Talk:Harold Ford Jr.
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Possibly someone should mention that he was one of People Magazine's 50 mos beautiful people one year? Only Congressperson to ever achieve that, although it means absolutely nothing and I hate People, as it's not really literature; it's like TV on paper, only more crappy. Still, it's something.
Pro-growth?
Certainly one can argue that the "Blue Dogs" and the "New Democrats" are pro-growth, but how can anyone attach desription that to the Congressional Black Caucus? What have they ever done to show themselves to be "pro-growth"? Rlquall 02:31, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Harold Ford: A Liberal?
The part about Ford's moderate voting record, in spite of charges that he is a liberal, is misworded IMO. The dominant consensus is that Ford is a moderate or 'centrist', as opposed to a doctrinaire liberal democrat. Indeed, his prominence in organizations with a reputation for moderation and centrism, such as the "New Democrat" & "Blue Dog" coalitions would give cover to this assertion. Charges of liberalism would be heterodox to the consensus; and should be framed that way.
The entry should be changed to something that states that Ford is considered a moderate in his party, and indeed he belongs to several coalitions within the supposed moderate or centrist wing of the party; although some charge that his voting record is little different from those of his more avowedly liberal colleagues.
Use of Blogs as Factual Reference
The Rasmussen poll regarding a percentage of people who say their family or friends would voted for Ford because of race is hearsay. It's poll of hearsay. Smacks of propaganda.
The www.fancyford.com reference should be kept, no argument there, but RNC didn't fund the site--a GOP senate committee did--could be a matter of semantics.
"which critics have derided as racist" is a lie. You site two sources, both of which are blogs, one blog is quoted below, the other blog make no reference to racism whatsoever.
"Elizabeth Dole is a racist
Posted by Jesse on March 10, 2006
Check out FancyFord.com, a racist attack site created by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to oppose Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., who’s running for Senate in Tennessee.
What’s the message behind this site? The line of white women on the front page, the fact that it highlights his attendance at NBA All Star events featuring Biz Markie, the emphasis on opulence all combine to portray Ford as a pimp. The site tries to be subtle in its racism, but it fails.
Elizabeth Dole is the chair of the NRSC. If this is the kind of trash she’s pushing in her tenure, then she should be forced out of the Senate. It’s disgusting."
Blogs are not valid reference material and neither is the poll reference to hearsay.
Please edit today or I will, thanks. Scribner 18:55, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
- When one of the blogs in question is hosted and written by writers for The New Republic, however, you're not dealing with a run-of-the-mill blog. After reading the post again, while there is not explicit charge of racism, TNR does say the following: "the NRSC is basically portraying Ford as a black pimp. The picture of the Playboy playmates--all of whom, natch, are white--is a particularly nasty touch." It seems clear that TNR is, at the least, pointing out that NRSC (National Republican Senate Committee) is playing the race card. Perhaps the wording should be changed from "racist," but I think the sentence should stay. Rasmussen, if I'm not mistaken, is a somewhat well-respected polling organization. Yes, I agree the polling method was probably flawed, but the result mentioned in the article was mentioned in the poll's published results. - Jersyko·talk 21:18, 11 March 2006 (UTC)