« So Does the Government Finally Get His Guns? | Main | What do Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson have in common? »
April 8, 2008
This week on "As the Fords Turn"
So last week I read about what independent U.S. House candidate Jake Ford had to say regarding race and the TN-09 seat, which is a minority majority district. First thing I wondered was whether Jake Ford's brother, former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., would have anything to say about his comments.
Well, yesterday's Hotline had a summary of the events, including comments from just about every member of the Ford family.
Ex-Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D) and father/ex-Rep. Harold Ford Sr. (D) "say they don't agree with racially charged comments" made by brother/son/'06 candidate Jake Ford (I), who is seeking to unseat Rep. Steve Cohen (D). J. Ford "said Tennessee deserves at least one black congressman." H. Ford Jr. "called his brother's comments" an "insult," and he and his father said J. Ford should publicly apologize.
While "filing his qualifying paperwork," J. Ford and brother Isaac Ford "rehashed a theme" from the '06 race -- that Cohen isn't fit to hold the seat because he's white. I. Ford: "Jake Ford is a black candidate, it's a black district and we need black representation." J. Ford said 4/5 "that some of the published comments may have been taken out of context and that they were not meant to be racially disparaging."
J. Ford: "My brother and I were not saying we have to have a black representative in this district. We said in the state of Tennessee, the western district was created as a predominately black district so we would have black representation in Congress. ... Everyone makes it seem like I'm creating the race issue. As for my dad and my brother, they're not running for Congress. I am."
H. Ford Jr.: "I want to make clear my brothers' comments are not mine. I reject them. ... I don't believe any candidate's fitness for office should be measured or determined by race or gender" (AP, 4/7).
elections | By hpadam | 2:09 PM
