While Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has become internationally known as the mayor who admitted to smoking crack, his family considers itself a sort of "political dynasty," according to reporter Robyn Doolittle.
She appeared on The Daily Show on Thursday, to promote her new book that explores the Ford family and their political legacy, "Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story."
Doolittle -- who covers city hall for The Toronto Star, and is one of three reporters who have seen a video in which Ford appears to smoke crack – tried to explain the difference between the Ford family’s self-perception, and the way they are now seen through the lens of scandalous headlines and late night TV monologues.
"There's this really interesting, fascinating story that brought us to this point about a family that fancies themselves a political dynasty, the Ford family," she told The Daily Show host Jon Stewart.
Stewart jokingly replied that the Fords might think about themselves as the Canadian version of the Kennedy family, "if the Kennedys had all smoked crack."
Ford has become something of a celebrity following a number of recent headline-making incidents, including his admission last year to smoking crack cocaine while in a "drunken stupor."
Doolittle has been making the rounds on U.S. and Canadian TV and radio, to promote her new book which hit shelves this week.
In The Daily Show interview, she explained why she believes Ford continues to retain support among some Torontonians, despite his admission of drug use and other recent controversies surrounding his mayoralty.
Ford has developed an "army of supporters" because he cemented his reputation as a politician who listens to his constituents, she said.
"You could be in suburban Etobicoke, which is the area that he represents, and say 'I have a pipe that's busted at the end of my street,' and he would show up with city staff and he'd fix it," she said, referring to the years Ford spent as a city councillor.
"And people are willing to overlook all of this other stuff because they feel heard. And I think that's the big takeaway."
Without missing a beat, Stewart joked: "Then let him be your country's super. Let him be the concierge, if you will."
