Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Harold Ford, Jr. enters 2006 Senate race
It's about friggin' time, Jr. (Thanks to B4B for the link.)
UPDATE: Bob Davis, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman, had this to say about Ford's entrance into the race:
""Congressman Ford has no idea of how to run a campaign on this level. A House district in Memphis is one thing; running statewide is a total different ballgame. Once his abysmal record is exposed to Tennessee families he becomes a non-starter. Where do you begin? He’s wrong on taxes, wrong on defense, supports gay marriage, and is pro-choice. Ford sounds like another non-starter named John Kerry. Every legitimate statewide poll I’ve seen has Ford’s unfavorables as high as his favorables – bad statistics for someone entering the game. Welcome to the big leagues, Congressman Ford."
Davis is right. Campaigning on Beale Street isn't the same as campaigning in Surgoinsville.
UPDATE: Bob Davis, Tennessee Republican Party Chairman, had this to say about Ford's entrance into the race:
""Congressman Ford has no idea of how to run a campaign on this level. A House district in Memphis is one thing; running statewide is a total different ballgame. Once his abysmal record is exposed to Tennessee families he becomes a non-starter. Where do you begin? He’s wrong on taxes, wrong on defense, supports gay marriage, and is pro-choice. Ford sounds like another non-starter named John Kerry. Every legitimate statewide poll I’ve seen has Ford’s unfavorables as high as his favorables – bad statistics for someone entering the game. Welcome to the big leagues, Congressman Ford."
Davis is right. Campaigning on Beale Street isn't the same as campaigning in Surgoinsville.
Permalink posted by Rob Huddleston @ 3:49 PM 
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With Congressman Harold Ford Jr. officially joining Tennessee’s 2006 U.S. Senate race, Tennesseans will finally be able to see what a winning choice looks like, rather than choosing from three choices that have all previously lost statewide races.
Honoring a long tradition of Tennessee Senators, Ford will bring common sense and practicality to the U.S. Senate. He will bring a solutions-oriented approach as he reaches out to Democrats and Republicans alike to make Tennessee and America a better place to live and raise a family, just like he has done for the people of his congressional district for the last ten years. The fact that Harold Ford Jr. has never lost an election and averaged 80 percent of the vote each time he was elected to the U.S. House shows the continued confidence the people of his district on both sides of the aisle have in him.
As a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and fiscally conservative Democrats, Ford has strived to promote positions that bridge the gap between ideological extremes. He also co-chairs the Community Solutions and Initiatives Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers that seeks to help faith and community based groups solve social challenges, and the Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus, a bi-partisan coalition dedicated to advancing policies to build savings and assets for all Americans, and low-income Americans in particular. He sits on the House Budget Committee and the House Committee on Financial Services.
With experience like that and a burning desire to fully represent Tennessee while making America a better and safer place can only mean good things for the people of Tennessee when Harold Ford Jr. gets to the U.S. Senate.
Watch video of his announcement at http://fordfortennessee.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=21
Honoring a long tradition of Tennessee Senators, Ford will bring common sense and practicality to the U.S. Senate. He will bring a solutions-oriented approach as he reaches out to Democrats and Republicans alike to make Tennessee and America a better place to live and raise a family, just like he has done for the people of his congressional district for the last ten years. The fact that Harold Ford Jr. has never lost an election and averaged 80 percent of the vote each time he was elected to the U.S. House shows the continued confidence the people of his district on both sides of the aisle have in him.
As a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and fiscally conservative Democrats, Ford has strived to promote positions that bridge the gap between ideological extremes. He also co-chairs the Community Solutions and Initiatives Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers that seeks to help faith and community based groups solve social challenges, and the Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus, a bi-partisan coalition dedicated to advancing policies to build savings and assets for all Americans, and low-income Americans in particular. He sits on the House Budget Committee and the House Committee on Financial Services.
With experience like that and a burning desire to fully represent Tennessee while making America a better and safer place can only mean good things for the people of Tennessee when Harold Ford Jr. gets to the U.S. Senate.
Watch video of his announcement at http://fordfortennessee.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=21
# posted by 
: 8:41 PM
: 8:41 PM
Mitch -
Next time, just write what you want to say and don't print Ford's resume. Yes, I know that he is on Budget and Financial Services. Yes, I know that he is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition (which isn't saying anything, because it isn't like selection is competitive for membership). Just because he averages near 80% of the vote in Memphis doesn't mean that he has earned the "confidence (of) the people of his district on both sides of the aisle." I would point to the lack of alternatives and the fact that no GOP candidate worth their salt would even think about running in Memphis.
My questions are: If Junior has such a "burning desire to fully represent Tennessee," why did it take him so long to announce his candidacy? Did the timing of the announcement have anything to do with Kurita's foray into the 9th District? Would Ford have continued to drag his feet if Kurita hadn't started raising funds in Ford's home district? Is Ford scared of Kurita?
