Rob Ford compares political rivals to 'Joe Stalin'

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Rob Ford compares political rivals to 'Joe Stalin'
Toronto mayor says opponents 'two steps left' of Russian dictator

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford compared his political opponents at city hall to despot Joseph Stalin on Tuesday, the same day that one of those councillors had praised the mayor for a new attitude.

Speaking on Toronto radio station AM 640, Ford was asked a question about Coun. Josh Matlow — a first-term politician usually described as centrist, who has said he will oppose the mayor's planned abolishment of the land transfer tax.

After calling Matlow a "left-wing NDPer," Ford compared him to left-leaning councillors Adam Vaughan, Gord Perks, Janet Davis and Paula Fletcher.

"These people are all two steps left of Joe Stalin," he said. "So I'm not discouraged by that and I don't expect it. They don't care about the taxpayers. But I know one person that does, and that's me."

Earlier in the day, Matlow had told CBC's radio program Metro Morning about a new spirit of co-operation and communication coming from Ford.

"His staff, his office, have been reaching out to myself, to other city councillors, trying to get a sense of where we're at, what we'll support, what we won't," he said.

Joseph Stalin was the general secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party from 1922 to 1953, during what is now considered a reign of terror. Under his rule, millions of people were sent to slave labour camps, his program of forced agricultural reform cost millions of lives and his program to purge the Communist Party of "enemies of the people" led to the execution of thousands.

Matlow was asked for a comment about the mayor's comparison, but declined.

Rob Ford compares political rivals to 'Joe Stalin' - Toronto - CBC News
 
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Admittedly, the headline would have been much funnier if it said "Robert Ford".
 
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"History would be marvelous - if only it were true." Lev Tolstoy

To correct the OP -
Stalin was a Soviet dictator; he was Georgian by nationality.
 
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Mayor Rob Ford gets a history lesson on Joseph Stalin.

Mayor Rob Ford has never been particularly strong on history (or economics, or labour relations, or ethnic outreach, or . . . well, you get the picture.) But it still came as a surprise to hear him publicly labeling Councillor Josh Matlow, and certain others on Toronto city council, as “two steps left of Joe Stalin.”

It’s an unfair comparison. And to illustrate why, we offer these short profiles of Stalin and Matlow. Can the mayor spot which one is among history’s greatest monsters?

Josh Matlow
Date of birth: Nov. 27, 1975
Name on birth certificate: Joshua Joseph Matlow
Nicknames: None. (“Stalin, certainly, was not my nickname.”)
Height: 5’ 10”
Early job: Newspaper delivery for The Toronto Star.
Title: Councillor, Ward 22
Victims: None known
Striking physical feature: None

Early success: As a Toronto District School Board trustee Matlow initiated a student cell phone ban in public schools.

Most memorable achievement: Led the way with a breakthrough budget motion that succeeded in rolling back key service cuts demanded by the Ford administration. About $19 million worth of public services were ultimately spared.

Quote: “I’m advocating for a more thoughtful, creative and responsible new approach for city council.”

Joseph Stalin
Date of birth: Dec. 18, 1878 (died March 5, 1953)
Name at birth: Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili
Nicknames: Soselo, Koba, and Dear Father (after assuming complete power and ruling with a merciless hand). He took on the name Stalin, based on the Russian word for steel, around 1912.
Height: 5’ 6” (although he was known to wear elevator shoes)
Early occupation: Fulltime revolutionary and outlaw.
Title: General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union’s Central Committee.
Victims: Approx. 20 million
Striking physical feature: Large handle-bar moustache.

Early success: Helped organize the 1907 Tiflis bank robbery which netted 341,000 rubles for the Bolshevik cause. Forty people were killed.

Unforgettable actions: Starved millions in famine of 1932-33; signed non-aggression pact with fellow dictator Adolf Hitler; executed thousands in the Great Purge of 1936-38; led the Soviet Union to victory in World War II.

Quote: “Death is the solution to all problems. No man — no problem.”

Mayor Rob Ford gets a history lesson on Joseph Stalin.
 
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