We’re still a few months away from the polls but Toronto’s race for mayor is heating up—and so is the rhetoric. This week, mayoral hopeful Rob Ford put his foot in it once again by making rather alarming statements about the relationship between cars and bicycles. Suffice to say, he managed to offend quite a few two-wheelers.
Ford is famous for speaking his mind—apparently without thinking first, though. Probably his coup de grace was his opinion about the spread of AIDS. It went something like this: “If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn’t get AIDS probably, that’s bottom line.”
Smitherman & Ford have more in common than not
This sentiment did not endear Ford to many in the gay community and put a stake in the ground as to how gay people perceive him. His latest apparent blunder has put him in opposition with Toronto cyclists. To play devil’s advocate for a moment, I think that maybe in some twisted way Rob Ford may have his heart in the right place but just doesn’t have his mouth in gear. With both of his statements, he seems to come off as wanting to help people, to prevent injury. He just seems to lack the ability to see his thought processes through to a logical conclusion that doesn’t alienate people.
One would think at this stage of the game Ford—long considered a wild card in the race for mayor—would be relegated to a political punchline. Strangely, he has become the odds-on favourite to take the throne in city hall, squeaking past former front-runner (and gay fave) George Smitherman. The question on many people’s lips now is: “How?”
For all of their apparent differences, Smitherman and Ford have more in common than not. Both men are bombastic. Both men are outspoken. Both men wear their heart on their sleeves. Both men are politically controversial. Both men know how to tap the emotional core of their constituents. However, there are big differences that set them apart:
Ford comes across as the “everyman”, the little guy who is just trying to get through, the gormless Homer Simpson who stands in opposition to the big guys. He seems to say what people are thinking but don’t speak. I say this because he gets away with saying the things he does time and again and continues to prevail. The other thing that makes him a bit of a civic folk hero is that he does not use his expense account. In a time when Torontonians are being taxed and service charged to death, this speaks volumes.
If Smitherman doesn’t want to be “Robbed” he needs to figure out how to relate to Torontonians
Smitherman, on the other hand, comes across as a seasoned player in the political game. He is strapped to the eHealth scandal and can’t seem to untie himself. He is also perceived as a hothead who is combative and spars with his foes at the drop of a hat. As well, many in Ontario are sick of the Dalton Liberals and want to see a change.
If Smitherman doesn’t want to be “Robbed” of the mayor’s office, he needs to figure out how he can relate to Torontonians. My opinion is he should ignore Ford, avoid dirty politics (no “look what he said, he’s a loony”) as that just turns people off, and speak directly to what concerns Torontonians. Smitherman has to fashion himself as an “everyman”. The people of Toronto don’t want the elite in power, they want people with whom they feel they can approach and relate.
Of course, these are not the only names that will appear on the ballot this fall. They just happen to be the front-runners and the most divisive of the bunch. In the end, it falls on the citizenry to get educated, get motivated and get politically activated and get to the polls.
