Harold Ford, Jr. has single-handedly galvinized the seemingly dormant NYC LGBT community.
By presenting himself to a meeting of the NYC Stonewall Democratic Club at Manhattan's LGBT Community Center in the West Village this evening, Mr. Ford sparked the kind of anger and outrage which lent it's name to this gay rights group.
Over 200 frustrated and extremely vocal members of the NYC gay community met the ex-Congressman with near universal cries of "You Lie!", "Liar", and "Snake-oil Harry, Go Away".
Speaking to audience questions for nearly 20 minutes (he was forced to leave the stage as the crowd became uncontrollable), the newly transplanted NYer tried to explain away his record on LGBT rights, a record in direct conflict with the gathered crowd.
Voted FOR the Federal Marriage Amendment (TWICE), after promising not to.
Voted AGAINST The Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Voted AGAINST gay adoptions.
Voted AGAINST hate crime prevention.
The early reviews are in and they're not pretty. From the NY Daily News:
A week after getting thrashed by Stephen Colbert as a flip-flopper, potential Senate candidate Harold Ford said he wanted to see if the comedian "wants to beat me up in person."
Ford got his answer Monday night when Colbert did exactly that on "The Colbert Report."
"Evidently, six minutes at my interview table counts as New York State residency," Colbert said to the former Tennessee congressman, who registered to vote here last fall.
It didn't get any better for Ford. Colbert began by pressing him on abortion, noting that in 2006, Ford called himself "pro-life" but now insists he has always been pro-choice.
As he has before, Ford insisted that by "pro-life" he meant he supported education, veterans benefits and other fundamental issues.
Next up? Gay marriage. Colbert pointed out that while Ford opposed the rite while running in Tennessee, he now supports it.
"Again, I think this is a great thing," Colbert said. "Because you're saying these things in the media capital of the world - New York City, gotcha-town. And you're saying come and gotcha me."
"I think the White House is quite happy with the leadership and the representation of Senator Gillibrand in New York," Mr. Gibbs said when asked about Mr. Ford at a White House press briefing. "We're supporting her re-election."
Mr. Gibbs suggested that the White House was prepared to go even further to stop Mr. Ford, telling reporters to "Stay tuned" when asked about any behind-the-scenes efforts to clear the field for Ms. Gillibrand.
But Mr. Ford remained defiant.
Slap!
This White House has been notoriously reluctant to have its milkshake be slurped. Scott Stringer, Steve Israel, Carolyn Maloney and Carolyn McCarthy can tell that tale. Now, those are some very substantial names.
Names that are substantial enough to make Junior seem inadequate by comparison. But they also illustrate the underlying quality of this proposed candidacy: a startling lack of seriousness, of groundedness.
With the White House - for once - sending a clear message, the circle of possible Ford backers narrows further. And meanwhile, Progressives can see a bright silver lining to this particular cloud.
It was pointed out to me today that in the general reaction ("HA HA HA HA HA HA HA") of the New York blogosphere to Harold Ford's ambitions to challenge Senator Gillibrand, there hadn't yet been a serious analysis of why everyone thought it was ridiculous. If you didn't know Harold Ford's record, you might be scratching your head about why Ford is such a poor match for a big, blue state like New York.
Full disclosure: some of these notes I dug up myself, mostly from OnTheIssues.org. A couple others (including duplicates) were helpfully dropped into my lap by the Gillibrand campaign.
I'll also declare up front that, looking through his record, Ford isn't a bad guy on a lot of issues. He's good with the environment, entitlements, criminal justice, and education. He wins cred with me just for the fact that he nearly got into a physical confrontation with Rep. Jean Schmidt over her description on the House floor of ex-Marine Rep. John Murtha as a coward. But while I think Ford would be a fine Senator for his home state of Tennessee, the great state of New York has slightly different standards.
Let's hit the highlights, shall we?
Ford was one of the 82 House Democrats (out of 210) who voted in favor of the Iraq War resolution. Just so everyone remembers clearly, the Republicans could not muster 218 votes for the IWR on their own--without Democrats voting with them, there would have been no authorization for the Iraq War.
Ford is unrepentantly pro-free-trade, voting for the US-Singapore FTA, US-Australia FTA, free trade with Chile, and supports the World Trade Organization. So long American jobs.
Voted in support of school prayer during the "War on Terror." Frankly I suspect that the recon Marines crawling around Afghanistan would prefer you spend your time giving them air support of a slightly more corporeal type, not to mention body armor.
Was known for telling fellow Democrats they should be more supportive of the Iraq War... at least up until it became politically unpopular, since he was running for it in 2004 and against it in 2006.
Was famously described by Anne Coulter (R-Eagle's Nest) as her "favorite Democrat."
Voted in 2001 against banning "soft money" donations to political parties, a reversal of his position from 1999 when he supported banning soft money.
Voted in 2001 in favor of retaining the failed ban against travel to Cuba. You know, that thing that has helped keep Castro in power for decades by purging the island of any competing viewpoints in public discourse. Moreover, he reversed his position from 2000, when he had publicly supported allowing Americans to travel to Cuba.
Opposed Bush's illegal wiretaps in January of 2006, but voted in favor of electronic surveillance without a warrant in September of 2006.
Voted against adopting the recommendations of the 9/11 commission.
Ford supported the Republican effort to interfere in the Terry Schiavo case, on the grounds of his ardent "pro-life" views. Being pro-life, to Mr. Ford, seems to mean voting against abortion rights but in favor of a war that's killed as many as a million people.
Supported building a fence across the US border with Mexico, one of the more absurd boondoggles that's ever come out of Texas, since apparently no one there has ever heard of a ladder, or wirecutters.
Voted yes on constitutional amendments to prohibit flag desecration and to ban gay marriage.
Was one of only 73 Democrats who voted in favor of the 2005 bankruptcy bill, which made it nearly impossible for those saddled with high debts to ever reach financial security again.
In short, Mr. Ford is grotesquely out of step even with the general electorate of New York State, let alone with the voters within the Democratic Party who would choose between him and Senator Gillibrand.
File this under "crazy things out of left field." A user on the forum DemocraticUnderground.com posted a message discussing a phone poll they had just recieved:
I live in NY and was just polled about a possible primary between Kirsten Gillabrand and Harold Ford Jr. for the Senate seat. I was wondering if anyone had heard if he was considering to run.
While the event is taking part to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr., I can't imagine Ford just ignoring current events in politics. I will be attending eager to see what he has to say about, say, Hillary Clinton and other DLC objectives. Should be very intriguing.