If the media affords Rosalind Kurita the respect she deserves as a serious candidate for the United States Senate, then perhaps Ford should be worried.
Cheers,
Rob
Next time, just write what you want to say and don't print Ford's resume. Yes, I know that he is on Budget and Financial Services. Yes, I know that he is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition (which isn't saying anything, because it isn't like selection is competitive for membership). Just because he averages near 80% of the vote in Memphis doesn't mean that he has earned the "confidence (of) the people of his district on both sides of the aisle." I would point to the lack of alternatives and the fact that no GOP candidate worth their salt would even think about running in Memphis.
My questions are: If Junior has such a "burning desire to fully represent Tennessee," why did it take him so long to announce his candidacy? Did the timing of the announcement have anything to do with Kurita's foray into the 9th District? Would Ford have continued to drag his feet if Kurita hadn't started raising funds in Ford's home district? Is Ford scared of Kurita?
If the media affords Rosalind Kurita the respect she deserves as a serious candidate for the United States Senate, then perhaps Ford should be worried.
Cheers,
Rob
Rob-
We are still 18 months from the 2006 Elections and only 6 months removed from the last election cycle. I would hardly call that "waiting so long" to make a decision as big as making a run at the US Senate. Harold Ford Jr. has said himself that he needed time to pray about the decision and fully think about if this was the right time for such a move. I for one can fully respect a man's decision to think long and hard about if he is willing to subject himself to the scrutiny that is sure to come with statewide campaign. The decision to leave a safe congressional seat and put your political future on the line is not a decision I would be able to make over night. Would you?
The fact that Congressman Ford has put this much thought and concern into his decision to run only endears his candidacy to me more. When a person puts that amount of concern and thought into a decision it can only be an indicator of the amount of concern and thought he will put into the decisions that will affect the lives of you and me as Tennesseans and Americans.
We are still 18 months from the 2006 Elections and only 6 months removed from the last election cycle. I would hardly call that "waiting so long" to make a decision as big as making a run at the US Senate. Harold Ford Jr. has said himself that he needed time to pray about the decision and fully think about if this was the right time for such a move. I for one can fully respect a man's decision to think long and hard about if he is willing to subject himself to the scrutiny that is sure to come with statewide campaign. The decision to leave a safe congressional seat and put your political future on the line is not a decision I would be able to make over night. Would you?
The fact that Congressman Ford has put this much thought and concern into his decision to run only endears his candidacy to me more. When a person puts that amount of concern and thought into a decision it can only be an indicator of the amount of concern and thought he will put into the decisions that will affect the lives of you and me as Tennesseans and Americans.
# posted by : 10:36 AM
: 10:36 AM
"Mitch" -
(If that's your true name...)
Thanks for responding with what appears to be a geniune comment (as compared to the "astroturf" campaign of your first comment that appeared word-for-word on the sites of other bloggers).
Our opinions certainly differ here. Does Congressman Ford spend so much time praying when he votes to protect criminals that also kill a fetus during their crime? How about when he voted for gay adoptions in D.C.? What about when he votes to take away firearms from families, leaving them defenseless against violent criminals? Or when he voted to keep the "marriage penalty" in place?
Ford may be praying, but his votes suggest that he might not be listening to the responses.
Cheers,
Rob
(If that's your true name...)
Thanks for responding with what appears to be a geniune comment (as compared to the "astroturf" campaign of your first comment that appeared word-for-word on the sites of other bloggers).
Our opinions certainly differ here. Does Congressman Ford spend so much time praying when he votes to protect criminals that also kill a fetus during their crime? How about when he voted for gay adoptions in D.C.? What about when he votes to take away firearms from families, leaving them defenseless against violent criminals? Or when he voted to keep the "marriage penalty" in place?
Ford may be praying, but his votes suggest that he might not be listening to the responses.
Cheers,
Rob
Mitch,
Will Ford really "leave his safe House seat?" As I am sure you and your boss know, he does not have to leave his seat while running for statewide office. I'm working on a hunch here that he will not really leave his house seat. As Rob has pointed out, he will not receive opposition "worth their salt".
Are the arrests today part of a plan to spread the Ford name across the state?
Will Ford really "leave his safe House seat?" As I am sure you and your boss know, he does not have to leave his seat while running for statewide office. I'm working on a hunch here that he will not really leave his house seat. As Rob has pointed out, he will not receive opposition "worth their salt".
Are the arrests today part of a plan to spread the Ford name across the state?
# posted by : 5:32 PM
: 5:32 PM
Yawn -
OK, you got a good laugh out of me there. I hadn't even thought that John Ford's arrest might be part of Junior's campaign kick-off, but I suppose anything is possible. All press is good press!
Cheers,
Rob
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OK, you got a good laugh out of me there. I hadn't even thought that John Ford's arrest might be part of Junior's campaign kick-off, but I suppose anything is possible. All press is good press!
Cheers,
Rob
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