Brassmask over at Elevator Cabeza attended Harold Ford's rally in Memphis, the one that featured rising progressive star, Barack Obama. The socially conservative Congressman Ford, who calls himself a Democrat, hopes to win Bill Frist's seat in the senate. It's certainly odd that he brought in the flaming progressive yankee to help him on his home turf. Memphis supports some of the most progressive politicos in this state, but progressive politics has nothing to do with why Ford is supported in Memphis.
Autoegocrat at Pesky Fly says it better:
If yesterday's pairing of Barack Obama and Harold Ford, Jr. was intended to establish Ford's credentials, it can safely be said that the effort failed miserably. . . I must force myself to remember with all of my might that Ford, not Obama, is the candidate from Memphis, because in truth it is Ford is who needs an introduction to his own constituency from a Northerner. The irony of the overall situation is breathtaking: a Yankee from Illinois can walk right into town and make a native Memphian look like a carpetbagger.
Apparently, if you ask someone like Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama needs to travel all the way from the South Side of Chicago to convince me that Harold Ford, Jr. is black.
Brassmask has a report with lots of photos, and you want to check out his stinging captions. For example, to the image pictured here, Brassmask writes, "I think that Ford sensed that this wasn't turning into the battle cry for his campaign that he had hoped it would be."
Snippets from Brassmask :
Harold Ford Jr. held a rally at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn today. He brought in Barak Obama to lend credence to his burgeoning run for Bill Frist's soon-to-be vacated seat in the US Senate.
Ford supported a ban on benefits for same-sex couples, as well as a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage, has told Democrats they should be more supportive of George W. Bush on the war in Iraq, has criticized Senate Democrats who attempted to filibuster Samuel Alito, has voted for the Bankruptcy Bill, and supported limits on a woman's right to choose.
.. Ford brought in Obama as star power. They tried to draw all kinds of comparisons to each other, which in my opinion, didn't seem too exciting a proposition to Barak Obama.
So, it was well attended. I'd say maybe one thousand people, maybe more. I can't find stats on it yet. But they came out and the place went semi-crazy for a couple of minutes.
The blogger adds that "a source Very close to the [State Senator] Steve Cohen camp told me today that they are very close to announcing his candidacy for Jr's old seat in Congress."
Steve Cohen is one of the state's few genuinely progressive lawmakers, we could sure use him in Washington, but who will take his place here in this progressively needy state?
Previous TGW posts on Harold Ford Jr.
Harold Ford Tennessee Obama Steve Cohen Frist Election Memphis Tennessee 2006
