Crackstarter - Gawker crowdfunding the Rob Ford crack tape: good or evil?

http://gawker.com/we-are-raising-200-000-to-buy-and-publish-the-rob-ford-508230073

i seriously considered accepting crackstarter donations in lieu of wedding presents

I don't have a problem with handing over 200 grand to drug dealers for the tape - it seems the greater good is served by exposing a lying, law-breaking, powerful crack-user.

I just think the crowdfunding thing is a way to let all the major media outlets and Gawker off the hook - both financially and morally. they'll all broadcast the tape when it comes out, and make money off it... but they don't have to take responsibility for buying it from unsavoury characters.

I wonder if it sets a bad precedent though - will every whistleblower with hot info start a Kickstarter now? Or is that possibly a good thing - who cares what people's motivations are, as long as the truth comes out?

Or is that possibly a good thing - who cares what people's motivations are, as long as the truth comes out?

not a good thing imo

not hard to imagine crowdsourcing a scandal going pretty off the tracks, I guess. it's essentially blackmail on a grand scale...trying hard to think about this objectively, which is very hard as a Torontonian right now because nothing could be sweeter than seeing this pig go down

it also feels like one of those internet morality questions, like the 3D printed gun thing, that make you think this is wrong but inevitable and unstoppable, so maybe we just have to live with this and adapt to a new paradigm where this shady thing is part of the deal

i don't see the big difference between crowdsourcing a payout for a story and soliciting cash from sleazy tabloids. it's simply the democratization of something that's been part of yellow journalism since forever. am i really supposed to trust people in general less than, like, news of the world? cuz i don't.

I just think the crowdfunding thing is a way to let all the major media outlets and Gawker off the hook - both financially and morally.

Lets everyone off the hook.

http://pixhost.me/avaxhome/05/23/00102305_medium.jpeg

i wrote this on the Canadian Politics thread the other day

after a day riding high on schadenfreude i'm starting to feel kind of conflicted about all this rob ford crack stuff. on the one hand i want more than anything for this to blow up & end his career... on the other hand, it's doing a lot to perpetuating stigma towards drug addicts most of whom are not rich ripely hateable mayors but vulnerable ppl with a serious health problem... also it's kind of a cheap shot, like, this is the scandal that's going to break him? after shrugging off all the terrible bigoted stuff he's said & done thruout his entire career latching onto this kindof lets him off the hook... that's kinda wack

― flopson, Saturday, May 18, 2013 5:16 PM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

acc to gawker the dudes with the video just want the money so that they can skip town & start fresh somewhere else, makes sense i'd be pretty creeped out if rob ford knew i had a video of him smoking crack. not sure if there's anything too dramatic to say about this ito ethics of journalism... ppl must pay for info all the time, right? i think the fact that it's crowd-funded is hilarious

I amv honestly surprised that they have to do this. I always assumed that news organizations regularly threw big money at civilian video of exclusive events. Like, I walk around with my cell camera on in anticipation of someone inevitably doing something horrible in public and I can finally pay off my Ford or whatever. Like, Gawker doesn't hand 200 gs for a crack tape? Maybe its this darned economy. Maybe things are worse than I thought.

opening this up for public contributions is newsworthy in itself, it opens a potential avenue to obtain the tape cheaply, distinguishes their effort from their competitors, and gives them greater leverage in whatever deal ends up happening.

they don't have to do this

haha yes at this point there's ongoing discussion of gawker's crackstarter, as opposed to a maybe half a day of exclusive coverage of the crack tape itself. plus the stories about the tape probably got nearly as many hits as the tape would, etc. etc.

at $131,770 now.
went up about $30,000 since this time yesterday.
Any predictions on when it hits $200,000? I think once it hits $150 or 170,000 it'll pick up speed.

I say it hits 200 by end of work day tomorrow. It'll be Friday afternoon, people will be fucking off at work and it will rally once it looks like it's in sight.

Largely based on his actions the past few days--and also on his track record--I've concluded that Ford is lying through his teeth. I still think paying large sums of money to drug dealers is a lousy way to go about things. I also wonder what'll happen if they only raise, say, $125,000? Do the drug dealers turn it down on matters of principle? Does Gawker keep going to honour the drug dealers sense of fair play?

Did you guys talk about how Ford's chief of staff was just fired?

It's over 140,000 with 4 days left, I would be pretty shocked if it stalls out without hitting the goal now.

This model is predicting it hits 200 tomorrow early, for whatever it's worth: http://kodonnell.ca/tmp/gawker-indigogo-will-it-fund.php

xp clem iirc if you don't hit the target indiegogo automatically gives back the money

sorry - the model is predicting early Saturday

hopefully we can blow up the entire earth before that has a chance to happen

everyone open yr can of beans

First images released!

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/04/13/marion-barry-68b733933b6fba72b571890df4d1d60dfc0e4f99.jpg

Oh, wait. Wrong mayor.

Did you guys talk about how Ford's chief of staff was just fired?

― polyphonic, Thursday, May 23, 2013 2:52 PM (2 hours ago)

Escorted out of the building by security, supposedly, no explanation whatsoever given. Meanwhile, a columnist at the right-wing Toronto Sun wonders why Ford hasn't aggressively sued the Toronto Star over the story.

Yes, that's a real puzzler--what could possibly be giving him pause?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I read that "why not sue?" op-ed was the Sun's way of acknowledging that his failure to sue could only mean one thing: he did it. They also ran an "explain or resign" editorial today.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/straighttalk/archives/2013/05/20130523-072740.html
"So why hasn't he sued? The answer likely lies in the fact that as between Ford and the Star, only Ford knows if he has smoked crack and if there might be an authentic video. If he sues and the video surfaces and is authenticated, he'd lose and be stuck with a fortune in legal fees. But if the video is a fake Ford should win a large award."

Also, if he sues, then can't the video be subpoenaed as evidence?

The lead editorial was unambiguously a plea for Ford to start talking. The other columnist, though--Alan Shanoff--I found him a little ambiguous. My interpretation is that he's whistling past the graveyard, presenting both possibilities but starting from an assumption of Ford's innocence. But maybe you're right--he may also be coyly suggesting Ford's guilt.

xp clem iirc if you don't hit the target indiegogo automatically gives back the money

indigogo let's the fundraiser choose:

Your Money, Your Choice

Keep all the money you raise, even if you don't meet your goal. Or, opt for Fixed Funding and only keep your money if your campaign reaches its goal.

lets

(although it looks like they chose the fixed funding model in this case)

No "If the goal is not met, I want my money to be handed over to the drug dealers anyway, for their courage and civil-mindedness in bringing this matter to light" option.

xxxp yeah - Shanoff definitely playing it like he accepts Ford's innocence, but I think unwinding the "why not sue?" argument - and explaining exactly how all-in The Star went on it and how vulnerable they would be if this was false - is actually a great way to say to Sun readers that it's time to accept that Ford did it. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Somebody just kicked in $10,000 and claimed the phone Gawker had offered as a prize.

Gawker walking it back hardcore - this update just posted sounds like they don't think they'll get the tape: http://gawker.com/rob-ford-crackstarter-update-509596078

over 160k now!! i don't think they're back tracking, just acknowledging that they/we might not get it.

and it seems Towhey was fired for telling Ford to get help. that will probably be the front pages tomorrow.

Crackstarter Update: You're buying someone a lot of crack

Rob has officially opened his mouth, denied everything and blamed the Star. now we can anticipate the usual post-Ford-talking crackstarter bump.

Carefully chosen verb tenses:

http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/05/24/transcript-rob-fords-statement-to-media-on-crack-allegations/

"I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine."

Depends which meaning of "use" you use.

"I do not use crack cocaine (to season my food), nor am I am addict of crack cocaine (but rather one primarily of water and carbon)"

"I do not currently have crack cocaine in my system. I think."

"As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist."

"Or," not "nor." Because if it were "nor," commenting would be pretty easy. By the way, if you've never seen footage of Ford, you won't appreciate how unbelievably right it would be if Chris Farley were around to play him in an SNL sketch.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/globe-investigation-the-ford-familys-history-with-drug-dealing/article12153014/

hashstarter?

I went to a film last week with an old high-school friend, and, no lie, this is close to exactly what he told me (he mentioned Rob and Doug, but not the other brothers)--what he'd been told by other friends, I should mention, not anything he had direct knowledge of. I didn't post anything here because it seemed irresponsible and, for all I know, slanderous. (Not that the Ford brothers have their lawyers monitoring ILX.) But the Globe story kind of brushes such concerns aside.

I don't read the Globe--they're still basically to the right, no? As dogged and stubborn as Ford has been so far, I'd be surprised if he doesn't step down within a week or two.

The Globe endorsed Rob Ford, they are right-leaning.

Highly doubt either of them will step down though - it would take undeniable physical evidence or criminal charges, neither of which seem likely right now. . There's still no proof of anything - not even a named source in either the crack or the hash story, so they have deniability.

Short of the video getting out, I think they're probably okay from a legal standpoint, yes. But I suspect the pressure to resign--more from their own side than the other--will begin to spiral out of control.

it's possible but given their history and tenacity, i don't see them caving in ever if they don't absolutely have to. these dudes don't wanna go back to running the label factory any time soon

the hand wringing over paying for stories is pretty ridiculous, news companies make big money off these things but if any source were to get a cut its a huge lol moral outrage, reminds me of a contorted logic behind not paying college athletes, only thing that matters imho is that the story is true

I think the key will be Holyday and the other conservatives on City Council. (I never follow municipal politics, suddenly I'm an expert.) Nixon was ready to fight impeachment all the way until Goldwater made it clear to him that he had next to no support within the party anymore, at which point he accepted the inevitable. That's a bit different--in Nixon's case, that would have had a direct bearing on impeachment hearings, and Ford doesn't face that--but Nixon was also famous for his stubbornness.

If they decide to dig in, should be quite a spectacle. I don't think things would ever settle down for the rest of their term...I imagine people would be coming out the woodwork the whole rest of the way. ("I did some ether with Doug Ford in 1988!)

This Kickstarter is, most of all, a fundraising for Gawker itself, right? Think abt the publicity and the clicks mahnnn.

I'm quite cynical and wary about this whole thing. I expect a lot of drugs dealers will go crate digging in their collection of 'doing drugs with famous ppl', with an inflation of the price as a result.

Oh, I've no doubt they will get to the 200k. If they are, say, 10k short near the end Gawker will spring for it themselves, surely. They can't 'afford' it to fail now.

During some twitter arguing between Gawker & the Star yesterday I think I saw Cook say they don't even get credit for Canadian page views? Incredible.

