Company I do consultant work for just moved the entire operations to Franklin TN about a 6 monhts ago - 46 new TN voters and to my knowledge, every single one is a Republican and will be NOT voting for that two-faced Ford. Their votes will cancel out most of the Ford for Senate staffers

kewl!

Half of Ford's family is either in jail or under indictment. Give them a position in politics and you guarntee them a way to steal you blind. I guess the 'criminal' is born in them.

Problem is, a lot of TN Republicans will not be voting for the slimy liberal RINO Chattanooga Chafee Corker, either. If ever a match were between two more sleazy candidates, it's hard to find.

I'm a Reublican in TN who voted for Ed Bryant in the primary. Its pretty much known down here that Ford is a conservative Democrat. And after reading this in the Gateway's comments,

Congressman Ford has supported over $5 trillion in funding for the Defense, Homeland Security, and intelligence agencies since 9/11 and introduced legislation to improve our efforts in the war on terror. He has supported every funding and appropriations bill requested by this Administration to fund the War on Terror.

[H.R. 1559, 4/3/2003; H.R. 3289, 10/31/2003; H.R. 5122 05/11/06; H.R. 2863, 6/20/2005, Passed 398-19; H.R. 4613, 6/22/2004; H.R. 2360, 10/6/2005; H.R. 3673, 09/08/2005; H.R. 1815, 05/25/2005; H.R. 1817, 05/18/2005; H.R. 2360, 5/17/2005; H.R. 1268, 5/5/2005; H.R. 1268, 03/16/2005; H.R. 4567, 10/9/2004; H.R. 4200, 10/09/2004; H.R. 4567; H.R. 1588, 11/07/2003; H.R. 2658, 9/24/2003; H.R. 2555, 9/24/2003; H.R. 2555, 9/10/2003; H.R. 2555, 6/24/2003; H.R. 5010, 10/10/2002; H.R. 4547, 07/24/02; H.R. 4775, 7/23/2002, Passed 397-32; H.R. 1383, introduced 3/17/2005]

I think Ford is definitely a decent option to Corker. He'd be like a Ben Nelson type in the US Senate. I'd take that over Chaffee. I mean seriously Corker was pro-choice before this campaign and got busted with illegals ailens working at one of his worksite when he owned a construction company.

Republicans should vote for Ford or sit this one out to make a statement so we dont have to deal with weak-ass RINOs like this in the future.

I'm interested in responses from GOPers to the above comments about Corker. Attacks on Ford from the right are fine. But what about attacks on Corker from the right? Isn't that a bit like the Biblical proverb about the log in the eye (Matthew 7:5)?

what nonsense from SIMBA!!! Ford will do or say anything to be elected. He has been groomed from childhood to be president and he, and his whole family, scares me. As for pro-choice I would rather have someone who has changed his position than one who has always been and will always be pro-choice. Ford is definitely NOT a conservative Democrat; he has and is opposing Bush on the war NOW because he feels the public mood is changing. To stay home or vote for a Democrat is just one stupid instance of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Though I too voted for Bryant, I do think Corker will be the better candidate against Ford if we want to hold the Senate and get those conservative judges we all want.

This is obviously coming from a biased source (haroldfordjr2006.blogspot.com) but thoughts on implications:

"Bob Corker was on the only Senate candidate in the nation to reject Meet the Press' debate invite."

If "Simba" is indeed a "Republican in TN," he has rather remarkably exactly duplicated the arguments of the Ford campaign.

Perhaps it is a coincidence . . .

Could not agree more about the suspicious coincidences. How many ordinary bloggers can cite bill numbers? And how is a Democratic Senate under the leadership of Harry Reid or Hillary Clinton going to benefit Republicans or, for that matter, the country? What is amazing is that the blogger apparently believes Republicans will swallow his line.

Anyone thinking about staying home, or voting Democratic to teach the RINOs a lesson, is shooting themselves in the foot and doing irreversible damage to the war on terror. tax relief and conservative judicial appointments. Put your efforts, instead, to finding and electing candidates in the next primary.

One thing the blogger did do, however, is make me hurry over to Corker's website and donate. I just became a dedicated supporter due to the misleading and dishonest stuff coming from his opposition.

