Thursday, October 26, 2006

IF YOU LIVED IN TENNESSEE, WOULD YOU VOTE FOR HAROLD FORD? THANK GOD I DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION!

THAT DECISION!'>THAT DECISION!'>THAT DECISION!'>THAT DECISION!'>>THAT DECISION!'>


Last week a friend and ally asked me for some help with fundraising for his progressive Democratic organization. He had a great idea and I was extremely excited. But when I looked to see exactly who the fundraising would benefit I was sickened. First on his list: fake Democrat Harold Ford of Tennessee, someone I would have trouble even voting for, let alone giving a dime to! But what about making Harry Reid Majority Leader and what about all the committee chairs? Yes, that's where the trouble part comes in. If not for those factors I would never in a million years even consider voting for reactionary assholes like Ford (or either Nelson or Landreiu or... well, of course, there's Lieberman in his own category of treachery).

Like any other corrupt corporate whore-- regardless of partisan affiliation-- Ford voted for Bush's Big Business-oriented bankruptcy bill. And he voted to abolish habeus corpus in America and in favor of allowing Bush to torture anyone he likes. That's what I'm supposed to raise money for? The traitorous congressmen who voted to abolish habeus corpus should face treason trials someday-- along with Bush and Cheney. But today I should vote to give them more power?

After yesterday's New Jersey Supreme Court decision Ford made the following statement:
"I do not support the decision today reached by the New Jersey Supreme Court regarding gay marriage. I oppose gay marriage, and have voted twice in Congress to amend the United States Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. This November there's a referendum on the Tennessee ballot to ban same-sex marriage - I am voting for it."


Today he ran to a right wing radio host to repeat his anti-gay bigotry over and over again. Screw Harold Ford! If we want a grandstanding demagogue and bigot who is willing to trample on the rights of others, we have Corker. Maybe I'd get in the voting booth and hold my nose and weep a little and gnash my teeth and vote against an overtly rubber stamp U.S. Senate (and in favor of a slightly less rubber stamp Senate) and pull the lever for Ford... maybe. But pay for the privilege? Not a chance. Not a dime for Harold Ford.

And voting for this asshole moves the Democratic Party inexorably towards the reactionary values of the Republicans we're trying to get away from. "But he's a fighter," is what you hear from Democrats. True, he's a slimy opportunist with an outsized sense of entitlement (first African American president ambition) who fights... for himself. He's a Democrat by chance, not because the Democratic Party particularly stands for something. At this point, the reasons to hope he wins and the reasons to hope he loses are about in balance.


UPDATE: TWO COMMENTS AS TO THE PLACE OF TENNESSEEANS ON THE EVOLUTIONARY SCALE

Almost simultaneously I just got two e-mails; one was to approve the comment from Rick on this piece (please read it) and the other was from my friend Christy pointing out a piece by Attytood called "Can 6 million Tennesseans Be This Backwards? (No)."

Obviously I feel the same pain that Rick does about political compromise, particularly one this "stinky." Will Bunch has had the time to drink a cup of coffee and think it over some. As usual, his insights are worth considering. And, like myself, he comes to a harsh conclusion: "It's just too bad there's no lever in this race for "'none of the above.'"

5 Comments:

At 9:03 AM, Blogger Scott said...

Absolutely on the money....I feel the same way about Hillary Clinton too. I am voting for someone who still hasn't come out against the Iraq war for President?

 
At 9:35 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hear you, and I don't like what he says one bit, but he may be saying these things because he knows his constituency, and feels that he can't win otherwise. One more Democratic body in that building is better than having one with the same views but in the (R) column, if only for the sake of having a majority, having the power to subpoena, set the agenda, etc..

Haven't we been out of power long enough? It's a stinky compromise, but politics is like that.

 
At 9:56 AM, Blogger KenInNY said...

Whew, this is a tough one, and I'm curious to hear what more readers have to say.

I can see both sides. Electability really doesn't justify going out and actively preaching hatred and bigotry, does it? On the other hand, it's entirely possible that the Tennessee Senate seat could make the difference between Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Majority Leader Harry Reid. And on yet the other hand, as Howie points out, what kind of legislating can we look forward to with a Democratic majority filled with . . . well, we all know the names?

Ken

 
At 11:03 AM, Blogger Scott said...

I agree it is a tough one but this guy is basically the "Republican lite" that blurs the lines between Democrats and Republicans, which helps people say "see they're all the same".

 
At 8:10 AM, Blogger texanrob said...

Screw Tennessee, Stay in your bigoted backward state while the rest of us move on!

 

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