Ford Family Circus Show

SunNews VP Kory Teneycke explained he canned FordNation after the very first episode because the talking points repeated numerous times throughout the 40 odd minute show that finally made it on air took 5 hours to record and "a day and a half" to edit.

I'm guessing the 4 hours of outtakes were indistinguishable from the good stuff.

But in case you missed it : social elite gravy train ... only human not perfect creating jobs subways ...  saving Toronto billions of dollars ... largest number of votes in Canadian history ...  lowest tax increases in North America ... can't change the past ... best attendance record on council ...moving forward ... subways ...  can't change the past ... average guy fighting for the little guy.

Pretty much a repeat of the same guff Mayors Rob/Doug gave Mansbridge on Monday as well ...

William Wolfe-Wylie at PostMedia : 

Rob Ford lies three times in first minutes of Peter Mansbridge interview

It's time for media to call out lying liars when they hear them lie

"In the first two-and-a-half minutes of his lengthy CBC interview Monday, Rob Ford told three lies. They were uncontested by Peter Mansbridge, and it went downhill from there.

The first lie: “The people elected me with the largest mandate in Canada’s history.”

The second lie: “Having the lowest tax increase of any major city in North America.”

The third lie: “I’ve showed up every day to work for the last 13 years.”

He refutes each of those lies and then goes on to ask the hard questions. 

Does the mayor know Anthony Smith? What was in the packages Lisi dropped into his car so secretively? Does the mayor still have connections with drug dealers? Did he pay the utility bills for a crack house? Did Lisi act on his orders or suggestions when he allegedly sought out the crack video? Do the mayor’s homophobic and racist remarks while under the influence reflect his true opinions?

Rob Ford was not stripped of his powers because of recreational drug use. It was because the mayor has consorted with criminal elements, lied about it, and then refused to speak to police about it on the advice of his lawyer. He was stripped of his power because council realized they can no longer trust him, that they no longer know what influences him and that he refuses to answer questions that desperately need answers.

The whole column is excellent. Thank you, Mr. Wolfe-Wylie.
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"Ford family circus" coined by Cathie from Canada.
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Ford shitshow resumes and what really matters

What a screaming shitshow that was today. 

Inside the Toronto city council meeting, Mayor Rob Ford and his handler/brother Doug Ford were unsuccessfully fighting off an unenforceable council motion to have Rob Ford step down temporarily while demanding everyone else on council submit to mandatory drug screening. 

Grilled about the infamous photo of himself with 3 men - one of whom, Anthony Smith, was soon after shot and killed while Khattak was shot and survived - outside the Windsor Street crackhouse described as an ad hoc 2005 Ford campaign office, Rob Ford said repeatedly today that it was "not a crackhouse" and : 

"I had never met these three men in my life. They came out and asked me to take a picture with them." 

Meanwhile outside the council meeting, more info was unredacted by Ontario Superior Court Justice Ian Nordheimer.  Drugs, sex workers, drunk driving, Oxycontin, bullying, racism, lewd remarks to women, and trying to punch out staffers will make headlines tomorrow but never mind all that - here's what's really important from the police ITO [bold mine] :

"The mayor did indicate to [former Rob Ford press secretary]CHRISTOPOULOS that he knew Anthony SMITH."

"On May 19, 2013 ... it was decided that no further interviews would take place in relation to the suggestions that Mayor FORD was smoking crack or the possibility that the recording is on the cell phone of Anthony SMITH that was stolen at the time of his murder until Project Traveller was completed. The concern was that any additional interviews would potentially compromise Project Traveller in relation to the arrests, recovery of fireams and narcotics." [page 36]

Thursday update ... 

FORD NATION: CANADA'S ULTIMATE REALITY SHOW?

Ford brothers to host show on Sun News Network

Apparently the shitshow has been picked up by FoxNewsNorth Sun News.

"Following the cancellation of their top-rated radio show, we approached the Fords about hosting a show on our network," said [former Harper spokesy] Kory Teneycke, Sun News Network vice-president. "We are delighted to announce they have agreed."

"Rob is like Howard Stern or Rush Limbaugh," said Councillor Doug Ford. "You just never know what he is going to say."

