"I cannot comment on an article I have not read or doesn't exist."

January 29, 2014 5:19 AM

Despite years of unabashed support, Canada's most conservative newspaper The Toronto Sun has published a 7-part recap of the Rob Ford scandal(s): Part 1: From penny-pinching councillor to crack mayor - Part 2: Rob Ford crack video hits the fan - Part 3: Mad scramble for the Rob Ford crack video - Part 4: Cops seize the Rob Ford crack video - Part 5: Walls close in on scandal-plagued Mayor Rob Ford - Part 6: The meltdown of a mayor - Part 7: Scandal-plagued Rob Ford unsinkable? (warning: only 20 free articles/month)

You might be asking yourself, "is Rob Ford still mayor?"
You might also be wondering if this is a cynical attempt for a newspaper to cash-in ahead of The Toronto Star's Robyn Doolittle's new book Crazy Town being released in a week.

posted by Theta States (166 comments total)

Every time I see Rob Ford, I can't help but hear a voice saying, "And now I live in a van DOWN BY THE RIVER."
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:31 AM on January 29, 2014 [18 favorites]

Can someone take a quick look at this interview with a Toronto-based Russian outlet and confirm that his tie is way, way too long? What's up with that?

Full of his usual useless derails and meaningless rhetoric, but I couldn't stop watching (for, uh, a minute or two) because of the tie.
posted by avocet at 5:36 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Marion Barry's parallel story was retold on a WAMU feature yesterday
posted by humanfont at 5:52 AM on January 29, 2014

(Previously, including motherthreads 1 and 2)
posted by Theta States at 5:58 AM on January 29, 2014

his tie is way, way too long? What's up with that?

Tie length issues are always Freudian.
posted by orange swan at 6:14 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Someday, future Toronto Mayor Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is going to make you miss this lovable lump.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:25 AM on January 29, 2014 [11 favorites]

That Jamaican patois video is so incredibly nuts. The best comparison I read described that speaking Jamacian in Toronto as a white mayor would be like Bloomberg speaking eubonics to be funny. I.E. pretty racist and not funny.

Also, I can't believe it isn't getting more attention that he was filmed sitting and acting totally normal while meeting with a known drug trafficker and then he goes bananas just minutes later, ranting like a lunatic.

I've acted like an idiot on alcohol but it isn't the type of substance to make anyone stand in a restaurant and address a group of people in a rambling, incoherent and racist manner.
posted by glaucon at 6:26 AM on January 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

Just when you think the stupid jar is empty, he manages to pull something else out.
posted by MILNEWSca at 6:28 AM on January 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

He totally looks like Chris Farley in that interview
posted by dabug at 6:29 AM on January 29, 2014

For those of you outside the GTA who haven't had a RoFo update for a bit, in the last week or so: video has surfaced of the nominally newly teetotaler mayor publicly drunk and swearing last week in surprisingly fluent Jamaican patois, the mayor's brother Doug Ford insists that no one cares about RoFo possibly driving drunk, His Worship was stuck in an elevator for 45 minutes on his way to deliver his first campaign speech (which contained by one count 54 errors/easily refutable lies in sixteen minutes), he crashed a board of trade dinner (only to storm out after a speech critical of the city leadership) and has tried to derail the budget process by insisting he has identified $50 million in savings but he will not tell anyone what these savings are. It is a seekrit budget, you see.

And this is in the last eight days.

I do not live in Toronto proper, but a city under an hour away and I struggle to even recall the name of my sober and professional mayor.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:30 AM on January 29, 2014 [37 favorites]

It's cute that they ask if Ford is unsinkable, when they're spending so much time and effort bailing him out.
posted by mhoye at 6:31 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Rob Ford is one of those people that I would find highly obnoxious up close, but is someone who is likely to annoy people who I am statistically likely to hate, so I am all in favour of him.
posted by L.P. Hatecraft at 6:32 AM on January 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

Thank you, ricochet biscuit, for making the post complete!

Everyone please reference their links as well.
posted by Theta States at 6:33 AM on January 29, 2014

L.P. Hatecraft, bear in mind that this is a man who by his own admission drives drunk and sees no reason to apologize for it. And is mayor of the fourth-largest city in North America.
posted by saturday_morning at 6:34 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Don't forget domestic violence.
posted by symbioid at 6:41 AM on January 29, 2014

Don't forget domestic violence.

Yeah, this would all be a lot funnier if he didn't have a wife and kids.
posted by mhoye at 6:42 AM on January 29, 2014 [6 favorites]

saturday_morning: drunk driving is something about Rob Ford I wasn't aware of, and deserves condemnation (you killjoy).
posted by L.P. Hatecraft at 6:44 AM on January 29, 2014

If this was happening in the US, I'd expect Ford to get religion in a major way and get born again ( or equivalent variation) to save his career. Is that possible in Canada?

He tried, sort of.
posted by saturday_morning at 6:44 AM on January 29, 2014

this is a man who by his own admission drives drunk and sees no reason to apologize for it

And this is a double sacrilege in Canada, where "sorry" is a standard greeting.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:45 AM on January 29, 2014 [9 favorites]

OMG Canada, this is like that one kind sweet cousin who was always so great at thanksgiving but now insists on bringing their alcoholic crack junkie partner who thinks its hilarious to vomit on the turkey.

Rob Ford admits to drinking 'a little bit' after video surfaces
After swearing off alcohol, mayor admits to drinking 'a little bit' on Monday night

posted by Blasdelb at 6:46 AM on January 29, 2014

> And this is a double sacrilege in Canada, where "sorry" is a standard greeting.

I'm not even Canadian and I'm getting kinda' tired of that joke.
posted by ardgedee at 6:47 AM on January 29, 2014 [11 favorites]

I actually think the Rob Ford saga is interesting for reasons other than the scandalous/ridiculous. To me it illustrates how a civil society can withstand this kind of petty tyrant. Sure he is doing damage, some actual and much reputational, but he is doing nowhere near the amount of damage he would be capable of in some other societies. A competent, respected and largely non-partisan civil service with some job security is a great buffer against this kind of clown.
posted by srboisvert at 6:49 AM on January 29, 2014 [7 favorites]

Rob Ford is one of those people that I would find highly obnoxious up close, but is someone who is likely to annoy people who I am statistically likely to hate, so I am all in favour of him.

Never have I seen the position of the average conservative/right-wing voter more clearly stated. "I don't care about the policy, only how much it angers people I personally dislike."
posted by absalom at 6:49 AM on January 29, 2014 [53 favorites]

> To me it illustrates how a civil society can withstand this kind of petty tyrant.

I think it has more to do with the political structure of Toronto government rather than the resilience of society generally. A city with weak council / strong mayor governance could go rudderless with a Rob Ford type leading it.
posted by ardgedee at 6:56 AM on January 29, 2014

I'm not even Canadian and I'm getting kinda' tired of that joke.

