Six defences of Rob Ford, from somewhat reasonable to completely crazytown
In a show of Ford Nation’s blindess loyalty, Rob Ford still has more-or-less the same approval rating as before he became the world’s most talked about alleged crack smoker. His supporters run the gamut from tepid defenders, like Doug Holyday, to raving apologists, broadcasting their fealty on Twitter and in comment sections. Here, a representative sample of the rationalizations, from more-or-less plausible through to cuckoo-bananas.
1) “Videos can be faked.”
Deputy mayor Doug Holyday is in a tough spot because he supports Ford but also isn’t a moron. Thus, his take: he believes the Toronto Star’s Robyn Doolittle saw a video, but wonders “whether the tape is authentic or not.” But would three separate reporters really be fooled by a low-budget fake?
2) “No, really, this is how you would fake a video.”
Youtube user Justin Jimmo went the extra mile for the crack-truther brigade, making his own fake Rob Ford crack video to show how it could be done. There are, clearly, a bunch of problems with this, not least that getting Ford’s voice right would take a lot of work.
3) “The Toronto Star is behind it.”
Ford supporters—and, indeed, Ford himself—react to most negative stories by blaming that paper’s anti-Ford slant. But it turns out other newspapers can also write stories the Fords don’t like.
Toronto Star is trashy paper! Leave Rob Ford alone you scum! Focus your stories on crook politicians who stole your taxes to snort cocaine!
— Monti (@FemaleMontie) May 17, 2013
4) “The Provincial Liberals are behind it.”
Doug Ford told the Toronto Sun’s Sue-Ann Levy that the Star published the crack allegations as a way to take the heat off premier Kathleen Wynne (and not because it was scooped by Gawker). Levy herself has theorized that the Toronto Catholic District School Board fired Ford from his coaching gig under provincial pressure.
5) “This is all because he’s fat.”
Jerry Agar of Newstalk1010 wondered yesterday if Ford is being villainized because of his girth. Short answer: no. Marion Berry cut a decent figure in 1991 and his crack use was still a big deal.
Does all this attention on Ford, crack or no crack, have something to do with his weight?
— Jerry Agar (@jerryagar1010) May 29, 2013
6) “None of this matters la la la la I can’t hear you.”
Finally, there are those who straight up don’t care if the allegations are true. (As Doug Ford said in 2010, “Rob could commit murder on the steps of city hall and they would still vote for him.”) This group includes Agar, as well as this charming individual from the brain trust that is Twitter:
Can we leave Rob Ford alone? I don't care if he's a crack head or a rapist, he wants the city to grow and doesn't waste money or time!
— Peter Allegro (@PeterAllegro) May 17, 2013
 “Videos can be faked.”
Deputy mayor Doug Holyday is in a tough spot because he supports Ford but also isn’t a moron. Thus, his take: he believes the Toronto Star’s Robyn Doolittle saw a video, but wonders “whether the tape is authentic or not.” But would three separate reporters really be fooled by a low-budget fake?
2) “No, really, this is how you would fake a video.”
Youtube user Justin Jimmo went the extra mile for the crack-truther brigade, making his own fake Rob Ford crack video to show how it could be done. There are, clearly, a bunch of problems with this, not least that getting Ford’s voice right would take a lot of work.
3) “The Toronto Star is behind it.”
Ford supporters—and, indeed, Ford himself—react to most negative stories by blaming that paper’s anti-Ford slant. But it turns out other newspapers can also write stories the Fords don’t like.
https://twitter.com/FemaleMonti/statuses/335391940877111296
4) “The Provincial Liberals are behind it.”
Doug Ford told the Toronto Sun’s Sue-Ann Levy that the Star published the crack allegations as a way to take the heat off premier Kathleen Wynne (and not because it was scooped by Gawker). Levy herself has theorized that the Toronto Catholic District School Board fired Ford from his coaching gig under provincial pressure.
5) “This is all because he’s fat.”
Jerry Agar of Newstalk1010 wondered yesterday if Ford is being villainized because of his girth. Short answer: no. Marion Berry cut a decent figure in 1991 and his crack use was still a big deal.
https://twitter.com/jerryagar1010/status/339737805892771841
6) “None of this matters la la la la I can’t hear you.”
