Jake Ford Claims To Be A Victim Of A Racially Motivated Attack In An Upscale Steakhouse

By Kleinheider Posted on May 29, 2008 at 8:19 am

Jake Ford uses a recent personal experience as evidence that the 9th District Congressional contest should be about race:

Ford claims he became involved in a verbal disagreement about politics with a fellow patron at Fleming’s restaurant on Poplar. The patron was a volunteer for the campaign of Southaven congressional candidate Greg Davis.

“When I repelled the gentleman off of me expecting, the employees or other patrons at this restaurant to get involved, they did. They got involved, but they jumped on me,” Ford said.

Ford wonders if there is a political agenda behind the fact the information is coming out now.

“This happened 29 days ago. I have not mentioned this or attempted to contact the press. You can even attest to that Kontji, I haven’t called you or any other news agency to try this in the court of public opinion. This is for the courtroom and that is where we’re going to address this problem,” Ford said.

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Tags: Fleming's steakhouse, Jake Ford, race card, The KKK wears three-piece suits  

The Family Ford

By Kleinheider Posted on April 28, 2008 at 7:49 am

Blake Fontenay traces the decline and the prospects for the future of the Ford family political dynasty:

Marcus Pohlmann, a political science professor at Rhodes College, questions whether the Ford family ever was a “political machine” in the strictest sense.

In the early part of the 20th century, Pohlmann said, political machines in big cities were able to thrive by doling out patronage jobs to supporters, who then used their positions to raise money and drum up votes for their bosses in future elections.

However, since the 1950s, Pohlmann said, government reforms have made it much more difficult to award enough jobs to political cronies to really influence elections.

Pohlmann said Harold Ford Sr.’s position in Congress wasn’t the type that would have allowed him to deliver a large number of patronage jobs, even if he wanted to do so.

That said, Harold Ford Sr. and his relatives did project an image of political strength throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s and beyond.

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Tags: Boss Crump, Harold Ford, Jake Ford, Joe Ford, John Ford, Ophelia Ford, Sir Isaac Ford  

Post Politics: 9 April 2008

By Kleinheider Posted on April 11, 2008 at 2:52 pm

Independent candidate for Congress in District 9, Jake Ford, accuses the Commercial Appeal of “journalistic terrorism” in its reporting on statements he made about who is racially qualified to represent the district.

Much has been made of a Sen. Roy Herron bill which would give a state board the power to determine how the Bible is to be taught in public school. Catherine McTamaney argues that it is not the biblical aspect that is new here, but the level at which the state gets involved.

The LA Times reports on how those snappy little political YouTube ads are produced for the Web.

The Politico argues that Hillary Clinton’s management of her campaign may reflect badly on her ability to run a government.

Rules have been adopted in Metro which allow city workers to continue to spray for mosquitoes in an area even if property owners object or pedestrians are present.

Democratic Leadership Council founder Al From wonders whether Barack Obama can change the electoral map with his refreshing new appeals to voters across traditional divides.

Ilissa Gold reports that plans to move the Bellevue library to a new site at an improved Bellevue Mall are well underway.

Andy Sher reports that revenue shortfalls have put state worker pay raises in jeopardy.

Some state officials see the federal government’s plan to overhaul the country’s financial regulatory systems as an intrusion on their powers, says Stateline.

Photos of the “Flying Spaghetti Monster” statue outside a Crossville courthouse. The Spaghetti monster is a popular symbol among atheists and agnostics used to illustrate the unlikelihood of the existence of religious truth.

Breaking Bad: A new report reveals that homebuyers using mortgage brokers were often directed towards higher-interest loans.

A Vanderbilt professor releases a 74-page paper calling for Tennessee to adopt a state income tax.

One journalist notes that House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh is engaging in more raw politics as his power is threatened in the legislature.

The Amendment makes the bill: Reporter Joe White explains the concept of a “caption bill.”

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Padgett asserts that Tennesseans are fed up with the war in Iraq and want their troops home.

Monkey Business: A delegate for Barack Obama steps down after racially interpreted remark.

Presidential candidate Mike Gravel releases yet another YouTube video where he covers Beatles tunes in a way only he can.

The Jackson Sun reports that Tennessee wildlife officers will no longer auction off weapons seized from hunters violating game laws on the courthouse steps. The weapons will instead be shipped to Nashville for sale in licensed gun shops.

The issue of trade with Colombia divides the political house of Clinton.

Where the white women at? Event coordinators for Michelle Obama make explicit their need for diversity at a campaign event.

The failure of a bill in a state house subcommittee means that the judicial selection committee may still meet in private.

The Memphis Daily News covers the battle of conservatives in the District 7 congressional primary.

