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Harold Ford calls himself lawyer, but did not pass bar

Posted on 10/06/2006 7:54:48 AM PDT by Gopher Broke

Ford called self a lawyer but did not pass bar exam By Michael Davis Staff Writer

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Harold Ford Jr. referred to himself as a lawyer earlier this week, but the congressman has not passed the bar exam.

Michael Powell, senior adviser to the Ford campaign, said U.S. Rep. Ford took the Tennessee bar exam in February 1997 and failed. He said that was the only time Rep. Ford has taken the test.

Rep. Ford, of Memphis, got his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996, according to his congressional Web site.

He said Tuesday during a meeting with Chattanooga Times Free Press editors and reporters that Republican opponent Bob Corker has said the next senator should be a businessman and not a lawyer.

"I told Senator (Lamar) Alexander, I said, ‘I won’t hold it against you if I’m elected, and there’s two lawyers in the delegation who try their hardest to work through the issues," Rep. Ford said.

Corker campaign spokesman Todd Womack said, "If Congressman Ford will stretch the truth about his own resume, what else will he stretch the truth about?" Mr. Powell said it is his understanding that Rep. Ford was joking when he made reference to being a lawyer during Tuesday’s meeting.

"He has never held himself out as a lawyer," Mr. Powell said.

He said President Bush has referred to Rep. Ford as a lawyer.

"I think it makes sense to send somebody up to Washington who’s not a lawyer," President Bush said at a Nashville fundraiser in late August, according to a transcript. "Nothing wrong with lawyers, we got a lot of them up there."

Mr. Powell said the GOP is finding "petty" things to talk about.

"We’re a month out from the election, and the Republicans and Mr. Corker still are not talking about the issues," he said.

E-mail Michael Davis at michaeld@timesfreepress.com


TOPICS: Politics/Elections; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: elections2006; ford; haroldfordjr; leftwing; liberal; memphis; senate; tn
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1 posted on 10/06/2006 7:54:48 AM PDT by Gopher Broke
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To: Gopher Broke

But he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.


2 posted on 10/06/2006 7:55:40 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Gopher Broke
Mr. Powell said the GOP is finding "petty" things to talk about.

*snigger*

Maybe someone ought to ask Foley to put a stop to that.

3 posted on 10/06/2006 7:56:55 AM PDT by thoughtomator (Islam delenda est)
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To: Gopher Broke
"Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Harold Ford Jr. referred to himself as a lawyer earlier this week, but the congressman has not passed the bar exam."

TO lie is to be a Demoncrat.

Little John John had to retake the bar and after numerous times finally passed it.

Jessie Jackson, another racist Demoncrat, NEVER went to seminary school. He woke up one morning and anointed himself a "Reverend". I'm not convinced another race baiter, Al Sharpton is a legitimate "Reverand" but he too felt the need to become one to advance his UNChristian agenda.
4 posted on 10/06/2006 7:58:39 AM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God) .)
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To: Gopher Broke
Something that has never happened to Ted Kennedy, pass the bar that is.
5 posted on 10/06/2006 7:58:46 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan
That ole drunk teddy boy never passed the bar?

Leave it to him to get away literally with murder at Chappaquiddick.
6 posted on 10/06/2006 8:00:11 AM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God) .)
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To: dfwgator

No, the point is that he didn't "stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night". The pass rates for ABA approved law schools are usually broke out in bar exam statistics - and for an elite law school like Michigan - I would think the bar pass rate averages about 95%. Putting Ford in the select 5%, and reinforcing the idea the Michigan was selecting on race and not on merit in his case.


7 posted on 10/06/2006 8:01:29 AM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: Gopher Broke

What is it about Tennessee Democrats? This reminds me of Al Gore's academic record.


8 posted on 10/06/2006 8:02:20 AM PDT by dirtboy (Good fences make good neighbors)
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To: Gopher Broke
Abraham Lincoln: How many legs would a goat have if you called his tail a leg?

Lincoln's Answer: Four! Calling something something by the wrong name doesn't make it so.

Simplified interpretation: Calling a goat's tail a leg does not make it a leg. It's simply misnamed.

9 posted on 10/06/2006 8:02:34 AM PDT by Texas Jack
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To: Gopher Broke
"We’re a month out from the election, and the Republicans and Mr. Corker still are not talking about the issues," he said.

And Mark Foley's penchant for little boys is an issue?

10 posted on 10/06/2006 8:02:48 AM PDT by South40 (Amnesty for ILLEGALS Is A Slap In The Face To The USBP!!)
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To: Gopher Broke

Who is the Times Free Press? Do you have a link? The newspapers in Tennessee should be telling voters about this.


11 posted on 10/06/2006 8:03:22 AM PDT by HostileTerritory
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To: Gopher Broke
Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Harold Ford Jr. referred to himself as a lawyer earlier this week, but the congressman has not passed the bar exam.