Sorry.
posted by Theta States at 7:09 AM on January 29, 2014 [41 favorites]

I forsee GTA VI: Greater Toronto Area, featuring rotund mayor protagonist Bob Chrysler
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:12 AM on January 29, 2014 [4 favorites]

This long-read article has so many blasts from the past. My favourite quote, from part 7:

Reporter Katie Simpson of CP24 was so stunned that she could barely find words to address what she'd just witnessed. Her reaction spoke for us all: The mayor's astounding vulgarity--on live television, no less -- had crossed the line. His recklessness, whether fuelled by drugs or alcohol or stupidity, seemingly knew no bounds.

posted by Theta States at 7:13 AM on January 29, 2014

drunk driving is something about Rob Ford I wasn't aware of, and deserves condemnation

Yeah, although I have not the time to track it down right now, there was a wonderful moment in city council after the first allegations of drunk driving came up. Defender-in-chief Brother Doug surveyed his fellow council members and said something to the effect of, "all you holier-than-thou types, I am sure you have never driven while drunk." This led many (me included) to infer that he figures it is a foible that we all say we don't do, but come on -- you know that everybody does it.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:13 AM on January 29, 2014

Can someone take a quick look at this interview with a Toronto-based Russian outlet and confirm that his tie is way, way too long? What's up with that?

That is a classic sign of crack addiction. Crack constrains the esophagus, which can make it difficult for users to breath. To compensate, tie-wearing crack users tie their ties long. This is because doing so means the narrow part of the tie is around the users neck, making it easier to breath.
Once the users have reached the point where they are forced to wear bolo ties, the addiction has advanced to the life threatening stage. The results can be tragic.
posted by vorpal bunny at 7:16 AM on January 29, 2014 [3 favorites]

Can someone take a quick look at this interview with a Toronto-based Russian outlet and confirm that his tie is way, way too long? What's up with that?

I suspect that as a, erm, larger gentleman, RoFo might shop at a Big and Tall clothing store. If here were somehow not especially detail-oriented, he might well have picked a tie off the wrong rack: a tie that would look excellent on a man 6'9" might not look so dapper on the 5'10" (ish) mayor.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:28 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

> To me it illustrates how a civil society can withstand this kind of petty tyrant.

The problem is, Ford is a symptom of larger societal issues, rather than the cause (although he is, of course, working hard to make a lot of pre-existing problems worse).

That's a great summary, ricochet biscuit; I think the only thing you forgot is that this morning in the Toronto Sun Ford told his personal fart-catcher Joe Warmington (the only journalist left he'll speak to) that he totally had nothing to do with Anthony Smith's murder. Which, with most mayors, wouldn't even be an issue.

On a lighter note:

"If they want to ridicule me then fine, go ahead" Mayor Rob Ford before getting in the elevator heading the wrong direction.

---

As I type this, they're less than an hour into the budget debate and already the Speaker has threatened to kick Ford out of the chamber for interrupting people, he's told another councillor to shut up, homeless advocates have been ejected for protesting and a five-minute recess has been called. Crombie wept.

I bet Mike Harris is sitting somewhere watching this clown show with a big bowl of popcorn and a shit-eating grin.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:28 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Billy Bragg, I believe, would characterize the Toronto Sun as one of those rags "where politics mix with bingo and tits."
posted by absentian at 7:34 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Billy Bragg, I believe, would characterize the Toronto Sun as one of those rags "where politics mix with bingo and tits."

More succinct, I think, was the graffito that was emblazoning Sun newspaper boxes for years when I lived there: TITS AND LIES.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:40 AM on January 29, 2014 [8 favorites]

That's a great summary, ricochet biscuit; I think the only thing you forgot is that this morning in the Toronto Sun Ford told his personal fart-catcher Joe Warmington (the only journalist left he'll speak to) that he totally had nothing to do with Anthony Smith's murder. Which, with most mayors, wouldn't even be an issue.


OMG, from that article:

"I don't know anything about it," said the mayor, adding that he thinks it comes down to it being "a coincidence" that they were all in the picture together.

That quote was from yesterday.
That is, after the house has been positively identified as a crack house where Mr. Ford was videotaped smoking crack.
That is, after all of the people were identified and linked the activity surrounding that house.
That is, after the arrests, police investigations, admissions, and *HEAD EXPLODE*

That is Ford's genius right there. Such a massive wall of denial that even after everything that has gone down, him being in that picture is probably just a "coincidence".

He does give us another dose of the fan-favourites:

Ford says suggestions he was involved have to stop and he will consider suing if they persist.

"It takes a lot for me to take legal action, but if it continues, I may have to," he said, adding he has been patient, but "people should be careful what they write.":

Gotta leave the fans happy.
posted by Theta States at 7:47 AM on January 29, 2014

I'm not even Canadian and I'm getting kinda' tired of that joke.

Um... that isn't actually a joke. "Sorry to bother you" is a very common greeting here, when approaching a stranger. For example, if I see somebody drop a glove in the street, I might say "sorry to interrupt; I think you dropped this glove". When approaching a ship assistant, I might say "sorry to bother you; could you tell me where I can find Robertson screws?" Just saying "hey, you dropped this glove" or "were you keep the screws?" would be... well not unacceptably rude but strangely abrupt. Failing to say sorry (from both parties) after physically touching a stranger (eg. bumping into somebody on the street, reaching for the same salt shaker) is unacceptably rude, in some cases shockingly impolite.

Canadians put great store in public displays of humility. And not false humility, either: people in public life are expected to display an air of genuine connection to the lives of ordinary people, to be approachable and unforced. Politicians from rural regions, from Quebec, and from ethnic minorities tend to do well here: they carry with them identifiable 'roots' that allow people to imagine them as... not just an ordinary person, a specific, real ordinary person.

Aside: this is why the current PM is such a mystery to me. He's remote, inflexible, rings false in every public appearance: completely unlike a normal popular Canadian politician.

The counterpoint to this is, of course, is that when a politician does display vaulting arrogance, this can sometimes (very rarely) work in their favour. Macdonald, Diefenbaker and Trudeau (the elder) managed to shatter social expectations in a way that inspired awe rather than offence. In a society that strongly values humility, likeable chutzpah can be a powerful drug.

I think that these conflicting impulses go a long way toward explaining Ford's lingering popularity among some segments of the population. People see him as 'genuine': they think they know who he is as a person (actually they don't), and they like that. At the same time, his bald-faced smashing of social convention appeals to a different set of Torontonians; it's exciting and maybe a bit liberating.

One last thing: I think it's significant that we're talking as if Ford hasn't apologised when he has, in fact, apologised again and again. But his apologies were all clearly fake, insincere, without real understanding. Canadians can spot that a mile off, and they hate it. People who don't know Canada well will often think that Canadians are emotionally distant because of all the constant apologising that can't be real. But, no, that guy really is sorry to bother you when he's giving you your glove back.

...Sorry to rant.
posted by Dreadnought at 7:55 AM on January 29, 2014 [50 favorites]

I forsee GTA VI: Greater Toronto Area, featuring rotund mayor protagonist Bob Chrysler

You're in luck!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:06 AM on January 29, 2014 [5 favorites]

Why do you refer to the Toronto Sun as "Canada's most conservative newspaper"? It's the more conservative of Toronto's two dailies (and no, the Globe and Mail and the National Post are NOT Toronto dailies; they are NATIONAL papers), but have you actually done some sort of content analysis that ranked every paper in Canada? Are you aware that there are Quebecor papers all over the country- some in French?

