Crypto-Republican Harold Ford insists he is a real Democrat. And what better place to prove your Democratic bona fides than the New York Post?
I hate to get all FireDogLake about this, but I’m ready to start following Harold Ford around with giant paper machier papier-mache dolls if he gets into this race.
Update. Commenter williamc:
Come on, Harold Ford only thinks he has a shot in New York because he is light-skinned and only speaks with a Negro dialect when he chooses to do so.
williamc
Come on, Harold Ford only thinks he has a shot in New York because he is light-skinned and only speaks with a Negro dialect when he chooses to do so.
Speaking as one of those light-skinned black folk who only speaks with a Negro dialect when I choose to, Ford is an embarassment to Tennesseans, Democrats, and Carpetbaggers. Go back to loosing in your home state Ford.
jeffreyw
Keep a close eye on your kittehs, folks.
New Yorker
butbutbutbutbutbut…..Gillibrand was a supporter of TEH GUNZ when she was a congresswoman. Who cares if she was on the right side of the healthcare debate and has generally voted exactly as New York Democrats would like her to? PRIMARY HER!!!!!!!
beltane
Ford should run for Dorgan’s seat in North Dakota. If Merrill-Lynch wants their own personal Senate seat, let them have that one. I’m still trying to figure out who, beyond Manhattan’s high-society circles, will support this smarmy tool.
phantomist
Really, I am. Some of my best friends are soft on terror.
AdrianLesher
Of course FireDogLake (a once great blog) is getting a bit crypto-Replublican with Jane Hamsher palling around with Grover Norquist.
Cat Lady
It’s papier mache
/DFH
The test to determine whether a Democrat is a crypto Republican is whether wingnut Cole used to like them. Ford is on the list, as is Bayh and Lieberman. This is a more accurate gauge than the Post, albeit without the heaping contempt that comes with it.
Notorious P.A.T.
2 of the first 3 comments with horrible spelling. Kill this thread.
ellaesther
@williamc: But did your father once own a Laundromat? In a Black neighborhood?
If not, Rod Blagojevich is probably a better judge than you.
Zifnab
My god, Ford is such a tool. Although he is an excellent case study in what conservative Democrats and Blue Dogs think of primary challenges when the candidate isn’t named Lieberman.
I am honestly a bit confused why he’s even dipping his toe into NY. Do his pollers even give him half a chance? Best case scenario, he’s a black dude with zero name recognition. Who is going to be voting for this guy over an established incumbent? He’d have better luck running as a Green.
JGabriel
Harold Ford:
Dude, do you really think that’s good enough in New York? We legalized abortion before Roe v. Wade. Anything less than a 95% NARAL score is unlikely to fly here.
.
valdivia
I don’t know who it was but during the primary fights Ford was called The Dark Sith. It always made me lol. I think it was @ Jack and Jill Politics.
williamc
@ellaesther:
No, my pops didn’t own a laudromat in a black neighborhood, but he DID own a garage in a black neighborhood, where there were always cars up on bricks out front; guess that makes me blacker than Blagojevich, though I have to admit, I know a few black women who would KILL for that wig he wears.
Keith G
@Zifnab:
No way! His name is everywhere on the street.
Jim
I think the disconnect between Ford’s high name-ID in the cable TV corridor and the real world is gonna make this one of the great embarrassments of contemporary politics. And it couldn’t happen to a bigger tool. Has he hired Dan Gerstein yet?
Will
When confronted with an already suspiciously conservative Dem in a notably liberal state, the smart move is always to primary them FROM THE RIGHT.
This makes perfect sense.
ellaesther
@williamc: As a white woman, I am unable to properly judge the relative Black-ness of garage with cars on bricks vs. laundromats (with, one presumes, baskets of clothes), so I will leave that to you and Rod to work out.
However, I would respectfully suggest that if anyone, Black woman or no, tries to touch that hair, fingers — indeed, entire limbs — may be lost. I’m from Illinois. I know these things.
Dr. Squid
@Keith G:
Usually on cinder blocks.
JGabriel
Zifnab:
To be fair, Gillibrand was appointed by Paterson, who is extremely unpopular, and she isn’t exactly an established incumbent yet.