Sound's like a lead in for a Holiday Inn Express comercial.
12 posted on 10/06/2006 8:04:00 AM PDT by HEY4QDEMS (Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.)
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To: thoughtomator

*snigger* __?

You're less than a foot away from a very tall cliff.

;^)

For real, the word `racist' is about to be deployed bigtime in Harold Ford's behalf.


13 posted on 10/06/2006 8:04:53 AM PDT by elcid1970
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To: elcid1970

A 'snigger' is what happens when you intend to snicker but end up giggling instead.


14 posted on 10/06/2006 8:07:24 AM PDT by thoughtomator (Islam delenda est)
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To: Gopher Broke

Another anti-truth, anti-freedom, anti-life member in good standing of The Democrat Crime Syndicate, whose falsehoods are never challenged but often amplified by his enablers.

Endowed by his enablers with certain alienable rights, that among those are lies, criminality and the pursuit of power.


15 posted on 10/06/2006 8:09:49 AM PDT by PGalt
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To: Gopher Broke

Is Michael Powell, Colin's son?


16 posted on 10/06/2006 8:10:25 AM PDT by Suzy Quzy ("When Cabals Go Kabooms"....upcoming book on Mary McCarthy's Coup-Plotters.)
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To: Gopher Broke

CONCLUSION: The bar exam is racist.


17 posted on 10/06/2006 8:11:02 AM PDT by laweeks (I)
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To: Gopher Broke

Ford will lose. He is not that bright and the Volunteer State voters will see that.


18 posted on 10/06/2006 8:13:34 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Every single day provides at least one new reason to hate the mainstream media...)
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To: nmh

By "pass the bar" I meant drinking establishments -- a play on words. Fat boy has his law degree from the University of Virginia.


19 posted on 10/06/2006 8:14:20 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement
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Comment #20 Removed by Moderator

To: Gopher Broke

He could be considered a lawyer even if he is not registered before the bar. He could be an attorney-in-fact at any time for anybody for many kinds of cases. This is a quibble.


21 posted on 10/06/2006 8:22:00 AM PDT by RightWhale (Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
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To: Gopher Broke

If he isnt a lawyer what does this guy do for a living?


22 posted on 10/06/2006 8:31:30 AM PDT by sgtbono2002 (The fourth estate is a fifth column.)
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To: sgtbono2002

Pretend to be one?


23 posted on 10/06/2006 8:35:09 AM PDT by presently no screen name
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To: elcid1970
For real, the word `racist' is about to be deployed bigtime in Harold Ford's behalf.

Was this guy an Affirmative Action beneficiary at Michigan?

If so AA should of assured him passage of his bar exam.

24 posted on 10/06/2006 8:36:17 AM PDT by Mark was here (How can they be called "Homeless" if their home is a field?.)
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To: RightWhale

It's not a quibble. You're either a lawyer or you aren't one. The difference is passing the bar and being licensed to hold yourself out to the public as a lawyer, which involves passing a character fitness exam, being legally subject to the discipline a lawyer is, and having to maintain continuing legal education requirements. Unlicensed persons who "practice law," as that is defined in various jurisdictions, are subject to severe penalties up to and including jail time. When Ford referred to himself as a "lawyer," he told a bald faced lie, a lie that characterizes the entire disingenuous campaign he's running. Your remark reminds me of the Bent One saying he "didn't have sex" with Monica.


25 posted on 10/06/2006 8:36:18 AM PDT by libstripper (!!)
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To: libstripper

It's a quibble. He is not attempting to practice before the bar. He says merely that he has a degree in law and is at heart a lawyer and thinks like a lawyer.


26 posted on 10/06/2006 8:39:20 AM PDT by RightWhale (Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
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To: sgtbono2002

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that with a law degree alone, you can work in many legal capacities on a federal level: US courts, HUD, Social Security, and the like.


27 posted on 10/06/2006 8:40:37 AM PDT by hsrazorback1 (To get what you had, do what you did.)
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Ah, missed that!
;)


28 posted on 10/06/2006 8:45:54 AM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God) .)
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To: elcid1970

That't it! The Bar exam is racist! That't the ticket!

Ford REFUSED TO PASS a RACIST BAR EXAM!


There, all better now!


29 posted on 10/06/2006 8:51:28 AM PDT by donmeaker (If the sky don't say "Surrender Dorothy!" then my ex wife is out of town.)
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To: South40

There's no proof that I know of that Foley liked 'little boys.' He's not a pedophile. He likes young, nubile teens, perhaps but not little boys.


30 posted on 10/06/2006 8:52:09 AM PDT by Marysecretary (Thank you, Lord, for FOUR MORE YEARS!!!)
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To: libstripper

My grandfather practiced law, and never went to law school. at age 52 he moved to Arizona, read law, and took and passed (firt time) the bar exam.