This latest hash story is a bit of a letdown - the only shock is that the Globe is speaking against the party line really

gawker could def come up w 200k for a story, they prob just think this one isnt worth it

clemenza - i've had friends tell me similar things too (high friends in places). never that they were dealing things by the POUND, mind you, but still dealing. so this is both shocking and not-shocking to me.

Willing to sell my third-hand testimony for a couple of Tim Hortons gift cards.

The only activity I disapproved of in that article was that Rob Ford snitched on kids smoking pot on school property... and his sister being a Nazi, of course.

Minor-league high school suburban hash-slinging is probably the most likeable thing Doug Ford's ever done.

Like others above, I don't think the Globe story is exactly Woodward & Bernstein bringing down Nixon. If it were a standalone out of the blue, I'd probably say ancient history and who cares?

But in context, I think it's justified. The present scandal is very relevant to Ford's job performance, and if, as appears likely, the phantom video never comes to light, the truth of the accusations will have to be weighed circumstantially. And on those grounds, I think the Globe is right in publishing the story.

Great line from Josh Marshall (with a nice Nixon allusion): "If I were advising on-the-ropes Toronto Mayor Rob Ford I’d advise him to get ahead of this story by becoming the first major elected official to come out in favor of medical crack. Instead he’s come forward with perhaps the most painful non-denial crack denial ever."

Has anyone made a "bitch set me up" comment yet because I will

agree. in itself the doug ford story isn't much, but as part of establishing a pattern that shows they are serial liars and huge hypocrites about drugs and law & order it might be significant. I still think someone will need a smoking gun to actually dislodge Ford, though. The only problem is stories like the Globe's today feed into the Fords' media vendetta narrative, so eventually the papers are going to need to really undeniably prove what they are asserting.

About $25,000 away now.

would be willing to bet that tape is long gone

And of course Doug has premier hopes - the sooner squashed the better.

Also, I bet the person who donated 10 grand to crackstarter is Mel Lastman, knowing his own legacy will be comfortably eclipsed.

Conspiracy types think the Fords reached out and bought the video themselves.

"As for a video, I cannot comment on a video captured with a blue Virgin Mobile cellphone that no longer exists."

As bad as the silences are, they start to make sense every time Rob or Doug speak up:

http://globalnews.ca/news/589636/doug-ford-calls-drug-trade-allegations-sleazy-journalism/

Rotary Club good, Jackson Proskow hypocrite, let's call an election tomorrow.

Incidentally, the Fords are doing their radio show today at 1:00 (EST). If you're interested in listening:

http://www.newstalk1010.com/player.aspx

"Bob and Doug," as a friend just pointed out on Facebook.

hey we found a dead mouse in our crack, eh? that means you owe us a free kilo

Excellent start: Rob calls 98% of the media "maggots."

"Maybe I shouldn't have said that..."

Rather amazing: 10 minutes in, and they still haven't really addressed anything. They're talking about last night's Rolling Stones show right now (which will surely clear them of all drug-related suspicion).

Quite surreal.

http://wellconnect.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Elephant-in-the-room.jpg

Bumper music's been good, though--"Can't You Hear Me Knocking," "Good Vibrations," Wild Cherry. There seems to be the suggestion that Doug will address everything during the second half of the show, after Rob's gone. The thinking seems to be that...???????

Can't stick around for Doug's hour, unfortunately. Some bizarre mix of Checkers Nixon and 72nd-hour Telethon Jerry so far.

characters an amateur could never dream up.

sometime truth is stranger than FICK_shuuuuuun

the video originally belonged to an individual who may have been killed for its potentially valuable contents, according to a source.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-police-spoke-to-mayor-fords-senior-staffer-after-tip-linked-killing-to-alleged-drug-video/article12163629/#dashboard/follows/

So, the owners of the video may be murderers now - where does this leave the gawker campaign now?

characters an amateur could never dream up.

― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Monday, May 27, 2013 9:36 AM (2 hours ago)

You'd have to be good, agreed--a friend on Facebook pointed out that yesterday's radio show had kind of a Sammy Maudlin feel to it, and sketch writing doesn't get any better than that.

it's The Wire set in SCTV's Melonville

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66hLNY-D13A

ford's press secretary just quit

this is actually the state of media-mayoral relations in toronto:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=blcj-jEXfsA

https://twitter.com/reporterdonpeat/status/339074390878732288

"the lights! the lights! will somebody get the lights!"

Imploding, brio--there's a cancer on the mayoralty...

CFTR made a big deal this morning about Ford's public support "holding firm." He was at 36% support/approval before all this, and he remains at 36%. They must never have heard of Nixon or Gingrich--if you refer to the media as maggots, of course your base laps it up and digs in. Meanwhile, Olivia Chow still leads 56-36.

Crackstarter has less than $2 G's to go with 11 hours on the clock

woah bam just hit it

I am amazed people are/were still donating to this

so is Gawker, I think:

John Cook ‏@johnjcook 19m
Well what do you know?

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18oz6s4ciuqdyjpg/ku-xlarge.jpg

Dizzy, Bizzy, and Etobicoke Bone.

Ford's Greatest Hit possibly leaked and out there:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/05/27/rob-ford-video-copies-robyn-doolittle_n_3343234.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

this is all just so amazing.

yep, please let there be copies out there. i just really want to see rob ford smoke crack, his ruination would just be gravy.

This Star story from today lays out a pretty clear narrative:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/05/28/rob_ford_crack_scandal_fears_fords_aide_sought_video_spark_police_probe.html

http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2013/05/28/rob_ford_crack_scandal_fears_fords_aide_sought_video_spark_police_probe/rob_ford_1.jpg.size.xxlarge.promo.jpg

he's looking well

a little paler than usual, i suppose.

xposts

If that story is correct and Toewy goes public with it all, the tape might not need to come out to force a resignation.

Toewy is an ex-military guy and a straight arrow - plus Ford fired him over wacko football stuff, so he'll eventually spill it all. Will be hugely damning coming from Ford's right-hand man.

He fired him over football?!?

wacko football

a little paler than usual, i suppose.

― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, May 28, 2013 10:26 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

withdrawal?

wacko football firing:

...sources told the Star that Ford was so emotional after losing his beloved post at Don Bosco that he ordered Towhey to go to the school and retrieve thousands of dollars worth of football equipment he had donated. When Towhey told Ford that this was a bad idea, the sources said, Ford fired him.

The sources said Towhey implored other aides not to answer any phone calls from Ford that night because the mayor was so upset. Accustomed to Ford's mercurial behaviour, Towhey, who thought he had experienced a "phantom" firing, then returned to city hall the next day — at which point Ford asked him to help arrange a party next week with Don Bosco players and other friends.

Towhey, incredulous, calmly explained that the mayor's office had more urgent business. This so infuriated Ford, the sources said, that he reminded Towhey that he had been fired the night before and had him escorted from the building by security.

Happy 44th, Mr. Mayor!

that is pretty wacko

crack seems pretty wack

I'm guessing Ford will not be using Whitney Houston's "where are the receipts?" defense

crack is for poor people (not mayors)

I am imagining that entire interview happening with Rob Ford subbed in for Whitney, holding Bobbi Cristina on his lap

lol 'where are the receipts' miss you whitney

http://media.tumblr.com/87730f62856f5e331f6b61ccdcb1a100/tumblr_inline_mlbkkkAYkz1qz4rgp.gif

http://media.tumblr.com/87730f62856f5e331f6b61ccdcb1a100/tumblr_inline_mlbkkkAYkz1qz4rgp.gif duh

A timeline for interested out-of-towners:

http://www.thegridto.com/blog-post/the-emerging-ford-drama-in-chronological-order/

Check the first photo!

The saddest thing is the Fords are right that the media is a bunch of downtown elitists who are out of touch with much of the city - and this whole saga proves it.

Local reporters seem to have next to no contacts in the 'burbs or with the cops - the sources who could actually break this story wide open... When a couple of rexdale dealers tried to hand the Star the story on a silver platter, the reporters at the Star and at Gawker fumbled it so bad we may never see the tape. When they tried to dig on Doug in Etobicoke the best they could do was junkies spilling 30 year old common knowledge.

Weeks into it, this is the FIRST story I've seen that I've seen from the neighbourhood where the action went down, and of course it's in The Sun:
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/05/28/rexdale-neighbours-of-rob-ford-video-holder-nervous

reporters...at gawker?

what were they supposed to do to get the video other than ponying up 200k?

I think if Gawker hadn't fucked it up - by calling CNN Canada who called the mayor's office - the Star reporters could have negotiated a more reasonable price or found a way to verify it without buying the tape

or just pony up the 200K, fair price for 2-3 guys who have to split town

and, possibly, risk murder or arrest

don't see how cnn being a bunch of fuckwits reflects poorly on gawker.

also i mean regardless of how much we'd like the tape, ford seems pretty well hosed at this point?

Yeah, I'm missing where Gawker needed a slew of reporters on the beat in Etobicoke because of their exhaustive Torontan focus.

Nothing but reporting on TTC from our own max.

Gawker can be expected to fuck up - because, it's Gawker and yes - why would they know how to handle a Toronto story sensitively - my point was more that the Star needs better connections around the city so sources don't take their stories to Gawker who will fuck them up.

And sure, the way it broke is a shitshow and maybe it was always going to be a shitshow given the sources... what I'm really talking about is the reporting since the story broke. Papers have been great on inside the Mayor's office action - important stuff - not so great on trying to break the story from the street

we need a Charlie LeDuff (though I think he might be off the rails himself)

mission statement of the last season of the wire is some score settling tedium but it does a good job of showing how cutbacks and death of newspapers has just completely decimated newspapers ability to know what's actually going on in the communities they serve. not enough boots on the ground and the ones they have don't have the experience and background to perform the task yet.

im bet u 100$ the video will be on the internet in under a week

i'll take that bet

tuesday, june 4th, 10:04 pm mountain time, at least 45 seconds of the video available online

There was a fake 2 second one floated today

dylan gonna lose

lol dylannn jumping in

i have a copy of the video in my hand right now

Gross.

I think if Gawker hadn't fucked it up - by calling CNN Canada who called the mayor's office

gawker didnt fuck up; cnn fucked up

the Star reporters could have negotiated a more reasonable price or found a way to verify it without buying the tape

the tape has been "verified." it is a tape of rob ford smoking crack. verification is no longer the issue.

The saddest thing is the Fords are right that the media is a bunch of downtown elitists who are out of touch with much of the city - and this whole saga proves it.

I can't tell if you're being serious.

I am being serious.

