As a social conservative I recoil at the embarrassment Ford has inflicted on his wife and children and cringe at the damage he’s done to his dignity. I don’t, however, wring my hands over his supposed affronts to the dignity of the office of mayor. Politics is a deeply suspect and compromised business and sane people are rightfully suspicious of the character of anyone who wants to excel at it, and I’m only being a little flippant when I say that it might be misplaced to demand high moral purpose from the man whose responsibilities include the efficient working of your sewers.
Ford might have bolted from the election trail deep into the bushes but he remains on the ballot, which is, even for a municipal election, particularly dismal. The serious candidates to the right of NDP standard-bearer Olivia Chow are either untrustworthy (Karen Stintz,) uninspiring (David Soknacki,) or both (John Tory). I can’t predict what fresh mortification Rob Ford’s ill-chosen friends might capture on their iPhones between now and October, but of the alternatives are still so measly, I might not be the only person to vote for another four years of life in Crazy Town.
