Running Scared

Looks like barring some significant occurrence in the next few weeks Rob Ford is set to be the new mayor of Toronto. Yea I talked about him here in case anyone read it. And man are some Torontonians, including the newspapers running scared over Ford as mayor.

You see basically Ford has nothing going for himself except he has always been an anti City Hall maverick, complaining about wanton spending and using his own money to run his council office etc. Turns out that in a recession, and after the horrid last term we had from our outgoing mayor these traits are enough to give him thirty something percent of the expected vote and in a fractured mayoral race basically the win.

Oh it also doesn't hurt that Ford is running somewhere on the political right while the other 10 or so dudes fighting it out are running on the left and centre and splitting those votes. Also doesn't hurt that Fords campaign is based on cutting things that cost money and holding down property tax. Also doesn't hurt that his chief rival Smitherman is well Smitherman. Also doesn't hurt that he's pandered to the old white anti-immigrant vote in some of his speeches either. Low taxes, keep out pesky foreigners, hey its not just the U.S where that rhetoric will win you some votes.

But what does Ford stand for besides cutting things? Doesn't seem like there is much to his campaign besides that, but then again his opponents don't really stand for anything either. It has been if anything a race of the mediocre with no one candidate really capturing the excitement of the populace. Ford like some of the better more successful politicians seems to be in the right place at the right time with the right backlash against city hall to win by default here. Sad it is, but so it a go!

Unless we see some alliances and coalitions start happening just to keep Ford out of the winners circle well I guess it will be 4 years of Ford. Can only image the backroom meetings that are currently happening as the other candidates try to keep him away from the prize.