It's this sort of blithe ignorance of the rest of the country that's the reason we find Torontonians so annoying. And you got the mayor you elected with solid majority, and he'll be re-elected with a solid majority, so enjoy.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 8:28 AM on January 29, 2014

Failing to say sorry (from both parties) after physically touching a stranger (eg. bumping into somebody on the street, reaching for the same salt shaker) is unacceptably rude, in some cases shockingly impolite.

Not the case in Montreal, where i've been living my entire life. I say sorry all the time in cases like this, but it seems that i am the only one doing it and all i get in return is stinkeye.

Then again, i find the city is getting angrier and more snooty and more confused over time, like we don't know whether we want to be avant garde Europeans or tough New Yorkers or glamourous Beverly Hillites

_{or maybe it's just that nobody likes me}
posted by bitteroldman at 8:42 AM on January 29, 2014 [3 favorites]

It's this sort of blithe ignorance of the rest of the country that's the reason we find Torontonians so annoying. And you got the mayor you elected with solid majority, and he'll be re-elected with a solid majority, so enjoy.

Er, no, we didn't elect Ford with a "solid majority". It was a case of vote splitting. Ford got fewer votes than the other two viable candidates combined, and less than half of the total number of votes. He could be said to have been elected by a solid margin, but that's not what you said. And though it is possible that Ford may win again in October 2014, polls are consistently showing that if the election were to be held immediately, Ford would lose. Don't lecture other people on their "blithe ignorance of the rest the country" when you don't have your own facts straight.
posted by orange swan at 8:48 AM on January 29, 2014 [10 favorites]

"(and no, the Globe and Mail and the National Post are NOT Toronto dailies; they are NATIONAL papers)"

Huh, I didn't realize that they were now publishing editions in french (or, in my part of Vancouver, chinese.)

And try buying either paper more than a couple hours drive from Yonge/Bloor, Sherbrooke/McGill College or Robson/Burrard.
posted by docgonzo at 8:51 AM on January 29, 2014

(and no, the Globe and Mail and the National Post are NOT Toronto dailies; they are NATIONAL papers)

The National Post is very much a Toronto paper. Mostly just Bay Street, at that. It's the old Financial Post; they've just wrapped it in filler and put "National" in the title to sell more units. Nevertheless, their circulation numbers are still less than half of the Star's.

It's not even available in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic Canada, or in French -- some "NATIONAL" paper.

(What this has to do with the FPP is anyone's guess.)
posted by Sys Rq at 9:14 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Rob Ford is one of those people that I would find highly obnoxious up close, but is someone who is likely to annoy people who I am statistically likely to hate, so I am all in favour of him.

Is this a joke? Rob Ford is an embarrassment to the city, has lied to the populace on more occasions than I can count, and is deliberately trying to dismantle important Toronto infrastructure while championing infrastructure that the EXPERTS are saying is a bad idea.

What's wrong with you?

Well...he looks pretty buoyant?

Hi could we not make the Rob Ford fat jokes please?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:29 AM on January 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

And you got the mayor you elected with solid majority,

You appear to be taking talking points from the addled mayor himself: almost weekly on their now-torpedoed radio show, Rob and brother Doug would repeat their claim that RoFo had been elected with the largest majority in the history of Canadian politics. In fact, his 47% was somewhat south of predecessor David Miller's 56% in his 2006 re-election and well south of Miller's predecessor Mel Lastman, who was reelected in 2000 with a startling 80% majority. It is true that his initial election's margin surpassed either of his two predecessors, but even there, Miller won with 46% of the vote in his first run. But really: there have been in total three mayors of the amalgamated Toronto and two of them did better at the polls than RoFo.

But then again, His Worship does not seem like a man who has a close relationship with the factual and rational.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:29 AM on January 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

his tie is way, way too long? What's up with that?

I suspect that as a, erm, larger gentleman, RoFo might shop at a Big and Tall clothing store

I think you're getting closer.

Ford wears his pants low, under his gut (my understanding is that for bigger people, suspenders are usually recommended to avoid this). So when he puts his tie on in the morning, he lets it hang to his belt buckle, which because of the way he wears his pants, is very low. So when he sits down, you get a silly looking long tie.
posted by Hoopo at 9:32 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Wait, they let him have more crack before balancing the budget? I told you that would never work. You're supposed to show him the crack, then keep it in sight until he balances the budget.

If you just let him leave and go to the crack house, he'll never get it done.
posted by loquacious at 9:51 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

publicly drunk and swearing last week in surprisingly fluent Jamaican patois

Gary Clement's take.
posted by Kabanos at 9:59 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Gary Clement's take.

From the link in my comment:

On occasion after telling people I was born in Jamaica, they will immediately start imitating the Jamaican accent, which is insulting.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:16 AM on January 29, 2014

In (can't believe I'm about to type this) fairness to The Sun, they have been calling for his resignation since November, and reiterated it after the Steak Queen video surfaced. Also, their city hall reporter, Don Peat, is excellent and isn't shy about going after Ford. It's mostly their columnists and editorial board that are beyond the pale.

As one insightful Torontonian put it, everyday The Sun has a sports story on their cover is a day they're not poisoning the debate about something that actually matters.
posted by dry white toast at 10:23 AM on January 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

It's from back in November, but Rob Ford and the triumph of the new hosers is still a good piece. Rob and Doug Ford as the heirs to Bob and Doug McKenzie.
posted by larrybob at 10:29 AM on January 29, 2014

Yeah his drunk driving is despicable. He retreats into victimhood- if his accusers are hypocrites, there can't be a problem with his behaviour.

And who wants to bet a billion dollars that Ford is putting forward his this $60-million in savings motion and counting on council to vote it down?
posted by beau jackson at 10:30 AM on January 29, 2014

I forsee GTA VI: Greater Toronto Area, featuring rotund mayor protagonist Bob Chrysler

Gameplay preview!
posted by Sys Rq at 10:38 AM on January 29, 2014

It's this sort of blithe ignorance of the rest of the country that's the reason we find Torontonians so annoying. And you got the mayor you elected with solid majority, and he'll be re-elected with a solid majority, so enjoy.

Someone's a bitter Betty!
posted by SassHat at 10:40 AM on January 29, 2014 [3 favorites]

And who wants to bet a billion dollars that Ford is putting forward his this $60-million in savings motion and counting on council to vote it down?

It's actually 25 separate motions. He's going for maximal grandstanding. Among his items (which he sneak-previewed to the Sun):

- Asking for $19 million in corporate sponsorship for the Pan Am Games, which is the governance equivalent of relying on pixie dust
- Suggesting that library fines should be simply added onto property tax bills, which he claims will generate "over a million" - all library fines in the city's entire history only amount to $4 million in the first place, and moreover Ford doesn't account for the cost of marrying the library user database to the property tax database, which will be millions of dollars - oh, and how are we supposed to collect fines from renters?
- start charging a fee for the city's Welcome Policy, which is a subsidy for low-income households to access city programs which have an associated fee (particularly kids' programs), so he's suggesting a transfer of expense from relatively well-off homeowners to the poorest people in Toronto
- cutting the entire City Council general expense budget of $3.2 million

And so forth. These proposals are witless.
posted by mightygodking at 10:44 AM on January 29, 2014 [11 favorites]

Ford could put forward a motion to scrap Union Station for the raw metal parts, say it would generate $40 million, and then after it gets laughed out of council he will go to the media mics and proclaim "I TRIED TO SAVE THE TAXPAYERS $40 MILLION, BUT THESE GRAVY TRAIN PROGRESSIVES JUST WANT TO RAISE YOUR TAXES!"