31 posted on 10/06/2006 8:52:46 AM PDT by donmeaker (If the sky don't say "Surrender Dorothy!" then my ex wife is out of town.)
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To: Gopher Broke

Just an exaggeration, nothing to see here. Move along folks.


32 posted on 10/06/2006 8:54:39 AM PDT by ichabod1 (Political Correctness is communist propaganda writ small.)
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To: Marysecretary

Young nubile teen MALES. That makes him a pervert.


33 posted on 10/06/2006 8:57:40 AM PDT by ichabod1 (Political Correctness is communist propaganda writ small.)
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To: donmeaker

I think there are still some states that will still license someone who has passed the bar but not gone to law school. I think Virginia is one. I may be wrong.


34 posted on 10/06/2006 8:59:16 AM PDT by carola
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To: thoughtomator

I know what it means to snigger. It's a very old word. But you were niggardly in your understanding of my intended joke.

;^)


35 posted on 10/06/2006 9:03:12 AM PDT by elcid1970
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To: mfjvet

Great point.


36 posted on 10/06/2006 9:06:49 AM PDT by Pharmboy (Every single day provides at least one new reason to hate the mainstream media...)
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To: Gopher Broke
"lawyer? no, no. I said I was a LIAR."
37 posted on 10/06/2006 9:15:36 AM PDT by smonk
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To: thoughtomator
Like a "Smocial" is a social smoker.
38 posted on 10/06/2006 9:22:17 AM PDT by Bronzy (May the force be with you.)
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To: Gopher Broke

If he lies he cheats, if he cheats he steals. ford is a liar, a cheat and a thief!

LLS


39 posted on 10/06/2006 9:24:22 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Preserve America... kill terrorists... destroy dims!)
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To: RightWhale

"He could be considered a lawyer even if he is not registered before the bar. He could be an attorney-in-fact at any time for anybody for many kinds of cases. This is a quibble."

Wrong! You cannot represent someone on legal matters without a license. You may want to look up what attorney in fact actually means (it is more of an agent capacity).


40 posted on 10/06/2006 9:40:33 AM PDT by Hendrix
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To: Gopher Broke
Bar exam:  hard.

Governing:  easy.

41 posted on 10/06/2006 9:53:20 AM PDT by snarks_when_bored
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To: Hendrix

Wrong!! Double cross your fingers and spit wrong! This has nothing to do with the legal world. It is politics. He is acting as a politician. An American politician, so he can say anything at any time even if he is right.


42 posted on 10/06/2006 10:21:39 AM PDT by RightWhale (Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
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To: Gopher Broke

Is Michael Powell Colin Powell's son .. the former FCC Commissioner? http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/previous/powell/biography.html


43 posted on 10/06/2006 10:25:17 AM PDT by zeaal (SPREAD TRUTH!)
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Another exam Teddy didn't pass: Spanish 101. He sent a buddy in to take it for him.


44 posted on 10/06/2006 10:49:23 AM PDT by Malesherbes
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To: Wally_Kalbacken
The pass rates for ABA approved law schools are usually broke out in bar exam statistics - and for an elite law school like Michigan - I would think the bar pass rate averages about 95%.

That's not necessarily true. Many of the so-called elite schools have first-time bar passage rates that are lower, sometimes significantly lower than the lesser known regional schools. That's because many of the "elite" schools focus on national and international legal issues and principles that have little direct relevance outside of academia, judicial clerkships, and political or philosophical debate. The lesser known regional schools often have a more practical approach that is geared to teaching students not only what they need to know to practice as a lawyer, but to pass the bar exam in the state where the school is located

45 posted on 10/06/2006 10:59:49 AM PDT by Labyrinthos
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To: Labyrinthos; Wally_Kalbacken
Michigan's 1st time bar passage rate was 99% in '05.

SOURCE
46 posted on 10/06/2006 11:12:55 AM PDT by somniferum (Annoy a liberal.. Work hard and be happy.)
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To: somniferum

Actually, 96% for the Michigan bar and 99% for the Illinois bar.


47 posted on 10/06/2006 11:15:29 AM PDT by somniferum (Annoy a liberal.. Work hard and be happy.)
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To: somniferum

Correct. The school packaged a statistic for marketing purposes. We can't tell from the information provided what the first time bar passage rate is for all University of Michigan grads.


48 posted on 10/06/2006 11:18:00 AM PDT by Labyrinthos
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To: hsrazorback1

I just looked him up and it seems he is a Congressman now looking for a senators job. So he obviously has been sucking on the government tit for a while.

I looked up his picture and he looks awful white errrrr light.


49 posted on 10/06/2006 11:21:01 AM PDT by sgtbono2002 (The fourth estate is a fifth column.)
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To: somniferum

Well then, that makes Mistah Ford even more exceptional!


50 posted on 10/06/2006 11:54:43 AM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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