Yesterday in Nashville, all of the U.S. Senate candidates here in Tennessee participated in the Associated Press/Tennessee Press Association Senate Candidate’s Forum.All indicators are showing that our very own Congressman Ford was the victor by a longshot in the forum.
Here is some of what the Congressman said at the forum:
From the AP: "The Democratic candidate who has raised the most campaign money so far, U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. of Memphis, recently visited Iraq, and he offered support for the U.S. role there.
"Morale is high among the troops," he said. "There's a belief that progress is being made, but there's still a long way to go."
Ford also said he would have voted to confirm President Bush's Supreme Court nominee John Roberts and that he opposed a filibuster to block the nomination of Samuel Alito even though he would have voted against Alito.
But he criticized Bush and the Republican-led Congress for botching the new Medicare prescription-drug plan and for the federal budget deficit. He said he would support a balanced- budget amendment.
"At 28 years old, I had the chance to vote on the first balanced budget the country had seen in more than 29 years. ... I assumed a group of adults could come together and balance it every year. I was wrong," he said.
From the Commercial Appeal: "Democratic U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. called for more spending on education and job training and condemned GOP budget cuts: "You can't say on Thursday you're for making America more competitive and then vote on Monday to cut funding for higher education" scholarships."
Said Ford: "I believe sanctions have to be part of the diplomacy. If a military option is needed, I support it." And Hilleary: "We have to pursue all the options before the military option. (But if) we have no choice, we cannot falter or blink; we've got to take it out because folks in Iran will not sit on nuclear weapons."
From the Chattanooga Times Free Press: "U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn., said education is at the center of any solutions to improve the American economy amid changes in the global marketplace.
"It takes a plan and a strategy to (fix this problem)," he said."
"Rep. Ford said the country needs to improve education so that there is not a need to bring in so many high-skilled workers. And he said there should be a reasonable approach to the problems of illegal immigration.
"I’m against building a wall, let me be clear about that," he said."
"Rep. Ford said he would support sanctions and military options. He said the situation with Iran shows the need for a greater push for renewable energy.
"The reason Iran is in the position they’re in today is because they have oil," he said."
Bravo Senator...Congressman Ford!
37 Days
Days of Congressional Inaction on Ethics
Above is the number of days that have passed since Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to bribing Congressman.
It is also the number of days in which Congress has failed to pass an ethics reform bill that would limit private travel, ski and golf junkets, and would call for a full disclosure of expenses by lobbyists on members of Congress.
It is time for Congress to step up and pass an ethics reform bill that would do all of the above. In addition, it is time to end the pork barrel spending system as we know it and establish an independent ethics commission that would review ethics complaints against members of Congress.
I am proud Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is fighting for that reform!
Read Congressman Ford's call for reform of the House rules here!