Every. Freaking. Time.
posted by Theta States at 11:13 AM on January 29, 2014 [5 favorites]

Greetings from the Junction (where there's a gun-related lockdown on right now on Keele between St. Clair and Dundas -- hope jacquilynne and nearby MeFites are OK.)

Breaking on Twitter -- BECAUSE AT THIS POINT, MY ATTENTION SPAN IS A MYTHICAL CREATURE -- Ford isn't back from lunch because he's meeting with his criminal lawyer. This comes after a Joe Warmington story, of all things, had Ford saying this:

The same goes for suggestions contained in an e-mail from a Toronto newspaper reporter, which Ford says paints a "fictional" picture. He says it asks questions about whether Aedan Petros, a former football player from his Don Bosco Eagles, could have been involved in an alleged jail-house assault on his sister's former boyfriend, Scott MacIntyre.

Toronto Police have said Petros and fellow former Don Bosco football player Rexford Williams were charged in August 2011 with armed robbery, threatening death, aggravated assault and weapons charges after an alleged home invasion.

Ford said the reporter asked whether Petros was involved in the attck on the man, who allegedly barged into Ford's house and threatened him.

Last November, the Sun's Sam Pazzano reported that a former common-law spouse of Kathy Ford who vowed to expose the Ford family to the media was savagely beaten in jail because he was a "bother" to the Toronto mayor. Justice Paul French said MacIntyre "was viciously attacked and severely beaten" by inmates on March 12, 2012, in an act of "jail-house justice" after he sent two letters.

French concluded MacIntyre was beaten because of his being a bother to Ford. The mayor said Tuesday suggestions he was involved is "so far fetched."

Strange that Ford just volunteered this story out of the blue to Warmington, eh?
posted by maudlin at 11:18 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

damn, beat me to it maudlin.
posted by dry white toast at 11:19 AM on January 29, 2014

MY ATTENTION SPAN SUCKS MORE THAN YOUR ATTENTION SPAN!
posted by maudlin at 11:21 AM on January 29, 2014

It's not even available in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic Canada, or in French -- some "NATIONAL" paper.

I'm in Winnipeg and I can get the Post or the Globe and Mail pretty much everywhere that sells papers. I even had it delivered briefly. I'm not sure what you are talking about.
posted by joelhunt at 11:25 AM on January 29, 2014

Doug "not too sure" why Dennis Morris, mayor's lawyer, is here at city hall, with Ford.

I don't know, either. Maybe Dennis just needs to interrupt Ford in the middle of some Very Important Grandstanding to ask for advice on registering a domain.
posted by maudlin at 11:27 AM on January 29, 2014 [2 favorites]

There's this rumor floating around that the Mayor's in deep shit.
posted by SassHat at 11:35 AM on January 29, 2014

One of the true mysteries of journalism is why the media asks Doug Ford anything about his brother. When the Steak Queen video thing broke his answers fully demonstrated that was alternately lying and had no clue what Rob had been doing.
posted by dry white toast at 11:36 AM on January 29, 2014

There's this rumor floating around that the Mayor's in deep shit.

Perp walk by the end of the day? Whoa.
posted by maudlin at 11:37 AM on January 29, 2014

There's this rumor floating around that the Mayor's in deep shit.

Is this "Joe Kool" twitterer generally a reliable source?
posted by beau jackson at 11:39 AM on January 29, 2014

Same source as the "Todd Smells" headline?
posted by dry white toast at 11:40 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ford and lawyer blow past reporters, head back into chamber. Morris reveals why he's there: "Just watching the council meeting".

Need a soundtrack.
posted by maudlin at 11:42 AM on January 29, 2014

if Ford does a perp walk today I am seriously tempted to go out and dance naked in the snow in sheer joy
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 11:47 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Same source as the "Todd Smells" headline?

So...pretty darn reliable then. Buddy reeks.
posted by beau jackson at 11:47 AM on January 29, 2014

Rachel Mendleson @rachelmendleson
Rob Ford is now in council chambers, about 40 minutes after the session resumed. #TOpoli ReplyRetweetFavorite 2:39 PM

Paul Moloney @paulmoloney4
Mayor Rob Ford heads back to council with his lawyer Dennis Morris in tow. Morris says he's there to observe council meeting.
posted by Theta States at 11:49 AM on January 29, 2014

Seriously though, if the charges against Mohamed were stayed because he rolled on Ford, his reckoning could finally be nigh. Not that I'm holding my breath.

My money is on another baffling press conference before the end of the day where he says he's a victim and he's really really sorry. And he blames it on being drunk.
posted by dry white toast at 11:50 AM on January 29, 2014

Annnd

Don Peat ‏@reporterdonpeat 1m
A few minutes after he arrived, Mayor Rob Ford has now left the council chamber #TOpoli
posted by saturday_morning at 11:50 AM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Mother of God, could this be the end of Robbie?
posted by maudlin at 11:51 AM on January 29, 2014

Before we all leap to conclusions, can someone (paging mightygodking maybe) contextualize this in-and-out business? I would imagine it's normal in Council meetings for people to be wandering in and out, no?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 11:51 AM on January 29, 2014

feckless, Ford made a big deal yesterday about how he will be presenting proposals to save $50 Million in the budget today. Got coverage in all the papers, said it wouldn't reduce city services, yadda yadda yadda. And now that the budget is being debated and this is the time when he would supposedly present his proposals, he's chasing around with his criminal lawyer and rumours are spreading the police are about to come knocking.
posted by dry white toast at 11:54 AM on January 29, 2014

Yes, it's quite normal for councillors to wander in and out of meetings on other business.
posted by mightygodking at 11:55 AM on January 29, 2014

dry white toast, I know about that... but it hardly seems out of character for Ford to not even be there for his own proposals. He knows Doug'll put them up anyway.

Thanks, MGK. So this falls into the 'well it might mean something b/c the lawyer's there, but otherwise this is business as usual for Council debates' category?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 11:57 AM on January 29, 2014

Also, part of the minute-by-minute is that reporters watch Ford like a hawk because he drops bombs at the most random times. His final crack admission came when a reporter shouted out a question as he was just breezing past.
posted by dry white toast at 11:58 AM on January 29, 2014

(Tuning into 1010 to hear more about the Junction lockdown, and the first words I hear are "the Ford Escape". Hope that's not an omen.)
posted by maudlin at 11:59 AM on January 29, 2014

...Junction lockdown?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:00 PM on January 29, 2014

(Some guy in a house at Junction Rd. and Keele apparently holed up with a gun. LOTS of cops and at least one sniper around. Go here for on-the-ground updates.)
posted by maudlin at 12:01 PM on January 29, 2014

Wow. That could actually end up helping Ford somewhat if shit goes down today; eyes will be elsewhere and the usual suspects can divert attention, or at least try.

