Friday, August 27, 2010
Books In His New Book, Harold Ford Claims Racist Plot Caused his '06 Defeat
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 7:39 AM
If there were two things I could have taken back during the campaign, it would be those two actions. I had worked so hard to establish credibility and maturity. Those actions hurt me but they weren't fatal. Corker needed more. He was becoming more and more desperate because of the tight polls.
What did Corker do? According to Ford, the Republicans decided to play the race card:
We got word that Corker's desperation had triggered a reversal in strategy. They were going to launch an all-out assault with race being the organizing and consistent theme.
That new strategy produced the notorious "Call Me" TV ad, among other attacks, Ford writes. More in this week's Scene, including how Ned McWherter refused to do a TV ad that Ford thinks might have saved his candidacy.
Comments (15)
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No, the mistake that cost him his candidacy was being named Ford. Whatever abilities and good intentions he may have had, most people east of the Tennessee River consider his family a laughingstock and an embarrassment and they would have voted for any random guy off the street before they'd send another Ford off to Washington to carry on the family tradition on a national stage. Blame Corker and McWherter all you want, Harold, if that helps you deal with it. But the real reasons you lost were John and Ophelia.
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Anyone who says the "Call me" ad was racist is a liar and probably a fool, too. It was idiotic, but it had nothing to do with race. If anything, that ad probably helped Ford at the polls due to the people disgusted that Corker would allow such a stupid ad.
There are 2 primary reasons that Harold Ford lost the race:
1) His last name is Ford.
2) He is a Democrat and this is Tennessee.
Tom,
Why would Corker risk alienating voters who would be offended by a racist ad when, you assume, racists were voting for him anyway? It makes no sense. A better thought would be that the Corker people used the ad to lure Ford into raising the race issue knowing that the charge would alienate swing voters who did not see the ad as racist and object to being called racists (or fools).
The 'call me' ad didn't play on race. It was a reminder that the playboy congressman was a lightweight who got his seat in Congress as a law school graduation present. If you don't think that perception was out there, ask some Memphis liberals about who is the better representative, Ford or Cohen.
Besides, Ford ran better than any Democrat in Tennessee not named Bredesen since 1994. Hardly a argument for the racism of Tennessee voters.
I also note that Ford ran far better than President Obama did. Not only did he lose the state to McCain but he got demolished in the primary by then-Senator Clinton. He lost traditionally Democratic counties by 3/1 or 4/1 and higher. More evidence, I suggest, that race was not an issue in 2006.
Because he is a mixed breed, both black and white people hate him. This poor guy can't win!
Mark, I partially agree that the Call Me ad was about the fact that A) Junior was single at the time and had a playboy reputation, even though B) republicans down here had a whisper campaign that he was gay.
Where Race DID play a factor was that african-american women here learned in the aftermath that Junior had a white girlfriend (now his wife). THAT didn't help him either.
The race factor hurt him in all the rural areas but especially in East Tennessee; you could draw a line North from Chattanooga to the Kentucky border and see that Junior carried NO counties east of that line.
Steve,
That is interesting about African-American women. Do you think that the Corker people calculated that or was it a side-effect? I am curious to see how some of the regular lefty posters here view that analysis.
As for East Tennessee, why do you think race was a factor there? East TN has been Republican since the Civil War. Other than Bredesen, can you name a Democrat since 1994 that carried any of those counties in a statewide race? Also Nathan Vaughn won three terms as a Democratic State Representative in a heavily white and heavily Republican district in Upper East TN. How many white Republicans or even Democrats represent heavily African-American districts in traditionally Democratic West Tennessee?
I don't agree that republicans thought Ford is gay. Corker on the other hand walks, talks, and acts gay. Hell most republicans are gay. I don't Corker has any agenda. What ever Corker is told to do..he does.
Corker's not gay, you can look at him or listen to him and tell that. Also, I don't know any gay repubs. Corker has gotten a few good marks from the MSM, BTW. As for the ad that's just show biz, chillun. Just get over it. I always thought THE AD might piss off black women in Memphis or anywhere else for that matter; I don't think that has gotten the attention it deserved. Anyway, the media is the media and we conservatives will live out or lives as racists.
That's right John! The libtard media will always call us right-thinking, salt of the earth conservatives racist! Harold Jr didn't lose because of a racist plot! He lost because he's brown!
"That is interesting about African-American women. Do you think that the Corker people calculated that or was it a side-effect? I am curious to see how some of the regular lefty posters here view that analysis."
It would be indeed be funny to hear how the lefitsts would spin that, since they can't acknowledge it without acknowledging black against white racism.
Harold new books is a "Media Guide". It's purpose is to re-introduce himself to those
who may only know him slightly and let them know he was a worthy candidate beaten by racism. He convinced Don Imus and Chris Matthews of that and since he hopes to either run again, in some state, or wishes to get some premo appointment to come grand position "they" must know the Harold Jr. within the book. He ran a close race, but there were some slip ups and along with the name and voting
record he simply got beat!
Gee another black saying racism. Isnt that getting old? Isnt it about time that minorities sing another tune, people dont listen anymore. Its like the boy who cried wolf, except now its the boy who cries racsim. Ford lost because people didnt like his politics plain and simple. The fact that he cried racism just shows how racist HE really is. Go find another hole to crawl into Ford.
