Crackstarter - Gawker crowdfunding the Rob Ford crack tape: good or evil?

Rob has officially opened his mouth, denied everything and blamed the Star. now we can anticipate the usual post-Ford-talking crackstarter bump.

Carefully chosen verb tenses:

http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/05/24/transcript-rob-fords-statement-to-media-on-crack-allegations/

"I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine."

Depends which meaning of "use" you use.

"I do not use crack cocaine (to season my food), nor am I am addict of crack cocaine (but rather one primarily of water and carbon)"

"I do not currently have crack cocaine in my system. I think."

"As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist."

"Or," not "nor." Because if it were "nor," commenting would be pretty easy. By the way, if you've never seen footage of Ford, you won't appreciate how unbelievably right it would be if Chris Farley were around to play him in an SNL sketch.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/globe-investigation-the-ford-familys-history-with-drug-dealing/article12153014/

hashstarter?

I went to a film last week with an old high-school friend, and, no lie, this is close to exactly what he told me (he mentioned Rob and Doug, but not the other brothers)--what he'd been told by other friends, I should mention, not anything he had direct knowledge of. I didn't post anything here because it seemed irresponsible and, for all I know, slanderous. (Not that the Ford brothers have their lawyers monitoring ILX.) But the Globe story kind of brushes such concerns aside.

I don't read the Globe--they're still basically to the right, no? As dogged and stubborn as Ford has been so far, I'd be surprised if he doesn't step down within a week or two.

The Globe endorsed Rob Ford, they are right-leaning.

Highly doubt either of them will step down though - it would take undeniable physical evidence or criminal charges, neither of which seem likely right now. . There's still no proof of anything - not even a named source in either the crack or the hash story, so they have deniability.

Short of the video getting out, I think they're probably okay from a legal standpoint, yes. But I suspect the pressure to resign--more from their own side than the other--will begin to spiral out of control.

it's possible but given their history and tenacity, i don't see them caving in ever if they don't absolutely have to. these dudes don't wanna go back to running the label factory any time soon

the hand wringing over paying for stories is pretty ridiculous, news companies make big money off these things but if any source were to get a cut its a huge lol moral outrage, reminds me of a contorted logic behind not paying college athletes, only thing that matters imho is that the story is true

I think the key will be Holyday and the other conservatives on City Council. (I never follow municipal politics, suddenly I'm an expert.) Nixon was ready to fight impeachment all the way until Goldwater made it clear to him that he had next to no support within the party anymore, at which point he accepted the inevitable. That's a bit different--in Nixon's case, that would have had a direct bearing on impeachment hearings, and Ford doesn't face that--but Nixon was also famous for his stubbornness.

If they decide to dig in, should be quite a spectacle. I don't think things would ever settle down for the rest of their term...I imagine people would be coming out the woodwork the whole rest of the way. ("I did some ether with Doug Ford in 1988!)

This Kickstarter is, most of all, a fundraising for Gawker itself, right? Think abt the publicity and the clicks mahnnn.

I'm quite cynical and wary about this whole thing. I expect a lot of drugs dealers will go crate digging in their collection of 'doing drugs with famous ppl', with an inflation of the price as a result.

Oh, I've no doubt they will get to the 200k. If they are, say, 10k short near the end Gawker will spring for it themselves, surely. They can't 'afford' it to fail now.

During some twitter arguing between Gawker & the Star yesterday I think I saw Cook say they don't even get credit for Canadian page views? Incredible.

This latest hash story is a bit of a letdown - the only shock is that the Globe is speaking against the party line really

gawker could def come up w 200k for a story, they prob just think this one isnt worth it

clemenza - i've had friends tell me similar things too (high friends in places). never that they were dealing things by the POUND, mind you, but still dealing. so this is both shocking and not-shocking to me.

Willing to sell my third-hand testimony for a couple of Tim Hortons gift cards.

The only activity I disapproved of in that article was that Rob Ford snitched on kids smoking pot on school property... and his sister being a Nazi, of course.

Minor-league high school suburban hash-slinging is probably the most likeable thing Doug Ford's ever done.

Like others above, I don't think the Globe story is exactly Woodward & Bernstein bringing down Nixon. If it were a standalone out of the blue, I'd probably say ancient history and who cares?

But in context, I think it's justified. The present scandal is very relevant to Ford's job performance, and if, as appears likely, the phantom video never comes to light, the truth of the accusations will have to be weighed circumstantially. And on those grounds, I think the Globe is right in publishing the story.

Great line from Josh Marshall (with a nice Nixon allusion): "If I were advising on-the-ropes Toronto Mayor Rob Ford I’d advise him to get ahead of this story by becoming the first major elected official to come out in favor of medical crack. Instead he’s come forward with perhaps the most painful non-denial crack denial ever."

Has anyone made a "bitch set me up" comment yet because I will

agree. in itself the doug ford story isn't much, but as part of establishing a pattern that shows they are serial liars and huge hypocrites about drugs and law & order it might be significant. I still think someone will need a smoking gun to actually dislodge Ford, though. The only problem is stories like the Globe's today feed into the Fords' media vendetta narrative, so eventually the papers are going to need to really undeniably prove what they are asserting.

About $25,000 away now.

would be willing to bet that tape is long gone

And of course Doug has premier hopes - the sooner squashed the better.

Also, I bet the person who donated 10 grand to crackstarter is Mel Lastman, knowing his own legacy will be comfortably eclipsed.

Conspiracy types think the Fords reached out and bought the video themselves.

"As for a video, I cannot comment on a video captured with a blue Virgin Mobile cellphone that no longer exists."

As bad as the silences are, they start to make sense every time Rob or Doug speak up:

http://globalnews.ca/news/589636/doug-ford-calls-drug-trade-allegations-sleazy-journalism/

Rotary Club good, Jackson Proskow hypocrite, let's call an election tomorrow.

