Longshot candidate Ari Goldkind injects some uncomfortable truth into the campaign: James

But what is attractive about Goldkind is how he is using the campaign bully pulpit to drive home the point that Toronto needs investment for it to continue on the path that has landed us at the top of most surveys of livable, functional, successful cities.

On Sunday night, Goldkind took another giant step — one that did us all a favour. He called out the Fords on racist comments made by Mayor Rob Ford (open Rob Ford’s poilcard) in a recording made last March. In it, an apparently drunk mayor Ford says:

“Nobody sticks up for people like I do, every f—-ing k—e, n——r, f—-ing w-p, d-go, whatever the race. Nobody does. I’m the most racist guy around. I’m the mayor of Toronto.”

If you can’t decipher the above blanks, the mayor was using derogatory comments to describe Jews, blacks, Italians, and others. So, since Doug Ford (open Doug Ford’s poilcard) has stepped in to run for Rob Ford because of the mayor’s illness — and since Doug embraces just about everything Rob, by way of policy, politics and personality — one brother can’t help but be propped up or sullied by the actions of the other.

At a debate organized by the Jewish community Sunday night, the three top candidates for mayor — and Goldkind — were asked how to keep Toronto safe, including a Jewish community vulnerable to anti-Semitic and hateful comments and attacks.

The other candidates skirted the issue, offering pap. Goldkind went for the jugular.

“I would start on the issue of anti-Semitism by not having a mayor who refers to us, the people in this room, the Jewish people in this room, with a derogatory name that starts with K,” he said.

Noting that the mayor had entered the room and sat right up front in support of brother Doug, Goldkind said the mayor “has shown a tremendous amount of chutzpah for coming into this room tonight…

“I am a Jewish person; I am not religious, but the fact he insulted my religion, whether under the influence or not — we cannot have a mayor like that, because that’s where it starts.” Huge applause.

If the Chinese community sponsors a debate, it is highly unlikely an Asian candidate for mayor would challenge Doug Ford to denounce his followers who hurled insults at Olivia Chow a week ago — telling her to go back to China.

The day after that ugly display at York Memorial Collegiate, I attended the debate organized by the Jamaican and African Canadian community. Based on the questions, you’d never think racism is a major issue for that constituency. Candidate Dionne Renee made some strong comments, but she didn’t have the platform or audience support that would empower her to speak with power about a disenfranchised segment of the city.

The fact is, so many poor and vulnerable citizens of Toronto are outsiders looking in that the Ford Brothers, of all people, can claim to speak for the average Joe — even as they dismiss them with ugly characterizations.

And then dismiss the hurts by claiming some version of, “Some of best friends are . . .”

If Doug Ford had any inkling of what it takes to govern all the people in a big city, his response to Goldkind Sunday night shattered any claim. He could have said: “Listen, Robbie was dead wrong on that and I told him so. There is no place for that in my Toronto.” Instead, he resorted to, as the John Tory campaign rightly called, “the classic refuge of racists, anti-Semites and homophobes: But I have lots of (insert minority group) friends.”

“You know something, my Jewish doctor, my Jewish dentist, my Jewish lawyer . . .” Doug responded as the audience of about 600 mostly Jewish citizens erupted in hoots, boos, hisses and disgust before Doug got to his “Jewish accountant.”

After Goldkind spelled it out that all the community needed was an apology, Doug distanced himself from the comments. But on Monday he doubled down to tell us his wife is Jewish.

Y’know . . . C’mon, Donald Sterling can’t be racist or anti-black; he has a black girlfriend. How can I be racist against Filipinos when my nanny is from the Philippines? I have nothing against black people; my maid is black . . .

You’d think that in 2014 we wouldn’t need to explain why this is step one in racist attitudes. Step two is uttering racist comments while drunk. Step three is sharing it among friends. Step four . . .

Ari Goldkind would have to severely alter his platform to have a chance of being elected in Toronto. But for the 2014 campaign he has already served his purpose.