Toronto City Councillor Doug Ford (who is the brother of the recently resigned, crack smoking, boozing and whoring Mayor Rob Ford) can’t catch a break, even when he’s obviously trying to be nice. Such an effort, to make friends inside Toronto’s Jewish community, backfired during a mayoral debate Sunday evening, CP24 reported.
The debate, hosted by the United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto and the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, included candidates Doug Ford, Olivia Chow, John Tory, and Ari Goldkind, who enjoyed the home field advantage.
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The coke hit the fan when the candidates were asked what they would do to make Toronto safer for the Jewish community.
Goldkind mentioned the allegation that Ford’s brother, Mayor Rob Ford, called Jews the K word.
“I would start on the issue of anti-Semitism by not having a mayor who refers to us, the people in this room, the Jewish people in this room, with a derogatory name that starts with K, ” Goldkind said. “The fact that he insulted my religion whether it was under the influence or not, we cannot have a mayor like that because that is where it starts.”
Councillor Doug Ford responded: “Ari, I’m not going to address your comment, but you know something, my doctor, my Jewish doctor, my Jewish dentist, my Jewish lawyer, my Jewish – hold it – accountant…”
Precious, right?
The audience of about 600 thought so, too, and, according to CP24, erupted in laughter and boos.
He asked them several times to let him finish, and the moderator had to calm them down. As far as the audience was concerned, he was Heinrich Himmler and they were the judges at Nuremberg.
“Let me finish please, ” Ford continued. “My family has the utmost respect for the Jewish community. The utmost respect. And we look forward to working with the Jewish community as we have for the last four years.”
Goldkind responded: “I don’t want to hear about your lawyer, your doctor, I don’t want to hear about that. I want you to say that what your brother said was inexcusable and it doesn’t get washed under the rug.”
There’s an allegation out there that the candidate’s brother-mayor, who is on tape for so many things, has also been recorded saying racial slurs concerning a diverse rainbow of groups.
According to a Toronto Star report, the mayor allegedly said, “Nobody sticks up for people like I do, every f—ing k–e, n—-r, f—ing w-p, d-go, whatever the race. Nobody does.”
Goldkind said the former mayor’s decision to attend a debate hosted by the city’s Jewish community (he was on hand) showed “a tremendous amount of chutzpah.”
The mayor’s brother said he had apologized.
“I have told [the former mayor] very clearly that was unacceptable and inexcusable, ” Ford said.
After the debate, the Ford brothers left the building without taking to the press. It was probably a bad idea for the former mayor to show in the first place.
All the other candidates declared their hate for the former mayor and their faith in brotherhood among all mankind.
