The TPM delegation to Canada has sent back video of its envoying efforts, from last night’s tour of Toronto landmarks in Rob Ford world to this morning’s attempts to present Mayor Ford with his hard-earned Golden Duke statuette. Bringing two countries closer together, one political scandal at a time.
“Mayor Ford, I have an award for you!” I shouted as Rob Ford stood in
his glass-walled office at Toronto City Hall Friday morning. “Would
you like to come get your Golden Duke?”
My first attempt to present Ford with TPM’s Golden Duke award for the
best scandal of 2013 had come a few minutes earlier as he disembarked an
elevator and entered his office ahead of a council meeting. A team of
burly bodyguards and lines of velvet ropes kept a crowd of reporters
who shouted questions away from the mayor.
“Mayor Ford, I have an award for you,” I had called out as he and his
entourage walked past, adding, “It’s for your scandal.”
I am coming to you live from the elevator in front of the mayor’s
office. We just attempted to hand Mayor Rob Ford the Duke award as he
disembarked surrounded by security. He did not respond. He must not
have seen the beautiful statue. We are waiting here for him to leave
again.
I am proud to report that we were joined by two TPM readers, Ed and
Greg. We also gave some interviews to the Canadian media, who are
clearly excited about the Duke awards.
Roll out the red carpet: Hunter Walker is at Toronto City Hall this morning to present the Golden Duke statuette to Rob Ford in person. You can follow the proceedings via Hunter’s Twitter account.
It’s worth your time this morning to read Feministe editor Jill Filipovic’s amazing confessional about her own personal battle with online harassment that became all too real: “We want to believe that the Internet is different from ‘real life,’ that ‘virtual reality’ is a separate sphere from reality-reality. But increasingly, virtual space is just as ‘real’ as life off of the computer.”
It’s a must-read.
The long-brewing dispute between Senate Republicans and the White House over the scope of the president’s recess appointment powers comes before the Supreme Court Monday. Here’s your rundown on the case, which remains significant even though, as Sahil Kapur reports, a lot has changed on the ground since the case began.
I’m dubious that anything we’ve seen so far in the Christie bridge scandal will lead to criminal prosecutions, but it’s still early and the fact is we really don’t know what exactly happened yet or why. Christie’s epic press conference yesterday left so many unanswered questions.
My own skepticism aside, we’ve talked to some legal experts, including a former New Jersey attorney general and federal prosecutor, who see at least some arguable grounds for charging criminal conduct. Here’s how they see it.
So if the closing of lanes on the George Washington Bridge wasn’t retaliation for Fort Lee’s mayor not endorsing Chris Christie’s reelection, then what was it retaliation for? Maddow et al. have a theory.
After a day spent in search of embattled Mayor Rob Ford, TPM’s Toronto delegation may have found his soul — in a steakhouse.
This tale begins with the traditional Canadian staple of poutine, a combination of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy that based on police documents, is a favorite of Ford’s. Knowing Ford’s fondness for poutine, when I spotted a food truck serving the dish in front of City Hall Thursday evening, I knew I had to investigate.
This evening, the TPM Toronto delegation toured crucial locations from
Rob Ford’s life and works.
We began by driving to his house in the suburban neighborhood of Etobicoke in the hopes we might see the mayor and be able to present him with his Golden Duke award. We did not have a close encounter of the Mayor Ford kind, but we did notice there was a branch of Canada’s beloved coffee, pastry, and breakfast chain Tim Horton’s in a gas station a block or so from his house. This seemed like a place Mayor Ford might frequent so we stopped in.