That said, Gillibrand is likable, a smart pol, and seems to be doing a good job representing the state so far. I don’t think she’ll have much trouble winning a primary against Ford.
Finally, there are no black senators right now. Even though I’m not a fan of Ford’s politics and suspect that his motive for running is as much crass opportunism as anything else, I can’t really fault him for wanting to rectify the imbalance — assuming that too is a factor in his decision.
.
Jim C
@JGabriel:
And yet, somewhere, Roland Burris is softly weeping.
Jim
Hey, now! Roland Burris may not be much of a Senator, but….
arguingwithsignposts
If you have NetFlix subscription, I highly recommend watching “The Party’s Over,” a Philip Seymour Hoffman documentary. Harold Ford is in the opening minutes of the film, and he talks about the influence of money on politics. It’s a fascinating time machine look at this weasel of an individual. The entire film is good, if depressing, like looking at pictures of New Orleans before Katrina.
arguingwithsignposts
@JGabriel:
Harold Ford is black? I thought he was running to represent green ($$$)
eastriver
@Dr. Squid:
He could get beat her. Gillibrand is a wretched politician.
But if you really want to make some 10′ puppets, I’m in, Doug. I live in the city.
Let’s do it.
PUPPETS ARE EFFECTIVE POLITICAL TOOLS. Just ask Dario Fo.
MattMinus
Someone should ask Marc Green and Freddy Ferrer how this will end…
Roland Burris
@JGabriel:
You’re off the guest list for my next birthday party.
gopher2b
@williamc:
I hate New York Senate Carpetbaggers too!!
Punchy
I think Chevy Chase needs to run against Harold Ford. Watch him Dodge the questions about Cadillac health care taxes. He’d be all, “Yugo over there, and raise your right Honda if you know the answer to these problems…otherwise, get Audi here”.
Jesus Chrysler would that be awesome.
Balconesfault
No ELECTED black senators?
Keith G
What’s Russ Feingold up to?
From Politico:
A Feingold quote:
Oh, to be or not to be….
Alex S.
I have this strange feeling that Kirsten Gillibrand is a future president.
JGabriel
Jim C:
God, I keep forgetting about him. I’m a doofus.
Thanks for the correction.
.
Mnemosyne
@jeffreyw:
That’s one of the many reasons our cats are indoor-only — we’re close to the foothills and we get coyotes trotting down our sidewalks fairly often. At least the mountain lions seem more interested in getting to Griffith Park where the deer are.
Ash Can
This whole thing confuses me too. Why New York? Does he think that’s the Senate race in which he has the best chance of winning? Are Wall Street puppetmasters parachuting him in? Both A and B? Aren’t a lot of voters going to be saying, “Holy crap, it’s Keyes vs. Clinton all over again; gimme a break”? (Except that Ford isn’t as entertaining, too bad.) Add to this the WH’s apparent support of Gillibrand, according to Robert Gibbs. (He said this recently at a press briefing — too preoccupied with other stuff right now to look for the link.) I mean, WTF? Does Ford feel as though he’s got nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain?
I don’t get it.
General Winfield Stuck
to early to comment
Kirk Spencer
For those who don’t recall, Harold Ford is carrying some major grudge against the Republicans. (Remember ““Call me”?) If he got in I’m pretty sure he’d be more than a little uncooperative with that party’s agenda. That said, he was definitely the lesser of two evils when running against Corker in 2006, and he’s a great example of how blue in the South is red everywhere else.
Bill H
Didn’t he just run for Governor in Tennessee as a Republican? Maybe I have the party wrong. Maybe it was Virginia. Maybe it wasn’t even him, just another cardboard cutout of him. (Note, “another.”)
JGabriel
@Bill H:
Senator.
Which he lost.
Are you seeing the problem here?
.
SGEW
@General Winfield Stuck: Talk about a quagmire . . .
ellaesther
@JGabriel: He’s my Senator and I forget about him. Honestly.
Zifnab
@Punchy: Win.
mistermix
@eastriver:
Yeah, beating the incumbent in a R+3/4 Congressional district is the hallmark of a wretched politician.
