Harold Ford for VP with Clinton?

[jackson_dem]

This is just one writer's opinion but Ford's name has been surfacing in the veepstakes discussion ever since the "controversy" prior to South Carolina. Ford is from the South and that is a big plus. The last time a northern Democrat won he had a southerner on the ticket (1960). Ford is anathema to the blogosphere but he brings some qualities to the table in addition to being from the South and helping heal whatever rift may have developed between African-Americans and the Clintons. In truth, once you go past the labeling and perception game, Ford's views are not that far from those of either Clinton or Obama.

The article talks about Obama's veep needs but mentions no names. Obviously he will need experience. I have seen the names Clark and Webb thrown around because of their military credentials. They don't fit with Obama, although they would go well with Clinton because of their southern heritage. They don't have much political experience. Clark served as the NATO commander and that gives him foreign policy experience but most voters don't know what the NATO leader actually does. A good fit for Obama would be someone like Biden, a foreign policy whiz with over three decades of experience.

Before anyone starts screaming "DLC!!!!" bear in mind one of the folks most frequently mentioned as a potential veep for Obama is DLC "rising star" Kathleen Seblieus, who endorsed Obama (so much for the myth of a united DLC front for Hillary!).

-snip-

To make up for derailing Obama, Billary would probably turn to a black centrist substitute such as Harold Ford, chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council and a former Tennessee congressman. He'd probably take it.

And if Obama's the nominee?

He's got some shoring up to do, especially in national security and foreign policy. Just as Lyndon Johnson's Southern strength and Washington savvy helped overcome some of John F. Kennedy's disadvantages, Obama would do well to select a running mate with a little seasoning -- and a little gray hair wouldn't hurt, either.

He's got a large and stellar field to draw from among senior senators, governors and House members. And unlike Clinton, Obama is free to select a vice president who can truly partner with the president on key issues without worrying about second-guessing from an omnipresent spouse who has been there, done that and thinks he knows it all.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020802980_2.html?nav=hcmodule

[xultar]

1. I hope not. If her campaign is floating that, they are idiots.

[jackson_dem]

12. It isn't the campaign. This writer has nothing to do with the campaign

[gateley]

2. The thought makes my blood run cold. Clinton supporters - what do you think? nt

[tekisui]

3. Not a good idea.

[Unsane]

4. Ford just lost an election and is currently employed full time by the DLC.

barf?

[Tennessee Gal]

5. No! I would not be in favor of that.

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

6. two bush foreign policy enablers!

just what we need. Maybe they will appoint Lieberman secretary of state.

[tokenlib]

7. I can yell DLC if I want to....

It would be an all DLC all the time ticket.... Corporatist loving to the max!

[jackson_dem]

15. As opposed to Obama-Seblieus?

[tokenlib]

20. Obama is not DLC, Hillary is!!

That was my point.

[jackson_dem]

21. Name one policy disagreement Obama has with the DLC

;)

[tokenlib]

25. The DLC opposes raising the Social Security cap. N/T

[jackson_dem]

31. The DLC or HRC?

;)

The DLC favors supplementing Social Security with private accounts. Guess who also likes the idea...

[John Q. Citizen]

35. Invading Iraq

[jackson_dem]

42. The DLC, Hillary, Obama all have the same plan to get out of Iraq

[Alexander]

46. John Q. said INVADING Iraq. Not WITHDRAWING.

Reading is fun.

[jackson_dem]

47. Reading is fun. The question was what disagreements does he have with the DLC

That means present tense. I asked you this question a week ago. Have you found anything yet? Or have you figured out both are equally "DLC", whatever that is supposed to mean?

[guruoo]

50. Funding Iraq.

[Exultant Democracy]

8. My class asked me the other day who my least favorite politician was,

they expected me to say a Republican, but it was Harold Ford Jr, that guy is scum.

[Octafish]

9. Wasn't Ford one of Rev Moon's good friends? - NT

[Straight Shooter]

10. Good heavens no!

He oozes sleaze.

[ulysses]

11. if Ford is the VP choice of our candidate,

I *will* consider doing what I had not planned to consider doing - vote third party.

[ShortnFiery]

13. It would be honest for HRC to choose Ford = Proof positive that the corporate DLC rules our Party.

:(

Remember Ford was the person who challenged Nancy Pelosi for Minority Speaker because, according to THEN Rep. Harold Ford, Pelosi is TOO LIBERAL? :eyes:

[jackson_dem]

19. And what if Obama chooses DLC "rising star" Kathleen Seblieus?

The DLC has split between Hillary and Obama. This alone should tell folks everything you need to know about whether Obama's views comport with the DLC's...

[ShortnFiery]

48. He won't. The analogy is asinine. Bill Clinton's DLC for Hillary Vs. one DLC mention,

Katheleen Seblieus, voicing support for Obama. Who, BTW won't be selected for VP via any basic and objective analysis. :crazy: Please stop? You're just plain embarrassing yourself. :shrug:

Bill Clinton's DLC will be staffing HRC's Executive Branch ... in essence it will be the 3rd term for The DLC's Clintonian Executive Branch.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

14. Ford? Seems Apt. nt

[mmonk]

16. Hope not. I have a real fear we are witnessing the end of the

progressive movement in this election anyway. I have a feeling the abandonment of defending the constitution is related. Someone tell I'm wrong so I won't be so depressed.

[sfam]

17. I just don't get the attraction...I really doubt Hillary thinks that black folk...

won't be coming out to vote for her. Other than this reason, why pick him? Ford didn't win in his own state last time, does not energize the base, and he doesn't deliver a southern state. Why pick him over someone that might?

Her real issue which persists in the GE is with white men. It makes far more sense for her to take someone who can help in the midwestern states, or someone like a Wes Clark who will make it difficult to say she doesn't have military support. That would go right at McCain's attraction to some independents.