There are four daily papers based in Toronto. There was a tape floating around of the mayor smoking crack for weeks and none of them got it. The holders of the tape went to Gawker weeks after contacting the Star - and now, it turns out, they also contacted The Sun who blew them off without checking it out.

Two Star reporters and a Gawker editor claiming to have seen it may be enough for you, me, and Max - but that's not "verified" enough to convince a lot of people, or to force Ford to admit wrong-doing. Part of the problem is everyone assuming the reporters' word is enough, and not doing the hard reporting.

Was Rob Ford ever seen around the apartment complex at 320 Dixon Road? Thousands of residents there, did anyone ever see him? Was he ever seen on the 17th floor? Was David Price ever seen there? Is there security camera video that might show either one of them there? Who was shot in the leg on the 17th floor at 4:20 am on May 21? Who shot him? Was Anthony Smith involved in the crack trade or not? What was his relationship to Ford? He has no friends or relatives who will talk to reporters? Where is Muhammad Khattak, who was injured in the Anthony Smith shooting? The sources of the tape have "gone underground" - does anyone in the neighbourhood know who they are, and where they are now? Did a bunch of crack dealers have a tape of the mayor smoking crack and really not show it to anyone who might talk now? What do the cops know?

Where's the reporting from on the ground in Rexdale and from police sources?

If they're doing all your reporting from inside city hall, focusing entirely on the people in power - I think it's fair to say they're elitist and out of touch.

Part of the problem is everyone assuming the reporters' word is enough, and not doing the hard reporting.

...

That sentence seems to be saying something different from what you think it is saying, unless you do actually mean that we should all be knocking on doors in Toronto and interviewing residents about Rob Ford.

so - that they report on the mayor? that makes them elitist?

sorry for my bad syntax, I'm talking about reporters knocking on doors not everyone in Toronto.

In an ideal world, 2 reporters and an editor of gawker reporting on having seen the tape would have been enough for Ford to admit it and leave office. This has not been the case. They need to prove it, not wait for the tape to surface or Ford to cop to it without proof. There's no guarantee of the former, and the latter is unlikely.

yes, it's elitist to assume the Toronto Star's word is enough to convince the city, unfortunately. There's nothing wrong with reporting on the mayor and his powerful allies and enemies, but this story didn't happen IN city hall so there's more reporting to do, and I'm not seeing it.

I'm sure all the Rexdale residents are just lining up to be interviewed in a takedown of the mayor/drug trade with the promise of going back to their apartments at the end of the day!

right, that's why it's hard reporting to do.

lol okay I read the article "from the neighborhood" and it contains a quote from an unnamed source that says “We always worry here,” and a quote from a named source that says of the night of the most recent shooting that might be tied to someone connected to the video, "It was scary."

Clearly we need more reporting like this, I mean the shades of meaning we have added to the story with these vital contributions.

Looking forward to The Daily Brio -- "News with Sass! Doors Knocked!"

I mean, did it occur to you that someone may have tried talking to these people, got those same quotes, and thought "this isn't actually a story" and tossed it?

seriously, guys?

The mother of the kid who was in the picture (injured, not killed) was interviewed in Metro yesterday fwiw

while i had been thinking what you had - that the Star didn't *seem* to be talking to people around that neighbourhood. I don't really take it of some sign of any sort of larger problem. they also didn't want to 1- pay for a video due to ethical standards and 2- run with the story when they didn't have the evidence. you're aware of that right? that gawker broke the story and forced the Star's hand, as they were the only media outlet that could verify gawker's claims with what they had at least seen?

you're also forgetting that the Globe - another "downtown" "elitist" monster - HAD talked to all sort of good ol salt of the earth folks around Etobicoke to build their story on Doug.

I would also like for you to expand some more on what an "elitist" is to you exactly. I find that term to be nothing more than a brainless drive-by smear used by conservatives to smear people in cities, or liberals, that they don't agree with. Am I an elitist? I live downtown. Should my opinions be cast aside because I have the gaul to live in the hoity-toity neighbourhood of Parkdale? Am I also a "laté sipper"? Or a "champaign socialist"?

its okay to be an elitist as long as you knock on some doors and do old school reporting

http://www.mikeeiler.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/old-school-reporter.jpg

isn't is spelled "gall"? </elitistANDpedantic>

serious newspaper reporters could have knocked on doors in etobicoke trying to raise $200,000

ha ha!

i actually like to hang out with elitist from southern france. i have lots of Gauls i chill with.

If reporters had pre-existing relations with sources in the neighborhood, then they would have been more likely to get a better response, no? It's like reporting everywhere, you build up a network and keep a finger on the pulse. Noone does that in poor neighborhoods anymore, and the reporting in this case is a result. And I know this because I've seen The Wire. Seriously, they didn't even know who Prop Joe was!

nobody does this in any neighborhoods because its 2013

So who will be first on the air with "The Fords"? David Simon, David Chase or David Milch?

(Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, obviously.)

Well, Aaron Sorkin sort of. They break the story because someone in the room knew that murdered guy from somewhere.

But most of the focus is on how wrong it is to call newspeople 'maggots', since they are doing a really important job and are actually really nice people.

Guys this is Patch.com's job now.

what I learned from the Wire is that reporters just make up stories to win awards. Especially elitist white reporters. That and you evacuate a building, not the people in it. Unless that's, like, your thing.

I think The Star and The Globe are elitist only in the sense that they are much more comfortable with, much more interested in, and much better at reporting on the city's elites. I think Rob and Doug Ford know this - and they leverage it and spin it and shape it to their advantage, by painting themselves as the little guys sticking it to the man.

Kind of surprised to hear some people thinking knocking on doors and old school reporting is such a punchline or outdated idea. Did the list of questions I posted earlier seem unreasonable or irrelevant? I'm not being snarky or sarcastic at all here - just curious. I actually think we'll see more stories on what exactly went down with Price possibly trying to get the tape in the next few days.

the Globe and Mail (which, smugly, has "globe" in the name) – has a more international focus. If they were busying themselves with the non-elitists of Etobicoke, they would be the "Rexdale and Mail" or the "Etobicoke Town Crier" or something.

The Toronto Star, conversely, is CONSTANTLY running pieces on the plights of the regular people of Toronto. Articles I usually, as a loathsome elitist, skip. They have one regular column "the fixer", for example (http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/the_fixer.html) - where they help out citizens who are encountering difficulty navigating the elitist bureaucracy of city hall. I'm not aware of the Sun helping out anyone who isn't connected in conservative circles (Rob Ford and Tim Hudak being two of their favourites) (maybe not Ford so much now that the winds have changed direction tho).

I don't think knocking on doors/old school reporting is a punchline in and of itself. I do think that when you ignore one instance of extensive door-knocking that resulted in the story about the Ford family's alleged history of drug dealing as part of the larger context around this scandal and hold up as an example to follow a complete and total non-story that seems to only exist in order to make a grab for page views from people looking for more information about this tape, you are setting yourself up to be clowned. I also think that the lack of stories answering the questions you posed does not automatically mean no one is trying to answer them.

OK I see where you're coming from - first, I didn't mean to hold up the Sun non-story as an example of anything but "This is the first time I've seen any quotes from inside this building or around, and we're weeks into the story."

The Doug Ford story: a) the Globe sat on it for 18 months. b) they didn't get all that much.

Agree that people are probably trying to answer the questions I posed - but I think it's fair to point out there hasn't been much published reporting on those angles by now. I hope

I hope we will see more on those angles, it does seem to me like the natural place to dig now.

maybe toronto reporters just suck at their jobs

like, they're trying really hard, they're just bad

there probably aren't enough of them. most ppl who want to earn a living are not going into journalism in 2013.

everything about this story is so amazing as to stretch credulity. if someone told me that the mayor smokes crack, and allowed himself to be recorded doing it, i don't think i'd follow up either

diminished resources is definitely a fair point - but there are 4 dailies and 3 national broadcasters (as an elitist, I'm not counting Sun News Network) based in Toronto.

xp: anyone who is a public official who is out in a crack house is already showing poor judgment; I wouldn't expect those skills to get better after a few crack hits

nobody does this in any neighborhoods because its 2013

― iatee, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 2:45 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you know this is not correct right

like i can name 3 dc reporters offhand who i know make it a practice to cultivate neighborhood sources we don't all live in your futurephone new york town

god the way you people live

let's be clear, iatee is an island unto himself

no man is an iatee

pretty great maclean's cover
https://twitter.com/reporterdonpeat/status/339804256955662336/photo/1

the only reporters I know do all their reporting via google glass

reporting live from u face

The Doug Ford story: a) the Globe sat on it for 18 months.

they researched it for 18 months. it's not like they found the story talked to everyone, and did nothing for a year and a half. they worked on it for a very long time. they also claimed they were still working on it before they decided to run with it when other events compelled them to do so. you also claimed they only talked to a handful of junkies, which also is not the case. i have no idea why you're hell bent on bashing the job the Globe did here - it was clearly a lot of hard work.

I'm not hellbent on anything, and I'm not bashing it - it just seems like a thin story to me, and one Doug can plausibly deny, as he has. I think he's lying - but they have no named sources and it's 30 years old. It plays right into the Ford's narrative about what Doug calls "uncollaborated" (sic) stories, and a media vendetta. It's also been folklore for a long time - I'd heard the rumours of high school drug dealing as had others here - so it would have been nice if they'd been able to bring something more to it.

Thermo, I'm not sure why I'm pissing you off - it's nothing personal, just shooting the shit about the Ford coverage. We can disagree.

i'm not pissed off here. just disagreeing with pretty much every point you're making.

OK!

man why don't you two hash it out over a rock?

or rock out with some hash

I'm down for whatever, 2nd option more my speed.

speed would be my preference.

let's hit Mimico and see what happens

downtown speed only!

when i saw that everyone was piling up on brio i assumed he had said something stupid but u all are looking like huge idiots rn

hey now, we just chilled things out and were looking for some speed

heh sorry i was still reading the thread when i posted that... ftr i hope you are wrong cause i don't wanna pay dylan 100 bucks

the latest:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/29/rob_ford_former_staffers_email_telephone_records_ordered_destroyed_sources.html

Officials in the information technology department at the City of Toronto are required to maintain the computers and ensure that information — which is all subject to freedom of information requests — is preserved.

come on, IT guys, leak it all

City of Toronto IT department leaks 50 new videos of Rob Ford falling over and/or running into things

ha ha!

Thermo and brio: don't forget that first and foremost we're all Torontonians, united by our love of crack. Forming a united front is the only way we'll be able to buy and consume lots of the high-quality crack we love.

If all this turns out to be true, Ford should get an award for World's Portliest Crackhead.

