Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto UPDATES

[Boges]

-47% of the vote is a landslide now?

It is when the closest guy to him got 35%. Now you could blame that on Joey Pants but only if you assume every single person that voted for Pants would have voted for Smitherman had he bowed out.

I guess if Chow went unopposed up against Ford then there'd be a race, but would people in the Burbs really choose her over Ford? We'll see I guess.

[Black Dog]

It is when the closest guy to him got 35%. Now you could blame that on Joey Pants but only if you assume every single person that voted for Pants would have voted for Smitherman had he bowed out.

I guess if Chow went unopposed up against Ford then there'd be a race, but would people in the Burbs really choose her over Ford? We'll see I guess.

It's the right where we can expect to see a bit more vote splitting. Stintz might run. Tory is mulling it over. David Soknacki is putting a bid in. I think that there's probably a lot of fiscal conservatives who went with Ford for his taxpayer schtick who might be sick of the sideshow. Either way, I expect this election to be a lot more open than the last.

[Boges]

It's the right where we can expect to see a bit more vote splitting. Stintz might run. Tory is mulling it over. David Soknacki is putting a bid in. I think that there's probably a lot of fiscal conservatives who went with Ford for his taxpayer schtick who might be sick of the sideshow. Either way, I expect this election to be a lot more open than the last.

I do too.

I don't think Stintz have a shot anymore, her flip-flop on the Subway has made her unelectable.

I'll believe Tory is going to run when he announces it. He's got so many jobs going right now it's hard to believe he wants to give all that up to go back to the gauntlet that's politics.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Boges

[jacee]

That story is over a month old.

This one is from last week.

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/09/25/mayor_rob_fords_popularity_climbs_to_nearly_half_in_latest_poll.html

I'll reserve judgement until they again poll him against other candidates.

[Boges]

I'll reserve judgement until they again poll him against other candidates.

Other candidates are kind of irrelevant because it's all hypothetical until January 1, when they call can start campaigning.

[Shady]

I don't see what the big deal is. So he struck up some kind of friendship with his driver. And now the driver is in legal trouble. What does that have to do with Ford. You guys are honestly way past obsession and derangement. I don't know what the clinical term for it would be now.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Shady

[jacee]

I don't see what the big deal is. So he struck up some kind of friendship with his driver. And now the driver is in legal trouble. What does that have to do with Ford. You guys are honestly way past obsession and derangement. I don't know what the clinical term for it would be now.

READ, Shady!

Ford was very clear that Lisi was not his "driver", not his employee, but his friend.

Of course, Lisi is likely his friendly weed dealer, now that brother Doug is out of the business.

[jacee]

Other candidates are kind of irrelevant because it's all hypothetical until January 1, when they call can start campaigning.

Kind of relevant to his chances of reelection.

[Boges]

Kind of relevant to his chances of reelection.

Sure but polls saying how Ford would fare against a completely hypothetical cast of candidates means nothing IMHO. Now his approval rating kinda does.

[jacee]

Sure but polls saying how Ford would fare against a completely hypothetical cast of candidates means nothing IMHO. Now his approval rating kinda does.

It's pretty clear it'll be Chow, Tory and maybe Stintz. Conservatives with scruples about drugs will go to Tory, splitting the vote, and Chow will win.

[guyser]

I don't see what the big deal is.

Utter nonsense.

So he struck up some kind of friendship with his driver. And now the driver is in legal trouble. What does that have to do with Ford.

Who knows, apart from him being his friend, his driver, his pitbull sent to search for that video you obsess over,his confidante, his access to inner city hall workings, his friendship with all sorts of sketchy people.

You like to mock people about FDS, when clearly it is you who is trying to defend the indefensible.

Maybe you can post more I dont cares , it may even convince you that you dont

[Boges]

It's pretty clear it'll be Chow, Tory and maybe Stintz. Conservatives with scruples about drugs will go to Tory, splitting the vote, and Chow will win.

That's not clear at all. Why hasn't Chow announced plans to run yet? What about Adam Vaughan? Adam Giamboner?

[jacee]

That's not clear at all. Why hasn't Chow announced plans to run yet? What about Adam Vaughan? Adam Giamboner?

Google it: Ford polls 'loser' no matter who runs.

IMO, the 'left' will run the strongest candidate -Chow - and avoid splitting the vote.

The 'right' will run Tory as a less drug-infested alternative to the Ford sideshow.

Edited October 2, 2013 by jacee

[Black Dog]

That's not clear at all. Why hasn't Chow announced plans to run yet? What about Adam Vaughan? Adam Giamboner?

It's a long enough campaign as it is (11 months starting January). What's the rush?

[Boges]

It's a long enough campaign as it is (11 months starting January). What's the rush?

There isn't any. But don't say it's a forgone conclusion she'll run . . . until she says she's going to run.

Ditto with Tory, I'm very skeptical he's going to run.

[cybercoma]

His approval ratings are still high.

Of course he's high. That's the problem.

[cybercoma]

I don't see what the big deal is. So he struck up some kind of friendship with his driver. And now the driver is in legal trouble. What does that have to do with Ford. You guys are honestly way past obsession and derangement. I don't know what the clinical term for it would be now.

How many of your friends are drug traffickers?

[scribblet]

There isn't any. But don't say it's a forgone conclusion she'll run . . . until she says she's going to run.

Ditto with Tory, I'm very skeptical he's going to run.

Ms. Chow has to decide what is in her best interests and take a gamble. If she quits as an MP before the next election she preserves her current pension, if she doesn't quit she loses some pension benefits under the new system but will likely keep her job (MP). Problem is, is if she quits to run for Mayor she's taking a gamble, if she loses she's left with no job. Financially I suppose she's secure because even if she quits and loses, she'll have a good pension.

