QUOTED: George Smitherman predicts whether Rob Ford will win a second term
QUOTED: George Smitherman predicts whether Rob Ford will win a second term
I suspect his chances at re-election are extraordinarily good, because even though he’s not exactly living up to everyone’s dreams of what a mayor ought to look like, and how a mayor ought to act and project himself, it’s working for a good cluster of folks.
—George Smitherman, whose own mayoral aspirations didn’t exactly pan out, on why Rob Ford will likely pull off a win in the 2014 election race. The mayor is slated to testify today in Clayton Ruby’s conflict-of-interest case against him, but Smitherman says he doesn’t believe the suit will be a significant problem for Ford. (Neither, for that matter, does Ford.) [Global News]
(Images: George Smitherman and Rob Ford, Shaun Merritt)
 [Global News]
(Images: George Smitherman and Rob Ford, Shaun Merritt)){kind=link}
Let us be realistic. Ford he has a
.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% chance of winning re-election. Mainly, because, well, he’s an embarrassment to the world community of homo sapiens.
Maybe in your Ward JonX, but he’s got a good shot at winning again….true enough few from the old city boundaries are going to vote for him but in the face of potential downtown-centric challengers, all of the ‘boroughs’ are going to stick with Ford and give him more time to produce. The next election will be decided on voter turnout between downtown and the old suburbs.
I think Tony’s right – no matter what this guy does his supporters see no wrong. In fact the more he acts like a jackass, the more his supporters bond to him. We are truly in bizzaro-land where apparently being an idiot has become an asset politically.
I’m actually convinced that Ford’s support is essentially intended as a big F-U to downtown by the inner suburbs. In other words, they don’t even really care if he knows what he’s doing – they just back him because he’s despised by “those downtown lefties”. He’s become the symbol of the Old Toronto/Old Boroughs divide, and his “success” is essentially viewed as a measure of the suburbs thumbing their nose at downtown. Sad really, because they apparently don’t see that they’re the ones actually being hurt by it.
More to the point – it goes to show what type of people this city is really made of. While Toronto (proper) based on the old limited is pushing 3 million – the GTA is pushing 6. That’s a Trump card if either stands united. Whats going to give this inner circle more pull in the big picture? How can we become a progressive result of the visionaries we know to live here? (I ask, because I really don’t have the answer). My observation is that the inner circle consists of the thinkers, the visionaries, the designers – and the suburbs – well – by stereotype alone – they get off their butts and do things by the books. This includes showing up on voting day. I know how many (everyone in my DT circles) people aren’t on Team Ford. I also happen to know that most of (us) didn’t cast a vote on the last election. I also see us happy to complain in honest disgust, shake it off, and get on our merry ways. TO is not notorious for its united culture to be sure – but we seem to do just about everything in spite of ourselves.