they say, “I don’t care if you’re white, pink or purple.†He means you are black.

When Rob Ford says “I don’t care if you’re a Canadian citizen or not, all I’m saying is if you’re caught with a gun and convicted of a gun crime, I want you out of this city,†he is attempting to communicate to you that he believes he is the mayor of ancient Athens, and therefore obviously cannot be expected to be familiar with this thing you call The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, in particular Section 6, which protects mobility rights. He is, however, very familiar with The Canadian Charter of Rights and I Don’t Think So, Buddy.

When Rob Ford says, “And the portfolio for the cabinet minister is immigration and citizenship,†he is pretending to be the worst episode of Schoolhouse Rock ever.

When Rob Ford says, “I don’t think the other half of my statement came out quite clearly,†he is making the most lucid and accurate statement of his political career. But still not helping matters.

When Rob Ford says, “It has nothing to do particularly with immigration or where you come from … All I want to do is get information where I’m not an expert on – and I’m sure nobody is until we talk to the minister – and I can only get that information from the Prime Minister’s Office,†he is wrong and he is suggesting that he is unable to tell the difference between the leader of a country that’s in the G8 and Wikipedia.

I hope this has been useful and please do come and visit us. As yet we have no moat, just a mayor, and his brother, who continue to attempt to govern Toronto as if it were their tree fort.
 
TonyV said:
^ pretty darned good writing. I hope the voters see the light in two years' time.
Click to expand...

Well, one thing I'm wondering about in two years time: as a mayoral candidate in 2014, Rob Ford will be technically in the "weakest" position he'll have been in four years. That is, not Mayor, but a mere "candidate"--even if it's for re-election. No longer sitting on a mandate, but asking for a mandidate.

Makes one wonder how, w/o a Nunziata or Del Grande or Batra or Kouvalis or some such stooge to shut down critics, he'll handle the pressures of public debates, esp. if people at the mike question him on, er, "sensitive" subjects. He withstood the 2010 campaign without blowing up; not so sure about 2014...
 
denfromoakvillemilton said:
Again, The Globe and Mail >>>> Toronto Star.
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whats that supposed to mean?

i wonder if RF and Romney are cousins. at least RF is only in municipal politics:

Kelly McParland: Romney’s stumblebum London debut leaves even supporters distraught

Kelly McParland Jul 28, 2012 – 12:06 PM ET | Last Updated: Jul 28, 2012 12:31 PM ET

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com...um-london-debut-leaves-supporters-distraught/

Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana governor and one of several candidates to serve as Mitt Romney’s running mate, airily dismissed Mr. Romney’s shaky performance in Britain this week.

“We’re not worried about overseas headlines — we’re worried about voters back here in America,” he said.

Whether he blushed is not recorded, but he certainly should have. Mr. Romney’s outing has been a disaster. Charles Krauthammer, one of the most acerbic and relentless critics of President Barack Obama’s policies on foreign affairs, wrote that all Mr. Romney had to do was “just show up,” suggesting that Mr. Obama’s record is so bad that even a mute Republican challenger would be an improvement.

But Mr. Romney couldn’t even manage that. Instead he questioned London’s security arrangements for the Olympic Games, got himself lectured by the Prime Minister and mocked by the London mayor, provided a field day for London’s newspapers, and never quite explained why being an “anglo saxon” gave him an advantage over a black president.

The Brits love to needle the supposedly stumblebum Americans — they may be powerful but they really don’t understand diplomacy, dear boy — and Mr. Romney handed them a bonanza. The British press and TV loved the story — The Sun labelled him “Mitt the Twit, while several observers noted his “charm offensive” had been short on charm and big on offense — and the mainstream media back home in the U.S. (a pack of overpaid lefty sympathizers, each and every one) gave it wide play.

As Mr. Jindal noted, Brits can’t vote in the U.S., but that’s not the issue. One of the key elements of the Romney campaign has been that America’s overseas reputation needs rescuing. Under Mr. Obama it has allegedly been tarnished, diminished, and generally frittered away. After acknowledging Mr. Romney’s “inexplicably dumb and gratuitous critique of Britain’s handling of the Olympic Games”, Mr. Krauthammer proceeded to list, again, Mr. Obama’s many failings on the international front, including the fact that he returned the bust of Churchill that George Bush had kept in the Oval Office. Republicans can’t get over this slight, though the Queen appears to have done so; Michelle Obama, who appears to have a warm relationship with the British monarch, was invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace and enthused about her love of the Games without committing any Romney-like gaffes.

Mr. Romney has pledged to make America great again. “If you do not want America to be the strongest nation on Earth, I am not your president. You have that president today,” he told a gathering of U.S. veterans just before heading to Britain. The GOP position is that Mr. Obama is too timid, too accommodating, too naive to be an effective commander-in-chief. Their man would inject a little red blood back into the presidency.

