THE ELEGANCE OF POLITICS

it has become difficult to distinguish between "governing" and "pandering." At what point does a leader, or a government body pass from legislating for the good of its citizens, and pandering to their prejudices to get votes. This is cynical of course, but it is not new.

Throughout history, from the time of the Circus Maximus to the pose of being "tough on crime" politicians have looked for way, not to improve the life of its citizens,. but to pacify them and persuade them that they had their best interest (the citizens) in mind.

How else could you explain the current state of affairs in as mighty a place as Washington or as miniscule a place as Toronto City Hall? Obama knows the campaigning for his second term will begin soon and he is rallying public opinion. But he still seems to be his own man, having flown in the face of public opinion (or misread it) and the support of Congress by doing a troop withdrawal that falls far short of what Americans expected. We will see if the governing turns to pandering. Will he bow to public opinion and increase the size of the troop withdrawals? Without that he will be perceived to be a tool in the hands of the militsry. He can only dine out on the killing of Bin Laden for so long.

A quantum shift to Toronto, where the mayor has once again proved that he "hears what the taxpayers are saying." Council, the mayor's willing prisoners, voted to abandon the "bike riding socialists" and kill the Miller heritage Jarvis bike lanes. The mayor stayed on sideline. The bike lanes, which reduced the car traffic lanes from five to four, are to be abandoned. even though studies show that the lane reductions did not impede traffic flow. He claims that he knows what his beloved taxpayers want. (If they had their way we'd remove bike lanes and sidewalks so everything could be paved for cars.)

That move is nothing but politics. But a much more sinister move is that he will not march in the Gay Pride Parade. With hordes of taxpayers in the former suburbs, like his beloved Etobicoke, he is displaying his own homophobia. "It would not be appropriate" for him to join the gay-lesbian-trans-gendered hordes as they parade their depravity for all to see.

Is there politics here? Does it really matter? Is Ford simply using his bully pulpit to gang up ion people he does not like, homosexuals and cyclists, left-wingers and
other misguided citizens. What he needs now is to have Don Cherry pronounce him clean and caring and not one of those fellow-travellers.

The tragedy is that his level of pandering displays the narrow bias in the mayor, but even worse, a presumption that most people in Toronto are on his side.
He is nothing if not a skilful manipulator.

I cry for the future of my caring city.