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American news networks hop onboard gravy-train-wreck

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It’s no longer just giddy late night American talk shows covering Rob Ford. Now US TV news is getting in on our gravy-train-wreck of a mayor, with Fox News, NBC’s Today Show and two Monday night CNN prime time programs dissecting El Fordo.

CNN has decided covering Ford is the next best thing to reporting on a war and top shows Anderson Cooper 360 and Piers Morgan Live, the English Larry King replacement, both devoted significant time to this city’s international embarrassment.

The ever-earnest Cooper mustered plenty of disdain and disgust for our “Crack Mayor” while Morgan, himself cited in the UK’s phone hacking scandal, seemed more bemused by Ford’s follies. Cooper dispatched reporter Ben Weir to Toronto for face-to-face coverage, in response to an invitation from Doug Ford, while Morgan inexplicably flew in perennial failed candidate Sarah Thomson to try to explain our mayor to Americans.

Both shows featured clips of Ford’s now infamous cannon ball charge through council where he decked an unsuspecting Pam McConnell.

Cooper called him “North America’s poster boy for bad behaviour in politics” and listed the absurd collection of Ford fuck ups that sound even more ridiculous delivered in Cooper’s somber, serious tone. He wondered as so many do how Ford can still be in office and why he has any supporters left.

In the interview with Weir in the Queen’s Plate housing project rec room, Ford is characteristically smug: convinced that as long as one, however reluctantly, admits to any offence, forgiveness should follow. Weir isn’t buying, stunned when Ford flips into campaign mode, grinning, red faced and bragging.

When pressed about his coerced crack confession, Ford snaps: swearing on TV and in front of a room full of kids as a stone faced Doug Ford looks on, head hung, almost bashful.

“If we’re hoping for a moment of contrition here, we’re out of luck,” says a disbelieving Weir reacting to an increasingly agitated Ford who denounces Weir as just another media hack out to get him. Eventually, ever the puppet master, Doug gives the official, referee’s hands-forming-a-T, time out signal to his floundering brother to wrap up the interview

Weir is puzzled that millionaires can enjoy such support among the poor and in an interview with Doug conducted during the inevitable down time waiting for the constantly late Rob, learns of Rob’s love of Obama and that he is a “social liberal”. A passing by Queen’s Plate resident claims on camera that Doug sold his friend’s hash in high school. Doug appears soft on weed, calls for legalizing medical marijuana and says if he was going out with a pot smoking friend his buddy would be “nice and calm.”

Anderson wraps up saying he’s “stunned” by Ford’s denial and calls his claims ridiculous after Ford trots out a line we should get used as this silver spoon millionaire claims he is champion of the poor, sick of “rich elitist people and claims to be “the best father around.”

Following the Anderson Cooper broadcast, Piers Morgan can’t control his smirk as he lists Ford’s fumbles and claims Obama “would kill” for the mayor’s approval ratings despite his scandals, confessing that “in spite of it all, I quite like the guy.’

The Star’s Robyn Doolittle, also in CNN’s studio, tries to explain it saying, “you could imagine having a beer with him and he won’t judge you.”

“One of my favourite moments was when he likened this to the Iraq War, “says Morgan . “I know its wrong, I just find it funny.’

Showing live footage of Ford at Toronto City Hall, Morgan says, “The great thing about Rob Ford is he could be planning to do almost anything, I would urge you to stay watching” and calls him “the gift that keeps on giving to news media.”

As Ford leaves his office without incident we’re told “dramatically, shockingly he hasn’t done anything crazy, Rob Ford has managed to do something without going completely nuts.”

When talking with an overwhelmed Thomson, Morgan challenges her claim that Ford is doing the city damage, saying, “I’m talking to people in London who are going, ‘Wow, I want to go to Toronto, if that guy’s the mayor what’s the rest of it like?'”

Thomson makes the strange leap that because of the mayor’s fondness for gangbangers and crack, people will assume this is a citywide problem.

Wrapping up, Morgan says the Ford story will “rumble, on and on and on – hopefully.”

While Ford claims to not be addicted to crack or alcohol, he is clearly addicted to being mayor – and being (in)famous. In some ways, the American networks are now joining the rest of us, including the people and the media of Toronto, in being enablers of this fame-addicted belly flop. With the mayor determined to stick around, be just as certain the rest of the world has joined us in “staying tuned” to this sad, stupid story.

michaelh@nowtoronto.com | @m_hollett

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