Reaction roundup: what the world is saying about Rob Ford’s win
Toronto’s mayoral election has made the news not just in Toronto and Canada, but around the world (we made the big time, or at least the Financial Times, but more on that later). So what is everyone saying? Going from local to global, here’s our roundup of what Ford’s victory means to observers.
• At the National Post, Tasha Kheirridin calls Rob Ford the real candidate of inclusion, Chris Selley says voter anger is the flavour of the month, and Kelly McParland has a backhanded compliment for Ford voters, who apparently like simple messaging and repetition.
• The Toronto Star got in early last night with a piece about how George Smitherman’s campaign lost its way early and never got its “groove back,” and Royson James basically says the next four years will be filled with madness.
• Speculation about what Ford’s victory means for other levels of government has already begun. The Globe and Mail’s Jane Taber argues that it ushers in a new era of politics in which anti-elitism reigns supreme (advantage: Baird?). Provincially, the Ottawa Citizen reports that Dalton McGuinty is basically refusing to say whether he’s worried or not. Or, as the Globe’s Karen Howlett put it, “he turned up the bland” when asked.
• Further afield, the Financial Times compares Ford to the Tea Party, as everyone who writes about Toronto for a global audience seems to do at least once. Bloomberg mostly gives straight reportage, but where else can you learn about Toronto’s credit rating from S&P?
• Choire Sicha at New York’s smart-snark blog The Awl offers his sarcastic take on the Ford victory: “This will actually be a great experiment! Maybe he can privatize garbage collection and cut the city’s debt by $1.58 billion over four years and also spend $4 billion on new subway lines and hire more police while saving taxpayers money!”
• Rob Ford’s victory even made the news in his old stomping ground of Miami, Florida—though maybe not for reasons the mayor-elect would like.
• Twitter, predictably, went nutty last night. One of the most re-tweeted was @johnpapa’s “Can we PLEASE refer to Rob Ford as ‘Mayor Double Down’?” which even started its own topic. A bit wittier was @JasonJHughes’ “Rob Ford is the Nickelback of Mayors. All the votes, yet no one admits to voting for him.” The pro-Ford forces got some good ones in, too: “You know what’s incredibly fat about Rob Ford? His margin of victory.” Zing!
• Tasha Kheiriddin: Rob Ford, the real candidate of inclusiveness [National Post]
• Chris Selley: City has spoken, and it is angry [National Post]
• Kelly McParland: Ford leads suburban barbarians to Toronto’s gate [National Post]
• A campaign that quickly lost its way [Toronto Star]
• What happens now? Four turbulent years [Toronto Star]
• What Rob Ford’s victory means for Stephen Harper [Globe and Mail]
• McGuinty mum on anti-incumbent municipal election results [Ottawa Citizen]
• Ontario minister accuses mayor-elect Rob Ford of bigotry [Globe and Mail]
• Toronto elects right-wing populist as mayor [Financial Times]
• Ford Elected Mayor of Toronto, Defeating Former Deputy Premier Smitherman [Bloomberg]
• Toronto to Become Privatized Miracle City of the Tax-Free Future [The Awl]
• Rob Ford, Toronto’s Newly Elected Mayor, Was Arrested for DUI and Pot Charges in Miami [Miami Herald]
What has Toronto done to itself!!!
This is the beginning of the end, people. True “Idiocracy” at its finest.
Rob Ford? Seriously?
I sure hope the Rob Ford haters will use some of their energy making Toronto a better place than wasting it all on trying to poke holes in what Rob’s trying to do. A good idea is a good idea regardless of what side of the political fence your sitting on.
I shake my head when I see and hear some of the rantings of the left regarding Ford. If the right had said some of these things or resorted to some of the tactics – there would be legal actions for sure. I’m glad George was far more gracious in defeat than many of his supporters are. Nice to see some class on the left still exists.
using the word “class” in the same pargraph as “ford” is so absurd . rob ford is so far from classy , its beyond comparison
Well, there goes the neighbourhood. Actually – just more of the same.
I am not a ‘hater’ but I think Torontonians have let themselves down and proven once again that we are provincial and lazy. That we had no viable choices goes without saying, but is this really what we want for this city? 4 more years of nothing.
I guess I will continue forking over 13k a year in taxes for my share of absolutely nothing…
Re: “Mad as hello”
Oh…so did you run for mayor? If not…then shut up!!! As you said, we had no viable choices. There was going to be 4 years of nothing with any of those candidates, but the possibility of 4 years of nothing or less and higher taxes was greater with the other 2 candidates. If you feel so strongly, where was your name on the ballot?? Talk about complainers…
I think the man deserves a chance to lead given the overwhelming mandate he received, so if certain counselors choose not to work with him, they do so at their own peril. And, if they find him so distasteful, they should do the honourable thing and resign.
Yeah… I was Ford Hater, not a FORD LOVER now, but hey! the majority of Torontonians have spoken, so lets give him the benefit of soppting the gravy train and see where it leads… Good luck , your lordship ! (CHRIST HELP US!!!)
The “Jordans” of Toronto are the reason we have the Nickleback of Mayors… idiots posing as intellectuals.
It will be all the people that voted for him that will be the first to be affected by his actions and the first to complain. An interesting obvservation – many who will be affected by his actions actually live outside of the city and thus could not vote to keep him out. Hold on, we are in for an interesting ride.
@Hogtownmike
I don’t think calling someone the Nickelback of mayors was ever meant as a negative thing. In case you didn’t realize, Nickelback’s actually had a lot of mainstream success over the years, have won countless awards worldwide and are one of the more successful musical acts to come out of Canada in the past decade.
When people say that something is like Nickelback…it means that someone’s buying their album, going to their concerts and voting for their awards because they’re obviously successful…but no one’s admits to being a fan.
I honestly have no idea what you are getting at when you make a statement like that. So you mean that Rob Ford is successful, that people have voted for him and obviously support him but no one will admit to it? Yes…you are correct. But that doesn’t discount the fact that he is mayor…so someone must have voted for him.
In other words…before you go calling someone out and making an ass of yourself…learn how to read…otherwise you’re the idiot.
Interesting , not living in Toronto anymore but being an employee of same and having seen many Mayors come and go all the while having no vote in those municipal elections I
had no say in who got in but was effected by the the choices.
However Mayor Ford seems no worse than some others I remembr in the past.
He is a wealthy man and does not have to worry what people think of him or worry about his political career so he can do what ever he wants having the support of the majority of council that are like minded.
The people of Toronto who bothered to go out and cast a ballot about 52% of the total elegible voters have spoken.
Were does this leave me ?
Retired , and thanks Toronto for giving me a lifetime of employment, I cannot say anything bad about Mayor Ford because no other elected Mayor be he Liberal or otherwise would have givin me a nice send off in a form of a buyout.