Self is in a mildly foul mood this week, for reasons to be explained in the tip jar. Thus 3CM isn't in much of a mood to go into his standard cultural elitist mode tonight, but is more inclined to riff superficially about the soap opera going on in Toronto, a sequel to this earlier SNLC, with the withdrawal of Rob Ford this week from the mayoral election there, because of the diagnosis of an abdominal tumor. Except that it's not that simple, because:
1. Doug Ford, Rob Ford's brother, is taking Rob Ford's place on the Toronto mayoral ballot.
2. Rob Ford is now on the ballot for city councillor in Ward 2, Etobicoke. That's Doug Ford's current seat.
3. The prior candidate for that seat was Michael Ford, Rob Ford's 20-yo nephew, who works in the family business, and has no political experience. Michael Ford is now running for school trustee.
Confused? More below the flip, which may not make things clearer.....
Self's source of linky goodness on this story is several articles in The Globe and Mail, such as this article from Elizabeth Church and Ann Hui, which notes that the idea of drafting Doug Ford as a back-up candidate dates back a while, even over a year back:
"The idea of Doug Ford stepping in to take his brother’s place has been in the air for some time and those who were once close to the mayor’s office say it was floated more than a year ago when the mayor’s trouble with substance abuse began to take its toll, even before a video surfaced that appeared to show him smoking crack cocaine."
However, an indication of the craziness going on here is indicated by Doug Ford filing the paperwork just under the wire:
"Doug Ford, 49, officially signed his registration papers Friday afternoon, just minutes before the deadline for candidates to register.
According to the report by Church and Hui:
"Doug Ford said his brother was running for mayor until about 24 hours before the switch came about."
They also quote one of the other mayoral candidates, John Tory, who describes Doug Ford as "“more of the same and maybe worse” than Rob Ford, as an “insult-machine that operates on a pretty regular basis.” In other words, Doug Ford, never mind Rob Ford, is far from the kind of candidate any sensible city should have as its mayor.
Obviously being diagnosed with cancer is terrible, and it would be one thing if Rob Ford totally pulled out of things to focus on his health, as this editorial in the Globe and Mail notes:
"If the story were simply that Mayor Ford had withdrawn due to illness, the only possible response would be to wish him a speedy recovery and leave it at that. We’ve had many criticisms of the man’s behaviour and choices, his lying and coverups, his misguided policies, his outbursts and his often estranged relationship with facts and truth. But if he were hospitalized and stepping out of politics, there would be nothing to say about any of that now. The focus would be on the man’s health."
Except here's the problem: if Rob Ford is that much concerned about recovery, why hasn't he pulled out of the elections altogether? Besides a cynical sense about the Ford family just trying to hold on to political power by whatever means, this switch makes no sense, as the editorial further notes:
"Mr. Ford has pulled out of one race due to illness, but he’s simultaneously dropped himself right into another race for city council. And brother Doug, supposedly not seeking any municipal office, has done an abrupt turn and is now seeking the highest municipal office, while a third Ford is shunted about to make it all possible. How can any of this be?"
In particular, in Ward 2, one of the other candidates is
Andray Domise, a 33-yo financial planner, profiled in
this Globe and Mail article which describes him as a "progressive-minded candidate who rails against the rhetoric of tax cuts and reduced spending":
"Ever since the charismatic Mr. Domise entered the race in the spring, he’s emerged as a promising contender: He’s attracted city-wide media attention with his tough anti-Ford rhetoric and his active social media presence. His campaign resonated with progressive voters well beyond the ward’s boundaries, and has drawn significant donations: $22,000 to date, and well over $2,000 yesterday alone as the news broke that Mr. Ford was running in Ward 2."
Unfortunately, Ward 2 has been in the hands of the Ford family for about a generation:
"But Mr. Domise will need more than money and a way with words to defeat Mr. Ford, whose family has represented the area since his father, Doug Ford Sr., was elected to a provincial seat in the area in 1995. Doug Jr. has served as councillor there since 2010."
This gets to the summation point about how the Fords evidently look on Toronto politics and the family's place there:
"The Fords are acting as if Toronto government posts are rotten boroughs, with interchangeable Ford family members free to be moved around on a chessboard of captive constituencies. Voters deserve better."
Of course, it's up to the voters of Ward 2 to see through the destructive celebrity glare that is Rob Ford and vote against him, not to mention the voters of the entire city of Toronto to vote against Doug Ford in the mayoral race. So if you have any sympathy for Rob Ford because of his health, you can save it for someone else more worthy who deserves your sympathy. He really doesn't deserve it. Yes, that's harsh. But given that the fate of one of Canada's major cities (not to mention one city ward) is at stake for several years, and the sleazay shenanigans of the Ford political family, a clear-eyed look is key, and the harshness is warranted. The voters of Toronto and Etobicoke certainly do deserve better than the Ford family. We can only hope that they vote intelligently enough to show that.
With that, time for the usual SNLC protocol, namely your loser stories for the week......