Comments on: Listen, not to defend whatever the hell the mayor did now, but…

By: Ian MacIntyre

Ian MacIntyre — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:32:14 +0000

Personally, I think this is all part of a broader effort on the Ford side at this point. Not that the distracted driving was premeditated, but we’re at a point in Ford’s term where he has clearly been instructed to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible, save for the occasional press conference or public campaign-style appearance. In the absence of any real policy discussion from the Mayor, progressives are left to spin their wheels at the first sign of a “Ford gaffe”… thus proving Ford’s point that his critics are just snarky downtown whiners who won’t give the mayor a fair shake. If anything, I bet this minor gaffe will a) be forgotten by next week, and b) result in positive reactions among his supporters, if anything. “Hey, the guy made a tiny mistake. Stop picking on him! I do the same thing from time to time.”

Admittedly, I know I’m a guy ho has spent a great deal of time online making fun of the mayor, but I feel like this stuff is just starting to play into Ford’s narrative a bit too conveniently. Let’s criticize the guy on policy, and in the absence of that, save our energy. Oh, and proposing some alternatives wouldn’t be a bad start either.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:22:58 +0000

Thanks, Tom. My source on “not technically illegal” was the police statement cited in the article linked to in the first paragraph, which states that charges can’t be laid unless Ford had committed another offense at the same time.

The safety regulations you’ve linked to, which of course are all great ideas, don’t appear to be the strict letter of the law.

That said, I do wonder if he’ll concede to getting a driver. And I do wonder what the reaction will be if he doesn’t.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:17:06 +0000

I disagree with the statement that this “isn’t technically illegal”. It very much is illegal. It falls squarely under the “distracted driving” rules. While the distracted driving law was designed to prevent the use of electronic devices, the MTO’s website highlights “reading maps or other materials” as a cause of distraction.

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/distracted-driving/distractions.shtml

There are some other points that I think are missed, particularly related to how public figures are held to a higher standard, they should serve as role models (and someone who is proud of his football coach pedigree should appreciate that), etc. but those are matters of opinion. The fact is the Mayor did something dangerous and illegal and that deserves consequences.