Jim
Senator as a Dem, a pro-war, pro-Lieberman, anti-choice, anti-gay rights, keep-Terri-on-the-tube Democrat, but with a D after his name. Lost a close race in the biggest Dem year since ’92, after which the Clintons started a campaign to get him Howard Dean’s job. Spent the fall of ’08 sucking up to Obama in a desperate quest for a Cabinet job. Currently auditions for his own FoxNews show (do they have a “Black Democrat Concern Troll Show”? I can’t believe they haven’t hired him. Maybe Juan Williams has some exclusivity clause) on Morning Ho.
General Winfield Stuck
Wingnuttery from Scott Brown
I sure hope you Bay Staters get out to vote against this fool. If he wins, we will never forgive you.
Waynski
As a born and bred New Yorker, I can’t for the life of me understand the motivation here. Another commenter pointed out that Gillebrand’s vulnerable from the left, not the right. I can’t see what Ford thinks he can accomplish. I mean it’s one thing if you’re Hillary Clinton or Bobby Kennedy, but Harold Ford? Who? Really?
valdivia
@General Winfield Stuck:
did anyone here watch the Mass debate yesterday? TPM had a report but Kleefeld wrote it and I don’t trust his analysis (never have).
arguingwithsignposts
@General Winfield Stuck:
Yeah, just doesn’t have the same ring as the original.
GregB
Harold Ford is no carpet-bagger. He’s a douche-bagger.
-G
williamc
@GregB: I think this nails my feelings on Ford in a single phrase.
Nick
@New Yorker: Forget about teh gunz, she hasn’t kissed the feet of every rabbi in Brooklyn, every priest in Queens, every banker in Manhattan. She’s from that hick country north of the Tappen Zee. Who the hell does she think she is thinking she can represent New York (City)
Nick
@JGabriel:
Well, there used to be one, but he got a better job.
If you want a black senator, get one to run. Bill Thompson? Yvette Clarke? Byron Brown? We’re not short on black people in New York State, believe me, my mother reminds me every damn day.
James K. Polk, Esq.
Doesn’t it make sense?
If the big money boyz primary Gillibrand (who isn’t a risk to the boyz) from the right, SHE CAN’T BE VULNERABLE FROM THE LEFT.
It’s win-win. Either progressives line up behind Gillibrand or Ford takes the primary and it’s Republican vs. Republican in the general.
Checkmate.
Sloegin
And nothing but nothing screams Democratic ‘Cred like being a FOX news contributor.
JGabriel
Nick:
Huh? Where’d that interpretation come from? We were discussing Ford’s motive for entering the race, not my preferences. For what it’s worth, I’m satisfied with the job Gillibrand is doing so far.
And while I do think it would be good to have more black representation in the Senate, Ford certainly wouldn’t be my first choice.
.
John S.
That report was pretty lopsided, and make it seem like Coakley got he r clock cleaned by Brown.
Personally, I think this is all a concerted effort by the blogosphere and party to light a fire under voters asses – and I am all for that. Although I confess, I think that there would be no better way to do that than for Brown to win. I mean, a Democrat seeking to replace a Kennedy LOSES in Massachusetts, thereby causing HCR and everything else to grind to a screeching halt? What better way to shine a light on the stakes for Democrats and the country?
Perhaps a loss now – or a near-loss at the very least – will do wonders to get Dems off their asses in November.
New Yorker
Pretty much. I love this city and all, but sometimes the condescension towards the 6.2 million people in this state (more people than the political prize Missouri has) who don’t live in the NYC metropolitan area is aggravating. It’s as if the entirety of upstate is right out of “Deliverance”.
eemom
dude, this isn’t “getting all FDL.” Harold Ford is an actual bona fide creep who really wants to fuck things up.
“getting FDL” = mounting hysterical McCarthyesque smear jobs against people who are trying to get shit done.