[jackson_dem]

27. The only way Ford gets on the ticket is if Hillary feels that way

Otherwise she will go with someone like Clark or Webb. Clark is the logical choice on so many levels. He's been close to the Clintons for years and would "know his role" behind Hillary and Bill.

The reason Ford is mentioned is if Hillary is damaged among black voters she will need a black veep to help repair some of the damage. How many high-profile black politicians are there? Ford, Obama, and Patrick. Obama and Hillary don't like each other and Patrick is too inexperienced for veep right now. That leaves Ford almost by default. I know there are some House members but none of them have the national reputations Ford, Obama, and Patrick have.

[sfam]

36. This would backfire, I think. Republicans would rightly accuse Hillary of..

going for the surrogate black man to replace Obama. Then it would all be about comparing Ford to Obama - a comparison that I think Harold "I like hot chicks and football" Ford loses pretty handily.

She's FAR better off going with a Clark or Webb-like person as you say (Webb in VA is an interesting one for her - not for Obama though), and have Bill go do a massive round of mea-culpas to shore up her African American base.

[Individualist]

18. Now, wouldn't that be lovely - a VP candidate who voted for torture!

And I'll scream DLC as often and as loudly as I please!!

[jackson_dem]

22. Will you scream it when DLC members are mentioned as veep possibilites for Obama?

[Individualist]

26. You're assuming I support Obama

You probably know the saying about ass u me.

Damn the subversive DLC!

[Tatiana]

Ford has been such a disappointment on several levels.

MR. MOULITAS: The problem we have, though, is we've, we've had a, a, an organization that, one, has, has been on the wrong side of a lot of ideas. We're talking John Breaux, Senator John Breaux, who's an architect of George Bush's tax cuts, which have led our nation to record deficits, record debt, and a crumbling infrastructure, as we've seen in Katrina and as we've seen in, in Minnesota. I mean, crazy thing, but the American people want their bridges to stay in one piece. So we, we have a situation like that. On Social Security...

REP. FORD: You can't blame the--Markos, I got great respect for you, but I'm not going to let you get away with blaming the Democratic Leadership Council or anything that we support, sir, for, for anything...

MR. MOULITSAS: Senator John Breaux, who was the chairman of the DLC...

REP. FORD: Right.

MR. MOULITSAS: ...was the chief architect. This is something you put...

REP. FORD: But not of crumbling--not of crumbling infrastructure.

MR. MOULITSAS: Well, what do you think, you're going to cut taxes and not pay for the priorities in our nation. I mean, obviously, there has to be a way to pay for these things. And to come out and say, "Well we're going to cut taxes, and we're going to let these deficits run up, and we're going to let our infrastructure crumble," clearly it's the wrong way to go. On health care, on the war in Iraq, which you still refuse to say is a big mistake.

REP. FORD: It's, it's...

MR. MOULITSAS: You, you were on just on Fox News. So, clearly, we have a situation where you have an organization that's been on the wrong side of the issues and has failed to really build a movement, has failed to really draw popular support...At YearlyKos, we had all these organizations at the same table--labor, the issue groups. The one organization that was still missing was the DLC. That's the one organization that refuses to acknowledge...(unintelligible)...with me.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/12/151233/215

And this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w0S3fPIc7Q

[Blue_In_AK]

23. I don't care for Harold Ford's style, personally,

I don't think he would be a positive addition to her ticket, not that my opinion matters much at this point.

[K Gardner]

24. Tennesseans aren't really crazy about Harold. He's kind of lost his appeal down here.

[desi]

28. I doubt it. The page won't load so I don;t know who the author

might be but if it's Anne Kornblut consider it trash.

[Mojambo]

29. Obama needs Richardson, real bad.

As for Clinton and Ford... Man, that would be as big a hold the nose vote as I've ever made.

[John Q. Citizen]

44. Yep, an Obama Richardson ticket would be very strong and balanced.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

30. Oh goody! So we can hear him say "I like football. I like girls" again and again.

I know it's a small thing and that ad about him going to the Playboy party was racist bullshit but I really got a bad vibe about him with that "football/girls" response. Newsflash Harold, women are not hobbies!

[BlueJac]

32. Not a good idea!

[Thrill]

33. IF its to the point where Hillary has to choose Ford

Than the party would of been to fractured to win GE.

[Vinca]

34. No, no, no, a thousand times no. nt

[Hieronymus]

37. Two DLC's in the middle of the road .........

perfect.:sarcasm:

[spanone]

38. ford believes in the war....i heard him say so...live...in person....he defended bu$h*

[MissDeeds]

39. My take on Ford

A year or so ago, I was getting ready for work, and had either CNN or MSNBC turned up so I could catch the "news" before heading out. I heard this person going on and on, pontificating about his ideals and visions for the country. It made me SOOO angry, and I wondered who this Republican f*tard was. Upon entering the tv room, I saw Harold Ford on the screen, spewing this crap. If any of our candidates takes him on as a running mate, the Democratic Party is in deep, deep, trouble, because he is truly from the dark side (aka RNC).

[saracat]

40. Ick. I loathe Ford. Ugh. If they do that, and she is the nom. I do not vote.Seriously.

[VarnettaTuckpocket]

41. He's more than a centrist, he's a DINO, and a homophobe, wash your mouth out

I would be furious is she chose Ford. If she needs to heal the rift with Obama supporters, Obama himself would be the obvious choice.

[FARAFIELD]

43. Why~

I cant imagine why he would do it?

[NorthernSpy]

45. LOL!

:rofl:

Wonder what the Hillbots who've been sliming Obama as an evil gaybasher will do if that happens?

[H2O Man]

49. many of my best friends.....