The Fall of Rob Ford - Not a Human Tragedy, but a Lack of Leadership

"It's hard to watch.  And I know that people in the city are worried about him as a person and they want to know that their city is going to be able to function," Wynne told the Star Thursday.

"I hope he is listening to the people who care about him and love him and taking their advice."

If the Premier is referring to Ford's family - folks like, say his brother or his mom and sister - they aren't giving him that advice.  The people that should truly love him, i.e. be putting his well-being first are letting him down, spectacularly.

What about the people in his political circle who have their own credibility on the line?  Tim Hudak continues to do a partisan dance, not wanting to risk fallout from proactivley intervening with the Fords and also probably hedging his bets that they'll pull through this, and therefore still be able to raise money for his Party.

Current Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly hopes platitudes will satiate the media while former Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday suggests Ford "get help" but clearly isn't prepared to intervene directly.  He's got a new job, after all - his old friend is no longer his business.

There's talk of motions at City Hall, but those are to remove Ford from office, thereby making him someone else's problem.  That's a bit like throwing an addict in jail to put them out of sight and mind, or offing someone that's too hard to communicate with.

Harper is absolutely keeping his distance; he's got enough brand problems to deal with as it is and sees Ford as an unnecessary liability, now - though that wasn't the case when the PM needed Mayor's help.

Premier Wynne is someone who actually does care, but she's also Leader of a minority government facing down opponents who will do anything to undermine her credibility and lead to an election.  The last time she opened her mouth with words of concern, she was pilloried - by Ford's brother, the man who more than anyone else on earth should have been the one sharing those words with the Mayor.

Under those circumstances, no Party Leader with electoral victory in mind would want to intervene.

In summary - Ford's family are in denial, Ford's Council allies are obfuscating while his Council enemies smell blood in the water and are going for the throat, so to speak.  Ford's conservative allies at other levels have either abandoned him entirely or are keeping their distance, hedging their bets as to whether the Fords can still be useful to them or have become a liability.  Everyone else is staying as far away from the Mayor as possible.

Put yourself in Ford's shoes.  Faced with a growing recognition that you aren't fit for the role you love and recognizing that truly, you stand alone in front of the international spotlight, what do you do?  He's lost his football team, he's lost his friends, he's lost his reputation - his title is really all that he has left.

When you have nothing left to lose, you are in a very vulnerable state.

As I've been saying for months and more people are saying now, this won't end well - unless someone steps in and demonstrates some true, tough, non-judgemental love for Ford and takes him by the hand. 

But all this could have been prevented if somewhere along the line, one of those people who Ford respects as an equal had put the man before the opportunity.  Ford should have gotten help a long time ago; all of this could have been avoided.  But that would have meant his family and allies would have had to risk their standing with the Mayor or their public reputation on the line.  

Calling this "a human tragedy" is unfair, as it lets all of Ford's enablers off the hook.  This is truly a tragedy of the commons - a symptom of a diseased political system that puts partisan success over sound choices and where our politicians are pilloried for being human, creating false expectations for the public and their peers.

When it becomes about winning, not achieving, you've lost.

We don't have leaders that do sacrifice these days - which makes me question whether we have any leaders at all.

UPDATE - with all the sensational, salacious stuff that's come out of both police reports and the Mayor's own mouth, this piece hasn't gotten as much attention as it should:

 

Ransom says the mayor broke down and began crying about his father.  Police say they were told that the mayor also phoned Kia Nejatian once or twice from his father's grave, and sounded like he was crying. (Page 135, 155)

 

Rob Ford's the younger brother of a domineering, potentially sociopathic brother.  Rob has a couple people he idolizes - including PM Harper, who's turned his back on him and his father, now deceased.  Whatever Ford tells Council/the media/himself, he clearly knows that he is a disappointment to the legacy.

 

Ford has lost his beloved football team and his position as Mayor is under threat.  All of his dirty laundry, behaviours he seems not to have been able to control, are being laid bare. 

 

On some level it's gotta be hard for Ford to live with himself, but he's functionally fixed; to back down would be to show weakness.  In his mind, he has no choice but to face his doom head-on.

 

Calling staff in tears from your dad's gravesite easily fits the broader pattern of behaviour we've seen here.