You Need Us
Posted on December 11, 2008 at 7:10 amA newspaperman makes the case in the wake of the Blagojevich scandal that newspapers are more important than ever:
Political corruption is not unknown in Tennessee. Back in January 1979, Democratic Gov. Ray Blanton was accused of selling pardons, resulting in Lamar Alexander being sworn in three days early. Blanton was later convicted of selling liquor licenses and served a prison sentence.
Not long ago, the Tennessee Waltz investigation nailed seven state lawmakers on bribery charges — most famously State Sen. John Ford of Memphis, who is now serving a prison term.
This case also shows the importance of newspapers. Corrupt politicians recognize a free press as a threat to their ambitions. Wiretaps reveal Blagojevich tried to have editorial writers at the Chicago Tribune fired for criticizing him. He reportedly ordered his staff to tell the Tribune owner to “fire all those (expletive) people, get them the (expletive) out of there and get us some editorial support.”
The Blagojevich scandal shows that as long as there are political office holders, some will try to abuse their power. A vigilant federal Justice Department and a vigilant media are the best weapons against such abuses
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Goin’ In For All Day: Ford Gets Fourteen
Posted on September 29, 2008 at 5:35 pmFrom the Commercial Appeal:
U.S. Dist. Court Judge Todd J. Campbell sentenced former state senator John Ford of Memphis to an additional 14 years in prison late this afternoon.
He ordered the sentence to be served consecutively — that is, on top of — the 5 years he is currently serving for his conviction in a separate case in Memphis last year.
Shut The Buck Up
Posted on July 21, 2008 at 7:31 amRetiring Rep. Frank Buck insists he told Governor Bredesen about rumors of malfeasance by Senator John Ford in 2003:
Asked about Buck’s assertion before the trial, Bredesen said he had no knowledge of Ford’s financial ties to the contractors. He reiterated that during the trial, when he testified about a conversation with Ford over entrusting care of more TennCare recipients to one of the companies Ford was consulting for.
In his testimony, Bredesen said he would have reported Ford to the authorities had he known that the former senator was benefiting financially from the TennCare contractor.
Asked in an e-mail Friday about Buck’s claims, Bredesen spokeswoman Lydia Lenker responded that “the governor has said what he knows.”
“He has said all he is going to say on this matter,” Lenker wrote.
Buck remains adamant about telling the governor, saying that Bredesen got “jailhouse religion” about ethics only after the Tennessee Waltz scandal broke.
“He got religion after the scandal hit,” he said.
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John Ford Guilty
Posted on July 18, 2008 at 12:18 pmFormer Senator John Ford was found guilty by a Nashville jury of receiving consulting fees totaling more than $850,000 from two TennCare dental contractors, Doral Dental and OmniCare.
SEE ALSO:
AP
Memphis Flyer
Commericial Appeal
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Harold Ford The Elder: Fudge The Senate
Posted on July 14, 2008 at 5:57 pmHarold Ford, Sr. advised his brother John before his arrest in Tennessee Waltz to resign in an attempt to salvage his wealth and reputation:
“If you had taken my advice two weeks ago, this wouldn’t be happening,” Harold Ford told him. (There was no indication in the recording or in any testimony yet presented what that advice was.)
Harold Ford said: “(Expletive deleted) the Senate, man. Get the (expletive) out of there and don’t put your friends on the spot.”
HEAR ALSO: The tape
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TV News Challenges Gag Order
Posted on July 5, 2008 at 11:47 pmTom Wood breaks the story of Newschannel 5’s constitutional challenge to a gag order issued to witnesses testifying in the John Ford trial. One of the those witnesses happens to be investigative reporter Phil Williams:
The TV station and Williams filed suit late Thursday in federal court, raising a constitutional objection to the gag order. “To the extent that the court’s order restricts Mr, Williams and/or NewsChannel 5 from reporting on this trial, it is a ‘prior restraint’ of the free speech and free press that is impermissible under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” they charged.
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Giving Justice The Finger
Posted on June 30, 2008 at 12:07 pmJohn Ford has done it in many ways over the years but never quite so literal:
Jury selection in the federal corruption trial of former Tennessee state Sen. John Ford was delayed in Nashville this morning after Ford’s defense attorney was hospitalized over the weekend.
Attorneys in court said Assistant Federal Public Defender Isaiah Gant was admitted into a Nashville hospital Sunday suffering from an inflamed finger. Gant underwent surgery Sunday after his finger did not respond to antibiotics.
SEE ALSO: Grantham Is Talking
Ford Misconceptions
Posted on May 9, 2008 at 1:28 pmThe “quiet Ford”, Shelby County Commissioner Joe Ford reflects on his life in politics and talks about how his family is perceived:
He believes people have many misconceptions about his family.
“Sometimes we don’t know how to approach people,” he said. “A lot of people think that they don’t know how to approach us, but sometimes we’re shy approaching people ourselves.”
The top misconception?
“A lot of people think that we sit around and have meetings and talk about what seat, what we’re going to run for, what’s on the agenda today, what are we going to bring up in committee, and we don’t do that,” he said.
(via Mediaverse)
The Family Ford
Posted on April 28, 2008 at 7:49 amBlake 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.
Have A Good Weekend
Posted on April 25, 2008 at 6:27 pmFormer state Senator John Ford failed in his last attempt to delay serving his prison sentence:
Ford, who is to report by 2 p.m. Monday to the Federal Prison Camp at Pollock, La., asked for the delay because of a motion hearing on May 6 in Nashville where he is facing trial this summer on charges of concealing $800,000 he allegedly received from two TennCare contractors.
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