Often credits David Crosby, the World's Portliest Cokehead, as an early inspiration.

rip Farley

http://wlschildrens.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/farley.jpg

it's really amazing listening to the radio show. It's really hard to reconcile their personalities on the show with what their private lives are apparently like.

speed would be my preference.

Michael Cooke ‏@TorStarEditor 1h
https://twitter.com/TorStarEditor/status/339945391007096832

#robford #mayorford says he knew where the video was hidden, Star is told. Front page Thursday. http://yfrog.com/gy51fipnj

Hmm, photo itself not coming up.

i don't understand.

was the video hidden? does he mean he knows who had it?

does this mean he previously knew where the video was and who was in possession of it and presently doesn't know?

http://a.yfrog.com/img610/5052/51fipn.jpg

link http://m.thestar.com/?content=29e710fd9cce92141cd7f2c1ef9b0f6d§ion=gta

What does that even mean, "he knows where the tape is?"

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford told senior aides not to worry about a video appearing to show him smoking crack cocaine because he knew where it was, sources told the Star.
Ford then blurted out the address of two 17th-floor units — 1701 and 1703 — at a Dixon Rd. apartment complex, to the shock of staffers at a city hall meeting almost two weeks ago, the sources said.
The mayor cited “our contacts” as the source of his information, according to insiders familiar with the unusual May 17 session in his office.
Staffers were alarmed by the implication of hearing so precise a location, sources said.

Two weeks ago! And it seems Towhey is the only one who went to the cops about this. I sincerely hope the other senior aides in that office never work in politics again.

Second man charged with Anthony Smith shooting arrested in Alberta (where the video holders told the Star they wanted to relocate):

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/police-identify-man-arrested-in-shooting-tied-to-alleged-rob-ford-drug-video/article12257252/

If I recall correctly, Ford aide David Price supposedly told Towhey that Anthony Smith had been shot for the video.

If this ends up being true, and Smith was shot for the phone by the guys who tried to sell it it puts the Crackstarter thing in a whole new light. I feel kind of shitty about saying the Star should have just ponied up - even if that's not the scenario that went down, it's a good argument for why you don't hand over 200K for news.

I'd like to raise money to shoot a video of Tom Ford smoking crack.

people will probably pay more to see Harrison Ford smoking crack.

henry ford or gtfo imo

would take that footage in any color as long as it's crack

haha

kudos xp

So two more staffers out?

so far, today...

I'm surprised there's been no mention (that I've seen, anyway) of Ford's wife through all of this. I had to look her up: Renata Brejniak, married in 2000, still married. I'm not saying she's implicated in any way, but it's pretty standard for spouses to step forward and tell the world how wonderful her husband is. If Ford draws a line and keeps his wife out of his personal messes, then I guess that's one admirable thing I can attribute to him.

god the idea that rob ford accidentally blurted out the address where the video was being held during a council meeting MAY be the funniest part of this yet

Also the idea that "Don't worry, I know where the video of me smoking crack is" was supposed to be in any way a reassuring statement.

So wait, lemme get this straight--right now it appears as if the people trying to sell the video for $200k first killed someone else w the video so that they could take it and sell it?

if anyone happens to be in the neighborhood maybe they could swing by

xp bcz if so then yeah that is a stellar argument for why paying sources is hugely problematic

It's super unclear if it's true, but that is a scenario that is being floated.

also - I don't the suggestion is that he blurted out the address during a council meeting - but in a meeting with his senior staff

but I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking Ford was capable of blurting out the address of his crack den in council.

I wonder if Towey has a book deal yet? With the inevitable movie or mini-series, could be a goldmine.

This whole thing is getting so weird; here is some neighbour door-knocking:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/05/30/rob-ford-crack-drama-takes-a-surreal-turn-on-dixon-road/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

ya - he blurted it out in a staff meeting (ie - just the people who have all quit now)... not a council meeting.

and that's an interesting piece my the Post there! sad ending tho: “That tape,” he said, “will never surface.”

hold up - weren't you one of the guys who thought I was off my rocker for suggesting somebody do exactly what the Post did there?

http://oyuncugenc.com/wp-admin/js/100-dollar-bill-canada-face-817.jpg

heading into the weekend, i'm feeling confident.

you never can tell, but I don't think we'll see it any time soon - if copies exist and anyone gets there hands on it now, it'll be cops

every reply to this thread, i open it thinking it's going to be raggett crowing that it's streaming on gawker

it's never gonna happen on gawker, they'd be insane to do it if there's a hint of a possible connection to a murder

xpost -- give me time.

hold up - weren't you one of the guys who thought I was off my rocker for suggesting somebody do exactly what the Post did there?

no, i had no qualms with your door-knocking stance.

apparently the police sealed the warrant for that guy just arrested in Alberta, which is a little odd. possibly something to do with the video?!?!

straight trollin https://twitter.com/NYMag/status/340516830017892352

I think I'm actually resigned to it now. No tape, at least for a very long time. No resignation. No apologies.

The only way Ford leaves the mayor's office for good is in handcuffs or on a stretcher.

is he that bulletproof electorally?

or like, when he gets destroyed in the next election.

I wish intrade were still around cause 'will rob ford be in office in a month' would be an interesting betting market

I still think his term is in his last few weeks. He's got his council passing resolutions against him, and now Wynne appears ready to meddle. Which would create fierce backlash from his base, and would possibly/probably affect her own political standing, but I think he'll be squeezed from both sides. Rally tomorrow, etc., etc.

We'll see.

council going against him is nothing new. we'll see about Wynne tho - her stepping in would probably energize the crazy remnants of his base like no one could ever imagine.

i think hes a goner with or without the video and we will probably see the video shortly

I really hope so, it's hard to imagine him sticking around until next October.

I don't think he's electorally bulletproof, just stubborn and shameless. I can't imagine he'd win another term especially as a sane conservative will run and soak up all the right vote except super-diehard Ford lunatics and the left will rally hard for one strong candidate like Chow.

I don't think Wynne will be able to do much - huge nightmare for her politically and actually a bad precedent for the provincial government to try to remove an elected municipal official. He's still got a 40% approval rating if you believe the polls. There's no legal mechanism for council to remove him.

Unless something breaks soon, people are understandably going to get fed up with hearing about it - and there is other news to cover. The spotlight fades a bit, and he stays in office, powerless, for 16 more months - popping up in the news every so often when someone gets a picture of him eating a chili dog or something.

I agree with that--if he can survive the next couple of weeks, he'll get by. These stories have momentum, and once they lose it, attention turns elsewhere. For the moment, I think that momentum is still there.

his allies will want him out of there is usually how it works, all his staff quitting certainly points in this direction

ya but there is the strong chance that he'll just not leave and there's nothing to compel him to and he is crazy

ya if I were in that situation I would just stick around for the paycheck

I also would wait until my political career was over til I started smoking crack tho

^ monday morning quarterbacking imo

ha ha!

there's no way he's winning the next election.

unless he can somehow *actually* prove that Gawker/The Star/The Globe made everything up and then also fire every unionized employee of the city that isn't a cop or something - he's done

doesn't mean he's fried though--look at marion barry

w political scandals it always tilts on whether or not the politicians allies stick w him

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/05/rob-ford-resigns.html

gasface

Rob Ford Designs

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Z3K9vmCtON0/ScPVDwf5tAI/AAAAAAAAD9A/LB4wCus3PhM/s1600-h/tom+ford+smoking.jpg

Even one day with nothing new feels like the story's fading. Creepy older brother started a new radio segment yesterday: "Setting the Record Straight." Rob headed to the cottage 'cause he needs a holiday.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2uhRrPgC8S0/SzpCEdsKOWI/AAAAAAAABq0/eCLiSMkRXIE/s400/10317_1009485828.jpg

There's plenty of blame to go around, but here's Gawker laying most of it on The Star:
http://gawker.com/the-rob-ford-crack-video-might-be-gone-511254183

Don't really buy this version completely, but it's all hypothetical now. A lot of things might have happened if what actually happened hadn't happened, but it's not even worth parsing at this point. If the tape's gone, at least hopefully there's a money trail or something to prove a cover up.

If nothing else, we have learned that "let's announce that we're raising money over the next two weeks to get something a powerful millionaire sleazebag wants NOW" is a bad crowd-funding model.

Is this off the radar entirely? I don't see mention of Ford on the Star or Sun opening pages online. Are we at "Okay, so he smokes a little crack now and again" already?

I'd be shocked if they're not all still working on breaking the story somehow, but I doubt we'll see much unless they think they have a knockout punch for awhile.

which newspapers could have forced him to resign without producing the video? NYT probably. WaPost I assume. WSJ. Is Star just not credible enough? (Obv Gawker isn't.)

Not a chance. The Prime Minister, The President, and the Pope could call for his resignation and he'd say it was part of the vegan bike lane conspiracy.

I don't know. Getting past Saturday's resign-now rally was probably an important step for him--"several hundred protesters" is the wording I've seen in every story, and that doesn't seem too worrisome. (I wasn't there, so I'm hardly complaining.)

(Were you, brio?)

i'm skeptical that he could survive the NYT first-hand reporting on the video

I'm out of town.

Mordy - the Star doesn't have zero credibility. Everyone who would believe the NYT believes The Star already.

There's no proof of wrongdoing, and his polling has barely dented. The only thing that would have swayed him was his family. The theory was they's pull the plug on Rob if he damaged to the family political brand. It's clear now, they either don't care or think this will have no effect. Doug Ford really wants to be big in provincial politics, so some thought he might throw Rob under the bus to stay alive as a potential Premier. That hasn't happened - even though the provincial Tories have been dancing away from Doug already. I really don't think rallies or American newspapers or anything like that will make any difference. I do think he'll get his clock cleaned when he runs for Mayor again, and Doug is toast provincially - but the two of them will probably be able to win as city councillors for as long as they want to be.

Kevin Donovan, one of The Star reporters, has broken huge stories before - won tons of awards, decades of experience. He really has as much credibility than a NYT reporter.
But he's still reporting on something he saw on a cell phone in the back of a car - so, much as I disagree, I can understand why it's not enough for a lot of reasonable people.

as much credibility as

its my understanding the star is sitting on a lot more atm

separate incidents, or crack tape-related? i hope they can pull it all together and sink him. They must really want to, to wipe out any seeds of doubt about their credibility that the Fords have planted.

I don't think he can be "sunk", to be honest. Even if his credibility is shot, his polls sunk, his offices empty, he'll still be mayor until his term is up, no? I thought the only way he could be effectively booted would be if he resigns or if he's put in jail for a couple weeks or longer

I'm waiting for him to "break" and start having hilarious acts of retribution like the introduction of Go Fuck Yourself Day, statues of self on every corner, fill Nathan Phillips Sq with fire, etc.

