Its safe to say that Rob Ford is far from the most likable politician in Canada. The embattled mayor of Toronto has stumbled from one disgrace to the next throughout his political career, and recent revelations have brought him global infamy. And yet, he enjoys a persistently loyal fan base (the so called "Ford nation") known for turning a deaf ear to his highly-publicized scandals.
The latest scandal to come to light has been no exception. Ford is now under fire following the emergence of amateur videos depicting the Conservative Progressive smoking crack, making homophobic and xenophobic remarks (allegedly calling a liberal politician a "F*ggot" and muttering "F***ing minorities", and angrily ranting about killing someone (According to the Toronto Star's Robyn Doolittle, who is one of the few reporters who have actually viewed the crack smoking video).
Toronto city councillors, the media, and observers around the world have reacted to the affair—which recently saw Ford admitting to having "smoked crack cocaine"—with flabbergasted calls for his immediate resignation.
The problem of course is that many of his constituents beg to differ. Plenty of late-night comedians on U.S. TV have pointed to the municipal leader's sustained approval ratings despite the revelations. In fact, Ford's approval ratings actually rose somewhat at the peak of the media's coverage of the videos.
It's not the first time Mayor Ford has weathered a firestorm without alienating his constituency. The apparent alcoholic is trailed by dozens of accusations of assault, drug use, campaign spending violations, criminal consorts, and conflicts of interest.
Instead of quashing his political career, these sordid antics have only caused the mayor's supporters to dig in their heels. A sympathetic blogger recently noted, "I like many others in Toronto don’t really care what a man does on his own time...I still support him and will vote for him again."
"Even with this new admission I still maintain that Rob Ford is the most honest man at city hall."
What's going on here? In truth, Rob Ford was never popular because he's a stand-up guy with impeccable ethics and a five-star PR team. His base rests soundly on the way he's committed to vote, every time: against spending at City Hall.
As amazing as it may seem, there is still a chance Rob Ford may be reelected next year when Toronto's municipal elections roll around. If he is, it will be because local voters believe him when he says he's saved them $1 billion in tax payouts. There is also a perception among "Ford nation" that the media is simply picking on him and using his troubled personal life to attack him politically.
Are a certain subset of Torontonians so distrustful of the usual politician archetype, that a mayor who drinks himself into "drunken stupors", smocks crack, consorts with criminals, has made homophobic and xenophobic statements, makes angry outbursts - is actually perceived as a victim and a hero?
It would certainly appear so.