Tuesday, October 02, 2007

15 Seconds

The Ontario media is buzzing about the confrontation between John Tory and an irate voter this morning. One paper is kind enough to post a video of what amounts to a rude display, that frankly doesn't merit hijacking a day of coverage.

Of course we like to see Tory get the gears, because in many respects he deserves it. However, partisanship aside, I've never been a big fan of one person interjecting themselves in such a classless way. Frankly, I'm not interested in Frank Devine's opinion, not so much that it dominates the discourse for a newscycle. The media doesn't vet these people- is they guy sane, or a crackpot who doesn't have manners and is prone to aggressive outbursts? Can we really conclude that John Tory is in trouble because an angry voter confronts him in a supermarket?

John Tory is in trouble, regardless of Mr. Devine the "pissed off voter". You could put any politician, in every riding, from across the spectrum, and find a few people willing to crash the party. The fact the media loves to highlight these confrontations is part of the reason that politics has become so scripted, handlers so careful, words and campaign events so stale. John Tory was about to have a bad day, regardless of the cranky shopper. I don't find this event indicative of much, except maybe the media's preference for the sensational.

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