A report by the Government Accountability Office in Washington exposed federal employees charging exorbitant amounts of money for Internet dating, tailor-made suits, lingerie, lavish dinners and other questionable expenses to their government credit cards over a 15-month period.

Clarksville Online thinks a new strategy is needed to advance environmental legislation through the Tennessee Legislature.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean invites to his home members of WIN, a bipartisan group dedicated to helping recruit, train and elect qualified women to state and local offices in Tennessee.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the smart money, at first bearish on John McCain’s prospects, is now starting to flow in.

And finally, Ken Whitehouse discusses West Tennessee Democrats on the downslope of political prominence.

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Tags: Al From, Barack Obama, Jake Ford, Jimmy Naifeh, Karl Dean, Mike Padgett  

Post Politics: 7 April 2008

By Kleinheider Posted on April 8, 2008 at 9:54 am

The longest-serving congressional district director in Tennessee history, Joe Hill, is retiring after 35 years. Hill started his tenure under Congressman Ed Jones in 1973 and stayed on when Congressman John Tanner was elected to the Eighth District seat in 1989. Hill will now serve as a member of the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole.

CBN political reporter David Brody notes social conservative uneasiness with a possible John McCain/Mitt Romney ticket.

Fred Thompson travels to Arizona to catch up with his old friend, John McCain.

A recent Rassmussen Reports survey shows Hillary Clinton to be the best Democratic candidate to go up against John McCain in the General election — at least in Tennessee.

Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr announces the formation of a committee to explore a possible run for the Libertarian nomination in 2008.

Memphis mayor Willie Herenton will outline his vision for the Memphis City Schools in what he calls “the most important presentation in his entire public life” on May 6.

Gov. Phil Bredesen gave a guest lecture last week on the ins and outs of his superdelegate primary plan to a Vanderbilt Political Science class taught by Professor John Geer and Harold Ford, Jr.

Fourteen Tennessee businesses have signed a letter to Senators Alexander and Corker in opposition to new patent reform legislation before Congress.

David Oatney notes state Senator Mike Williams’ evolution on the subject of term limits since his days in the state House.

Roger Abramson pens the definitive polemic on the continued co-option of Martin Luther King, Jr. by the Tennessee GOP.

Randy Neal compiles last week’s state legislative and congressional filings of candidacy in a handy browsable database.

Absolut Vodka sparks a debate over immigration policy – and some creative Photoshopping – with its latest advertisement.

Joe Lance discusses the pros and cons of Phil Bredesen as Veep.

ABC News reports that Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice is actively seeking the Vice Presidential nomination.

According to a press release, People First of Tennessee received a letter from the TN Division of Mental Retardation that its self-advocacy contract will not be renewed. The organization suspects that their outspoken opposition to state spending cuts was the cause.

A conservative blogger gives the Clintons kudos on the release of their tax returns and their contributions to charity.

Lamar Alexander in the Washington Post on pulling the plug on his Presidential runs in 1996 and 2000: “”A lot of people invested time and money and effort into my campaign when I ran. One of my feelings was that I let them down. I haven’t done as well as I should have.”

At a fund-raising breakfast Friday for State House District challenger Tony Shipley, former Sen. Bill Frist said he will make a decision about running for Tennessee Governor “by the early part of next year.”

State Senator Doug Jackson: “I’ll tell you what, when you let the hillbillies into the White House, they’ll get the ashtrays and even the Sweet n’ Low.”

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain explains why he voted against the Martin Luther King Holiday during his first term in Congress.

Tom Humphrey breaks down which party seems to have the advantage in state legislative races now that the filing deadlines have passed and the fields are set.

Former governor and Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee leads a Gallup Poll measuring who Republicans would like to see as John McCain’s running mate.

Tennessee’s Republican Party spokesman isn’t the only one opposing the continued openness of the state’s firearm carry permit database while benefiting from the current status of the records. Rep. Mike Bell concedes that the database helped him challenge those making hyperbolic claims of cost regarding a gun rights bill he had sponsored.

Both the younger and the elder Harold Ford issued harsh rebukes of statements by their family members reported in the Commercial Appeal last week. On Friday, Jake Ford, an independent candidate opposing Rep. Steve Cohen, and his campaign manager brother, Isaac, insinuated that Cohen was unfit to serve because he was white and a majority of the constituents in the district are not.

Harold Ford, Jr. distanced himself from his brother in the starkest possible terms: “It’s beyond concern. I want to make clear my brothers’ comments are not mine. I reject them. … I don’t believe any candidate’s fitness for office should be measured or determined by race or gender.”

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Tags: Ed Jones, Harold Ford, Jake Ford, John Tanner, Sr.