Except he can’t even visit Britain without messing up. London should have been the easiest leg of the trip, which includes Poland and Israel. All he had to do was speak approvingly of the “special relationship,” the inside track with the White House that Brits imagine they enjoy, and maybe sip a pint at a local pub. Place a friendly bet with the PM over the gold medal count. Result: great headlines and a positive start to the trip.

But the candidate bungled it, and now he’s trying to make up for it by sounding especially warlike when it comes to Iran. As president, he said, he wouldn’t rule out a military strike if the Iranians refused to abandon their nuclear ambitions. Mr. Romney told Israel’s Haaretz that U.S. military action “is by far the least attractive option, but it should not be ruled out. The military option should be evaluated and available if no other course is successful.”

That’s pretty much the Democratic position as well, but Mr. Romney wants to give the impression he’s a bit more eager than the allegedly timid president to use it. It’s a position that might go down well in some Republican living rooms, but it’s not likely to revive the stature Mr. Romney claims Washington has lost. The U.S. gains little in terms of respect or admiration when it portrays itself as a warmonger, swaggering around the world threatening to pulverize anyone who doesn’t obey its commands. It also tends to harden the resolve of its targets, and often leads to embarrassment when it turns out the threat didn’t work, and can’t be carried out. Mr. Bush launched two invasions, and look how much international acclaim that won him.

After threatening Iran, and declaring his everlasting devotion to Israel, Mr. Romney added the odd comment that the U.S. shouldn’t be taking the lead in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Acting as a negotiator and usurping the primary role played by Israel in negotiating for its own future is not the right course for America to take,” Romney said.

The U.S. has always been the catalyst for peace efforts, a position much appreciated by Israelis. Israeli prime ministers and Palestinian leaders have been regular visitors to the White House, and the biggest advances in the search for a lasting peace agreement have often been achieved under U.S. sponsorship and pressure. Abandoning that would be a mistake of monumental proportions.

Mr. Jindal may not want to acknowledge how badly Mr. Romney performed, but Mr. Krauthammer certainly recognizes ineptitude when he sees it.


“It’s unbelievable, it’s beyond human understanding, it’s incomprehensible. I’m out of adjectives”, he lamented.

He said the purpose of Romney’s trip was merely to express solidarity with America’s British allies, and say nice things about his foreign hosts.

“All Romney has to do, say nothing,” Krauthammer said. “It’s like a guy in the 100-meter dash. All he has to do is to finish, he doesn’t have to win. And instead, he tackles the guy in the lane next to him and ends up disqualified. I don’t get it.”
.
All Mr. Obama had to do to look better than Mr. Romney this week was to show up. Which, in his case, he managed to do.
 
cdr108:

Romney might have a tinge of competence doing real work away from the camera. I am fairly certain we can't say the same for his worship. And I am also fairly certain Romney won't be in, much less caught in a state of drunkedness unleashing a verbal tirade on unsuspecting individuals.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
And I am also fairly certain Romney won't be in, much less caught in a state of drunkedness unleashing a verbal tirade on unsuspecting individuals.
AoD
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Actually, the Romney homophobic hazing incident reminded me of a Rob Ford-esque story. But Romney did it nearly half a century ago while an adolescent, while Ford's publicly-drunken tirade occurred just a few years before he was elected mayor, and while he was on city council.

The "funny" thing is, neither of them paid any real political price for it, while leftie Adam Giamboner's political career was ruined by cheating on his girlfriend.
 
Hazing aside, Romney's ineptitude in Britain is more akin to Michael Ignatieff's (political) ineptitude in Canada.
 
voxpopulicosmicum said:
Actually, the Romney homophobic hazing incident reminded me of a Rob Ford-esque story. But Romney did it nearly half a century ago while an adolescent, while Ford's publicly-drunken tirade occurred just a few years before he was elected mayor, and while he was on city council.

The "funny" thing is, neither of them paid any real political price for it, while leftie Adam Giamboner's political career was ruined by cheating on his girlfriend.
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Well, if Ford or Romney gets caught in the middle of a campaign cheating on his wife, I expect it'll be the end of their chances as well. However, Giambrone's other issue was that the campaign exposed him as a humourless policy wonk with a huge ego for no apparent reason. When he tried to continue despite all odds, he literally had zero support. Zero.

But you are also suggesting Ford's anger issues and Romney's decades-ago transgressions are equivalent to Giambrone's infidelity, and I'd say Adam's stupidity was much worse.
 
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OK , the title of this thread, " Mayor Rob Ford's Toronto ", is just too damn weird. There, I've said it !
 
