Junior still dancing around issue of abortion (Harold Ford Jr)

The Memphis Commercial Appeal ^ | October 8, 2006 | Wendi Thomas

[mcg2000]

Two weeks ago in this space, I repeated what The Commercial Appeal has said before: Rep. Harold Ford Jr. is pro-life.

Almost immediately, I heard from readers who insisted that the Democrats' choice to replace Republican Sen. Bill Frist is pro-choice.

Politicians, especially those in tight races, are all about setting the record straight. In fact, in one of his campaign ads, Ford says sternly that he won't let former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker, the Republican candidate, make him out to be something he's not.

So you might think Ford would be eager to erase any gray areas on an issue as divisive as abortion. You'd be wrong.

The Ford camp is more than comfortable with the ambiguity, and in fact, the congressman is trying to capitalize on the confusion. He tells both sides what he thinks they want to hear, hoping the right and the left never get together to compare notes.

In this middle-of-the-road jig, Ford cannot afford to miss a step.

Before my Sept. 26 column ran, I asked Ford's communications manager, Carol Andrews, to clarify the congressman's position on abortion. I told her I was on deadline, and she promised to call back that night.

She didn't. So I left her another message, saying that I was going to repeat what we'd already reported, that Junior is pro-life. If I was wrong, I asked her to call to correct me.

Andrews chose not to call me back, and she didn't return messages left for her Wednesday and Friday.

As the stonewalling continues, Ford's position becomes less important and his dodging gets more disturbing.

Straight talk, even if it's talk with which I disagree, is endearing.

If you think that a woman should not be entrusted to make decisions about her body and her health and her future, then say so. Do it without equivocating and you've earned a measure of my respect. To be fair, the Corkster has done his share of fence-hopping.

During a 1994 Senate bid, he said he was personally anti-choice but didn't feel it was the government's place to decide what happens in a woman's womb. Now Corker has flipped-flopped, and says his personal views should be shared by the government, which should be able to decide what a woman can do with her body.

But back to Junior. To decipher his position on reproductive rights, you'll have to connect the dots.

Neither the country's leading pro-choice organization nor the leading anti-choice group thinks much of Ford's voting record. NARAL, a pro-choice advocacy organization, gave Ford a dismal 30 percent approval rating. The National Right to Life committee says Ford voted in the committee's interest 22 percent of the time during the 2005-2006 session.

On Ford's Web site he says: " I will continue to work to eliminate abortions in our country without criminalizing what is undoubtedly one of the most tormenting and difficult decisions a woman will ever have to make."

Now, that sounds like a decidedly pro-choice position, except for the elimination part. Does he want to eliminate access, which is what many Republicans seek to do? Or, does Ford, like all of us who are pro-choice, want to eliminate the need?

To his credit, Ford was a co-sponsor of a bill titled, "Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act," which calls for contraception as well as support for women who choose to carry their pregnancy to term. The bill hasn't made it out of committee.

More abortion dots surfaced in The Tennessean's Oct. 4 coverage of a Maryville, Tenn., rally at which Ford spoke to a mostly Republican crowd. Tennessean reporter Bonna de la Cruz wrote, "Ford launched into a carefully crafted treatise on abortion, saying that he is a 'believer in protecting the unborn and the born.' "

" 'You have to protect people's choice,' he said, but at the same time, 'You have to hope people make the right decision.' "

I get and agree with the first part -- protecting people's choice, but what, exactly, would be the right decision?

Of course, Ford isn't completely to blame. The debate on abortion has been so carefully manipulated by conservatives that he has little choice but to electric slide around the matter or risk the vitriolic wrath of the right.

So Ford, who must either earn the votes of Republicans and independents to win his latest race or get a regular job for the first time in his life, dances. His fancy footwork has impressed would-be voters: The latest Rasmussen poll shows Ford has pulled ahead of Corker by 5 points.

But the constant spinning and shuffling around key issues can be exhausting. With less than a month before the election, Ford can't afford for his feet to fail him now.

Contact Wendi C. Thomas at (901) 529-5896 or send an e-mail.

[cgk]

The debate on abortion has been so carefully manipulated by conservatives that he has little choice but to electric slide around the matter or risk the vitriolic wrath of the right.

Correction: The debate on abortion has been so carefully manipulated by conservatives THE LEFT that he has little choice but to electric slide around the matter or risk the vitriolic wrath of the right THE LEFT.

[cgk]

Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping!

Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping list...

[Darkwolf377]

Or, does Ford, like all of us who are pro-choice, want to eliminate the need?

Who says pro-abortionists can't be funny?

[Darkwolf377]

The debate on abortion has been so carefully manipulated by conservatives that he has little choice but to electric slide around the matter or risk the vitriolic wrath of the right.

What bull. Pro-abortion candidates declare they are PROUDLY "pro-choice". Spare us the whining about how pro-abortion candidates are "forced" to lie to trick pro-lifers to vote for them.

[Princip. Conservative]

Is it just me or does Harold Ford get on your nerves. He seems so in love with himself and so full of beans about spreading lies about Corker that it's hard to take him seriously.

Ford doesn't deserve to win and I truly believe he won't.

[madprof98]

Or, does Ford, like all of us who are pro-choice, want to eliminate the need?

By turning the entire adult population gay?

[Brilliant]

Anyone who's ambiguous on abortion is pro-choice.

[Condor51]

Junior is full of beans. Here's a sample of his voting record from the ACU:

2004
• Fetal Protection. HR 1997 (Roll Call 31 )
  This bill made it a criminal offense to injure or kill a fetus during the commission of a violent crime.
  This member voted in opposition
  
• Abortion at Military Facilities. HR 4200 (Roll Call 197)
  This amendment would have involved U.S. military hospitals in the provision of abortions for women who are in the military or are military dependents.
  This member was absent for the vote
• Court Review of Defense of Marriage Act. HR 3313 (Roll Call 410)
  The House passed legislation prohibiting the courts from reviewing a provision of the 1996 "Defense of Marriage Act" that allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriage licenses issued in other states or jurisdictions.
  This member voted in opposition

  2003

• Ban on Human Cloning. HR 534 (Roll Call 37)
  This "compromise" amendment would have allowed cloning of human embryos to initiate a pregnancy.
  This member was absent for the vote
• Medical Malpractice Reform. HR 5 (Roll Call 64)
  This bill imposed reasonable limits on attorneys' fees and punitive damages in medical malpractice cases.
  This member voted in opposition
  
• Military Abortions. HR 1588 (Roll Call 215)
  The House defeated this measure to allow abortions to be performed in U.S. military hospitals at taxpayers expense.
  This member voted in opposition

So he's either ABSENT or votes pro abortion, pro gay - anti family and he ain't no 'moderate'

Representative Harold Ford, Jr. (D), Tennessee, District 9
2004 Score - 21, Previous Year's Score - 35, Lifetime Score - 19

Typical phony lying leftist - period.

(Come on Tenn, you can see through this jerk)

[mcvey]

I wish I could agree, but it will be all but impossible. Ford is simply too good a campaigner and with every poll tending in his direction, it is just going to be a nightmare come November.