Finally, there are those who straight up don’t care if the allegations are true. (As Doug Ford said in 2010, “Rob could commit murder on the steps of city hall and they would still vote for him.”) This group includes Agar, as well as this charming individual from the brain trust that is Twitter:
https://twitter.com/PeterAllegro/statuses/335508944543956992){kind=link}
What about the “I have a twin brother” defense? http://dailycurrant.com/2013/05/18/rob-ford-claims-he-has-twin-brother/
I wish the `I don’t care about anything other than not paying more taxes’ people would understand that inefficiency does not save money. Trimming a budget requires intelligence and attentiveness as well as actual work, and a chronic substance abuser cannot provide that. Our city needs effective leadership to get our spending under control – not distractions and lengthy court cases due to controversies created by the mayor.
How about this is totally a fabricated scandal. Kind of like the respectable Dan Rather of CBS and his use of questionable documents/memos. Maybe like Jayson Blair of New York Times and his fabrications and plagiarisms that also cost some editors’ jobs. Perhaps Jack Kelley of USA Today and his fabrications that got a couple of editors fired . I also could mention Stern magazine along with Newsweek concerning the Hitler Diaries (imagine forking money over for fakes). Moreover, almost anything in the Murdoch empire. More recent is the coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the Newtown school shooting and how much was gotten wrong in the rush to be first.
I can’t tell whether you’re joking or you actually don’t know the Daily Currant is a satire site.
I have no clue what it is going to take people to figure it out.
Time and time again Rob Ford has acted like a clown and makes our city look like a three ring circus on the world stage.
He is a wanna be pro football player. Went to Carlton for a year and didn’t even play a single game.
Dropped out of University and decided to run for city council.
He is always talking about saving money.
You want to know something, today like every other day it took me two hours to get home.
And that is with a perfect day on the roads, not a single accident.
All I can say is time is money. Before you agree to be on the take to build more condos perhaps you should think about dispersing the population and therefore hopefully alleviating some of the traffic problems.
Can somebody please to me a favor and explain to me why every time our Mayor has something to say his big brother is around giving his two cents worth.
Last time I checked no body elected him Mayor.
I guess in Rob’s penny pinching way we got two for the price of one, lucky us.
We are not only the laughing stock of Southern Ontario, Canada, and North America. But we are now a laughing stock world wide.
I give Rob ford credit where credit is due. Toronto is now on the international map thanks to him.
Albeit for not any reason we have to be proud of.
But like somebody once said. Any publicity is good publicity.
Mr. Ford do us all a favor, step down before this starts to get really ugly.
It would really hurt our city, and I imagine your ego if you are escorted out of city hall in handcuffs.
I feel for mayor Ford as he has been judged by (what seems like) the public opinion, without due process and without the benefit of the presumption of innocence before guilt.
People are too quick to judge and too quick to make assumptions. We are failing to uphold the very fabric of our justice system, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
If the tables were turned, wouldn’t we all want the benefit of the doubt? Wouldn’t we want to be presumed innocent until otherwise proven guilty. We as a society cannot allow emotional pomp to rule what is just. We as a society must continue to be better than the average man and not allow unfair and premature judgement. We must not be quick to judge someone without due consideration. We must not allow public perception to rule as truth.
This city has had its fair share of mayors who have done far worse than Mr. Rob Ford. And I hope that the citizens of Toronto can afford Mr. Ford the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
Why is it The Teflon Blob gets to;
1) grab a woman’s ass at a public event while inebriated without any consequence,
2) apparently beat his wife without any consequence,
3) give the finger to a woman and her daughter while talking on his cellphone while driving, without any consequence,
4) call a 911 dispatcher a “bitch” without any consequence,
5) suggest to a man he was verbally assaulting at a Maple Leafs game that his wife should go to Iran and get “raped and shot”
… and a woman who throws a drink at him, not even hitting him with it and barely getting him wet, is arrested?
Rob Ford has disgraced the city. Look at his girth and you know how much self control he has.