(Obviously hoping for a safe and speedy resolution to the Junction situation)
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:06 PM on January 29, 2014

Oh, believe me, if Ford gets actually arrested, the Junction story will get overshadowed right quick.
posted by dry white toast at 12:07 PM on January 29, 2014

I'm just worried that if The Joyous Event comes to pass, something big (ish) like this could provide enough water-muddying to give cover for a few days.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:08 PM on January 29, 2014

Ford is apparently picking Superbowl wins...
posted by Theta States at 12:08 PM on January 29, 2014

Remember, Ford getting arrested would be an international story. The New York Times doesn't give a shit about the Junction.
posted by dry white toast at 12:10 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

True.. I think I'm not explaining myself well.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:11 PM on January 29, 2014

The New York Times doesn't give a shit about the Junction.

Fools. Don't they know that we're the new Bushwick?
posted by maudlin at 12:12 PM on January 29, 2014

Goin' out with bang:

Rachel Mendleson
I'm told Rob Ford is currently signing autographs on pictures of himself #topolib
Rachel Mendleson
Just went in for a closer look. The photos are big and glossy and of Rob Ford. #topoliby

Party like a rockstar.
posted by Theta States at 12:18 PM on January 29, 2014

The man is OG.
posted by dry white toast at 12:20 PM on January 29, 2014

Should I book a big table at a bar now, or maybe wait a bit?
posted by Artful Codger at 12:22 PM on January 29, 2014

Yes, give the word and I will join you all here later tonight with some whisky.
Ahh Rob Ford breaking-news threads, how I missed thee.
posted by Theta States at 12:26 PM on January 29, 2014

Yeah actually if this does go down I would probably be into a celebratory pint somewhere.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:26 PM on January 29, 2014

Well, so far all we have is some random anonymous Tweet and Hotmail Lawyer showing up. The actual reporters I follow on Twitter don't seem to be sniffing around it in a big way.
posted by dry white toast at 12:33 PM on January 29, 2014

Exactly. Plus I've learned to keep my hope in check if only to protect my fragile heart. There have already been a couple times I was sure Rob's career wouldn't last the day.
posted by beau jackson at 12:38 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I never want to get my hopes up too high when it comes to Ford, but I still like to imagine that his story will end the same way Jerry Lundegaard's did in Fargo.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:43 PM on January 29, 2014

Gotta say though, if he's about to be arrested, the value of those signed glossies will be nothing to sneeze at.
posted by dry white toast at 12:48 PM on January 29, 2014

I'm holding out for a signed bobblehead in prison orange.
posted by Artful Codger at 12:53 PM on January 29, 2014

It's starting. "BREAKING: Scott Mcyintyre...mayor's sister's ex...has filed statement of claim against Mayor alleging Ford behind his jailhouse assault."
posted by maudlin at 12:58 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

So what could that really mean? Like, he claims that while he was beaten someone said "here's a delivery from Mr. Ford!" or something like that?
posted by Theta States at 1:00 PM on January 29, 2014

If you run this while listening to this (especially after this tweet) the sweet anticipation is enhanced.
posted by maudlin at 1:01 PM on January 29, 2014

That's disappointing. A civil claim isn't anywhere close to an arrest. Ford gets in front of a mic, denies, says McIntyre has a vendetta against his family (which actually bears some resemblance to the truth), says he'll see him in court. A one day story, tops. (until the hearing of course.)
posted by dry white toast at 1:02 PM on January 29, 2014

It could mean that one of the men who beat him has made a deal with police to avoid prosecution or get a reduced sentence for the assault.
posted by mightygodking at 1:02 PM on January 29, 2014

Rob Ford's lawyer Dennis Morris is going to speak to reporters, he says
Rachel Mendleson 4:02 PM
posted by Theta States at 1:03 PM on January 29, 2014

I think that's likely MGK, but if that's what's come to pass and is the catalyst for an arrest, it's odd that a civil action stemming from such a deal would be initiated before criminal charges are laid
posted by dry white toast at 1:06 PM on January 29, 2014

If it's just a civil case, it's not going to affect him much in the public eye, especially as McIntyre is a pretty crummy person. Some guy invades Ford's home and threatens his family, and Ford sends some guys to kick the shit out of him? A lot of people will give him a pass on that.

Ford sounds really tired and out of focus right now on the live feed as he stands and asks for a 1.75% increase including the Scarborough subway.
posted by maudlin at 1:10 PM on January 29, 2014

I look forward to the Coen Brothers' movie Ford Maverick starring John Goodman.
In part because it's gotta be way more interesting than Inside Llewyn Davis.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:15 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

And not to bury the lede, but McIntyre shot Rob's sister.

So file under Getting Fleas, causes of - Lying Down With Dogs

Barely a blip unless there is a police follow-up.
posted by dry white toast at 1:17 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

I'm in Winnipeg and I can get the Post or the Globe and Mail pretty much everywhere that sells papers. I even had it delivered briefly. I'm not sure what you are talking about.

This.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:23 PM on January 29, 2014

That has less to do with regionalism, and more to do with the fact that the National Post is thinking about getting out of the newspaper business entirely.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:26 PM on January 29, 2014

And Giorgio Mammoliti moves for a zero percent property tax increase, because Mammo is an idiot attention whore who doesn't care about good governance.
posted by mightygodking at 1:29 PM on January 29, 2014

The Globe & Mail has a story that draws on interviews with MacIntyre:

Several prisoners shattered the teeth and broke the leg of Rob Ford’s estranged brother-in-law in a jailhouse beating that was intended to keep him quiet about the Toronto mayor’s abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs, it has been alleged in a lawsuit. ...

An official with the Ministry of Correctional Services, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to The Globe that Mr. Petros was housed in the same unit of the jail, known as 1B, as Mr. MacIntyre at the time of the assault.

Brent Ross, a ministry spokesman, said an investigation into the beating had been launched, but he declined to release its findings, citing Mr. MacIntyre’s lawsuit and privacy concerns. Mayor Ford did not respond to a list of questions that was sent to him by e-mail and in a letter. He did, however, speak about The Globe’s inquiries with the Toronto Sun, telling the newspaper that any suggestion that he played a role in the beating is “far fetched” and “way out there.” Mr. Ford’s lawyer and close adviser, Dennis Morris, said the notion that the mayor had advance knowledge of the attack on Mr. MacIntyre was “insanity.”

