In just the latest example of his international infamy, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been held up as an example of all that is wrong with politics in a new U.S. attack ad.
George Demos, a Republican congressional candidate in New York, placed Ford's photo next to U.S. President Barack Obama and Democratic congressman Tim Bishop in a 30-second spot called "One of Us."
A narrator asks viewers if they are "tired of politicians," before singing the praises of Demos, a former federal prosecutor with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as an outsider who "knows the good guys from the bad."
Kevin Tschirhart, Demos' campaign manager, told the Toronto Star that Ford was featured because "what we're against is corruption in politics."
Tschirhart said that while Demos isn't necessarily comparing Bishop to Toronto's controversial, crack-smoking mayor, the ad was intended to convey the message that voters have grown weary of politics as usual.
"People want candidates who are going to get work done and are going to stand for what's right," he said.
The Ford saga has captivated people around the world and provided seemingly unlimited fodder for top U.S. comedians, from Jon Stewart to David Letterman.
Now it appears that even Florida is laughing at Canada's biggest city.
Last week, police arrested Barry Layne Moore, the mayor of Hampton, Florida, for allegedly procuring and selling OxyCodone.
"This isn't Toronto," said Bradford Country Sheriff Gordon Smith in a statement. "We will not tolerate illegal drug activity, in my jurisdiction, by anyone to include [sic] our elected officials."
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