Monday, May 22, 2006

Ford Urges Dismissal Of Political Labeling

Democrat U.S. Senate hopeful Harold Ford Jr. was in Knoxville Saturday night to energize the party faithful - and to urge all voters to consider what he calls a new approach to politics.

That approach, he said in an interview before delivering the keynote address at the annual Truman Day Dinner, is to move the country forward while leaving behind old political labels of "left" and "right."

"There is no Republican or Democratic way to pay $2.90 for a gallon of gasoline, or to turn on the news and learn of the number of casualties in Afghanistan, or to learn that the deficit has reached $8.3 trillion," Ford said.

"It seems that all of the old (political) labels have become irrelevant or meaningless in some ways," he said.

The Memphis congressman talked up the need for fiscal restraint.

"The (Republican) party, which professes to be 'conservative,' is spending more than we ever thought we would spend, and continues to spend," Ford said. "This president and this Congress have spent more money than any in history, and we are running the largest deficit we've ever run."

Ford said his approach is a blend of progress and responsibility.

"I am running for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee as a proud Democrat who believes in balancing the budget, who believes in the Second Amendment, who believes in his state, and who believes that we are a nation of laws," he said.

Ford was one of several speakers at the event, held at the Knoxville Convention Center. It drew Democratic officeholders, candidates and hundreds of rank-and-file members from all over East Tennessee. Actor David Keith was master of ceremonies. State Democrat Party Chairman Bob Tuke said Ford's main advantage is a platform "that just makes good sense to Tennesseans, like balancing the budget, sensible health care for all Americans, taking care of our veterans, and getting out of the war in a sensible way. He offers a new way of looking at old problems."


Commentary: Once again, Congressman Ford is showing his solutions-oriented approach when he urges the doing away with of political labeling in society today.

As I pointed in a post on this blog last year, Congressman Ford has a long record of working with Democrats and Republicans alike in the Congress.

He is a man who puts partisan bickering to the wayside in order to get things done for the people he represents.

Our next Senator needs to be someone who can work with both Democrats and Republicans. Harold Ford Jr. is the only candidate in this race that can do that.

We have already saw that Ed Bryant, Van Hilleary, and Bob Corker are running hard to the right in this race and have promised to push the ultra conservative agenda in the Senate if elected.

Congressman Ford on the other hand is just doing what he has always done: talk about the issues that matter to all Tennesseans and work towards solutions to those problems that will be to the betterment of everyone, not just a certain party or group of people.

In the past five years, under Republican rule, partisan wrangling has had a stranglehold on the Congress and the results reflect that.

It is time we do what is right for everyone in this nation and put politics on the backburner.

It is time for a new generation of leadership.

Source: Knox News

138 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!