So the probing email came from The Globe, most likely from the by-lined MacArthur or Kari.
posted by maudlin at 1:31 PM on January 29, 2014

Interesting. Ann Hui says that Payman Aboodowleh, a former Don Bosco football coach, is also named as a defendant. Remember him? The guy with a history of violent crime that Ford sought out to coach football?
posted by maudlin at 1:38 PM on January 29, 2014

Sorry

I'm from the United States, so my version is "I'm sorry you feel that way" [about that awful thing I did or said, you jerk].
posted by Fnarf at 1:39 PM on January 29, 2014

If it's just a civil case, it's not going to affect him much in the public eye

I don't necessarily disagree, but wouldn't a civil case require Ford to submit to cross-examination on topics including his drinking, drug use, criminal associations, drunk driving, etc? Does anyone know to what extent "credibility" questions would allow the plaintiff to raise these issues?
posted by saturday_morning at 1:45 PM on January 29, 2014

Ann Hui: 'Mayor Ford's lawyer Dennis Morris says it would be "irresponsible" and "spurious" to say mayor ordered attack on brother-in-law'

So we can expect Mayor Ford to say it any minute then.
posted by dry white toast at 1:46 PM on January 29, 2014 [3 favorites]

Sorry, folks, it's someone else doing the perp walk tonight.

#BREAKING: #justinbieber to surrender to #Toronto police. Will be charged in connection with alleged assault on limo driver.

The gods hate us.
posted by maudlin at 1:57 PM on January 29, 2014

If this day had a soundtrack it would just be one long record scratch.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:58 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

(So a substance-abusing child is making a more responsible decision than the substance-abusing man elected to be our mayor.)
posted by maudlin at 1:58 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

"Oh this young man has had a very trying rookie season, what with the litigation, the notoriety, his subsequent deportation to Canada and that country's refusal to accept him, well, I guess that's more than most 21-year-olds can handle...Justin Bieber!"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:59 PM on January 29, 2014

Stop the world. I want to get off.
posted by dry white toast at 2:00 PM on January 29, 2014

"I don't know anything about it," said the mayor, adding that he thinks it comes down to it being "a coincidence" that they were all in the picture together.

Out of curiosity -- and surely I am not the first one to ask this -- exactly how many times have allegations been made against Ford which he then denied and then these allegations turned out to be proven false? The drunk driving in Florida: denial followed by admission. The drunken fight at Maple Leaf Gardens: denial followed by admission. The existence of the video: months of denials, followed by admission.

His 24-year-old companion being a friend and not a sex worker is still not really addressed, and the cocaine snorting spotted by a waiter has not been tried in court. Drunkenly grabbing Sarah Thompson's rear and propositioning her seems to have faded away but I am not aware that Thompson ever rescinded the allegation.

The offer of cunnilingus to an aide has a weird non-denial denial to go with it: a year ago people were parsing his, "a video I have not seen or does not exist," (which ultimately turned out to mean that it does exist) and his, "I do not smoke crack cocaine nor am I an addict of crack cocaine," (which turned out to mean that he has smoked it) and there is his infamous admission of crack use followed immediately by taunts that reporters had just not asked the right questions for the previous year. I thought it odd that the original allegation was that he had said, "I'm going to eat you out," and his legendary later denial was, "and the last thing was Olivia Gondek. It says that I wanted to eat her pussy. I've never said that in my life to her -- I would never do that." Well, that is technically not what the allegation was.

He seems to imagine himself like a genie in a legend, craftily (in his mind) stretching interpretations of words to outwit those who would oppose him.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:17 PM on January 29, 2014

This is my favorite ever treatment of Rob Ford, from Grantland. Featuring sonnets.
posted by Aubergine at 2:24 PM on January 29, 2014

So what is interesting is that McIntyre is alleging that the video which surfaced a few months back of Ford appearing to be in a crack-fueled rage rant is actually directed at McIntyre. All the "I'm gonna rip him apart, brother" comments are supposedly about McIntyre.

Which makes this very interesting, because if that is central to McIntyre's case, then his lawyers can grill Ford on the stand about that video. Who was with him? Who was he talking to? What substances was he on at the time? And so forth. And then Ford will have to start either telling truths which may well get him in more trouble or he'll have to lie on the stand.
posted by mightygodking at 2:24 PM on January 29, 2014

One can only pray that all happens before the next election.

Because I'm really, really worried.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:26 PM on January 29, 2014

I'm in Winnipeg and I can get the Post or the Globe and Mail pretty much everywhere that sells papers. I even had it delivered briefly. I'm not sure what you are talking about.

This.

Whoops! My mistake. I've only considered picking it up on Saturdays since I stopped getting delivery, I guess.
posted by joelhunt at 2:39 PM on January 29, 2014

Rob Ford is like the barometer of "what pols can get away with as long as they spew NeoLib nonsense". Right now the needle is pointing to "just about anything".
posted by telstar at 3:31 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

I was tremendously busy answering reference questions today, then I came back to this thread to find out if anyone had any Ford-tie-length insights, then learned that my neighbourhood was locked down, then the lawsuit, then Bieber, then ???
posted by avocet at 6:57 PM on January 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Court Filing Alleges Rob Ford Ordered Jail Beating
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:15 PM on January 29, 2014

then I came back to this thread to find out if anyone had any Ford-tie-length insights, then learned that my neighbourhood was locked down, then the lawsuit, then Bieber, then ???

When you say it like that it sounds like a odd dream, doesn't it?
posted by Theta States at 9:33 PM on January 29, 2014 [4 favorites]

Rob Ford Arm-Wrestled Hulk Hogan, And Won
posted by jcruelty at 10:27 PM on January 29, 2014

Yeah, I somehow thought the arm-wrestling match had come up on the blue. That was deeply weird: a promotional event that promoted nothing, held at a convention attended by the better part of a hundred thousand people but kept secret from the attendees, and for reasons unclear, they are wrestling left-handed despite both men being right-handed. Strange, no?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:04 AM on January 30, 2014

he appears to have lost at tickling
posted by twist my arm at 9:31 AM on January 31, 2014

You know, seeing headlines reading Budget chief denies tickling Mayor make this almost all worthwhile.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:19 PM on January 31, 2014 [2 favorites]

And of course Rob Ford goes to Vancouver, and of COURSE he gets drunk in public.
posted by mightygodking at 12:56 AM on February 1, 2014

No, no, no...didn't you listen to what he said? He went to that pub on a Friday night and all he had was a Diet Coke!
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:11 AM on February 1, 2014

Here's the Global News report, complete with a video featuring a detailed account from the guy who talked with Ford while he was being ticketed.

Buddy says that Ford facepalmed, "Boy, that is f'ed up" (not "I f'ed up"), that Ford said he was being ticketed for both jaywalking and public drunkenness, and that he thought the cops were cooler out there. Apparently he was also very effusive in his thanks when the eyewitnesses told him that they were big fans and thought he was "highly entertaining".

Ford has denied the public drunkenness charge (this is my shocked face) and the RCMP has said “As there is no public safety issue in this matter, we are unable to confirm or deny anything. In a situation where there is a celebrity involved, that is the policy.”

So yeah, they charged him with public drunkenness, but the Global site has posted a note saying they've edited their article to withdraw that detail. But the note is still there, eh.