I agree. How foolish to suggest allowing a seat in the Senate to go the Democrats. If there are more judicial votes, maybe even one more Supreme Court nominee, we need every seat we can win. This doesn't even begin to consider other things like the war effort, Patriot Act, NSA surveillance, restraints on abortion, etc. Please go out and vote for Republicans!!

Well, I was going to call Rep. Ford and ask him to rein in his dishonest supporters, but they are probably his relatives. You know how awkward that can be . . .

Actually Ford is in fact not in opposition of the war. Instead he wants to see it ran effiently. He voted for the war in the first place because of intelligence that the replublican president presented. Intelligence that has proven to be unfounded. Now we do not know what we are doing, or where we are going :-(. We are at loss and have no leadership. At the get go of this war we decided to change french fries to freedom fries, and to boycott france instead of doing anything to fight terrorism. One thing that you can not claim is that this was has been run effiently. That is why we need a check to balance power. Harold Ford is only claiming to be that check, to force the administration to act compitetanly instead of to shoot from the hip and to its friends faces. If you believe that this war has been run greatly, and you want to see more american citizens die for incompitence then i would suggest not voting for harold ford.

Yes, Ford was "for" the war when it was politically expedient. Now he finds another position more palatable to his Democratic supporters. He's no more or less dishonest than many other politicians in that respect.

However, in the middle of a long, global war is no time to be sticking fingers into the wind.

The very worst thing is to pretend to be "for" the war "if better run," when in fact you have no policy improvements to offer.

I am getting so weary of the Dems' postering on the war. Offering criticism but few concrete solutions. Perhaps the most inane one offered is that the Iraquis are just not trying hard enough to build an army and get rid of us. If we just get out, they will try harder. More Democratic nonsense. It takes this country ten/fifteen years to develop an officer. Yet the dems think it can be done in two, three, four years, all the way from sergeant to general. Gee, why have we been wasting our time on West Point, etc.?
The simple fact is that unless we wanted Saddam's officer corps in place, there was no easy way. Still isn't. Building an army takes time whether the Dems or GOP are in power. All the rather naive suggestions that if we just leave, Iraq will magically have an experienced army is about as much nonsense as other stuff sprouted by the opposition.
So get real, dems, and offer real proposals and maybe, just maybe, someone will take you seriously.

Ford proposed dividing Iraq into sectarian provinces as a way to curb the violence. What was Corker's solution?

Yep, dividing Iraq into secretarian divisions would work all right. . .if the populations weren't so mixed, particularly in the middle of the country where the trouble is. Another snake oil solution. Easy to propose; not so easy to implement. Easy sound bite. No substance. Whatcha going to do? Swap people around? Move whole neighborhoods, communities? Gonna tell people where to live? That should go over swell.

India-Pakistan, 1948. Bloody and ugly.

I hear and understand the criticism of the Ford plan: "snake oil", "easy to propose" and "no substance."

I did NOT hear Corker's proposed solution.

There has to be more than just shooting down other people's ideas, which is very Democratic of you.

I understand being "weary of Democratic posturing" and "nonsense." Is there a non-nonsense plan other than the "stay the course and die" plan?

The election should be about why vote FOR Corker instead of why vote AGAINST Ford, right?

Isn't that the way elections should be, the democratic process and our liberties being expressed, blah, blah, blah?

Sorry, but I do believe there is a Republican plan for victory, and that's replace our troops with Iraq troops as quickly as they are trained to do so. As I said earlier, it takes time. You cannot magically create an effective army with trained officers. How long does it take to develop a colonel or general in our army? As for casualties, I know when we went in, alarmists said thousands of our troops would be killed in those first battles. Well, they weren't. We are just reaching 2,500 now. And yes, every life lost is tragic, but the stakes are high and most of those who have served there believe the effort worthwhile. It's sad they do not have more support in this country.
As far as I'm concerned, the "build the Iraq Army plan" is far better than the half-baked proposals we are hearing from the left (and that includes Ford.)

"stay the course and die"?

Ah, the inner moonbat always gets out, doesn't it? Sort of like those larval creatures in the "Alien" movies . . .

Ok. So what was Corker's plan again? He supports the "build the Iraq Army plan"? Nothing on his website about it.

Your statement is regurgitating the national GOP platform, not Corker's. I need a reason to vote for Corker over Ford, and all I'm getting is criticism of Ford. Does that make sense?