I do not hope that he was involved with the shooting of that kid tho

yeah the silver lining of not seeing the video is definitely further .gifs

I like the statue idea. Start with the Glenn Gould statue on Front St.; remove that, and replace it with one of Ford toppling over as he braces to throw a football.

I'm pretty skeptical the killing is related at this point

I do like the idea of him aggressively embracing his lame duck status, since council votes down everything he touches anyway...just go for it now: try to make crack legal for Mayors inside city limits, outlaw Somali cellphone ownership, declare free KFC day

sounds good to me, send in your resumé

its my understanding the star is sitting on a lot more atm
― we're up all night to get (s1ocki)

you just gonna leave me hanging like that?!

im bet u 100$ the video will be on the internet in under a week

― flopson, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 5:01 AM (1 week ago)

i'll take that bet

― dylannn, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 5:03 AM (1 week ago)

tuesday, june 4th, 10:04 pm mountain time, at least 45 seconds of the video available online

― dylannn, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 5:04 AM (1 week ago)

dylan gonna lose

― anky, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 5:08 AM (1 week ago)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/06/04/toronto-gawker-ford-video-gone.html

ford boys bought it, clearly

its my understanding the star is sitting on a lot more atm
― we're up all night to get (s1ocki)

you just gonna leave me hanging like that?!

― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, June 4, 2013 10:31 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

thats all i got

ford boys bought it, clearly

Obviously. It probably made quite a dent in their drug money.

Heard the Star on the radio this morning. He seems convinced that one or two duplicates are out there, and he suspects that Gawker's intermediary and his intermediary are not the same person.

"Star" guy, that should say.

Or "Star guy"...Sorry--it's early, and I haven't had my morning crack yet.

yeah i cant see that video sitting on a cell phone for months and no one at any time deciding to take a second out to email it to another device

There should be more betting on ilx, it adds a real frisson of excitement to threads. ILX: Let's Make It Interesting

right. let's go, two dimes on not seeing it before the end of the month.

that's gangster talk for two thousand.

two thousand? you're talking crackstarter money there.

DYLANNN HAS THE TAPE

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e5/Bob_Dylan_and_The_Band_-_The_Basement_Tapes.jpg/220px-Bob_Dylan_and_The_Band_-_The_Basement_Tapes.jpg

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/in-etobicoke-locals-find-a-clue-to-rob-ford-photo-mystery/article12376492/#dashboard/follows/

Now brio, you really must restrain yourself

http://gawker.com/a-pipe-wielding-thug-stormed-the-rob-ford-crackhouse-s-511642073

Related

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/06/05/rob_ford_with_slain_man_heres_the_house_where_the_photo_was_taken.html

After Star reporters Jesse McLean and Tim Alamenciak located the home by comparing the Ford photo to houses in the area around Dixon Rd. and Kipling Ave., reporters tried on numerous occasions to reach people living in the bungalow.
This week the Star was able to speak to Elena twice, and both times she immediately accused reporters of being “scavengers.”
Fabio refused to comment when approached by the Star as he exited a local TD Canada Trust on Tuesday. He jumped on a bicycle and pedalled away, turning back to give an obscene gesture.

the classic "Rob Ford salute", no doubt.
(link to those new to Rob Ford: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2011/07/25/rob_ford_accused_of_giving_mother_and_daughter_the_finger.html

The Rolling Stones ‏@RollingStones 1h

"Thank you Toronto, it's great to be back here... Very welcoming city. What does it say on my note? Don't mention the mayor."

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2013/06/13/massive_police_raid_launched_in_toronto.html

Yeah, we couldn't find the mayor's video so we're going to step on a few poor people's necks and hope you can't tell the difference.

come again?

I'm sure Rob did.

xp: huh?

Seems to me that if the cops found the video today we can kiss our chances of seeing it goodbye. But then again, they may have found it—or its location—ages ago. This entire thing has been going on for months and months even though the story seemed to break a month ago or so.

A friend of mine with links to Toronto City Hall during the early days of Ford says there were always rumours of a "substance abuse problem" of some sort. How much covering up has Toronto collectively done?

Rob Ford knew men in photo, Toronto police sources say

"put that in your pipe, you left-wing kooks"

oh, man, if Don Cherry was on that video, too, that'd be so great.

don is a straight shooter.

i think he's probably called justin trudeau a fag before, though.

oh, man, if Don Cherry was on that video, too, that'd be so great.

― pauls00, Friday, June 14, 2013 1:35 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

plz

Well, the original Gawker post referred to "a prominent hockey analyst" being among the dealers' clientele.

Also: it would be so great.

luckily for you he's only on in the usa, but maybe someone can implicate mike milbury?

i didn't realize PJ Stock spent that much time in Toronto.

in 2010, Toronto police commandered a city bus to transport the football team Ford coached. Fifty paying passengers were summarily ejected so that the bus could be redirected.

That kind of tells you how far the police are in Ford's pockets.

sorry, i've kind of lost touch with the ford saga. my cable was out.

oh, man, if Don Cherry was on that video, too, that'd be so great.

Hey, just two nights ago Don confessed about the time back in the '60s when his team (Rochester Americans?) were in overtime and he actually took "a benny" for the artificial energy! Odd confession, kinda sheepish and hesitant, and unprompted by anything in particular.

Friday's front-page Star story is interesting:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/06/13/chief_bill_blair_i_dont_answer_to_the_mayor.html

I'm not so sure these raids--what might be the obvious assumption--are, if not requested by Ford himself, at least a reflection of his wishes. They do anything but distract from his problems; they just put them front and center again. And who knows what will turn up?

“My responsibility is to collect the evidence and not to make pronouncements on what the evidence means, but to turn the evidence over to the court of law, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Is there a general Canadian politics thread, because http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/17/world/americas/canada-montreal-mayor-arrested/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

yeah, about that

applebaum was mayor of the borough i grew up in and my family were always pretty involved in local politics so i've known him as a villain since i was a kid. everyone in ndg seemed to know that he was super corrupt but i think a lot of anglos were stoked to have an english mayor, so reactions have been pretty mixed. for me it's a nice dose of schadenfreude

Restaurant Nilufar
So maybe the MAYOR wasn't using ur $ towards helping u but at NILUFAR'S we promise we WILL by satisfying ur apetites with delicious,healthy,home-made food that's practically FREE of charge n FRAUD ;) fraudfreefalafel4life ♥
Like · · Share · 102 · about an hour ago ·

Restaurant Nilmar

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BNPzgiuCEAE5DEL.jpg

go argos

word is this shit will blow the fuck up before labour day

oh

not directly related, but still. http://www.torontosun.com/2013/08/09/why-a-convicted-drug-dealer-burst-into-rob-fords-home-demanding-money

What does Brio know, and when did he know it? I assume what he says also has something to do with this:

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/08/08/mayor_rob_ford_loses_another_staffer_from_his_office.html

drunk on the danforth? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnb3M8whfL4

Wow. I was trying to figure out why that wasn't a story, but I see it was just posted today. Should be fun.

Two posts on Facebook this morning, and a bit of CBC/Star/Now coverage, but not as much as I expected. How could this guy be so dumb?! "I'll go get plastered at the Danforth festival--I'll just disappear into the crowd."

Lots of dirt in the Star this weekend: http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/08/16/police_probe_mayor_rob_ford_friends_who_sought_crack_video.html

impt detail, pls clarify: is that a shadow from a tree or a ponytail

does this guy ever do any mayorin' or does he just wander around the city getting fucked up

he considers that mayorin'

the less mayorin' he does it the better. (as in hopefully he continues to drink and hide in his suv than try to lead city hall any more.

CP24 ‏@CP24 15m
Mayor Rob Ford asked by a reporter if he has smoked pot: “Oh, yeah. I've smoked a lot of it.”

quick now ask him if hes smoked crack

might be giving him too much credit for thinking ahead - but maybe he's softening up the public so he can claim to have been smoking pot in the video

He was great at the VMAs the other night.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BODCepRfAHA/TtVTL_15fGI/AAAAAAAACwU/2Hku0ZMXUKA/s320/ford%2Bcaribana.jpg

also part of his grand masterplan

David Cronenberg to direct.

Another Ford associate busted. One of these dirtbags has got to roll on him soon.

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/10/02/ford_associate_sandro_lisi_charged_with_pot_trafficking.html

http://i.imgur.com/iGrJ2VP.jpg

Lisi's the dude on the right
http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297474290169_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x&stmp=1380721418053

lol that pic

can you prove to me hes not a giant baby

I imagine the Toronto Star has a wall like this, covered of pictures of Rob Ford looking fucked up with various Etobicoke strip mall thugs:
http://www.salespodder.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/saul-completes-carries-nazir-timeline-in-homelands-s01e11.jpg

He is a giant baby.
He's also heading to Austin today to "create jobs" by promoting Toronto's music scene.

his resemblance to Hedonism-bot is remarkable

I get more of a human Bender vibe from him:

http://pretprieel.nl/pictures/futurama_human_bender_burps.jpg

ah yes

i love the look on that woman's face. Hi! I work in Politics! Great Party!!

lovin evian dude

It just keeps getting weirder.
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/10/07/rob-ford-mum-on-lisi-pot-for-cellphone-allegations

https://soundcloud.com/jackson-proskow/rob-ford-oct-8

I thought they were talking about Rob Ford's Mum

my god, just arrest his guy already!

why? he's just mayorin'

I think I'm actually resigned to it now. No tape, at least for a very long time. No resignation. No apologies.

The only way Ford leaves the mayor's office for good is in handcuffs or on a stretcher.

― brio, Friday, May 31, 2013 2:07 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

is he that bulletproof electorally?

― goole, Friday, May 31, 2013 2:39 PM (4 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is a mystery 2 me still

ps i know like dick-all about .ca politics

it's astonishing that this guy is still holding office. it truly is.

