In one 5 day period, the inconceivable has become reality, and the fallout has already begun. Apparently unaware he was on a live talk show, Rob spouted an incoherent string of cliches about the dreaded “gravy train” and brought out his favourite old chestnut for the umpteenth time about the “$12,000 retirement party”. The hosts of “As It Happens” were left wondering – did that just happen? Four more years of this to look forward to? But, of course Ford doesn't care what the CBC “elites” think. Sound familiar? Hello Tea Party.
Now don't get me wrong – I don't think elected officials should throw themselves opulent retirement parties, nor do I think that spending at any level of government (witness Harper and his crew, McGuinty) has been responsible for years (if it ever was). But do I think that the answer is to elect a bigoted, contrarian councillor whose only claim to fame has been shooting his mouth off? To quote Jacobim Mugato from the underrated “Zoolander” - I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here.
So what happened? How could something that seemed so impossible just a few years ago become a harsh reality? I've spoken to some Ford supporters. They're not stupid people, they're just angry. They're fed up with everything going up except their salaries. They're fed up with paying ever increasing taxes. They're fed up with wasteful spending at all levels of government. They're fed up of feeling like second class citizens, or worse yet, “rubes” because they have the stupidity to live in the dreaded “burbs” and not downtown. Smart people live in the suburbs too, for many different reasons, not the least of which is to raise their children in a house they can afford. We shouldn't look down our noses at people for wanting a safe neighbourhood with a good school.
But was this really the answer to those problems? Surely we needed an epic, visionary politician who could have cut through all of the nonsense and hold the notion of a thriving, elegant, progressive Toronto that was fair to all of its citizens for the future. A tall order, to be sure, but not impossible.
But we didn't have that candidate.
We had very limited choices. On the one hand we had Rob Ford, spouting catch phrases and not a lot else, much like the recently resurrected Tea Party member Sarah Palin. All taglines, no content. Then we had Smitherman, a man who was so tainted by the eHealth scandal, he probably shouldn't have run at all until folks had forgotten about it. And last but not least, we had Pantalone. Pantalone was so closely aligned with Miller it was impossible for him to win. And to add insult to injury, Pantalone fractured the left wing vote. It's overly simplistic to assume that each Pantalone voter would become a Smitherman voter, but it's quite possible that had Pantalone done the wise and unselfish thing, he would have reluctantly backed Smitherman. Smitherman could have won. He's not perfect, far from it, but I don't think I would have been embarrassed by his representation the way I already am about Ford.
One thing we know about people is that when they get mad, they want change. Any change. It doesn't even have to be for the better – it just has to feel different, like we're doing something. So, while we sit in gridlock traffic, driving to a job where wages remain stubbornly frozen, back to our home which we've overpaid for we get angry. We get fed up. We decide something must change, anything! So we make knee-jerk reactions. We make decisions we later regret. Think about the last time you really lost your temper. Did you make a reasonable, rational judgement in that moment or did you kick the dog?
Sadly, I think Toronto has just kicked the dog. Unfortunately, we're the ones who are going to be whimpering and slinking off into the corner wondering what we did to deserve it.
4 years. It's a lifetime. Just ask any parent of a five year old child.
Here's what I predict will happen: Ford will not be able to repeal the hated Land Transfer Tax, will do more harm than good to the TTC, will not be able to winnow council to 22 members, and will have no idea how to solve the gridlock problem in Toronto. He will lock horns with his mostly moderate and left leaning council and will embarrass us on the public stage multiple times. And this is best case scenario.
But I could be wrong.
Good luck Toronto. We're going to need it.
