Posted on 03/24/2002 4:58:36 AM PST by GailA
Ford stopped for light, but he's running
There's no need to ask Harold Ford Jr. whether he plans to run for the U.S. Senate in 2006, when Bill Frist is expected to vacate his seat. The Memphis congressman will give you one of two well-rehearsed answers.
One has to do with Tennessee's need for a new kind of leadership, by which Ford means he is young and energetic and the state's Democratic establishment is aging and stuffy.
The other answer is that the thought of running for the Senate motivates Ford, since moving from the House to the Senate would give him more national exposure and take him one step closer to his ultimate goal, the White House.
It's a silly question, anyway. Of course Ford is planning to run for the Senate in 2006, and of course he isn't going to say so now.
Here's a better question to ask the nation's youngest congressman: How can you win a statewide race in a Republican-leaning, largely rural state where, pundits generally agree, voters are unlikely to elect an African-American to a statewide office?
The answer lies in Ford's ability to get Tennessee voters to accept him as a political moderate who is sensible, realistic and smart.
Ford recently met with voters in East Tennessee, where he reportedly received warm receptions. Ford called those meetings "encouraging."
"They demonstrated to me that even though some political pundits in Washington and Tennessee say this state isn't ready, they fail to understand that the state is looking for moderate, pragmatic leadership regardless of what you look like or what your last name might be,'' Ford said.
"I'm not naive enough to believe that these are some issues that won't impact a campaign, but I don't think they would be dominant factors in a statewide race.''
Ford wanted to seek the Democratic nomination to the Senate seat being vacated this year by Republican Fred Thompson, but he was stopped by state Democratic leaders who tapped U.S. Rep. Bob Clement of Nashville as the party's consensus candidate. Although Ford would have been the better candidate, he didn't buck his party's leadership and wisely deferred to Clement.
Frist's seat will be up for grabs in four years, which gives Ford ample time to familiarize Tennessee voters with his brand of political pragmatism and to build on the nearly $555,000 he raised last year - more money than any of his House colleagues from Tennessee raised during the same period.
Ford won't wait to be anointed by the state party's lethargic leadership.
"The reality is, this state is ready for a new kind of leadership,'' Ford said. "I'm going to have to pull my party along with me and get it to join me in many ways.
"It will take a lot of hard work, as it does in any political race, but being a Democrat is the hardest thing in this state, more so than any of the other issues being raised.''
He won't talk about it, but Ford knows the Tennessee Democratic Party hasn't recovered since its influence as the state's dominant party was shattered in 1994, when the party lost the governor's office and both U.S. Senate seats. Democrats no longer have an authoritative figure who can lead party faithful in the right direction.
"The idea of party labels and their importance is declining rapidly,'' Ford said. "Voters want to vote for candidates who share their values and represent their views and can carry their ideas to the respective political body they're running for.
"I can't be beholden to one group or to a certain way (of doing things) if I'm genuinely interested in getting things done,'' he said.
Since he was elected to Congress in 1996, Ford has earned a reputation as a centrist New Democrat and a rising star in his party nationally. He is a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and appears to be gaining influence in the liberal Congressional Black Caucus.
"My politics since being in Congress has been about trying to accomplish results,'' he said.
Such positioning has important long-term implications for Ford. By 2006, he would have a 10-year record to defend as a Senate candidate.
"The prospect of running for the Senate and winning is something that motivates me because the Senate is a place to go where one can think carefully and thoughtfully about a lot of different issues, something that you're unable to do in the House,'' Ford said.
"Don't get me wrong. I love my job now and I'm privileged to have it. But the Senate allows more deliberate action on things. There's an added focus on foreign policy and the decisions you make there working with the executive branch affect us for a long time.''
Ford has talked for several years to supporters about his desire to run for the Senate, even though some pundits believe that negative publicity surrounding other Ford family members would cripple his candidacy.
To his credit, Ford has done a lot to change negative perceptions of the Ford family name, in and out of Shelby County. But every time his uncle, state Sen. John Ford, curses at a reporter or one of his uncle's former wives drives her car into someone's house, it doesn't help the congressman's own image.
"If I run for a statewide office, it's me that's running,'' Ford said. "I believe the voters will be able to differentiate. All I can do is my best and ask people to judge me based on that.''
With the right message and at the right time, Ford is certain he can win a Senate race.
"I think the people in our state are forward-looking enough to cast their votes based on the issues and what's in their best interest,'' Ford said. "That's all I can ask of them.
"When the people do that, I believe I can win when the time comes."
Susan Adler Thorp is political columnist for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach her at 529-5843, write to her at 495 Union, Memphis, Tenn. 38103, or contact her by E-mail at thorp@gomemphis.com.
Susan Asper Thorpe is playing the race card here, as will jr. BUT the real answer is the fact that the "FORD" name is a JOKE and MUD in Tennessee due to the crazy and crooked dealings of his family.
The ONLY place "FORD" is a household name is in Memphis. The rest of the State knows what trash the family is.
ASPER Thorpe is DELUSIONAL if she thinks jr is a centrist NEW DEMON-RAT he spouts albore's play book chapter and verse.
Ford must have went to a faculty meeting at either the University of Tennessee at Knoxville or at East tennessee State University, because other than that, there aren't many other Democrats in east Tennessee.
I get so tired of this mantra, constantly applied to Southern states. It is absolute nonsense. Harold Ford Jr. won't win a Senate seat in Tennessee, not because if his race, but because of his liberalism. While there are surely a few, mostly older, white Democrats who've never voted Republican before, but would if faced with the prospect of a black Senator, these votes would be offset by a much larger black turnout than would occur for a white Democratic candidate. Race is still a factor in the minds of some, but it cuts both ways, and comes pretty close to a wash, IMHO.
I offer as evidence previous Senate races in Tennessee's next-door neighbor, North Carolina. In 1984, Jesse Helms ran for re-election against the best-known, most popular, most politically savvy, best politically organized, and best funded North Carolina Democratic politician of the 20th Century, former (and future) Governor Jim Hunt. Helms was re-elected with 52% of the vote. In 1990 and again in 1996, Senator Helms faced former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, who is black. Helms won those two races with almost the identical percentage (53% both times) as he gained against his much more famous rival in 1984.
Since he was elected to Congress in 1996, Ford has earned a reputation as a centrist New Democrat and a rising star in his party nationally. He is a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and appears to be gaining influence in the liberal Congressional Black Caucus.
Ford's "centrist" credentials are shaky at best. His lifetime American Conservative Union (ACU) rating is 12 on a 100-point scale; his score for 2001 was 8. A "Blue Dog"? They must have been desperate for an "affirmative action" member.
Victor Ashe (R) was first elected Mayor in 1987, and is now serving his fourth term. In 1999, he won the GOP Primary, and had no Democratic opposition.
I don't know the prior history of the Knoxville marorality. It's possible there have been Democratic mayors in recent history, because of the influence of the University of Tennessee. Knoxville is bigger than a "college town" such as Chapel Hill, but still, a 25,000 student university, with its relatively liberal professors, administrators, and maintenance workers, plus whatever percentage of the students are registered in town, is bound to have an impact. Knoxville's population is only 174,000; apparently they have been unable to annex much (Republican) suburban territory. Knox County has a population of 382,000, and the metro population is 659,000. My guess is that within the city limits, Knoxville may be pretty closely divided. The metro area as a whole, however, is profoundly Republican. I haven't seen much evidence of liberals running competitive races in East Tennessee... maybe some highly localized contests, like in certain City Council districts, or in some TVA strongholds, or near other big government installations such as Oak Ridge, but nothing widespread I'm aware of.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.