Weiner could get Democratic nod in NY mayoralty race, Ford polling strong in Toronto

We all remember Anthony Weiner, right?

He was the U.S. Congressman who, in 2011, caused a stir for exchanging sexually explicit photos with at least 6 women — some of them he didn't even know personally. The sexting scandal was enough to force him out of Washington D.C.

Well he's back eyeing a run at the New York mayoralty.

According to a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, released earlier this week, Weiner has taken the lead in the race to earn the Democrat nomination with 25 percent support among registered Democrats.

Could this guy actually be the mayor of the largest city in the United States? Are we living in some sort of bizarro world?

[ More Politics: Petition wants to crown Stephen Colbert ‘King of Canada’ ]

Maybe we have no right to look down upon our friends to the south. We also have our share of 'bizarro' politics right here in Canada.

In Ontario, the governing Liberals are polling in second place, just two points behind the Conservatives. This is a government who is marred with a gas plant closure scandal that will cost taxpayers over $500 million. If an election was to be held tomorrow, they could potentially win another minority government.

[ Related: Former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty is off to Harvard University ]

On the west coast, British Columbians recently re-elected the Christy Clark Liberals with a majority just weeks after an ethnic outreach scandal which implicated staff in the premier's office for putting together a plan to use taxpayer funded resources to win ethnic votes.

And in Toronto, a new Forum Research poll suggests that Rob Ford's approval rating is actually increasing despite weeks of drug use allegations and staff resignations. The mayor has an approval rating of 47 per cent!

When did voters in this country — and in the United States — become so forgiving? Is it a case of us overlooking a government's gaffes, scandals and warts in exchange for competent governance?

Or are politicians just getting better at 'spinning' their scandals away?

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