So my take on this
First of all, let’s be clear that he’s a public figure. Public! His job is to be accessible to the public as a representative of politics and policy. It was one of his campaign trivia facts that he called *everyone* back (let’s not even try to figure out how long that would actually take). And he loves inviting a ton of people over to his mom’s house for a BBQ and fireworks. We can all agree on this point, right?
Meanwhile, we also know that Rob Ford and his administration is not very forthcoming with his professional public appearances. They’re either very staged or awkward or both (see his graffiti hullabaloo) and, they’re far and few between. His redacted campaign promise of transparency is one of the reasons why he’s the second worst mayor in Canada.
So when a TV show that is known for ambushing politicians and playfully trying to get them to talk on tape, shows up on your door, you could do no worse than play along. He claims he had no clue who Marg Delahunty was – to which I cry bullshit. If you are a political figure of any kind, you hope and PRAY that Marg shows up at your door because while she may say some off colour comments regarding your performance, she puts your face out there. And TV/YouTube face time a good thing for any politician. There’s also the fact that This Hour Has 22 Minutes has put all sides of politicians out there, Right, Centrists or Lefty, so if you claim you didn’t know her and you work in politics, you’re admitting to not knowing your boss and should be fired from your job.
So let’s all agree that he got flustered. And ran into the house. This is fact. It’s on tape. What he said to the 911 dispatch will not be gospel until the tapes are released. Which the police say the mayor can allow and the mayor says the police can allow. Can someone please FOI that bit of audio? Until then I can’t comment on what went down, but for amusement, take a look at the #RobFord911 hashtag. It’s a barrel of fun!
But in seriousness, Rob Ford’s actions makes me think that he’s probably getting a lot of death threats. He’s gone on tv and admitted as much.
Yet I have no surprise or sympathy about it. His bullying tactics in his political and public career will generate this kind of backlash towards him. You live an angry life, you get an angry life. I was going to say “you live by the sword…” but it sounded too much like a death threat, which it isn’t, just an old biblical times proverb, really.
3 thoughts on “Rob Ford, 911!”
public servants have very little right to any expectation of privacy. while i feel that 911 distress calls ought to be private, prank or absurd calls to 911 deserve no such protection, and this was clearly not a distress call. the stupid clown was obviously trying to summon the police to remove people who had every right to be there – the media is doing its job when it confronts public servants, particularly when they act contrary to the good of their bosses (us, the general population) and shun interviews.
ford is, like all bullies, a chickenshit coward whose talent for loudmouthed braying vanishes the moment a strong, independent person stands up to him. he’s an inarticulate buffoon with minimal intelligence and wouldn’t have a job unless his father hadn’t arranged for him to work in his business and asked people to back his political career. now, of course, ford is returning that favour by spending the city’s money at the ford family business, at up to quadruple the cost of the business cards purchased by other city councillors.
complaints can be sent directly to the city’s integrity commissioner, janet leiper. her email, which is published on the city’s website, is jleiper AT toronto DOT ca
I’m from the US originally and even I know who Marg Delahunty is. My only concern is that whether this is a 911 call from him or from a normal citizen that it has been making it’s way around police HQ according to what I have read. If his call can make the rounds, than anyone’s can and that I have concern over, even if he is a grade-A tool.
Here lies the grey area. We seem to have forgotten that Tool Or Not, Robbie affords some degree of privacy. But since he’s a public official and holds a degree of celebrity, I stand on the side that he’s a dick to someone, we have a right to know.
But with the audio file still not surfacing, I think this might well be a bit of a kerfuffle.