The day after the big TV debate in a federal or provincial campaign it’s all about the sound bites that get replayed and banner headlined in newspapers. In a Toronto mayoral election it’s about honing the attack, getting up and doing it all over again in two more debates on the same day.
The expectation might be that the newest candidate in the Toronto race, Doug Ford, would be keen to step up and be part of Wednesday’s lunch hour debate put on by the C.D. Howe Institute. Wrong. Ford took the day off from debating. Tomorrow night Ford has a fundraiser to raise money for his campaign so he won’t be at the Environment Alliance debate either. That means Friday’s noon hour debate at the Empire Club will be round two between Ford, John Tory and Olivia Chow.
But first the three candidates spent today finishing up the dust-up they started last night. Before this afternoon’s debate Chow and Tory stepped up and kept spinning last night’s debate for reporters today. Chow laughed dismissively as she pointed out that it appeared Ford used the same research binder that his brother Rob used when he was still in the race and debating earlier this month. Tory piled on telling reporters Ford seems to think “the louder you talk the truer something is.” Tory went on to talk about Ford’s “bully style tactics” during the debate.
Then, this afternoon, just in time for the evening run of TV newscasts, Ford met with reporters at his campaign headquarters. For almost half an hour Ford took one shot after another at Tory. He opened by declaring that last night’s debate showed, “John Tory is not prepared to be mayor” and added, “This is not the time for on the job training.” He then declared this Friday, Sept. 26, “Take John Tory to Work Day.” Ford said he wanted to introduce Tory to city hall “to show him how to get things done.” The gimmick included an invite to a tour by Ford for Tory and a poster spelling it out. The Ford attack didn’t end there. Ford said Tory was “parachuted into every job because of his name.” He went so far as to say that Tory was parachuted in as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party in 2004.
It’s worth going back and checking what happened 10 years ago. In that leadership race Tory defeated the late Jim Flaherty, a close friend of the Ford family, on the second ballot 54 per cent to 46 per cent. That leadership race was no coronation. Today’s attack by Ford on Tory was very personal. Throughout the half hour there was only one target, Tory, and not once did Ford mention Chow.
Before tonight’s debate at the Black Business Association Tory came to CP24 to respond to Ford’s tirade. Tory said Ford’s comments were a “sort of bully boy routine … he calls himself the enforcer – the hammer – at city council. He calls the city councillors monkeys. He says he can’t wait to get out of the place and get to Chicago. He tells the premier of Ontario to grow up and he’s the guy who’s the big expert on getting things done? I don’t think so.” Tory repeated again and again that Ford is a bully.
Ford came out swinging at the debate last night and today he kept on trying to get to Tory. After calling Ford a bully Tory tried to find a way to refocus the discussion to the issues, talking about gridlock and jobs. Chow got shunted to the sideline today as the war of words between Ford and Tory grabbed everyone’s attention. Chow risks being left behind as she raises issues that are important to the future of Toronto but are drowned out by the very personal attacks between Ford and Tory.
