American fascination with Rob Ford continues to grow

One of the corollaries of the continuing Rob Ford scandal has been a huge dose of American attention on Toronto and our beleaguered mayor. When Ford first admitted to crack cocaine use, the story made international news but also made its way into feature and op-ed sections in publications like The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Esquire. And then the late night talk shows had a field day with the story, with Jon Stewart taking a particular interest in our municipal leader. Rather than just a curiosity, Rob Ford has became something of a fascination for American audiences. And why not - how often do you hear about a mayor who smokes crack, admits to purchasing illegal drugs, and is alleged to drive drunk, utter racist remarks, verbally assault women and get absolutely shit-faced in public?

The latest round of attention comes in the form of continued coverage of the unfolding story as well as more humorous depictions of the Mayor and Toronto (and in some cases Canada). The New York Times, for instance, covered council's vote to ask Mayor Ford to step aside yesterday. Meanwhile on CNN there are 3500+ comments on yesterday's story tracking the disturbing new allegations contained in police documents. And the LA Times is just bewildered by it all. The Ford Motor Company's decision to distance itself formally from Rob Ford made Bloomberg, and Gawker has kept tabs on the Ford story since they started it.

Beyond the news coverage, Vanity Fair got in on the action with a rather bizarre slideshow titled 10 of the World's Most Hideous Ties for Future Rob Ford Apology Press Conferences. Funny or Die did the stereotypical Canadians are polite thing in relation to yesterday's protest at City Hall, while satirical website The Daily Currant mocked that even Charlie Sheen is asking Rob Ford to step down on account of his excessive partying.

Oh, and in case you're not convinced that the Americans really are cultivating a perverse interest in the happenings at Toronto City Hall, The Onion pretty much confirms it here.

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Photo by Scott Snider.

by Derek Flack via blogTO