Harper, the Fords - Hudak: Not the Leadership We Need, but the Leadership We Ask For

 

A freedom of information request shows Ford’s staff sought provincial funding for a single football-related project or program — a major renovation of the field at Etobicoke’s Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School, where Ford is head coach and where his summer team, the Rexdale Raiders, holds practices.

 

 

Mayor Rob Ford’s “retraction” of his disparaging comments about the city’s chief medical officer is so inadequate that council should punish him, the integrity commissioner wrote in a brief but blistering report released Monday.

 

 

Rob Ford is an obstructionist Mayor who doesn't know how to work with others.  His brother works the same way.  Their supporters will read the above quotes and say that they don't care, this kind of thing has nothing to do with governance; Ford is boss, his job is to be tough, he's cutting the gravy and they're happy.  What they need to ask themselves is, how would they react if it was David Miller advocating for personal causes through the Mayor's office?

 

The same thing is happening at the Federal level; diehard Harper supporters are saying so what to the complete erosion of Parliament, the partisan spending, the Budget Officer Fight.  So long as the guy they feel has their interests at heart is in charge, they don't care about anything else.

 

Well, that's what happened with the Mike Harris government, too - they disrupted education (no wait, that was the teachers), shot Dudley George (he shouldn't have been in the Park), screwed up energy (not sure who got the blame for that one) and Walkerton (all about the staff, nothing about leadership or funding).

 

When people ask where would Hudak take Ontario, I can pretty much guarantee that it would be more of the same.  Hudak has the profile of a man who never admits a mistake and can never accept advice from opposition.  He's thrown his own loyal stalwarts under the bus for his own gain, whatever it does to his Party or Parliament.  In short, Hudak will be exactly the type of leader we see with Harper and Ford, only probably somewhere in the middle when it comes to expressing his contempt for people not of his mindset.  He'll also be reactionary, penny-pinching and disruptive of services, because he simply won't care about the consequences. 

 

So, if you're happy with Harper and you love what Ford has done with the Gardiner, with the bump up in shooting or in solving transit, Hudak is your man.  If you actually care about the society you live in, though, you might want to look for a leader who understands ownership and responsibility. 

 

After all, you get what you ask for.