Short ‘n’ Stubby: Suddenly, Toronto SUCKS!

Well. How’d everyone like last night’s municipal elections? Ms. Manx was watching the tweeter in spite of vowing not to, and the results had her doing a facepaw. Toronto has elected a boorish, drunken, wife-beating, racist, homophobic dickweed for a mayor. Or rather, the suck-ass SUBURBS of Toronto did. (Item: Both Paul Bernardo and Russell Williams hail from Scarborough. Sheer coincidence?)

Anyhow, here’s what the Stumpy Cat found on the tweeter about the whole disaster:

The Torontoist compares Ford adversely to Mel Lastman. One thing Ms. Manx has heard over and over is that Mel actually LIKED Toronto when he ran it. The Stumpie agrees, saying she met the man when she got his pic for the Ryersonian, and yes, she got that impression too. (She also thinks the photo at the linky is full of win. Yes, that’s exactly what the city is gonna look like for cyclists. Ford HATES them.)

The Toronto Star makes an object lesson out of the defeat of former council member Sandra Bussin. Moral of story: Taking huge campaign cash from someone to whom you later grant a no-bid contract does not pay. The voters remember. The big problem with the article, though, is that it’s being played as a problem of incumbency, of getting too big (and established) for one’s britches. Term limits, however, won’t solve the real problem, which is corruption. And corruption knows no term limits, only dollar values.

Politics Respun analyzes the election outcome, particularly the baffling bit about Ford, relating it to what George Monbiot writes about people voting against their better interests. In short, it appears that the problem is “values” voting–that is, voting for the candidate that appears to conform to what you believe in (be it Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy), rather than rationally sitting down and doing your homework on the fucker and finding out what he really stands for. Ms. Manx nods sagely and says that sounds about right. If it’s not voter apathy at work, it’s voter ignorance. Both are Bhad News for democracy.

Back to the Star again. What the hell is this mindless boosterism? Ugh! That’s not analysis, that’s an after-the-fact Ford campaign ad. And it’s ugly shit, too…Ms. Manx has seen the graffiti that lives in Toronto’s alleys. Some of it is gorgeous; some imparts unexpected wisdom. She even did a photo essay on it to try to get people to look at it with fresh eyes. All of it adds character and interest to the bland face of a big city. Anyone who’d want to get rid of that will NEVER get her endorsement. And if you believe that “more subways” crap from a mayor who ran on a tax-cutting platform, our stumpy-tailed friend says she has a lovely bridge in Brooklyn that she’s just dying to unload, cheap. And she also says PAWS OFF THE WILDCAT STRIKERS!!!

Politics and Profit lists 4 things that Rob Ford should do as mayor, but undoubtedly won’t. Most worrisome item? #1, with a bullet.

Rev. Paperboy takes Rob Ford to the Woodshed, and delivers a satisfying smackdown.

And Christie Blatchford is just really, REALLY fucking vile. That is all.

Toronto, you USED to rock. Ms. Manx, however, says she prefers to wait four more years before she comes back for any length of time. Your streets have only gotten meaner in the interim, and the only thing that consoles her about it all is that this mayor’s honeymoon will be shorter than Mel Lastman’s stature. In fact, she bets it’s already over!