Incidentally, the Fords are doing their radio show today at 1:00 (EST). If you're interested in listening:

http://www.newstalk1010.com/player.aspx

"Bob and Doug," as a friend just pointed out on Facebook.

hey we found a dead mouse in our crack, eh? that means you owe us a free kilo

Excellent start: Rob calls 98% of the media "maggots."

"Maybe I shouldn't have said that..."

Rather amazing: 10 minutes in, and they still haven't really addressed anything. They're talking about last night's Rolling Stones show right now (which will surely clear them of all drug-related suspicion).

Quite surreal.

http://wellconnect.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Elephant-in-the-room.jpg

Bumper music's been good, though--"Can't You Hear Me Knocking," "Good Vibrations," Wild Cherry. There seems to be the suggestion that Doug will address everything during the second half of the show, after Rob's gone. The thinking seems to be that...???????

Can't stick around for Doug's hour, unfortunately. Some bizarre mix of Checkers Nixon and 72nd-hour Telethon Jerry so far.

characters an amateur could never dream up.

sometime truth is stranger than FICK_shuuuuuun

the video originally belonged to an individual who may have been killed for its potentially valuable contents, according to a source.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-police-spoke-to-mayor-fords-senior-staffer-after-tip-linked-killing-to-alleged-drug-video/article12163629/#dashboard/follows/

So, the owners of the video may be murderers now - where does this leave the gawker campaign now?

characters an amateur could never dream up.

― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Monday, May 27, 2013 9:36 AM (2 hours ago)

You'd have to be good, agreed--a friend on Facebook pointed out that yesterday's radio show had kind of a Sammy Maudlin feel to it, and sketch writing doesn't get any better than that.

it's The Wire set in SCTV's Melonville

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66hLNY-D13A

ford's press secretary just quit

this is actually the state of media-mayoral relations in toronto:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=blcj-jEXfsA

https://twitter.com/reporterdonpeat/status/339074390878732288

"the lights! the lights! will somebody get the lights!"

Imploding, brio--there's a cancer on the mayoralty...

CFTR made a big deal this morning about Ford's public support "holding firm." He was at 36% support/approval before all this, and he remains at 36%. They must never have heard of Nixon or Gingrich--if you refer to the media as maggots, of course your base laps it up and digs in. Meanwhile, Olivia Chow still leads 56-36.

Crackstarter has less than $2 G's to go with 11 hours on the clock

woah bam just hit it

I am amazed people are/were still donating to this

Just got a fundraising e-mail from Domise about a community project that started a while ago. I hope he runs in the by-election (when?), hope he wins, and I may volunteer again. But he should hold off on e-mails for at least a little while.

This is terrifying (from the Buzzfeed article above):
" hired as his personal driver a drug-dealing friend who was convicted of threatening to kill a woman, and who carried around a vial of bedbugs as a threat to his enemies; "

what's terrifying is how much support he continued to enjoy.

New Yorker piece about Ford as a blueprint for Trump. (New piece--there's a similar one that was written a year or two ago.)

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-calculated-populism-of-rob-ford

A few months ago, I should say--it only feels like two years of candidate Trump.

Robyn Doolittle, lead reporter in the crack story who went on to write Crazy Town:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/my-relationship-with-rob-ford-its-complicated/article29397563/

Older brother--who, as I'm sure I've said before on this thread, I consider even worse--says a by-election should be called immediately (because that's what Rob would have wanted), and he's "not sure" yet if he will run.

I hope, but sincerely doubt, he'll sit this one out. The seat should be contested by the people who ran last time in an impossible situation: Ford had gone public with his cancer, so everybody running against him had to almost abstain from saying anything critical out of common decency. (I don't think he was in rehab yet.) Absent Ford, I think Domise will run and win, but there was another woman in her early 20s who did quite well too. Putting the ward and the city through another Ford election and another Ford term on council is disheartening in so many ways. (If nothing else, I assume this campaign would be substantially uglier than last time.) If he does run, he'll win. Ugh.

at least if he gets in as a councilor it means he can't run for the PC leadership. i really fucking hope that party has learned it's lesson with Hudak, that they need to move towards the center and not away from it. would love to be able to consider them an option again.
on the other hand, i don't think he stands a chance with the PCs, whereas councilor would be a cakewalk for him. but - the people of ward 2 made their bed when the voted in a very obviously sick (in every sense of the word) rob ford. they've basically being going without real representation for a decade now anyways – what's another two years.

Yeah, I'm of the second view: he'd never win provincially (an election, I mean--I guess he could get the nomination), so I'd rather have him go that route.

Little Nephew Jr. running; what a drag. Part of me wants Domise to take a chance, most of me says don't bother.

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2016/05/04/byelection-to-be-held-to-fill-rob-fords-seat.html

lil guy

according to that article his birth name is Michael Stirpe

I'm glad they're rewriting the fact that it was a female reporter who investigated Rob Ford. Why have a woman be a lead character when a man could do it? Ammaright? https://t.co/Nx3holhuZW

— robyndoolittle (@robyndoolittle) April 10, 2018

srsly

caroline dhavernas is even canadian!

https://giphy.com/gifs/television-hannibal-3cXQ1pfu2Vf3O

Thermo and I are to blame.

at least if (Doug) gets in as a councilor it means he can't run for the PC leadership. i really fucking hope that party has learned it's lesson with Hudak, that they need to move towards the center and not away from it. would love to be able to consider them an option again. on the other hand, i don't think he stands a chance with the PCs...

― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, April 1, 2016

Yeah, I'm of the second view: he'd never win provincially (an election, I mean--I guess he could get the nomination), so I'd rather have him go that route.

― clemenza, Saturday, April 2, 2016