In a sentence, and this might've been said upthread, it is impossible in Toronto to "kick out" politicians on the municipal level, i.e. by impeachment. The only way Ford can lose office is if he is found in conflict of interest and ordered to leave office (which he was but appealed) or misses work for two weeks or longer (because he's in jail). This is not Toronto-specific, iirc, but goes for a lot of municipal situations in North America. I'm surprisingly comforted by the fact that he is still in power, testament to the solidity of the democratic process, tar-and-feathering is not an option any more or w/e. But yeah, I hope he goes to jail, if only because I know five people who've lost their jobs in the public sector because of his ass

he's done a lot worse than costing five people their jobs (nothing against your friends).

yes but I like most people analyze municipal politics on a personal, human interest level

goole, what our flamboyant goon friend said re: no mechanism to push him out of office + there is still no crime. Ford seem to have has surrounded himself with very loyal thugs. Cops starting to seem a bit antagonized by his antics (e.g. their investigation of Ford is supposedly codenamed Operation Brazen) and it seems like they're leaning on his known drug connections but coming up with nothing. If they can prove Ford sent Lisi out to threaten and beat people looking for the video as the Star says, the cops might have something on Ford - but I don't see that happening. It all comes down to Lisi and Price right now, and I don't think they'll rat Ford out. Ford family has deep pockets. But who knows, maybe the cops have a lot more than we know now.

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=a6382fcae3&view=att&th=141bcbc33942c851&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P8QMrVQCoIkRJg1TOU3pC5A&sadet=1381863494103&sads=DUciJJUciIamwO21adLOd6a7MG8&sadssc=1

hey brio: a week late, but thx for that explanation.

So you guys are outing the only decent dude on Fox now, huh.

real cool journalism stuff

huh?

I think I first heard about Mr. Smith the same time I heard about Mr. Cooper, IE, years ago.

huh?

There are several stories on Gawker about Shepard Smith going into a rage at a bar while out with his boyfriend that are acting as a de facto outing of Shep, which some ppl are reacting to very negatively and others are like "... I thought everyone already knew Shep was gay and a raging dick to people"

oooooohhhhh. thank you. thought this had something to do Toronto's horrible mayor.

Oh I want there to be a secret Rob Ford/Shepard Smith/crack love triangle SO badly.

i would like to never picture that again.

Don't worry, you will.

shawker

Any word on where the crackstarter money has gone, if anywhere?

Yup, some time back:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/18/gawker-says-exactly-where-its-sending-all-the-crackstarter-money-and-it-isnt-toward-buying-any-video/

Oopsy!

http://gawker.com/toronto-cops-are-investigating-mayor-rob-fords-drug-ha-1455977242

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/10/31/rob_ford_crack_cocaine_scandal_police_photographed_mayor_in_multiple_meetings_with_alleged_drug_dealer.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2013/10/31/rob_ford_video_scandal_police_chief_bill_blair_to_speak_about_investigation.html

Police Chief Bill Blair just said they have the tape!

damnnn

Well then!

Also, I can't even imagine how many people are going to be going out tonight as Rob Ford Crackhead.

I just found out abt this from a push msg notification that Ned, DJP, and JW all retweeted:

☆。★。☆。★
。☆ 。☆。☆
★。＼｜／。★
ROB FORD
CRACK TAPE
★。／｜＼。★
。☆。。☆
☆。 ★。 ☆ ★

Incredible--I knew something was coming out this morning, never expected this. Happiest guy in Canada right now: Stephen Harper?

‏@TOMayorFord
Last day to see the Haunted House at Toronto City Hall. We're open till 8:PM! #TOpoli #FrankenFordMansion

Perfect.

Looking so relaxed!

http://images.scribblelive.com/2013/10/31/0a5a2875-a47f-4a34-81be-a74e191142f7.jpg

this guy is a treasure

looks like a sullen teenager who's been called into the living room for a stern talking-to from his dad

Sittin' here in Brampton, enjoying my popcorn

Okay, so who are we going to have to bribe at the Toronto PD in order to see that tape? Or would it be public if they submitted it as evidence? Vitally important that someone figures out how to get this thing out to the world.

I'd imagine it would be public when it's entered as evidence during Lisi's trial.

Ford just came out of his office - which is decorated in a haunted house theme - and said he will not resign and could not comment and promised to keep saving the taxpayers money.

What a vote of confidence!

http://www.twitter.com/aballinga/status/395994804858802176

Also who are these two stooges trying to defend/explain him

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/10/31/chat-with-former-rob-ford-staffers-adrienne-batra-and-emily-thomson

Adrienne Batra is his former press secretary, and like his former chief of staff Mark Towhey, a regular on local right-wing talk radio and columnist in the Toronto Sun.

Amazing this scandal seems to have left all his enablers unscathed so far - though Doug's provincial hopes are dashed now at least... The right has more or less stuck by Rob Ford through the whole thing.

This is from a month ago:
http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297163308787_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x

A more typical Ford pose:

http://wpmedia.o.canada.com/2013/09/ford_harper.jpg?w=620&h=330&crop=1

Would love to see him and Mario Batali together.

haha the best thing is now we know he was smoking crack all of the time

how did this guy even win in the first place? he looks like a giant inflatable angry baby

crack election team.

the police documented him meeting w his dealer 100+ times over the last ~6 months lol

he was just smoking tons of crack non stop

this was not a weekend thing

he is a crackhead

fattest crackhead I've ever seen

there was a really fat crackhead in my neighborhood

we called her delicious coffees cause she was always hanging out in the deli asking people if they would buy her delicious coffee

then if you wouldnt do it shed just steal it

cause it was self serve

we called her delicious coffees cause she was always hanging out in the deli asking people if they would buy her delicious coffee

― lag∞n, Thursday, October 31, 2013 6:16 PM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you are an asshole if you do not buy someone soliciting for "delicious coffee" a coffee fyi

especially if the thing they want is just shitty deli coffee & they are still that hyped about it

what's the point if she just stole it anyway

i did buy her delicious coffee on a number of occasions but not every time

the police documented him meeting w his dealer 100+ times over the last ~6 months lol

they're just buddies, come on man

the gas station bathroom was out of toilet paper so Ford texted his buddy and he brought some over in a plain manila envelope

what we should be asking is what other goodies he's used other than crack

does rob ford know molly ;)

he's often seen sweatin'

just mayorin' around

the police documented him meeting w his dealer 100+ times over the last ~6 months lol

Where did this delightful factoid come from?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTMif8cGlcE

The most entertaining thing of all today--not quite get-off-my-lawn, but pretty close.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/Toronto/Rob%20Ford/ID/2415470188/

what a bizarre story

Dude, just stop.

http://globalnews.ca/news/939756/audio-did-toronto-mayor-rob-ford-call-a-local-radio-station-to-defend-himself

I would watch an episode of reality show starring Rob Ford and Joseph Maturo, the East Haven taco mayor

And Bob Filner.

At least that one Ned posted gave me a new DN.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/rob-ford-s-backers-call-for-police-to-release-alleged-crack-video

please!

Unscientific survey results: several people I work with (in Toronto) were talking about how they don't like the media "harassing" the Mayor, expressed sympathy for him, etc. Also, a couple of Facebook connections were saying "well, everyone has something in their past, and anyway, didn't this happen a long time ago?". Hard to believe folks here can be so ill-informed, when this stuff is all over the media here.

Can't we just admit the poor mayor has a problem and get him some help? It's not like he's an asshole or something on top of his crack use.

If you have an opinion on this mess, I set up a poll this morning:

Crackstarter - Gawker crowdfunding the Rob Ford crack tape: good or evil?

Oops--let's try that again:

Panic in Centennial Park: Rob Ford's Future

Sorry--I'm on crack.

seems like the strategy must be to get the tape out there and then claim it was just weed, it was all weed the whole time

Clemenza referencing a golden-age-of-American cinema classic = posts very much in character

It's not like he's an asshole or something on top of his crack use.

Are you being sarcastic?

no

I mean Rob Ford could not be more of an asshole. And I think the brazen stupidity of publicly smoking crack, meeting with dealers after scandals, etc. is an extension of his delusions of omnipotence with which he tries to push his will on the city through force and political bullying - as if he actually believes he's above the law and is just trying to see how much he can get away with.
I'm also not generally hot about the potential fact that this crack fiasco, only one of an endless series of fiascos testifying to his ineptitude, will define his legacy, rather than his horrible policies and his severely destructive approach to politics.

MVB--it's like a reflex.

ha i was right/am a genius http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/it-wasn-t-crack-it-was-weed

lol I thought that yr initial post was referring to that story

one time i was smoking weed out of a glass one hitter on the street w a couple friends and two cops popped out of an unmarked suv hands on holstered guns frisking us yelling wheres the rocks wheres the rocks, when we told them it was just weed they got really disapointed in us and drove away

sounds like those cops really wanted some crack

they love crack and frankly who can blame them

btw how is it SNL has not had Bobby Moynihan in a sketch as Rob Ford yet

No one in the US actually knows anything about this, outside of gawker readers and a few people with an interest in Canada

Bobby Moynihan would make a good Ford. As has been pointed out by many, Chris Farley/Ford would have been as sublime a match as Tina Fey/Palin.

Did "The Daily Show" cover the story more than once?

Chris Farley/Ford would have been as sublime a match

yeah it's really a no-brainer. bummer he isn't around to do it

little too on the nose

No one in the US actually knows anything about this, outside of gawker readers and a few people with an interest in Canada

Jimmy Kimmel has had a few skits where they fun of Ford. too lay to google myself

i cannot type today.

"In my view the reporters from The Toronto Star have probably never smoked crack cocaine as [have] probably 99 per cent of our citizenry,"

Wait, what?

Or are they gonna play it as "EVERYONE smokes crack (except pernicious media reporters), ain't no thang..."

Also, crack aside, I'm pretty sure calling your football team a bunch of minorities and Justin Trudeau a fag merits at least some relatively serious reprimand.

For reference re the video's legal status: http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/ask-the-legal-experts-whats-next-for-the-ford-video/article15201792/?service=mobile"> http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/ask-the-legal-experts-whats-next-for-the-ford-video/article15201792/?service=mobile

Can some Canadians tell me why is/was Ford so popular in the first place? Why does the "Ford Nation" exist? From the outside the appearance is that Ford was elected purely as a massive act of trolling by the should-be-suburbs parts of Toronto against the real actual urban center. It isn't just as simple as "I like football and so does Rob Ford", is it!?

n/m that's a stupid question. Everything conservative people believe and do has always just seemed like trolling to me.

there was certainly some trolling, but I know some people who liked the "cut taxes" message. Also, the other candidates in the last mayoral election weren't much good. I do recall some silly people saying "well, at least it won't be boring with him as mayor". I would be sooo much happier with a boring mayor.

He's got spunk. (I hate spunk.)

There was a giant garbage strike under the previous mayor, Miller, who was seen as caving in to out-of-control unions and had raised property taxes a few times. So the next Mayor was likely to be a right-leaning guy anyway and Ford ran organized, focused and pretty ruthless campaign focused on fuck unions and fuck high taxes.
Miller declined to run for re-election - losing any incumbent advantage the left might have had, and there were a number of weak to middling lefty candidates who split the vote, and no other strong right-leaning candidates to challenge Ford.
And while Ford had a rep as a loudmouth and a boor - and people already hated him - he amped it all way up after he was elected.