Even if Corker's position is exactly the same as Bush's, I don't think that's a winner for him. I think people are separating the War in Iraq from the War on Terror. Tying himself to Bush's plan doesn't make him look better or viewed as having a plan. I think it makes him look as if he's a pawn. You can disagree, of course. But provide me evidence his plan is different than Bush's. Maybe like that left-wing loon Sen. Chuck Hagel.

Ford Jr for the overly corrupt town of DC and Memphis is trying hard to act like Tennessee Red State conservative. He is recieving liberal money from Clintons, the North East and of coarse those lovely Hollywood Losers. If he really stands with the troops then why not attack those in his own party that are undermining them like Kerry, Kennedy,Murtha and Pelosie? I will tell you they need him and he needs them more than he needs Tennessee. We are just Tool for the Ford Family to gain more power to hide their blood line of corruption. ACLU here in TN is punishing Count all the vote - it is a drive to get FELONS the right to vote. Consider MOST felons like liberal folks like Ford Jr who are soft of punishment and police enforce you know where their vote is going. Having Ford Jr elected to US Senate will bring impeachment of Bush, the undermining of the war in Iraq and Terror, a pardon for his Uncle and help get Hillary Clinton to be President. Now you liberal BIGOT out love that Idea but lucky for USA you are the minority.

Wow, Mad Maxx, no offense, but that was incredibly bad writing.

Again, "why vote FOR Corker instead of why vote AGAINST Ford"?

Wow. You sure are a good liar, GOP flunky.

"The two chairmen of the bi-partisan 9-11 Commission Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, were opposed to this particular piece of legislation (HR 10) and believed it to be a flawed.

Their letter repeatedly stressed the fact that the Senate version S 2845, which Congressman Ford voted in favor of, was much more preferable to the Commission. (http://www.9-11pdp.org/press/2004-10-20_pr.pdf)

In the end, the record shows Congressman Ford rejected the weaker version of the intelligence reform bill, HR 10. Voted YES on agreeing to the Conference Report of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, a bipartisan reform act which earlier passed in the Senate 96-2. This bill would reform the intelligence community and the intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, and for other purposes. (S. 2845, 12/7/2004, Passed 336-75)

Moreover, Congressman Ford supported strengthening HR 10 by adopting provisions from the 9/11 Commission and President Bush endorsed Senate version of the bill. Congressman Ford Voted YES on the Menendez Amendment, an amendment in the nature of a substitute numbered 1 printed in House Report 108-751 to merge two bills endorsed by the 9/11 Commission: S. 2845 and S. 2774.

The amendment establishes a National Intelligence Director and makes improvements in intelligence activities, modifies laws relating to intelligence community management, establishes diplomatic means and provides foreign aid to combat terrorism, provides an integrated screening system and improves counter terrorist travel intelligence, enhances transportation security, provides resources to improve national preparedness and assist local first responders, and establishes a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. (Amdt to HR 10, 10/7/2004, Rejected 203-213)"

Corker seems to be a good enough guy, but I think to win this thing he should debate Ford on meet the press. We are goig to depend on this guy to dabate for us in the senate. Remember W looked bad in most debates but still won the election.
Anyone who truly wants him to win shoud email his campaign encourageing him to dabate. Sure Ford is slick but he carries a lot of baggage

You are kind of all idiots. Harold Ford may be a loser, but to attack him for voting against the renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act, voting against illegal spying on US citizens, and voting to come up with a timeline and exit strategy for Iraq is idiotic. Republicans need to remember conservatism. Remember when the government was supposed to stay out of our every day lives? "Let me control my money. I'll spend it and help the economy!"

But the Repubs of today want to amend the US Constitution (not to mention the TN Consti ...) to define who can be married to whom. They are all for the government knowing who its citizens are calling. They are all for wasting BILLIONS of dollars building things in Iraq which we blow up days later ... killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi non-combatants and thousands of US servicemen ... wouldn't we be safer if we either kept the troops nearby in case we get attacked by someone like Iran, Syria, N. Korea, China, etc.? Or at least if we put them in wars in countries where the leaders are crazies who want us to die and actually have the ability to harm us? No, I guess you all are right. Keep voting republican. Clearly that's what's best for the country.

Amen.