Another Rob Ford photo-op, from the Toronto Sun:

Ford cuts the CNE gravy

Mayor Rob Ford made some very specific cuts Friday.

He grabbed a pair of scissors and cut up his free Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) admission passes. Complimentary CNE midway passes and a free, 18-day unlimited parking pass also got chopped on his desk before he ordered staff to send the shredded passes back to the attraction organizers with a letter questioning the “gravy train†freebies.

“This is a complete waste of money,†Ford told the Sun Friday. “I want to see (the practice) abolished.â€

Ford said the passes total up to lost revenue that could have gone towards lowering ticket prices for everyone who attends the CNE.

“And the first thing (the CNE) cry is poor,†he said. “Of course you are going to be poor if you’re giving away $1 million in free perks. It doesn’t make any sense.â€

Looking at the CNE medallion - which has been a tradition since 1879 and commemorates the War of 1812 this year - Ford called it “overkill.â€

As for the free parking pass sent to him, Ford questioned how it is monitored considered there are no names on the passes.

“You can just pass it to your buddy and your other buddy and just pass it around - what a racket,†he said.

According to the CNE 2012 privileges chart, board of directors - which include Ford - receive a list of passes and access to several receptions. Varying levels of privileges are also handed out to honorary directors, honorary life directors, lawyers for both the CNE and Exhibition Place, the Prime Minister, the Premier, volunteers on committees, the Exhibition Place board of governors, CNE Association members and retired directors. City councillors can also request an official ID badge, official car pass and access to receptions.

“The richest people get in for free, there is something wrong with this picture,†Ford said.

Ford said he plans to go to The Ex this year but he’ll pay his own way.

The mayor called the package of perks part of the “gravy train†he vowed to stop during the 2010 campaign.

“This is what the gravy train is all about and this is obviously the gravy train is still alive and well down here because they are just giving it out,†Ford said.

Perks - particularly those doled out to elected officials - have long been one of the points Ford has raged against at City Hall.

“It burns me up, I’ve been fighting this for 12 years now,†Ford said. “Some of the (agencies, boards and commissions) that’s our biggest problems ... You put people on there, you think they are going to lead the charge and they don’t, they just turn a blind eye to it. We’ll have to make some changes until we get people on there that will stop this.â€

CNE president Brian Ashton said they followed the “traditional practices†this year for the passes but they will be under review next year.

“We’re in transition now, becoming more independent from the city which will take place in 2013 so we’re going to review all of the privileges in 2013 to determine their relevancy and how they fit our future business model,†said the former city councillor.

Traditionally, privileges have been given to the board of directors who are all volunteers.

“It was sort of their one reward for their participation and their commitment to the CNE over the year,†Ashton said.

“It’s been a supportable practice because we do have volunteers who meet maybe 12 times if not more on committees working for the CNE and that’s their reward or benefit that they accrue over the year.â€

A CNE spokesman noted all members of the Board of Directors and Association are volunteers and do not receive any remuneration.

Asked if the passes were “gravyâ€, Ashton stressed it all goes back to the CNE’s past structure.

“If you were to measure against the commitment and contribution you would probably say, ‘Geez, I don’t know,’ is it really warranted - the numbers of the types of privileges,†he said. “That’s what I want to get a handle on.â€

Given the current transition the CNE is undergoing, Ashton said this year didn’t seem to be an appropriate time to start “hacking away.â€

“If there are people who aren’t giving contributions (through volunteer service) to the CNE, there is no reason to give them the privileges,†he said.
Click to expand...

When Rob Ford was a city Councillor, he was on the CNE board. The number of CNE meetings Rob attended: ZERO.

If Rob was in charge of discount chain stores or banks, he'll end employee perks (IE. employee discounts).

What does he think that the people on boards at Canada's Wonderland or Disney World get? Passes.
 
Knowing the Fords, they'd probably have some scheme to close and sell off the CNE lands and move everything up to Woodbine Live!
 
In a battle of comedy titans, Rob Ford plans to meet up with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis (who are in town to promote their new movie, The Campaign) at the Hockey Hall of Fame today.

Who will get the most laughs--or be laughed at the most? Galifianakis, Ferrell... or Ford?

Ford will be meeting with celebrity comedians Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis Monday — and may even end up making comedy gold, the Toronto Sun has learned.

Sources close to Ford say the mayor will be up for anything when he meets the duo, opening the door to the three of them filming a short sketch if time permits.

The two stars are in Hogtown to promote their upcoming movie, The Campaign.

According to a press release sent out by Warner Brothers, Ford will greet the duo at the Hockey Hall of Fame around 4 p.m.

"Mayor Ford will present the comedy superstars with a special gift to mark their visit," the press release stated.
Click to expand...

Edit to add: Even The Hollywood Reporter is covering this Mayor-meets-Movie Star photo op.
 
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