Politic?

Nasty, Coarse and Vituperative

Not very appealing attributes, to be sure. Once people betray their inner persona and it reflects that they are indeed nasty, coarse and vituperative, those qualities rise to eclipse the facade of practicality and determination in public service, even when it comes with a hearty dollop of wit from time to time. The question that looms large now is what is it about Toronto Mayor Rob Ford that has his (still) many supporters viewing him as a man of honesty integrity?

Someone whose promises they rely upon to clean up the free-spending habits of the left-leaning members of Toronto City Council? His promises to do just that and more obviously resonated with enough citizens of the city who voted for him. And for his brother. In a kind of two-for-one bargain that brought the Ford brothers into the mayoralty seat and a councillor's seat. The top dog and his back-up surety.

Whatever Rob Ford's quick mind can't think of, his brother's can, and does, and guides him thoughtfully into demanding of his critics on council that he/she who is without a drug-or-alcohol habit, stand up and be counted with a raised pinkie. They are, after all, slurring his good name by declaring him a drug addict, an alcoholic, a man of poor judgement who consorts with underworld thugs and ladies of the night.

And he, the bobble-headed mayor wearing a sumo-wrestler's street garb, takes raw exception to those claims. So raw, that he doesn't hesitate to use the most offensive of sexist, derogatorily squalid expressions of defiance. Because, he asserts, his wife's feelings are hurt. Not by his actions and his smutty statements, but by the accusations of the burghers and the city mayoralty staff of his fallibility.

This is a man who has "absolutely" zero tolerance for drugs, guns and gangs. He said so, and he meant it, and he is to be taken at his word. Unfortunately his word appears to have become hugely downgraded thanks to his forced and most unfortunate revelations of succumbing to drugs and gangs; we aren't certain yet about the guns; they may represent one of the "hangers" yet remaining in his closet of amazing revelations.

That the mayor's staff has been tattling on the man who occasionally raged against them, intimidated and threatened them, made lewd suggestions toward them, and generally created an aura somewhat less than comfortable for all involved who attempted nevertheless to cover up for the man whom they both pitied and obeyed leaves them now vulnerable to his threats of legal action.

And to think: it all started with a video, good heavens videos are shot constantly and posted online ad infinitum, who cares? Well, when it's the mayor of a G-8 country's largest city posing with known drug dealers and smoking crack cocaine, everyone seems to goggle at Google and care, deeply. Curiosity is one of those cats that refuses to give up its ninth life.

Ford-Lisi pixel — Mayor Rob Ford and Alexander Lisi in an elevator at the ACC during a Maple Leafs game May 8, 2013. (JOE WARMINGTON/Toronto Sun)

"Mayor Ford denied it and said that this is not the worst that is going to happen. This is going to blow up and there will be people in bigger trouble than him", said his former office staffer Isaac Ransom. His loyal staff, from Mark Towhey, David Price, George Christopolous and Isaac Ransom, echoed a chorus of choices for Mayor Ford to chose from to respond to the impending crisis: resign, deny or take a leave of absence.

Two of those choices were repellent to the street fighter in Ford, and he has been denying ever since. In between episodes of repentance and attestations of love for the City of Toronto and its inhabitants -- at least those who voted for him and remain steadfast to his vision of self indivisible from the fortunes of the City of Toronto -- he has denied, denied denied.

In the process providing succulent fodder for the news media as the newest of sordid public celebrities.