The harder they come, the harder they fall. And with a 70 percent approval rating at last polling, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has a long way to fall.

But fall he must.

Indeed, just months into his term, cracks are already starting to appear in his support. Given the instability of populist movements like Ford Nation, when the structure finally does collapse, it will do so with a bang, not a whimper.

Though Rob and Doug have managed so far to avoid reality, their deep understanding of inner-suburban anger enables them make up for that. Their message, as monosyllabic as it is monotonous, is calibrated to resonate with supporters, who still like what they hear.

But when the elder Ford, Doug, Ward 2 councillor and Toronto’s unofficial chief magistrate, announced recently that he has no problem with the millions the city must pay cops because of its paid-duty provisions, eyebrows were raised throughout Ford Nation.

This program, a high-speed gravy train for cops, pays police to stand around at construction sites, coffee and doughnut in hand, raking in the dough they’re not eating.

“I’m okay with that,” Ford said this week. “Is there room for efficiencies? Absolutely. But overall, $5.2 million for a billion dollars’ worth of work, I don’t think that’s too bad.”

What the “billions of dollars worth of work” has to do with paid duty isn’t entirely clear, but it’s obvious Doug was taking care of his friends, ideological and otherwise, at the expense — you guessed it — of us much put-upon, hard-working taxpayers.

Then came the extremely generous 11.5 percent pay raise the Fords gave the police. By the time that contract is done, the average cop walking the beat will be earning close to $100,000 annually.

That’ll play well in north Etobicoke.

In the meantime, other public-sector unions are being told they have no future in Toronto, which will contract out their jobs as fast as the Fords can manage.

Now there’s also a growing chorus of awkward questions being asked about how the mayor financed his campaign last fall. Critics allege that Ford went over the legal spending limit, which also offended supporters who struggle week-by-week to get by.

If that wasn’t enough, there were Doug Ford’s ill-considered remarks about Waterfront Toronto, which he described as a “boondoggle.” The development community, which likes what the agency is doing so much it has invested something like $1.7 billion in the waterfront, was alarmed by Ford’s words. Its concern was that Ford either doesn’t know, doesn’t care, or both. None of these is an attractive quality in a mayor, even an unelected one.

Doug then went on to offend thousands of football fans in New Orleans when he casually suggested their beloved NFL team, the Saints, should move to Toronto.

With leaders like these, who need enemies?

The Fords’ popularity must have something to do with their role as comic relief, but that won’t last forever, either. Indeed, it’s unlikely the brothers can yuk their way even through what’s left of their four-year term.

Thus far none of this has proved fatal to the Fords. By now, however, their ineptitude is a matter of public record. This puts them at the mercy of voters. With little to offer except laughs instead of policies, they will have to hope voters keep smiling at their antics.

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But at some point, robo-calls notwithstanding, Toronto’s electorate will tire and turn elsewhere. The only question is whether it will wait for the election.

Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca