“Insert Vague Response on Policy”

Can you seriously support the claim that Rob Ford can run an entire city - over the objections of a Council that will do everything it can to stop him - when Ford doesn't seem able to manage his own campaign's communications department? Inquiring minds need to know - like me!

You see, much of the conservative blogosphere - many of whom are my friends - are Ford supporters that have been trying build the narrative that the Goddamned Liberal Media is persecuting their guy and is responsible for everything that happens to him.

The only problem with that narrative is that it's nonsense. Ford has been tripping over his own dick from the moment he was born. I'm surprised that his wife doesn't make him wear a helmet whenever he leaves the house, lest he further damage his noggin.

Then there's the small matter of Ford's using City Council letterhead to solicit donations for his dopey football charity, for which he has been unanimously reprimanded by the city's Integrity Commissioner and Council. My friends don't think that it's a big deal when Rob does it, but it's a very big deal indeed when, say, Charlie Rangel does.

My basic point is that each and every time Ford finds himself immersed in scandal, an almost daily occurrence over the last decade, it's by his own doing. And I predict that he'll have at least four more scandals between now and October 25th.

But few stories are as gloriously entertaining as this one;

Looking for a vague response from Rob Ford? Try emailing him.

Such was the reply Cathie Besso received after sending the mayoral frontrunner an email asking him what he plans to do about bike lanes in the city.

She received a form letter, first thanking the Beach resident for passing along her concerns.

But what struck her as odd was the second paragraph, written in bold.

“Insert vague response on policy,” it read.

Look, I understand politics better than most folks, and I get the necessity of vagueness, particularly during a campaign. I also understand that there are few alternatives to sending form letters in response to voter inquiries. Most campaigns and political offices (the Star isn't clear whether the Ford letter came from his campaign or his City Hall office, which are supposed to be two separate entities) are too busy to write personal responses to everyone.

But is simple proofreading too much to ask? Is it unreasonable to expect that you would appoint just one person on your staff to look over any outgoing correspondence and make sure that it doesn't reinforce the perception that you're, y'know, an idiot?

This story couldn't be more insignificant in the broad picture of Rob Ford's ability to fuck up even the simplest of tasks, the stories of which are legion. But it does highlight the fact that he's reckless, careless, and not especially bright.

I don't care what the polls say, there's no way this guy's gonna win.