Chris Farley/Ford would have been as sublime a match

yeah it's really a no-brainer. bummer he isn't around to do it

― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, November 1, 2013 3:19 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

little too on the nose

― mh, Friday, November 1, 2013 3:26 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, that death photo...

never seen that before

what is in Farley's mouth?

It's not like he's an asshole or something on top of his crack use.

Are you being sarcastic?

Are you being sarcastic?

are you (all) being sarcastic?

Are 'Friends' Electric?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYBBo-uCMAAulLs.png:large

oh man I want to know the drunken allegations

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BYEKwDaIUAEjEnL.jpg:large

Ford's approval rating went up 5 points after the cops announced they have the crack tape:
http://www.cp24.com/news/ford/ford-s-approval-rating-up-following-video-confirmation-poll-1.1524905

omg

x2

i fucking hate this city sometimes.

but there's a silver lining to this poll:

And while his approval rating may have risen, the majority of respondents – 60 per cent – say that it’s time for Ford to resign, with 68 per cent believing that the Ford video is authentic...

The poll also finds that 70 per cent think Ford’s response to the drug use allegations he faces hasn’t been adequate.

so, as far as his chances of being re-elected go (a terrifying possibility); i don't think they're any better.

also his popularity prob didnt actually rise statistical variance just one poll etc

been some talk that his office hasnt been able to contact him in a while and hes on a bender

lol

poor guy

Hahaha. This is so hilarious.

Worse than when Gordo got caught driving under the influence in Hawaii.

Thinking of more optimistic times: http://robfrusck.tumblr.com

My friend, who follows non-crack-related municipal politics a lot closer than I do, says Ford could win re-election with that 40% base of his on a crowded ballot. I don't know--I don't take that approval poll all that seriously. It's just people venting on the media; I don't think it would translate to an election. Even people who believe Ford's mantra about saving taxpayers "billions" will now start to wonder if all that money's being sunk back into crack.

I don't follow TO politics, but didn't he win the last mayoral election with 47% of the popular vote?

Rob Ford -- 47.114%
George Smitherman -- 35.607%
Joe Pantalone -- 11.730%

I honestly can't remember if I voted for Smitherman or Pantalone...I think Smitherman said or did something near the end that moved me to Pantalone.

The map is very us-vs.-them:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Toronto_mayoral_election_results_by_ward_2010.PNG

hah didnt a lot of that red part used to not be part of toronto or something

There was a map of the USA that demonstrated how the further away you were from a major city, the more Republican/conservative you were.

It'd be interesting to draw some parallels between the map clemenza posted and the US one in terms of Canadian politics.

Lagoon: yes--there used to be six boroughs (Etobicoke, Scarborough, York, East York, North York, downtown) that amalgamated in 1998.

Oddly enough, my guess is it's probably easier to purchase crack in some of those blue downtown ridings than anywhere else. The mayor needs to add "But I actually buy crack!" to his outreach strategies.

There was a map of the USA that demonstrated how the further away you were from a major city, the more Republican/conservative you were.

I'd be surprised if you could find a country where that wasn't true.

That's my intuition, as well, but it's nice to have some data to back up some things that seem like very common sense, just in case.

Jamie Strashin @StrashinCBC
Deputy Mayor hopes to meet Mayor today. But members of the Mayor's executive have been unable to connect directly with Ford last few days.
9:02 AM - 2 Nov 2013

xpost

This gives an interesting evolutionary spin to the liberal-conservative geographic split: http://neuropolitics.org/defaultfeb09.asp.

Thus, the liberal tendencies of urban populations and the conservative tendencies of suburban populations support two diverse modes of energy utilization in reproduction, which collectively increases the long-term reproductive capacity and occupied area of a population. Few things support the long-term reproductive capacity of a population better than an appropriate mixture of conservatives and liberals, as the conservatives optimize reproduction across space, and the liberals optimize it across time.

The ability for liberals to reduce birth rates and the energy required for reproduction extends existing habitat life and supports large, dense populations. The propensity for conservatives to seek out new habitats and make them suitable for reproduction relieves pressure on urban areas, and further, performs one of the major tasks in improving the survivability of a species: extending the total inhabited area.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/MastahCrushed/Emote/emot-jerkbag.gif

I know, it's a mix of obvious stuff and speculation. But network theory gets into some of the same territory in terms of dispersal and density.

Anyway, back to yr regularly scheduled crackstarting.

Sometimes, we just like to drink.

http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/city_hall/2013/11/01/rob_ford_very_intoxicated_at_city_hall_night_of_st_patricks_day_2012/fordbiermarktjpg.jpg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpg

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/11/01/rob_ford_very_intoxicated_at_city_hall_night_of_st_patricks_day_2012.html

(Not that such stories are new--they're just getting a second run right now.)

in regards to his office not being able to track him down, this is how he spent his friday (and getting paid by me the entire time): http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/02/rob-ford-calls-peel-police-on-trailing-media

with regards to the voting patterns and proximity to cities discussion, in norway the rural areas in the north and center of the country have much stronger socialist/labor support than in the more urban southern coastal areas (oslo, bergen, stavanger). urban areas with strong socialist support are usually lower-class with a high immigrant population (østkant oslo for example)

In Copenhagen there is this city inside the city where the conservatives has been mayors for a hundred years. Outside the social-democrats have done the same. That makes it pretty easy I guess, though it's annoying that I live in the conservative city at the moment. The taxes are lower, though.

Interesting! I'm sure there's deep economic history to all of that.

Good information, guys. This is the type of stuff I love.

tipsy mothra, thanks for the link. I'll have a look at it later.

sex tape huh

nooooooooooooooooooooo

Not the crack we want to see

CP24 ‏@CP24 44s
Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly says Mayor Rob Ford will make an announcement on his radio show tomorrow.

announces a deal with Vivid Entertainment

Last time I did this, back in May, it turned out to be quite anti-climactic, but Rob will supposedly be mapping out his immediate future on today's radio show:

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/11/02/rob-ford-to-address-scandal-on-radio-show

A link for the show, which starts at 1:00 p.m.:

http://player.newstalk1010.com/

In May, just after everything first surfaced, Rob and his brother spent the first 10 minutes of their show talking about a Rolling Stones concert from the night before. So I expect the first part of today's show will be devoted to David Ortiz's Hall of Fame candidacy.

hah this guy is pretty amazing in his own way i hope he resigns and becomes a crusader for legal crack

Gabby's Wig shop just got their money's worth for their 1010 ad.

Almost sounds like he's tearing up: Checkers speech coming.

"I have made mistakes"--better than "mistakes were made," but still a little vague.

I find his brother the much creepier of the two.

Well, there you go: not resigning. Moving forward. As honest as the day as long. The People's Business. Lots left to do.

of course, the days are getting shorter right about now.

Wow--talking about getting a new driver in the name of "customer service." Wasn't it his last driver who's at the heart of this whole mess?

The brother's much more subdued today than he was on that show back in May. I'm getting a "I don't know if this is worth it anymore" feeling from him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmFQu_8u1TU

"I shouldn't have gotten hammered on the Danforth." He's addressing mistakes of the past by confining them to drinking episodes. That'll pretty much cover everything.

"We don't screen these calls."

Wow, they sure do screen these calls. Even the last one was fairly mild in its disapproval.

"You make calls till 12 at night" (because you're a hard-working mayor).

You know who else makes calls till 12 at night? People in search of drugs!

"No Sugar Tonight" as bumper music...Good choice, Mr. Mayor--maybe "Eight Miles High" or "White Rabbit" coming out of the next commercial?

Well, big surprise, that was a complete waste. Not quite sure what's behind Ford's request for the video to be released. Is it that he knows that won't happen, so the request carries no risk, or does he have some obfuscating explanation already prepared?

hes gonna say it was weed

and the sex tape was just horseplay

If he opts for the pot defense, I hope that leads to a spirited discussion of how he's the only pothead who exhibits all the crazed, aggressive, manic behaviors of a crack user.

clemenza, i think it's because he knows it won't happen. it increases his short term cred and maybe helps him somehow stay in office until the end of the term. i think it's purely a face-saving move. suspect he knows he's done politically.

also for the record i've always seen rob as a strange victim in way over his head... doug is pretty much emperor palpatine imo.

ha yeah im sure something will be said re the qualities of the smoke and the pipe too xp

Xpost, Well, it is known that Rob is the beauty and Doug the brains.

Let's make lots of comments about football.

xpost that's up there with "Southern efficiency and Northern charm"

So how you guys doing up there today.

Unbearable yesterday seeing the occasional person defend him on Facebook for his alleged competency. (Crack use and competency often going hand-in-hand.)

I trust you are telling these people that their judgment of him speaks ill of their general competence in turn.

his brother demanded the police chief resign for watching the crack tape or something

Mayor's brother currently giving a talk to Journalism students at Ryerson University. Intrepid journalists twittering about it over here: https://twitter.com/rpobeirne/lists/ryerson-mjs-2014

no one defending him at all in my circles. I was actually kind of surprised, I was at a poker tournament with a bunch of jockey/conservative-ish types and not a one was defending the man when it came up in conversation.

xposts

Ned: I am competently declining to get fished in.

well he just admitted to smoking crack

news flash!

“I wasn’t lying. You didn’t ask the correct questions,” Ford explained to why the admission was so long in coming.

Clemenza: I strongly suggest you now go fishing. With heartless glee.

Ha! That's great. But it won't sway what I saw yesterday, which basically amounted to "He's a buffoon and he smokes crack, but he's not a Harvard grad and he gets the garbage picked up"--the corniest Palin-type populism.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/11/05/news/toronto-mayor-crack?refid=0

By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) - The mayor of Toronto is saying he smoked crack "probably a year ago" when he was in a "drunken stupor."

Rob Ford's admission to reporters Tuesday follows months of accusations during which the embattled mayor refused to step down. The allegations that he had been caught on video smoking crack surfaced in May.

"Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine," Ford told reporters Tuesday outside his office. "There have been times when I've been in a drunken stupor. That's why I want to see the tape. I want everyone in the city to see this tape. I don't even recall there being a tape or video. I want to see the state that I was in."

Police said last week it had obtained a copy of the video.

i was too drunk to know i was smoking crack

i know pols try to go thru rehab for any damn indiscretion but that is really testing the boundaries of the genre imo

"I want to see the state that I was in."

