He is who he is, and his messaging hasn't changed much over the course of this campaign. Ford's definition of self and policy priorities bodes well for Mayor Gregor Robertson

Yesterday’s polling showing Rob Ford taking a commanding lead over his closest rivals in the Toronto Mayoral race is stunning in its decisiveness.  From my sources around the George Smitherman campaign, the mood is sombre and even defeatist at this point.

What is even more interesting than the gap in voting intentions is the fact that a new poll today finds that Ford is now seen as the most trustworthy candidate in the race.  And what of  Ford’s criminal past where even though got busted in Florida in 1999, he hadcomplete memory loss about getting charged when confronted by the media? Merely an afterthought.

Now as I have previously pointed out, Ford as an angry man reciting rhetoric along the lines of “We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore,” is really getting traction, regardless of his past indiscretions.

Now, one might deduct that this atmosphere of backlash against incumbents everywhere should present some real pause for concern within the upper reaches of the Vision Vancouver braintrust.

And yes, this type of political climate, particularly locally as seen in recent weeks, is a consideration that cannot be overlooked, and must guide Gregor and his team to consider the suggestions I had in my abovelinked post.

That being said, the Rob Ford model for success also provides a blueprint that seems to place Vision Vancouver in a decidedly advantageous position in the coming year ahead.

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