Latest casualty, Paul Krugman. Never woulda pegged him for a Rahmbot, but Jane can smell ’em a mile off.
williamc
@eemom:
Is Hamsher really going to war with Kthug, links? Being one of the folks that backed her up in the beginning on how bad the Senate HCR bill was, she lost me when she went over to the Dark side with Grover “drown our government in a bathtub” Norquist. Does she really think that she has what it takes to bring down THE go-to Lib Economist? I don’t understand how the folks that follow here would go along with it either; I mean Krugman is the go-to guy for economic analysis from our side, he’s been an O-hater for longer than she has, how are they going to take him down and why would they want to? IF this is true, methinks her head up her arse is getting a little to big for her britches…
eemom
@williamc:
sorry, can’t link from work, but just pop over to Lake Batshit and you’ll see it.
Together with Part 1 of a new expose about how ObamaRahmaReid got together to back stab Byron Dorgan.
I’m beginning to re-evaluate my long held opinion of Hamsher as just another hypocritical, self-promoting megalomaniac. Maybe she actually does, as they say, need help.
Steaming Pile
@Nick: Apparently, awareness that Upstate exists is a demerit in NYC politics. Actually having lived Upstate is a disqualifier.
gypsy howell
I’m most pissed off at FDL for assimilating TBogg. I used to be a regular at his old, downhome basset-y site. But ever since he joined the Twinky Blinky Linky Borg, I can’t read him any more. Shame, really. I miss out on a lot.
Oh, that and “Fitzmas!” — when the place turned into a junior-high caliber sorority. How’s that “we have it on good authority from deep inside Fitz’s investigation that Rove is within hours of being frogmarched to the death penalty” going?
Sly
@Ash Can:
I think this is just a way for Ford to get some face time on Cable TV on someone else’s dime. He’ll get money to run from Wall Street who thought they had an ally in Gillibrand, lose massively, and get some free publicity out of it. He’s got a book coming out next September, in case you didn’t know. Which is probably accurate, because who the fuck cares what Harold Ford has to say besides Joe Scarborough.
If he seriously believes he has a shot, he’s a bigger idiot than most people think.
carlos the dwarf
The chances of Ford beating Gillibrand?
“Scratch and win, Harold, scratch and win.”
EDIT: Can we please turn Scratch and Win into a tag or something?
BombIranForChrist
Ugh, Ford will be yet another “moderate” ready to dip his wick in the corporate ink of Wall Street. He’s as corrupt as they come.
HyperIon
@Notorious P.A.T. wrote :
maybe you’re snarking but…commenter #1 manages to misuse “only” twice in just the first sentence. a common error but PLEASE!
should be
should be
Jim
@Sly:
I did not know that. At long last, this whole thing makes sense.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Is it too much to hope the Tbaggers adopt him? That would be exactly what he deserves.
@williamc: And once again my coworkers are startled by an outbreak of insane laughter from my cubicle.
ellaesther
@HyperIon: Srsly? Dude. I’m a professional writer, and I’m just going to say that your blood pressure would be well served if you don’t go looking for, and poking sticks at, the way that people converse in these settings. A comments section is not school, or a professional presentation. This is the watercooler. We just happen to be verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry far away from each other.
Mike Kay
OH! MY! GOD!
Did you read the column:
Harold NOW says he’s pro-choice, even though he ran as anti-choice just three years ago.
New Yorkers are not dumb. They are going to be so insulted.
Nellcote
@Mike Kay:
So NARAL will support Ford over Gillibrand like they supported Lieberman over Lamont?
Waynski
@BombIranForChrist — Any Senator from New York will be in Wall Street’s pocket. RFK may not have been as he was independently wealthy. All the others, not so much. Comes with the territory.
Anne Laurie
@Keith G:
And after the primary headline writers will be able to revive the old Michigan acronym “Found On Road, Dead”.
rikyrah
it warms my heart to see all the folks in the blogosphere that have the Dark Sith’s number.
David in NY
My kid who’s on some young political type’s listserve says the word is he’s trying to make a splash to get that idiot Andrew Cuomo to pick him as his lieutenant governor.
I like the book opening theory better, however. He knows he doesn’t stand a chance against Gillibrand.
Finally, it’s just not so that “Gillibrand is a wretched politician.” I’m with whoever it was above predicting President Gillibrand. That’s more likely than lots of others with wider talk. She is really good.
The Truffle
Dear Harold Ford:
Please go back to Tennessee and make their lives miserable. Thank you.
Sincerely,
A New Yorker.