Ford supports Lieberman in Connecticut Senate race

[ECH1969]

Democratic U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. said he supports Sen. Joe Lieberman as he runs as an independent for his Connecticut U.S. Senate seat.

"I support Joe Lieberman. He knows that. I've made that clear from the very beginning," Ford said Monday on the radio talk show of conservative host Steve Gill.

Ford's U.S. Senate campaign confirmed Tuesday that Ford was endorsing Lieberman over Democratic nominee Ned Lamont.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2006/10/18/ford_supports_lieberman_in_connecticut_senate_race/

[depakid]

1. Which means he'll NEVER get one ounce of support from me

Forget about running for Pres or VP.

Plus, he may well lose this November- and if so, all he's going to get are crocodile tears.

[geek tragedy]

2. Goodbye national aspirations.

About as good as we can do in Tennessee, but that's the end of his national ambitions.

[AlCzervik]

3. quid pro quo? Does Ford think Lieberman will play better in TN than

Lamont will?

[BootinUp]

5. sure.

no surprise there. Not that I'm happy about this tactic.

[AlCzervik]

10. i don't like it either but honestly i'm not surprised at all.

[MessiahRp]

13. Maybe but Lieberman sure wasn't a big enough star to win Tennessee in 2000

during the Presidential election and I seriously doubt he makes a damn bit of difference to Tennesseans today.

Rp

[BootinUp]

14. The question is how much

does Lamont hurt in TN in 2006. Fords opponent might be able to make hay with a Ford-Lamont connection.

This is not a vote on policy its a statement of support between to very moderate Dems, one of them in the battle of his career. I say let him make the campaign moves he needs to within reason so we can get the Senate.

[BootinUp]

4. If you win Harold I'll probably forgive you.

Jeebus, politics stinks sometimes.

[peacebird]

7. why would you forgive him? tolerate him until you can get him thrown out

for another Dem, but why forgive him?

He is on the record supporting a man who is running AGAINST the Dem nominee that the people CHOSE.

He needs to know that his support of a maverick who is running against the Dem candidate is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. period.

No forgiveness possible for that. His attitude says it all. "I know better than those pesky voters"

[BootinUp]

8. Its a political calculation

hes dead even and needs every conservative Tennessee vote he can get. Its probably worth it. I think we are losing CT anyways. I see this as helping in TN more than hurting in CT.

[peacebird]

11. well of course vote for him over a repuke - but forgive?

nah - hold it in your back pocket to remind you that he needs replacing in the next election. but he doesn't deserve forgiveness.

[depakid]

12. It's poor judgment

as well as a repudiation of the primary process and the party's nominee. He should have just kept his big mouth shut or made some innocuous statement.

[sundancekid]

18. yup, making deals with the devil will only get him the smell of sulphur

why oh why could he not keep his mouth shut???

quid pro squat, I say

[IndianaGreen]

23. by supporting a pro-choice Jew? How does that help him with conservatives?

They only tolerate Jews because of Jesus, but would never vote for one, plus Lieberman's pro-choice bona fides make him anathema to all the fundies in Tennessee.

No matter how you slice it, Ford's endorsement of Lieberman gains him nothing, and puts him in the untenable position of saying that the voice of Democratic primary voters don't mean shit to him.

[BootinUp]

29. Better than the alternative from his pov. at least

thats the only sense I can make of it.

[grizmaster]

6. you're on your own now Harry

he just lost any support he'd have gotten from me

[RestoreGore]

9. I knew I was right about him

Again, my condolences to Tennessee.

[mitchum]

15. Well, of course he does...they belong to the same DLClique

[BlueStater]

16. Ugh

So he supports an asshole who's defying the people of Connecticut so he can continue to remain in power?

I don't know much about him but he's certainly not winning any favors with me.

[CrazyForKucinich]

17. One more reason why Harold Ford Jr. is not a Democrat...

something is wrong with in the water in Tennessee

[AlamoDemoc]

19. Harold and Joe both belong to the DLC...I'm not bit surprised

The DLC is a growing cancer in our inner values as Democrats.

[Zhade]

20. You keep great company, Ford. Check my sigline.

Fucking asshole.

[IndianaGreen]

21. GOP has their Clarence Thomases and Condi Rices

we got our Harold Fords.

[tnlefty]

22. Well just *^#$!!! I kinda wish that I hadn't seen this. I attended a GOTV

rally to kick off early voting this afternoon and Ford was there. This just pisses me off and takes all of the fun of this event today and flushes it down the toilet.

Whatever happened to supporting the democratic nominees and respecting the primary process?!!! Afterall, he's expecting us 'liberals' to fall in line and vote for him despite positions or votes that we may have problems with. This is gonna make it harder to get up in the morning and every morning for the next couple of weeks to pick people up and take them to vote.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

[charlottelouise]

24. Nor is Jr. supporting the Democratic candidate for his old House seat

Ford endorsing Lieberman -- doesn't surprise me a bit.

Ford's also not supporting the Democratic candidate for the Ninth District seat he's vacating. The Democratic candidate, Steve Cohen, who is just wonderful (I've heard him refer to Ford as "Republican lite"), is running against not only a Republican, but also Ford's younger brother Jake (who is running as an "Independent").

Harold's refused to endorse Steve Cohen, and has made it clear that he's neutral in that race. Guess he figures that if he loses the Senate race, baby brother will keep his House seat warm for him.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

25. No surprise.

We're talkin' Harold Ford Jr. here.

:shrug:

[Zhade]

26. Wonder if the DLCers will listen to those of us who were RIGHT...

...about lieberman?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

28. They were right about him, too.

:shrug:

[tinfoilinfor2005]

27. I hate players,

and I don't care what party they belong to.

Sadly, I think the day of the honest person in politics without an agenda is over.

[Crunchy Frog]

30. And just when I was starting to like him.

I'm glad I'm not a Tennessee voter. As a Colorado voter, I have already decided never to vote for or support in any way, Senator Ken Salazar. He's endorsed Lieberman too. When a Democrat supports a 3rd party candidate against a fellow Democrat, he's just given me permission to support a 3rd party candidate against him.

That said, I hope that Ford does not lose enough progressive votes to cost him the election. (They do have progressive voters in Tennessee, don't they?)

[IndianaGreen]

31. I have seen Ford on Imus enough times to say that I don't like him

and I don't trust him. I pity the voters of Tennessee that have to choose between a slick demagogue like Ford and a crypto-Nazi like Corker. I am glad I don't have to get drunk in order to vote against the GOP candidate.