"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Tuesday 7 January 2014

What does any of it mean ?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "GUE...":

9:34...

How does a bi-sexual wife or multi-racial childred determine whether a person will be a good mayor?

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How does  one determine whether any candidate will be a good  Mayor?

The only clue I offer is a candidate's record  in the job.

The relevance of extraneous factors in an election campaign is a different question. 

New York's Mayor has term limit

I can't begin to imagine what it takes, apart from a fortune in a campaign chest, to  organize a 
New York Mayoralty contest. 

It certainly bespeaks private resources. I  read former Mayor  Michael Bloomberg spent millions of his personal resources on city programs. It seems he left the city better than he found it. 

Names  of challengers to  Rob Ford of Toronto are coming forward

The question that comes to mind is the strength of the campaign organization and  sufficiency of campaign resources.

Name recognition on the ballot is also a key factor.

Rob Ford's organization, campaign resources  and name recognition are all  likely as strong if not stronger  than they were the first time around.

Former  TTC chairman  and Councillor Giambrone was a challenger for a bit in the last election. Endorsed by David Miller ,who lamented his withdrawal from the race after sleaze  reported in te media reflected on his  personal standards and integrity.

He never  made it to the starting line.

George Smitherman  made an issue of lifestyle and family status as  campaign promotion. A lifetime of provincial politics and party support behind  him didn't help. Rob Ford  beat him handily at the polls.

Rob Ford talked  about city spending run amuk and the need to stop it.
He talked about tax rates and the burden on property owners.

Michael Ignatieff wrote a book after his failed attempt to become Prime Minister of Canada. He acknowledged he didn't understand until the night before the election that the campaign was not
about him. It was about the people who came out to see him and  hear him  in myriad small village halls and Legions , on cold , wet and windy nights all  across the country , to  get a sense
of  what he was about.

Could they trust him to  care about their problems up there  in the Parliament buildings in Ottawa.

Turned out, they decided  they  didn't.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The only card in the TO election of interest is Olivia.

Anonymous said...


Unfortunately I don't think that politics and political candidates, and politicians (if they get elected) have anything to do with trust.

Take someone seeking public office for the first time - he/she will tell you all about themselves, their education, their family, their work experience, their community involvement, what they believe in and what they would like to accomplish on "your behalf."

But you really don't know this person, at best you might have seen him/her at an all-cadidates meeting, even had a few minutes of personal chat.

Is this enough to say you trust him/her?

Once you get beyond municipal politics at the town level big money enters into the campaign. Radio, television, newspaper advertising, the social media, name calling, attack ads.

Do you believe any of this? Do you believe any of these candidates?

Can you say you will vote for a person because you trust him/her?

That word is no longer a part of our language when it comes to politics.

Anonymous said...

14:01.... really? other than being married to Layton, what does she bring to the table?

Anonymous said...

@16:57
Who would you suggest ?

Anonymous said...

19:49... I don't really care, I don't live there. I am only saying that I do not feel that Chow has any merit on her own, it is just the fact she is the Layton-widow that get people all warm and wet.

Anonymous said...

09:14
I disagree with you. I believe she has substance & would be a welcome contender to a tired field. Pick a horse, any horse, & we can watch it play out.