Ender's Mayoralty Election

"If he stays clean and sober for the next four months, he's going to be in office for the next four years," Maggi told CTV's Canada AM on Monday.

 

"Rob Ford seems to be that sort of enigma of politics," he said.  "What applies to other politicians and other campaigns doesn't necessarily apply to him."

 

First - didn't know that Quito was becoming a go-to guy for media hits; good for him.

 

Second - yeah.  Rob Ford continues to defy accepted wisdom and changed everything.  Right now in mayoralty War Rooms across the city, seasons political campaign teams are reassessing, digging in or pushing back at gnawing doubts that are tugging at the backs of their brains.

 

Can Rob Ford be defeated?  With all their experience, all Ford's follies, how can it be that Rob Ford even has a fighting chance?

 

A good many of the organizers behind the front-running candidates have run multiple federal and provincial campaigns; this shows in the way mayoralty candidates are being portrayed as the only one with plans to right the City and the only one who can beat Ford.  Of course, Toronto's Mayor isn't the head of a political party; they don't have the ability to whip votes, though we've clearly seen Team Ford try to play it that way.

 

Who knows, one of the teams may pull off a win, prompting their candidate (and themselves) into four years of "power" at City Hall. 

 

Then again, maybe not. 

 

As we've learned following the recent Ontario election, traditional wisdom is hardly as reliable as once it was.

 

Which, to my mind, suggests that perhaps a new approach is needed.  A different way of thinking, of approaching politics.

 

Rob Ford has definite strengths, but ultimately the decisions made by voters aren't about him - those choices are about them.