The Brothers Ford, in reruns

~~~updated below~~~

Seven years ago, a loud and drunken Rob Ford, then a city councillor, was at a Maple Leafs game at the Air Canada Centre. He was shouting things like "My sister was a heroine addict and was shot in the head" by way of making conversation at people seated near him. 
A couple seated two rows in front of him asked him to “tone it down a little” and Ford blew up at them, as quoted in various accounts :

"Who the fuck do you think you are? Are you some kind of right wing Commie bastard? Are you a fucking teacher? Do you want your little wife to go over to Iran and get raped and shot?"

He was escorted from the stadium by security guards.
Initially Ford denied it : 

"This is unbelievable," he told the Star. "I wasn't even at the game, so someone's trying to do a real hatchet job on me, let me tell you."

But unfortunately Ford had handed out business cards to people seated near him at the game and the couple he yelled at, who were from out of town and had no idea who he was, used one to look him up and wrote a letter of complaint.  

Later, Ford spent what he called "the toughest day of his career" issuing apologies :

"I reflected on it last night, and talked to my family. I came forward and admitted it. That's all I can do. I mean, I'm not perfect," said Ford.

“I made a mistake. I'm only human. I don't know what more to say. I sincerely apologize.”

"I feel terrible about it. My wife and I had a little bit too much to drink . . . I made a mistake that will never happen again.”

Doug Ford said he knew nothing about it.

In 1999, Rob Ford was pulled over and busted for DUI and possession of marijuana in Florida. He copped to one charge, paid a fine, and did 50 hours community service with his football team in Canada. 
Asked about it during his 2010 run for mayor, Ford denied it : 

"No to answer your question," Ford said.
"I'm dead serious. When I say no, I mean never. No question, now I'm getting offended. No means no."

When presented with the arrest details, Ford explained : 

"The reason I forgot about the marijuana charge ... is because that same evening, I was charged with failing to give a breath sample," he told reporters.

... although court documents and an affidavit from the Miami-Dade police officer who made the arrest show Mr. Ford was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  

"I'm not perfect," Rob said. "I owned up to my mistake."

Again, Doug Ford said he knew nothing about it.

On Tuesday, Doug Ford was aggressively calling for Toronto Police Chief Blair to step down for doing his job. 
Hours later Rob Ford wandered out alone into a scrum of reporters and announced, after months of denial, that he had smoked crack cocaine due to being drunk. 
Doug, who had been unable to reach Rob by phone all morning, characterized Rob's crack confession as the worst day of his own life. The two of them later held a presser in which Rob read out an apology for his crack-smoking to Toronto ... and to Doug, who he was at pains to state knew nothing about it.

It's been their standard MO for years but it isn't working for Rob. 

Edward Keenan : Doug Ford. Worst. Brother. Ever.
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10am Update : And a new Rob Ford video surfaces. Lovely.
So who is so close to Ford he's actually present to record him saying :

"Cause I'm going to kill that f**king guy. I'm telling you it's first-degree murder .....  I will, f**k, when he's dead, you help make sure that motherf**ker's dead. I need 10 minutes to make sure he's dead."

but would then release sell it to the media? Ford must be able to tell from the dining room angle who shot it.
There's no date to it ... maybe it's a response to that WWE wrestler Iron Sheik challenging him to fight?
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Noon update : Sooey Says : Schadenfreude, eh? No, Mr. Minister of Whatever, we’re way past schadenfreude ... 

Kathy and Rob's mom do a bizarre tv interview today, blowing off any suggestion of rehab for Rob and demonstrating for 20 minutes what privileged enabling really looks like.
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10pm Update : Remember this guy, Scott MacIntyre, Kathy's ex?  He broke into Rob Ford's house 18 months ago demanding money owed to him and threatening to expose the Fords to the media if they didn't pay up. He was jailed for possession, turned up in court with a broken leg from a jailhouse beating and pled guilty, ensuring no further related evidence would be released. 
Tonight in the Toronto Sun : 

"A former common-law spouse of Kathy Ford who vowed to expose the Ford family to the media was savagely beaten in jail because he was a “bother” to the mayor, a judge told his sentencing hearing.

At the sentencing hearing, both Fords generously urged leniency and freedom for MacIntyre."

The news report doesn't mention whether Rob Ford's surprise night visit to the jail in March demanding to see a different prisoner is related to MacIntyre's beating.
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CBC The Fifth Estate : The Rob Ford Story
 New - interviews with Rob Ford crack video broker Mohamed Farah
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