Horwath appeared calm and reasonable. In Ford, they saw a leader who did not look or sound like a premier.
He was too belligerent, too in-your-face, too contemptuous, too slow to reveal his agenda yet too quick to create policy on the fly. For a professed "man of the people," he displayed remarkably few people skills.
Setting aside the issue of corruption in the nomination of party candidates — some of it Ford's responsibility, some his predecessor's — Ford did not present himself as a potential premier who could be trusted to govern wisely, with a steady hand and in the best interest of all Ontarians, especially those who do not hail from "Ford Nation."
Speaking of that nation, while Ford may not know how to manage the province's finances, he is sure he knows how to satisfy his base. He promised at the weekend that, as premier, he would mandate a reduction in the retail price of beer to $1 a bottle.
If he thinks "One-Buck Beer" is the path to power in Ontario in 2018, he is out of touch with reality.