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

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

so is Gawker, I think:

John Cook ‏@johnjcook 19m
Well what do you know?

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18oz6s4ciuqdyjpg/ku-xlarge.jpg

Dizzy, Bizzy, and Etobicoke Bone.

Ford's Greatest Hit possibly leaked and out there:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/05/27/rob-ford-video-copies-robyn-doolittle_n_3343234.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

this is all just so amazing.

yep, please let there be copies out there. i just really want to see rob ford smoke crack, his ruination would just be gravy.

This Star story from today lays out a pretty clear narrative:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/05/28/rob_ford_crack_scandal_fears_fords_aide_sought_video_spark_police_probe.html

http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2013/05/28/rob_ford_crack_scandal_fears_fords_aide_sought_video_spark_police_probe/rob_ford_1.jpg.size.xxlarge.promo.jpg

he's looking well

a little paler than usual, i suppose.

xposts

If that story is correct and Toewy goes public with it all, the tape might not need to come out to force a resignation.

Toewy is an ex-military guy and a straight arrow - plus Ford fired him over wacko football stuff, so he'll eventually spill it all. Will be hugely damning coming from Ford's right-hand man.

He fired him over football?!?

wacko football

a little paler than usual, i suppose.

― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, May 28, 2013 10:26 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

withdrawal?

wacko football firing:

...sources told the Star that Ford was so emotional after losing his beloved post at Don Bosco that he ordered Towhey to go to the school and retrieve thousands of dollars worth of football equipment he had donated. When Towhey told Ford that this was a bad idea, the sources said, Ford fired him.

The sources said Towhey implored other aides not to answer any phone calls from Ford that night because the mayor was so upset. Accustomed to Ford's mercurial behaviour, Towhey, who thought he had experienced a "phantom" firing, then returned to city hall the next day — at which point Ford asked him to help arrange a party next week with Don Bosco players and other friends.

Towhey, incredulous, calmly explained that the mayor's office had more urgent business. This so infuriated Ford, the sources said, that he reminded Towhey that he had been fired the night before and had him escorted from the building by security.

Happy 44th, Mr. Mayor!

that is pretty wacko

crack seems pretty wack

I'm guessing Ford will not be using Whitney Houston's "where are the receipts?" defense

crack is for poor people (not mayors)

I am imagining that entire interview happening with Rob Ford subbed in for Whitney, holding Bobbi Cristina on his lap