He may have been so out of it, he may literally be thinking "Iowa? Colorado? I honestly can't remember, and I'd like to know."

socki (s1ocki)
Posted: November 5, 2013 at 5:24:40 PM
well he just admitted to smoking crack

jeepers!

I am thinking back to numerous times that I've gotten blackout drunk, oftentimes with people who were into substances way stronger/more dubious than alcohol

Never once in those occurrences did I ever find myself in a situation where I was smoking crack, or the next day someone told me "you smoked crack, lol"

Maybe I have preternaturally strong willpower but 13 years of consistent ILX posting points towards "no"

Not sure "I smoked crack because I was in a drunken blackout stupor" counts as a justifiable excuse that lets you keep your job.

"Did I smoke crack? Maybe, but I don't know, because I was in a total blackout drunken stupor, so who can say for sure?"

didn't want to tell you at the time, DJP, but we definitely smoked crack

Clemenza, I've heard the same types of comments as you (re: garbage pickup, "even on crack he's better than Miller", etc), and they drive me crazy, too. I thought this was a decent rebuttal to those: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/11/05/john-moore-rob-ford-never-was-rob-ford/

xposts.

you were pretty blasted, probably don't even remember me being there

just got back from lunch and literally everyone is talking about it. like everyone i walked past on the street. i was in a McDonald's and had a conversation with the most eclectic group of random strangers about the whole mess. one guy, who i thought may have been homeless at first, didn't see the reasoning behind it because Ford could have stuck to his story that it was pot and then went on to explain to us how crack and meth and heroin are prepared and what you use to smoke them in!!

I literally have no idea what his strategy is at this point. I read that one quote--"I wasn’t lying. You didn’t ask the correct questions."--and I think, "Jesus, is that his idea of a clever 'Depends what the meaning of is is' comeback?" I mean, does he think he's going to skate through on the strength of that?

i'd imagine *some* of the people defending him are going to feel lied to about it, because they're not going to care about the distinction between the technical "truthyness" of his previous denials.

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1192010/thumbs/r-MARION-BARRY-TWITTER-large570.jpg?15

A new new announcement shortly I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDBOG7zNFSk

"I want to see the state that I was in."

He may have been so out of it, he may literally be thinking "Iowa? Colorado? I honestly can't remember, and I'd like to know."

― clemenza, Tuesday, November 5, 2013 1:07 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol @ this by the way

Ford should take a page from Marion Barry and start wearing a dashiki. Can't hurt!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teME3jZUfwU

Live stream going via the Toronto Star for this next announcement, whatever it is

http://www.scribblelive.com/Event/SinglePost.aspx?PostId=95303187&lang=undefined&ss=1

URL says it all:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2013/11/05/rob-fords-press-conference-tie-features-http://images.chron.com/blogs/askacat/hatcat.JPG-logo/

omg lol

Excellent choice to discuss a video in which he calls his football team "a bunch of fucking minorities"

dying of lols @ autoreplace

Did Marion Barry have a Maple Leafs tie on when he had his big confession?

Couldn't have hurt!

Big bombshells here if this can be proved - many staffers in on the cover-up, plus a bounty of $200,000 + 10% bonus offered:
http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/rob-fords-office-hired-a-hacker-to-destroy-the-crack-tape

So it's about to happen? (At different desk, can't get to live stream.)

Or rather, I have video but can't get audio. Anyway I'll see what's up...

http://www.ustream.tv/TorontoStarNews

http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/ better vid than the star had earlier.

he is starting his press conference at 4:20 PM EST

http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.1528513

420

that vice article is nuts.

just shy of a murder accusation in that article

there's that facial expression

Is he going to smoke crack at this press conference or what

and screen the tape i think.

lmao @ this bullshit

The way he stresses final words of sentences and clauses is so fun.

Toronto Star reporters already pretty much guessing this is done to insulate Doug's political career.

He's staying for the sake of the taxpayers!

The nobility ... the NOBILITY ... of this man...

He lit up the pipe with a noble 'what ho'

People laughing in the crowd, haha

haha @ the laughter

'i cannot in good conscience step down until the leafs win the cup'

love these reporters

So will this guy still be in office in a month, or is there nothing really to charge him with? I mean, if that Vice story pans out, yeah, but right now?

http://i.imgur.com/w32Wwe7.png

"I embarrassed everyone in the city and I will be forever sorry. There is only one person to blame for this and that is myself.
I know admitting my mistake was the right thing to do and I feel like 1000 pounds have been lifted off my shoulders.
I can't explain how difficult this was to do. I hope, I hope that nobody, that nobody has to go through what I have gone through.
I know what I did was wrong and admitting it was the most difficult and embarrassing thing I have ever had to do.
Folks, I have nothing left to hide.
I would do anything, absolutely anything, to change the past. But the past is the past, and we must move forward. I want to be clear; I want to be crystal clear to every single person: these mistakes will never, ever, ever happen again.
I kept this from my family, especially my brother Doug. My staff, my council colleagues, because I was embarrassed and ashamed.
To the residents of Toronto: I know I have let you down and I can't do anything else but apologize. I'm so sorry.
I know, I know I have to regain your trust and your confidence. I love my job. I love my job and I love this city. I love saving taxpayers money and I love being your mayor.
There's important work that we must advance and important decisions that must be made.
For the sake of the taxpayers of this great city, for the sake of the taxpayers, we must get back to work immediately. We must keep Toronto moving forward.
I was elected to do a job and that's exactly what I'm going to continue doing.
In 2010, I made a commitment to Toronto voters. I have delivered on that commitment and I will continue to deliver on that commitment of saving taxpayers money.
But they have a choice. We live in a democracy and on Oct. 27 of 2014 I want the people of this great city to decide whether they want Rob Ford to be their mayor. Again, I sincerely, sincerely, sincerely apologize.
God bless the people of Toronto. Thank you very much.

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/026/0/8/laughing_smurfs_by_thomassmurffan-d4npaqm.png

it's cool, rob ford's got things covered

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z6MJIjCJ20

Just pathetic--sincerely, sincerely pathetic, as Ford himself would put it. Definitely providing cover for his brother (the idea that Doug didn't know is preposterous).

I was listening in the car, and just before the press conference Ford's lawyer called into 1010 uninvited. What a piece of work this guy is--after he hung up, the two hosts were incredulous. Sample quote (word-for-word, I jotted it down): "From what I gather, he doesn't drink and drive that I'm aware of." He also happily answered questions no lawyer would ever ever answer.

(That extra "ever" was accidental, but it's not inappropriate.)

I want to be clear; I want to be crystal meth I MEAN CLEAR, FUCK to every single person: these mistakes will never, ever, ever happen again.

Not until the next tiiiiiiiime

the "especially my brother Doug" is so hilarious to me

I hope, I hope that nobody, that nobody has to go through what I have gone through.

Good idea, insert some agonized self-pity into your apology.

It has been oh so hard accidentally smoking crack when i was boozed up

So have you guys elected Doug Ford as Prime Minister of Canada yet?

The lawyer's all over the TV right now, and he seems to be just winging it--I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Ford didn't even know he's been out there all afternoon.

One of the things he suggested on the radio show was that Ford ducking out for an hour of rehab every day would essentially be no different than if he were taking an hour off the job to go the gym. It can be done, he argued, a lot more easily than you'd think.

Over/under on when we hear the lawyer is going into rehab?

lawyer is not actually lawyer, but instead is just crazy high.

"But the past is the past, and we must move forward."

That "we" there is genius. It's not his problem, it's our problem--it's a shared mission, and evidently I've been enlisted.

anyone remember that Kids in the Hall sketch - a guy starts a fight at a bar and just gets his ass kicked, over and over again. and everybody is yelling at him to "stay down" every time he gets laid out... but he just keeps getting back up - no matter how obvious it is he should admit defeat, and stay down, he just keeps coming back for more.

Really glad he put that "I have nothing left to hide." in there, just pouring a little gravy on the next few weeks of humiliations.

Pretty rich for him to say that considering he hasn't seen his dick in decades.

Can someone clarify for me which of the following is actually illegal in Canada:

Buying/smoking crack
Killing drug dealers
Using power of public office to cover up any of the above

I think the last I heard was when pot was maybe gonna be decriminalized, but it seems like things have sort of accelerated from there.

Pfffft - I wish.

Maybe he didn't even know he'd been elected mayor, because he's been in a drunken stupor.

All I know is he should get in frame with Kim Dotcom ASAP.

http://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/kim-dotcom-nurburgring-650x0.jpg

To the extent that the Rob Ford saga has gone from upsetting to infuriating to incredulous to, now, amusing, I kind of look forward to his re-election campaign (how he'd even be capable of, say, raising campaign funds is beyond me) given the entertainment value it promises (plus, I figure the only damage he's capable of doing is splitting the right wing vote, which I'm not gonna complain about). I mean, lets see Karen Stinz fall throwing a football like him.

http://jeromiewilliams.com/2013/11/03/updated-list-113-things-toronto-mayor-rob-ford-has-done-besides-smoking-crack-in-a-video/

impressive

Robyn Doolittle of the Toronto Star has published a story detailing how the video came to her attention:

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2013/11/06/rob_ford_crack_video_story_started_with_an_anonymous_early_morning_phone_call_to_a_reporter.html

lol at CITY-TV getting all "think of the CHILDREN!" about the story this morning. They introduced an actual child psychologist to discuss how we break the news to our kids about their mayor...All over Etobicoke, eight-year olds are lying on their beds sobbing "It's not true!", their leftover halloween candy uneaten, their PlayStations ignored, and their FORD NATION posters torn off their bedroom walls in a fury.

Brought it up with my grade 6 class this morning. They seem to be holding up okay, but I'll be monitoring the situation closely.

Then you all smoked crack with them wait no

i have not been following this closely, and assumed since there was video no one was asking him to "admit" it. Did anyone ask Marion Barry to admit? WE CAN SEE IT, who cares if you admit it?

I spent several hours thinking "drunken stupor" was an Onion line or something too.

i really didn't know you guys had elected a less classy Johnny LaRue

Morbz: all that's been seen to the general public is a screenshot from the video plus various Gawker/Toronto Star folks saying "Yep, we've seen it," which allowed Ford to go 'Damned journalists trying to ruin me it's all a fake photos can be faked these days why I oughta' etc. Then on Thursday Toronto's police chief said "Yeah I've seen it too" and then things got...weird. The video itself is now considered evidence and has yet to be released.

Through all of this, I never once thought of Johnny LaRue. Of course...perfect. Known to enjoy a drunken stupor or two.

http://www.polarblairsden.com/actorsjohncandy26.JPG

Yeah that's spot on.

he needs a monogrammed robe