I think we need to put up a sign at the Toronto city limits: "The mayor has not been caught doing anything embarrassing or illegal today, nor has he been seen intoxicated or high in public. Watch very closely for the removal of this sign."
posted by maudlin at 7:38 AM on February 1, 2014 [1 favorite]

So you'd put the sign up every day at midnight and take it down at what, 12:15?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:51 AM on February 1, 2014 [4 favorites]

Robyn Doolittle's book is out as of today, and every media outlet is reporting on some of the major bombshells.

and that all follows up Rob Ford’s very bad weekend – from jaywalking ticket in B.C. to cursing Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl
posted by Theta States at 11:23 AM on February 3, 2014

I should have just conceded all of my Super Bowl bets when I found out Ford liked the Broncos.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:55 AM on February 5, 2014

Speaking of which.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:01 AM on February 5, 2014

MetroMan at the Urban Toronto forum says that, according to his police sources, Ford will be charged (any time real soon now):

I ruffled the feathers of one of my TPS sources earlier this week when I exasperated on social media that Toronto Police were letting Rob Ford get away with blatant infractions of the law while the Vancouver Police Department got Ford for walking across the street. That lead to my source becoming more candid than usual and assuring me that Ford would not get away and that minor charges were not being acted on immediately to build a longer record that demonstrates disrespect for the law that will be utilized in a larger trial. Just because a charge was not made on the spot (DUI, public urination, etc) doesn't mean that it will not be in the future. Evidence was taken and witnesses (detectives) gave statements.

Further, I've been told that warrants were indeed granted for Ford's cell and ON Star records and that the TPS is meticulously putting together a case to be presented to the Crown. The question isn't whether or not charges will be laid but when. You heard it here folks: Rob Ford will be charged. It's just a matter of wrapping up the investigation.

I wonder if Chief Blair will afford Rob Ford the courtesy of requesting him to come in voluntarily or if they'll make a big show out of arresting him while ensuring that people (including the media) will be watching. Blair has total personal discretion in that decision and given how Rob Ford has not afforded the Chief that courtesy by deliberately attacking him and given what's at stake for the TPS's reputation, I think that the Chief will elect to have the arrest made either at City Hall or at a public event with the Press around. It could also happen at Ford's house, with the TPS leaking to trusted members of the press when it's going to happen. This will be an arrest of historical importance so I can't imagine the Chief not making sure there's a record of it since he has the benefit of foresight.

I was growing concerned that this vile man was going to once again get away without being held responsible for his actions but I'm now optimistic that his luck is finally over.

I think it's pretty likely that MetroMan does have some inside sources, but I won't believe in the perp walk until I see the perp walk.
posted by maudlin at 6:37 PM on February 5, 2014 [2 favorites]

I came here to post that, maudlin. Fingers crossed. Tonight he kicked off his campaign by basically admitting that he lied about why he never attends Pride.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:56 PM on February 5, 2014

A bit more detail from MetroMan:

The investigation is now in a phase where the police know what happened, what crimes were committed and are now piecing together a case through interviews and evidence gathering.

Right now, investigators are probably sifting through Ford's cell and car location data cross referencing it with their theories of what happened and who he contacted and when and where. That could take a few months to complete.

Wrapping up the case, submitting it to the Crown and having them give a go ahead for a charge could take another couple of months.

I'd put a guess on mid to late summer unless a major breakthrough occurs that moves the investigation from methodical to a slam dunk case.

Whatever happens, Ford will be charged and released on bail and any trial would be held well after the election. Ford is still running unless he drops dead or kills someone himself.

I don't know if the last three words were meant to be a hint or just a hypothetical, but MM said earlier that he thinks the Anthony Smith murder almost certainly had no connection to Ford.
posted by maudlin at 7:22 PM on February 5, 2014

It's always titillating to hear this stuff from Metro Man, but we already knew that Ford was under investigation for a long time, and we just had confirmation that he is still the subject of investigation in Project Brazen II. So it was already safe to assume that police at least wanted to charge him with something eventually.
posted by beau jackson at 1:03 PM on February 6, 2014

Crack Reporter: The Scoop on Rob Ford From Robyn Doolittle
posted by Theta States at 10:09 PM on February 6, 2014

Following up on Rob Ford not going to Gay Pride but not being a homophobe, Rob Ford orders rainbow flag removed from Toronto City Hall: Says Sochi Games are about athletics, not sexual orientation
posted by larrybob at 10:45 AM on February 7, 2014

Well, he SAYS that he wants it down, and that he's ordered it to come down, but the city manager says no such request has been made.

So he's stuck his own Canadian flag in his office window like a frat boy on May Two-Four weekend and is claiming this is about patriotism versus special interests.

Except that he's forgotten about this. And this.

I think he's really, really playing to his base for the rest of the year, or however long he lasts.
posted by maudlin at 11:53 AM on February 7, 2014

Holy shit.

Could be nothing, but ...
posted by maudlin at 11:54 AM on February 7, 2014

Why do they tease me like this? My guess is if they were going to arrest him, they'd give him the chance to turn himself in.
posted by dry white toast at 12:00 PM on February 7, 2014

Speculation on Twitter is that Ford may have called them in himself because -- threats? Angry expressions? Gay cooties? He's always the victim, right?
posted by maudlin at 12:04 PM on February 7, 2014

Yep: Police are here regarding a message "received about a potential threat to the Mayor and his family": Mayor Rob Ford's office
posted by maudlin at 12:06 PM on February 7, 2014

While Rob Ford is clearly a danger to himself and those close to him, that's probably not what they meant.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:07 PM on February 7, 2014

Great. Just what he needs: a chance to play the victim.
posted by dry white toast at 12:08 PM on February 7, 2014

Looks like gay-bashing is going to be part of the re-election strategy. I wish I could be certain it's not going to help him.
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:07 PM on February 7, 2014

CBC's The National points out that RoFo is not empowered to remove the flag and lightly glosses over the Half-Mayor's apparent silence about any of the dozens of other flags that have flow there in his tenure.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:07 AM on February 8, 2014

Is Rob Ford baiting anti-gay voters?

That changed in the past seven days — first due to his vow never to attend the Pride parade and then after he tried to remove a rainbow flag flying outside city hall. That has led to speculation Ford is deliberately trying to woo socially conservative voters by distinguishing himself from other candidates who are merely fiscal conservatives.

Several former members of Ford’s staff say the mayor spoke openly about the fact that opposing same-sex marriage was important for his base.
[...]
In 2003, he declared on the floor of council, “I believe in Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” In 2005, he said of transgendered people: “I don’t understand a transgender. I don’t understand: is it a guy dressed up like a girl or a girl dressed up like a guy?” And most infamously in 2006, Ford told city council that “If you’re not doing needles and you’re not gay, you won’t get AIDS probably.”

posted by Theta States at 6:13 AM on February 11, 2014

Rob Ford the movie? Film rights acquired for book about Toronto mayor

Casting Crazy Town: Now that the Rob Ford book is being filmed, here’s who we think should star
posted by Theta States at 6:28 AM on February 11, 2014

In one of the YouTube videos that now serve as a platform for him, His Worship explains that he lied about the crack use because he was embarrassed. Oddly, the same day that was released, I was reading Crazy Town and had just reached the bit where then-Councillor Ford admitted that he lied about being drunk and argumentative at a Leafs game, but explained that he only did so because he was embarrassed.

It is a pity politicos did not stumble onto this convenient escape hatch earlier. "I did not want to lie about the cover-up/affair/assassination/embezzlement and only did so because I was embarrassed."

