Monday, November 18, 2013

Rob Ford as Prime Minister?

The latest in the Rob Ford saga is that he apparently wants to be Prime Minister... of Canada.  He could certainly be Prime Minister of his backyard.  But of Canada?  For those hitting the panic button, I would like to point out a critical difference between the US and Canada.  In the US, any yahoo who can get enough money and votes can win a primary or two or three (Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Luke Perry, whoever).  In Canada, parties matter much more for who can run on behalf of the party.  So, would the Conservatives let Rob Ford run for a riding (district) to gain a seat in Parliament?  Would the party then select Rob Ford to be its leader?  Yeah, I didn't think so.

Is Rob Ford a delusional addict?  Um, yeah.  He might have had a grasp on reality a while back but his current circumstances make it very hard to imagine any major party riding the Rob Ford express to national power.  Have stranger things happened?  Not so sure.

My uninformed guess is that it is easier for a Rob Ford to win at the municipal level.  To win at the national level requires a whole lot more (credentials) and a whole lot less (flaws/felonies).  So, I am not going to panic.  I am just glad I moved to Ottawa and not Toronto.  This keeps my embarassment level at level four.

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