Doug Ford digs himself a hole

Did Ontario Premier Doug Ford just write his epitaph?

Already hightly unpopular after a horrible ten years in power, Ford seems to think that he can just brush people off with throwaway comments, à la Trump. But Ford is no Trump, and even Trump can't get away with throwaways any more, try as he might.

Responding to student protests after Ford's callous tuition hikes and cancellation of OSAP grants, a clearly rattled Ford shot back, "These kids are so naïve. They should be ... thanking the government for just investing". He blathered on, digging himself still deeper, "They read the social media and half the people on social media [are] a bunch of looney tunes. They all run out like sheep. Give your heads a shake, kids." 

Well, I guess very few of those "kids", or the "half the people on social media" voted for him, or are ever likely to in the future, so maybe he doesn't mind pissing them off. But everyone else is watching too, and now it's all over both halves of social media. 

Ford has always been insensitive and hard-hearted, partly because he is so out of touch with the poor of his province, born as he was into a wealthy family. Now, he's just reminding people of that. Ford has got as far as he has by being self-consciously "folksy". But this is not folksy; this is tone-deaf and soulless.

As provincial NDP leader Marit Styles put it, "Give your head a shake, Doug".