Forward With Ford: Why Ford Will Beat Corker

My good friend Alex, over at Forward with Ford, has some good thoughts on why he thinks Harold Ford Jr. will beat Bob Corker in this fall's U.S. Senate race.

I must say I second what he write below:

Today we find ourselves in the first day of the general election for U.S. Senate in Tennessee. Democrat Harold Ford, Jr. will face off against Republican Bob Corker for the seat being vacated by majority leader Bill Frist. It will be a tough fight, but I am certain that Harold Ford Jr. will win. Let's see why:

1. Harold Ford, Jr. is simply a better candidate than Bob Corker, guided by moral values rather than political ambition. He has the charisma of William Jefferson Clinton, the vision of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and the strength of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He is a man of ideas and solutions that will guide our country to a better tomorrow, not a representative of the tired politics of the past.

2. Harold Ford, Jr. has raised the money to be competitive in this race. He has consistently outraised Bob Corker who has run out of financial support and resorted to writing himself checks from his own fortune. Additionally, the DSCC has raised record amounts of money for Democratic Senate candidates and has pledged to spend it in Tennessee. Its Republican counterpart the NRSC will be stretched thin defending several extremely vulnerable incumbents.

3. 2006 will be the best year for Democrats in some time. This year on the ballot, Republicans are representing the corruption of Jack Abramoff, the ineptitude of FEMA, the money laundering of Tom DeLay, the insider trading of Bill Frist, the veto of stem cell research, the privatization of social security, the political meddling in the lives of the Schiavo family, mistake after mistake in Iraq, and a President who is disapproved of by over 60% of Americans. Meanwhile, Democrats stand for something clear and bold: a better future in which jobs are being created, education is improving, the country is safer, people are rising out of poverty, and everyone has access to healthcare.

4. Even many Republicans won't support Bob Corker in the general election. He has a record that Tennesseans, even Republicans just can't support. He has supported abortion, hired illegal immigrants, and raised taxes and spending. Harold Ford, Jr. doesn't support these positions and is the alternative that Republicans and conservatives can support.

5. Bob Corker has a serious credibility problem going into this election. His negative ads against Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary were false. His ads touting his own record were false. Just about everything he says about his opponents and even himself is misleading or a verifiable lie. Harold Ford, Jr. is somoene who appreciates the public's trust and has run an honest campaign in accordance with his own moral values.

6. Tennessee is a state that has been a part of the most important progressive milestones of our country's history. It was a Tennessean President Andrew Jackson who extended suffrage to all white males, a radical step at the time. It was Tennessee that was the first Confederate state to recommit itself to a Union without the menace of slavery. It was Tennessee that helped lead the civil rights movement with sit-ins in Nashville. It was Tennessee Senators Albert Gore, Sr. and Estes Kefauver who made the Voting Rights Act possible, voting for it because it was right even though they knew they would lose reelection. And it was Tennessee that sent the first black Congressman from the South since reconstruction to Washington, Harold Ford, Sr. Now in 2006, I know that Tennessee will be part of another milestone when it elects the first black Senator from the South since reconstruction, Harold Ford, Jr.

7. Finally Harold Ford, Jr. is the candidate with the right ideas to move this country and this state forward, and those ideas will prevail in this election rather than the negative politics of his opponent. Whether it's energy independence, stem cells, wages, healthcare, or education, Harold Ford, Jr. is the candidate that will get this country moving in the right direction, create opportunity for all, and act responsibly in the Senate.

For these reasons I know that Harold Ford, Jr. will be the one to win this fall. Corker has a lot of money, but that's all he's got. We've got a fighter. Not just any fighter but someone who will fight for what's right and for you and me. It will be a close election and a tough campaign, but I know that Harold Ford, Jr. will win.