Rob Ford's Toronto

[GavinTheAlmighty]

Morbidly obese substance abuser apparently has significant health problems. I'm shocked.

Ford has rightfully earned any skepticism coming his way about this, and if it is true, you just know that he's going to handle this like an asshole. It's like his factory setting.

 

[tiffer24]

What if there's a push by the Fords to delay the election date? Rob can stay on as diseased MINO a few more months so that he can recover and the campaign can begin again as a "fair fight"...

 

[OSS 117]

Regardless of the outcome in all of this for RoFo I believe the family is in the process of "jumping the shark". It is over.

Or the opposite. Worst case scenario is Ford drops out of this election, gets better, and then spends the next four years campaigning to re-gain the job that in his mind, he never officially lost. As long as he's doing something stupid/interesting that's vaguely related to politics, there's a good chance Ford will still be news, Mayor or not.

 

[animatronic]

What if there's a push by the Fords to delay the election date? Rob can stay on as diseased MINO a few more months so that he can recover and the campaign can begin again as a "fair fight"...

They can push, push, push 'til the cows come home.

 

[Videodrome]

I believe it was said that Ford voters are so loyal to him that they would just skip voting if he wasn't on the ballot. Maybe we will see if this is true.

 

[zang]

What if there's a push by the Fords to delay the election date? Rob can stay on as diseased MINO a few more months so that he can recover and the campaign can begin again as a "fair fight"...

The province wouldn't go for it. They wouldn't even call an early election when Ford was stripped of his powers. They like the municipal elections all at the same time.

 

[animatronic]

I believe it was said that Ford voters are so loyal to him that they would just skip voting if he wasn't on the ballot. Maybe we will see if this is true.

There are a lot of reasons for him to stay on the ballot - he may delusionally think he will get better. He may think he can win with the sympathy vote. Doug may think he has better chances if Rob stays quiet and he runs the rest of the campaign. Staying on provides momentum for 2018 (or not, depending on how you think). Staying on helps split the conservative vote to screw over Tory (assuming he really does prefer Chow to Tory winning).

If he drops off - Doug could run in his place. Dropping now provides momentum for 2018 (or not, depending on how you think). Dropping allows him to avoid an embarrassing loss. Dropping may be the only option if Momma D has closed the Deco purse strings.

 

[SFO]

As long as he's doing something stupid/interesting that's vaguely related to politics, there's a good chance Ford will still be news, Mayor or not.

I disagree. All of his power is coming from the fact that he can't be moved---people are enraged and want him out but he won't go. At its core, that simple fact is the source. Would his outrageous antics seem so outrageous if he WASN'T the mayor? No, they'd seem like the desperate plays for attention and cheap shots they really are. On October 28 Ford will officially be a sad sideshow, his 15 minutes stretched as far as they would ever go.

 

[Outside Looking In]

Pure speculation of course, but consider that the tumour was discovered some months ago, and the strategy was to wait and see how the chances for re-election developed. If it looks good, they stay quiet and deal with the health thing after. If it looks bad, as it does now, they use the issue to bail at the last second, not as a way to parachute anyone else in, but just a way to exit the race with no chance of stigma as a "quitter" for pulling out or as a "loser" for when Tory wins, which looks increasingly likely.

This sets RoFo up for the next election without the taint of said failures, gives him four years of complete freedom to criticize, whine, bluster and feed the trolls like Warmington to keep his name well known. Plenty of disgraced politicians have pulled off such come backs and perhaps this seems to FoFam like a good tactical retrenchment.

ETA: Ahhh I see not a unique idea....

 

[themarc]

What if there's a push by the Fords to delay the election date? Rob can stay on as diseased MINO a few more months so that he can recover and the campaign can begin again as a "fair fight"...

Never going to happen. People get sick and have to leave their jobs all the time an do things like... go to rehab.

 

[doug]

What ever happened with the investigation into the city hall bomb threat?

 

[themarc]

This sets RoFo up for the next election without the taint of said failures, gives him four years of complete freedom to criticize, whine, bluster and feed the trolls like Warmington to keep his name well known.

But that effort will be overshadowed by 4 years of a Tory led council sitting around campfires singing "Kumbaya", eating Smores and building Subways. Nobody will want to return to what we just came through...

Besides - the highlight real of Rob Ford's court-side testimony has yet to be previewed. Lisi, Brazen 2, Conflict of Interests.... it will be Tory's own Zapruder film.

 

[animatronic]

The province wouldn't go for it. They wouldn't even call an early election when Ford was stripped of his powers. They like the municipal elections all at the same time.

Plus, the elections act doesn't give a shit about who you are or your health. There are like 50 people running for mayor right now. Ford isn't special.

Some relevant references:

Death or ineligibility of candidate
39. If a certified candidate for an office, before the close of voting on voting day, dies or becomes ineligible to hold the office,
(a) if no candidate would be elected by acclamation as a result of the death or ineligibility,
(i) the election shall proceed as if the candidate had not been nominated, and
(ii) the clerk shall omit the candidate’s name from the ballots or, if they have already been printed, shall cause notice of the candidate’s death or ineligibility to be posted in every voting place;
(b) if another candidate would be elected by acclamation as a result of the death or ineligibility, the election is void and a by-election shall be held to fill the office. 2009, c. 33, Sched. 21, s. 8 (21).

Emergency
53.(1)The clerk may declare an emergency if he or she is of the opinion that circumstances have arisen that are likely to prevent the election being conducted in accordance with this Act. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 53 (1).
Arrangements
(2)On declaring an emergency, the clerk shall make such arrangements as he or she considers advisable for the conduct of the election. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 53 (2).
Conflict
(3)The arrangements made by the clerk, if they are consistent with the principles of this Act, prevail over anything in this Act and the regulations made under it. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 53 (3).
Time
(4)The emergency continues until the clerk declares that it has ended. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 53 (4).
No review or setting aside
(5)If made in good faith, the clerk’s declaration of emergency and arrangements shall not be reviewed or set aside on account of unreasonableness or supposed unreasonableness. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 53 (5).

 

[the lemur]

Staying in the race would definitely vindicate my "Rob Ford as Bobby Sands" scenario.

You mean by becoming a martyr, right? Not by becoming extremely thin or staging a 'dirty protest' in the hospital, right?

 

[animated]

Read between the lines in Joe's writing. His artlcle includes this line regarding an unnamed man's comments about media: ' "Pure scum" said the man in the room across from Ford.

Could this unnamed man be Doug - it has the ring of Doug - or even Joe himself? It doesn't say the man in is another room. Or that the room's across from Ford's room. It says in the room' and then 'across from Ford'. What do you think he's saying ... and not saying ... here?

I don't think Wormtongue is clever enough to come up with that.