Winning or not depends on who else runs. IMO John Tory would be an excellent Toronto Mayor but he doesn't want to run but is being pressured into running. IMO if Chow and Tory don't run, Ford will win. People don't like what the media has done to him, even if they do believe he does drugs.

[guyser]

People don't like what the media has done to him, even if they do believe he does drugs.

Hmm.....like pouring drinks into him and sending him out to public functions drunk?

Like forcing Ford to hire a guy for $125Gs to read emails?

Things like that?

I sure hope not

[jacee]

Of course he's high. That's the problem.

Apparently ...

http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/posted-toronto/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2013/10/02/rob-fords-friend-and-occasional-driver-arrested-by-toronto-police-reports

Neighbour Carol Peck, who saw police officers at the Lisi house Tuesday evening, said she was not surprised at the charges and had long suspected something was going on around the home. She cited a lot of traffic coming and going.The mayor was among Mr. Lisis visitors, Ms. Peck said.

From last fall until this past August when reports surfaced that police were investigating purported attempts by Mr. Lisi to retrieve the alleged Ford crack video Mayor Ford stopped by the Lisi residence several times a week, Ms. Peck said. He parked at the curb and generally only stayed a few minutes, she said.

"Sandy would come out, and I guess things happened through the window of the car, and off hed go, Ms. Peck said, noting she never saw any items exchanged, just the two men chatting.

The issue is becoming Ford's 'truthiness':

"I'm really surprised" ???

And I guess he hasn't been so careless lately about just driving up to his dealer's house, like all the other customers.

So ... are we talking after office hours?

Is the mayor high on the job?

Edited October 3, 2013 by jacee

[On Guard for Thee]

As I listened to Rob Ford shielding questions earlier today about his latest scandal saying, " I never saw him drink, I never saw him do drugs" I was reminded of a previous situation, with a much more adept and polished politician saying " I did not have sexual relations with that woman". Funny how BS always seem to have the same smell to it.

[GostHacked]

An associate and a friend are two very different things.

Much business is done through associates!!

[Rue]

Not sure where you're getting your data but ...

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/08/31/toronto_mayoral_poll_chow_tory_stintz_beat_ford_headtohead.html?app=noRedirect

Olivia Chow maintained her lead over Mayor Rob Ford and other possible rivals in the latest preliminary poll on the 2014 mayors race.Chow, the NDP MP who is quietly preparing for a run, beat Ford 57 per cent to 33 per cent in a survey of 848 people conducted by Forum Research on Thursday evening.

John Tory, the radio host, CivicAction chair and former Progressive Conservative leader, also beat Ford handily head-to-head, 50 per cent to 33 per cent.

And Councillor Karen Stintz, the right-leaning TTC chair who has joined Chow in organizing behind the scenes, beat Ford 44 per cent to 40 per cent.

Pretty much looks like anyone can beat him!

I could not disagree more. The more negative stories there are about him, the more of an under-dog anti establishment candidate he remains which is exactly how he got elected.

Anti-heroes get elected. People love the underdog. Mayor Barry was an open drug addict and womanizer when he was elected in Washington. The average person who votes is sick of self righteous blow hards. All that counts for them is this guy does not waste their money.

Olivia Chow is a socialist who believes in high taxes and government intervention and waxes poetic about the poor while living like an elitist. She is genuine about her beliefs but she can not connect with the average shmoe. She doesn't understand what it means to be taxed and struggle to maintain one's business in the face of over-regulation. she doesn't get what it means to be stuck in gridlock. People feel that when they meet her. She is genuine but she can not connect with that,

Ford stands (uh provided he's not drinking) against both taxes and regulations. The bad publicity is just puffing his sales.

John Tory is genuinely compassionate about the disenfranchised, he probably is another David Crombie like mayor if he was elected but he has been repeatedly rejected as a politician because the average guy seems him as a rich boy elitist and can not connect. They just don't think he understands what it is like to be fighting taxes and over regulation. They see him as silver spoon even though he may genuinely care about the poor like a Kennedy type rich guy.

Image is everything. That fat boy is human. The fat, the swet, the lack of polish, the middle class back-ground, the trashy behaviour, it works on the masses. Its grass-root because its not fake.

Is he a drug addict and is that guy arrested a drug pusher? Probably.

But let's get real. Ford is the fat boy from the Saturday night skit. Until the day they fnd him dead from an overdose or massive heart attack people will see him as endearing not a drug addicted balloon. What counts is he is anti tax and anti regulation. That makes him a grassroots bad boy and bad boys are supposed to be ugly and not give a damn what anyone thinks it fits right into the image..

Until he dies in an embarrassing manner, he will continue as the Saturday night sketch and when he is dead and they find him all purple, the same detractors will be at his funeral making phony comments and whispering under his breath.

Lol, the people pointing their righteous fingers, I would love to see what is in their closets.

Peek a boo.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Rue

[Rue]

Much business is done through associates!!

Get out. Does Olivia Chow have associates? I thought they were called assistants. Oh well either way ass is in the name.

[jacee]

I don't disagree rue, but the polls seem to.

He's the millenial 'everyman' who wears his faults with pride. Clearly he has a loyal following, despite riding the gravy train himself in using city staff, resources, vehicles etc for personal tasks, appearing impaired in public, etc. etc.

I think people find his escapades quite entertaining.

Tory and Chow would be quite boring, in comparison!

I'm not convinced of the truth of his boasts of his fiscal success: I haven't seen any evidence that he really has saved Toronto $1b, for example, but he knows how to play to the crowd.