On the Torontoist today, John Barber offers some speculation as to how the race will play out (with the caveat that eight months and change away, nobody know anything). Myself, I think the bald declarations of His Worship's inability to change his views marks a new strategy that in West Wing terms might be called LET ROFO BE ROFO.

I think we will see him making more and more backwards, career-destroying-for-anybody-else statements that will endear him to an ever-shrinking base of the Ford Nationals who cheer him on for telling it like it is and giving hell to those latte-sipping lieberals who live South Of Bloor. My best guess is that come October 25, he will place third and spend the rest of his abbreviated span* tut-tutting the electorate for being taken in by the lies of his successor and reminding them that they could have had subways subways subways if they had just trusted him.

*I do not wish him harm, but his health is such that I fear he will not see his fiftieth birthday.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:04 AM on February 13, 2014

He seems to be making a potentially successful pitch to low-information young voters. He was at a bar on Richmond last night (with Doug and David Price) and got the usual mob reaction, and was on Z103 this morning with Doug (again). I get the impression that his persistence is paying off with that group who may see him as a jovial anti-hero.

This is one of the few elections where I may be hoping that younger voters DON'T turn out.

(And Barber still claims that Chow has "formidable" polling numbers? Really? She is in a tight race, at best, in several polling scenarios in the last few polls.)
posted by maudlin at 8:16 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Nat Post on the youth pitch. The comments point out that the people posting their pics to Instagram are mocking him, that they don't turn out to vote, and that the club population tends towards the 905. But enough kids in the city may go on name recognition and the anti-hero pose that Ford could eke out enough votes in a split field to do better than expected.
posted by maudlin at 8:23 AM on February 13, 2014

READ THIS. Jeet Heer is from Rexdale and knows why Ford continues to be popular there and in similar parts of the city.

Despite his buffoonery, Rob Ford’s political prowess should never be under­estimated. He doesn’t reflexively look down on Rexdale. He knows his way around it all too well. Ford once promised to make “Rexdale the new Rosedale.” This typical Fordian flourish earned him many a snide laugh in downtown Toronto yet endeared him to his core constituency. He might be promising the stars, but at least he takes Rexdale seriously. Ford’s right-wing populism derives its power from understanding the aspirations of Rexdalers for projects like the expansion of ­Woodbine Racetrack into a shopping and casino complex. Although the billion-dollar project fell apart, Ford’s efforts on its behalf earned him street cred. What do Ford’s opponents have to offer Rexdale, aside from austerity and condescension?

Ford has a decade of offering tangible things to one household at a time, in constituent service, and making wild promises that rarely work out for the area as a whole, but he still gets cred for trying. People will forgive a lot of shit if it looks like you're the only one who actually cares.

Oh, and this piece from Simon Yau is also solid: "Remember that time Rob Ford claimed 'the Oriental people' were taking over because they worked like dogs? My parents thought that was awesome."
posted by maudlin at 10:05 AM on February 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh, yeah, hey, in case anyone's interested ... The Sun has a report about that second crack video: according to sources, it doesn't show Ford at all. No reporter has seen this one yet.

The man who orchestrated the infamous Mayor Rob Ford crack video used the same cellphone camera to record a second, shorter video where he gloats over his achievement, sources have revealed to the Toronto Sun.

Toronto Police recovered the second video segment in October at the same time as the mayor’s crack video, which was witnessed by two Toronto Star reporters as well as a reporter from the website Gawker.

Shot after the crack video, the second clip has Mohamed Siad speaking into the camera and proudly saying, “'I caught the mayor smoking crack.' (Siad's) definitely proud of himself for what he has done,” the source told the Sun. ...

The second video, which both sources have seen but has not been viewed by the Sun, ends with Siad turning the camera to record his steering wheel and dashboard. The video is less than 30 seconds long. ...

A source stated a female voice [in the original crack video] was spurring Ford on with her own racial and homophobic comments, including one where she said she would “put my foot up (Liberal Leader) Justin Trudeau’s a--.”

posted by maudlin at 8:48 PM on February 13, 2014

Rob Ford profiled in Esquire - "You may have wondered how it is that Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, has not been shamed from office. Here's how. And why, he tells us, things are likely to get even uglier."
posted by the man of twists and turns at 7:55 AM on February 18, 2014

Rob Ford profiled in Esquire - "You may have wondered how it is that Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, has not been shamed from office. Here's how. And why, he tells us, things are likely to get even uglier."
posted by the man of twists and turns


Those are the opening lines. Then the chilling closing paragraph:

What if just enough of them prove still open to him? With a new mandate, he will get his executive authority back, and his budgets back, and his office space and staff back, as well as any additional powers that his brother might provide from on high. He will have proven himself impervious to disaster, immune to science, unburdened by any of the weights and measures reserved for more ordinary emperors. He will be a political miracle, that rare man who can turn his worst weaknesses into his greatest strengths, an antihero whose back is as broad as elevator doors. The mayor will have all of the public power and none of the personal responsibility. His Worship will be bulletproof.

posted by Theta States at 2:18 PM on February 18, 2014

Just in case you thought things were back to normal here -- umm, no. The Fords have declared war on Chief Blair.

After a whole bunch of related stuff, including lodging a complaint about Blair for saying he was "disappointed" seeing the crack video, both Rob and Doug screamed away during a scrum today, claiming conspiracy, trying to get him off the case, and threatening more complaints because Blair finally said he wasn't pleased when Rob called him a cocksucker in the Steak Queen video.

Too tired to do extensive links: this G&M story is a decent summary.

Elsewhere, there's lots of speculation that Blair has started speaking more to the media because an arrest may be imminent and the Fords are pulling these stunts to pre-discredit him.
posted by maudlin at 11:54 AM on February 27, 2014

The amazing gall of the Ford's in this tactic is just shocking. It's slash-and-burn politics from people that grew up on too much money and USA political drama TV shows.
Every chance he gets he reinforces how much of a victim he is, and props up a string of lies as accolades. He has constructed his own fictional reality with a bullhorn and everyone around is far too Canadian to shout him down appropriately.
He's a Godzilla monster of beligerant politics smashing around wildly while the rest of Canada says "excuse me, sorry..." as he smashes his way around the city.

Every step in this story, I keep thinking how ridiculous this would be as a TV show plot, but here we are.
Looking forward to watching the House Of Fords series on HBO in 2016.
posted by Theta States at 6:53 AM on February 28, 2014 [2 favorites]

What if just enough of them prove still open to him? With a new mandate, he will get his executive authority back, and his budgets back, and his office space and staff back, as well as any additional powers that his brother might provide from on high. He will have proven himself impervious to disaster, immune to science, unburdened by any of the weights and measures reserved for more ordinary emperors. He will be a political miracle, that rare man who can turn his worst weaknesses into his greatest strengths, an antihero whose back is as broad as elevator doors. The mayor will have all of the public power and none of the personal responsibility. His Worship will be bulletproof.

With everyone and his/her dog jumping into the mayoral race, Ford's re-election is becoming more possible. Maybe we need to Godwin his ass. As the above suggests, we're facing the threat of a Ford Reich, not a Ford nation.
posted by Artful Codger at 7:26 PM on February 28, 2014