Bill Clinton fundraises for Ford in NY. Thought he had a primary opponent

http://www.memphisflyer.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A11724

December 14, 2005

"Former President Bill Clinton helped Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D) raise more than $300,000 for his Senate campaign Monday night at an event in New York.

Clinton was the special guest for the fundraiser at the Core Club, located on E. 55th St., where guests paid $1,000 to $4,200 for admission."

Doesn't Ford have an opponent, a woman? I guess this primary stuff is done more often than not.

I am frankly not fond of Ford because he doesn't want Dean around him. I don't like that. Especially when he says it twice on TV. Oh, well. I live in Florida where our Democrats are afraid of most everything as well. :shrug:

:shrug:

There is a lot of that going around. Good candidates here are running into the same thing...the primary choice is done already.

And perhaps Phil Bredesden, Ford is the most famous TN Democrat. He's running against some State Sen. who has no name recognition. He'll win that primary easily.

baggage will hurt him somewhat, maybe a lot. For those of you not familiar with Tennessee and the recent Tennessee Waltz operation, his uncle John Ford of Memphis, State Representative was one of five indicted for illegal financial "stuff". the charges are very serious. His uncle lives with three different women, in three different houses, with different sets of children. One is his wife, one is his main girlfriend and one is ???.

John Ford and others in his family in Memphis politics have long been talked about as being corrupt, even beyond corrupt. Perhaps it's so. Their family has had a lock (so I hear) on Memphis politics for many, many years. His sister(?) just won a very close special election for his seat and charges are starting to come out about election corruption. I'm in East Tennessee so I hear talk and see what's in the newspapers, but don't have any "on the ground" exposure. However, it smells!!

Though I'm not a supporter of Harold Ford, Jr., he probably doesn't deserve being harmed by his uncle's corruption.

TN so perhaps I'm not the best person to analyze this. But, I think Ford will stand for himself. His 5 terms in the house will stand on its own.

Not that Dean is above reproach, but I think it was just stupid for Ford to throw crap at Dean, when the day might come when he'll want and need Dean's help. It seems DLC Dems go out of their way to make stupid comments about Dems who are not DLC. Biden crapped on Dean on national TV several months ago, but he was able to hold his tongue this past Sunday when asked about Governor Dean.
I don't think Dean is above reproach. Politics is a hard, hard game, not for thin skin, but the DLC? I was appalled when I read some essays on their site. I don't think those people belong to the same political party I do. I don't know if this country can afford TWO Republican Parties.
The thing with Ford is strictly a mind game for me. I live in California, and will not be casting votes in his campaign.

Not Clinton, not Ford, not Dean. Like you say it is just a mind exercise, but it shows a lot about our party that this is happening.

It is making sure where loyalties lie.

Understand what the big deal was about his comments about Dean. All he said was that he didn't want Dean to campaign with him. Its his campaign and he can have whomever he wants campaigning with him

. . .to show Dean the very respect his supporters DID NOT SHOW McAuliffe. Oh well. I personally like Dean, but I get tired of people who make EVERYTHING about him.

It is not about Dean anymore. It is about whether the party is going to answer to the people anymore.

I don't give a you know what what you think about me, and it sure does not matter what you think about politicians individually.

I thought McAuliffe was ok, and I think he got a lot organized for the party. I think you have me mixed up with someone else.

I do think it is wrong for anyone to meddle in the primaries. I have noticed that two grassroots groups are trying to stay out of it...while the party is being pretty blatant.

Primaries all the time. I'm sure there's a Democrat running in VT yet its Bernie Sanders whose doing fundrasiers with Patrick Leahy. TN isn't expected to have a compeitive primary, that's why Ford has been endorsed by Wes Clark, why he's doing fundraisers with Big Dog. If Bredesden decided to run for Senate instead of re-election that stuff wouldn't happen

That is exactly right. I am just not very happy about it, but I do see reasons for it. There also appears to be Southern divide in our party...the Southern party leaders do not seem to think their constituencies can handle having a northerner come there.

I think there is a serious problem with our party though when so many leaders are so afraid.

I think the party has problems that are not going to change.

We are doing the same things, and we will be getting the same results. It is the same way here. Two people handle every thing in this state, and right now there is not much we can do aboutit.

Candidate I wouldn't want a Northern candidate helping me either. The fact that the last non-Southern Democrat, other than Dukakis' WV victory, to win a Southern state was Kennedy puts up a red flag to me.

But as for primaries, again this stuff happens all the time. This lady who's running against him won't even dent his warchest, much less pose aserious challenge. Other than TN on our side in 06 this is happening in MO for McCaskill, VT for Sanders and the most high profile of them all Casey in PA. It happens on their side all the time too.

They think their moral values are better than those of other people. It really does bother me a lot that this happens.

I think people from the northern states have solid sensible values. I think a lot of the Southern values are contrived and faux by the right wing Christians to get their agenda.

If people from Northern states aren't popular in your area, what's the point of having them campaign with you.

Edit: Most people irregardless of location of residence believe that their values are better than others'. Otherwise they wouldn't be their values.

who are making the decisions for them. Are they making those decisions based on what conservative Republicans would think? Or are they basing those decisions on what they know their constituencies think?

For example, at least our state party chairman is not ashamed to be seen with Dean, in fact she traveled to Israel and Palestine with him a month or so ago. Bill Nelson even went to the same convention where Dean spoke. But Nelson worried about the Republicans more than he does us, in fact his ratings show it.

So I guess I wonder if Ford is protecting the people of TN from the good doctor because they want him to do it? or because it might offend the Republicans.

Shouldn't go to TN, he was just saying he didn't want Dean to campaign with him. I know that Independents, Conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans, many of them despise Dean, because they believe the RW caricature of him which is why Ford distances himself from him.

Its the nature of being a Red State Democrat or a Blue State Republican. Many of the people who have high positions in your party are not going to be popular in your state. For example, the Governor of CT Jodi Rell has said she doesn't want Dubya campaigning for her in 06 and I don't think we'll see Bill Frist having a lot of fundraisers with Lincoln Chaffee. In 2004, the OK Democratic candidate lost basically because he was a Democrat even though he was the much better candidate.

In MS they had so many show up in addition to the ones expected they had to order pizza to feed them. Over 1000.

So that argument really does not hold much water. In Idaho earlier this year he turned out over 500.

It is the right of the candidates. However there is huge difference between Bush and his war lies and Dean and his honesty.

I am sorry but how do you have a 50 state strategy when the chairman is not welcome. It is all about not being afraid of the right wing.

. . .should he have been forced to campaign with Joe Lieberman in Connecticut or any other DLC Democrats that his supporters and his campaign felt would have hurt him with the voters he believed would be turned off by him doing so? I think the point that we are trying to make is that a candidate's first responsibility when he or she is running for office is to get elected.

FOR THE RECORD IF I WERE CANDIDATE: I WOULD BE HONORED TO CAMPAIGN WITH HOWARD DEAN, BUT I LIVE IN A STATE WITH TWO DEMOCRATIC SENATORS AND A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR!

To be Liberals and progressives in every state. 17% of Mississippians define themselves as Liberal, same 17% with Idaho. Yes they are dark red states, but that doesnt mean that every single person worships the ground Bush walks on. Again, among Conservative Democrats, Independents and Moderate Republicans Howard Dean is not popular and for someone like Harold Ford running statewide in TN he's going to need those latter 2 groups to win.

Maybe I'm wrong but I thought when he talked about a 50 state strategy he was talking about building up the state infrastructures so we can eventually be competitive in those states. Him campaigning in areas where he's not popular is not going to be to the benefit of anyone.

If anyone goes against Dean or the DFA we are accused of being either DLC, Neocons, DINO's, using talking points. . .this shit is getting old and I'm sick of it.

I did not say the words DLC neocon or dino. You did use the talking point.

. . .just because something does not sit well with you does not make it a damn talking point.

are getting sick of YOUR shit. It seems I can't read any post anymore without reading you or a couple of others crap all over it 'cause you have some kind of unnatural hatred against Dean.

I know, I know. Message deleted.

. . .did I say he was doing a bad job as chairman? Did I say he did not deserve to be chairman? C'mon baby, if you are going to tell me I hate Dean, SPELL IT OUT, you can lodge an allegation but back it up. Tell me how I hate Howard Dean. . .its imagined.

He misquotes and then lectures him on not understanding about values.

Hey, I don't care if he hates Dean...this is not about Dean per se, it is undermining a party leader.

And to Mr. Ford I say hey, I'm a Democrat and a God-fearing one as well. I grew up in church also. I am just as good and righteous and pious as you.

Distancing himself from someone whom he believes would be unpopular in TN. He was a little over the line, but it further establishes his independence from Dean which he believes will help him in his race.

I don't know how exactly this became about his comments about Dean. Ford had a fundraiser with Clinton because he's going to win the primary very easily and will spend very little money ding so.

And at least the good people of Tennessee are not having to worry about the doctor intruding on them. A little sarcasm there. I think Ford is protecting his state well.

TN, I have two Democratic Senators and a Democrat in the Governor's mansion.

. . .so if Ford feels that Dean is a liability he is more than welcome to distance himself. Remember we are Democrats, not Deanocrats there is a big difference. When McCauliffe(sp) there were many Dems who did not want him around either. If some Democrats have a problem with the chairman, and more importantly if the chairman is veiwed as a liability in their state/district it is in ALL OF OUR BEST INTERESTS for them to distance themselves. The objective in 2006 is TO WIN DAMMIT, not to make Howard Dean supporters happy.

If the chairman is viewed as a liability it is because they can get more big donors right now that way. If they say Howard Dean does not speak for me....that pleases some tremendously.

That is the plain and simple truth.

I think I posted how I felt. Ford was really outrageous on Imus. He was pretty rude this last time as well. I have every right to say that. There is speaking out and just being rude to someone. He was the latter.

No. . .

.

had the gall to say he was running for Minority Leader. He's so junior to her in work, in seniority, in experience, and in success, but he set himself up there and treated her candidacy with disdain. I'll never forget that.

He's good, but he's not great. He's smart, but he's not wise. He's smooth, but he's not honest.

Sometimes when your country is in such trouble, honest is better than smooth.

He seems like a real brown noser to this administration. He'ss kinda Lieberman like (though he does live in TN - Joe does not have that excuse).

I think it's fine if he doesn't want to campaign with Dean but these sorts of disagreements and campaigning arrangements should be made in private.

That's one thing Dems don't get. It's not necessary to publicize everything.

And Ford's undying support for the war disgusts me. I'd vote for him over a puke if I lived in TN, but that'd be aa hold your nose and hope you don't pass out kind of vote.

is our party about loyalty to the heavy hitters, just cuz they have big donor backing? doesn't anyone give a damn how ford is going to come out smelling like Tom Delay and others in the Repuke's Party of Corruption?

i would be absolutely outraged if i lived in Tennesee and Clinton was backing someone with the level of corruption assocated with Ford and his father.

These reports of corruption investigations have been around for a while, and this the same state that the corrupt Senator Frist is from, who we are hoping will be brought down with corruption charges.

so what does our party do? back another corrupt politician.

But because he has "D" following his name, then it's ok, we'll ignore that smelly aroma coming from under the bed and in the closet.

amazing. simply freaking amazing.

Clean. None of the corruption associated with his family is on him.

Ford should not be automatically judged guilty because of something his uncle did.