The RNC's New Racist TV Ad Against Harold Ford

I know a lot of us don't like Harold Ford.  He does sound a lot like a Republican most of the time.  But right now our chances to take control of the Senate depend on Ford beating Corker in Tennessee.

For months, the Republican National Committee has mounted a subtlely racist campaign against Ford.  A lot of us are aware of the campaign, although it's gotten little attention from the MSM.

But now that Ford is neck and neck with Corker with just two weeks to go, the RNC has decided to take it up a notch.  The racism, that is. A new TV ad features two blond white women who suggest that Harold Ford is interested in them. We need to make sure they pay the price for this disgusting campaign.

Please, if nothing else, read until the end of this diary.  Because when the Republican Party uses racism to try to keep control of the Senate, we need to make sure they take full responsibility for it.

RACE-BAITING

Most of us are familiar with the underlying racist fear that was played on by white elites to subjugate African-Americans in the South for decades: the fear that black men would "steal" white women from white men.  The image of "black men as beasts who lusted after innocent white women and girls" was used by Jim Crow-era southern leaders to scare Southern whites into opposing integration.  While many debate how widespread this shameful and racist practice is today, no one can deny that it has had lasting effects.

THE START OF "FANCY FORD"

Fast forward to 2005, one year ago.  The RNC created an anti-Harold Ford website called Fancy Ford.  The website prominently discussed Ford's "parties with Playboy playmates."  It had other purposes as well -- to link Ford with African-American leaders such as Sheila Jackson Lee and to portray him as elitist and out of touch with Tennessee.  But the subtle suggestion that Ford was sexually interested in white women was part of that website, and the RNC's whole "Fancy Ford" campaign.

The RNC's "Fancy Ford" campaign was subtle at first.  But apparently a lot of voters missed the message.  After all, Ford is ahead or tied in all the polls.  He's even getting positive coverage from Pat Robertson as a religious moderate.  So the RNC has stepped up their racism, making it more overt than ever.

LAST WEEK'S PRESS RELEASE

Last week, the RNC issued a press release called "More Details Of Ford's Fancy Fling."  You can visit this post entitled "NRSC Slams Ford For Dating" on Hotline Blog to read the whole thing for yourself.  The press release slams Ford for ... dating a Georgetown sophomore:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) issued the following release after The Commercial Appeal reported more details of Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.'s previous "nonexclusive courtship" with a Georgetown University sophomore:

"It's good to hear Congressman Ford's Georgetown University girlfriend's spring break planning didn't get in the way of his meetings with the President," said Dan Ronayne, NRSC Spokesman. "But the least Fancy Ford could have done was call her back after news broke of their relationship. Not providing closure is distinctly un-fancy."

The Commercial Appeal Reports "The Younger Ford's Dating Life Is An Active, But Quieter Affair. 'He Met Julia Baugher, A Georgetown University Sophmore [sic] And Sex Columnist While Celebrating His 31st Birthday At Paolo's, A Restaurant In Washington." (Halimah Abdullah, "Growing Up In The Political Spotlight, Ford Learned The Ropes As A Youngster," The Commercial Appeal, October 15, 2006)

And of course the same press release mentions the Playmates again:

"Ford Also Finds Time To Party," Reports The Commercial Appeal, Traveling To Florida To Attend A Playboy Super Bowl Party As Well As A Christmas Party For One Of His Father's Lobbyist Clients. "Ford also finds time to party. According to the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, Ford attended last year's Playboy Super Bowl Party in Jacksonville, Fla., and took several trips paid for by corporate interests, including jaunts to Las Vegas, Vail, the Virgin Islands, Orlando and Miami. In all, more than 60 trips between 1998 and 2003.

I'm sure all of you can see what this is all about.  As one of the comments put it:  "The undercurrent of the entire NRSC attack of 'Fancy Ford' is that Ford is a black man that spends time with white women. This young woman is white, and Ford is black. This entire line of attack is race-baiting at its worst."

But the editors at The Hotline don't know what to make of the press release:  "The National Republican Senatorial Committee blasts TN SEN candidate Harold Ford junior for ... well, we're not entirely sure. It has something to do with his dating life."

DOES IT GET MORE OVERT THAN THIS?

Apparently a lot of folks in Tennessee didn't get the message either.  So now the RNC has become much more overt.  From today's Hotline blog:

2. RNC Gone Wild! At least in TN, the NRSC's targeting Rep. Harold Ford Jr (D) in two new attack ads. Among them is an ad called, "Who Hasn't?" Full script:

WOMAN 1: "Harold Ford looks nice. Isn't that enough?" WOMAN 2: "Terrorists need their privacy." MAN 1: "When I die, Harold Ford will let me pay taxes again." MAN 2: "Ford's right, I do have too many guns." WOMAN 3: "I met Harold at the Playboy party!" WOMAN 4: "I'd love to pay higher marriage taxes." MAN 2: "Canada can take care of North Korea. They're not busy." MAN 3: "So he took money from porn movie producers. I mean, who hasn't?" ANNCR: "The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising." WOMAN 3: "Harold, call me!"

While the NRSC believes the ad will help Ex-Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker (R) in his race against Ford, Corker's demanding the RNC stop airing it. Corker chair Tom Ingram: "The new RNC ad ... is tacky, over the top and is not reflective of the kind of campaign we are running." The ad includes "a smiling, bare-shouldered, white blond woman" making reference to Ford's alleged attendance at a Playboy Super Bowl party and inviting him to call her. Yet despite Corker's complaints, RNC spokesperson Camille Anderson says: "the RNC stands by" the ad and she has "no reason to believe that it will not continue to air"

This speaks for itself.  As an American, this tactic just makes me angry.  And what makes me angrier is the way in which Corker and the GOP are trying to avoid responsibility for their race-baiting.  Of course Corker is publicly offended by the ads!  That's why the GOP is having the Republican National Committee, not Corker, air the ads.  This way they can race-bait to attack Ford (and sick our Senate chances), but their candidate can deny having anything to do with the attack.  Swiftboat, anyone?

WE NEED TO FIGHT BACK!  Let's get in touch with the press and give them some spine.  We need to make sure that the head of the RNC, Republican leaders, and Republican candidates in non-Southern states are forced to take responsibility for their party's racist message.  If our compliants can give the press a backbone, Republican leaders can be forced to publicly condemn these ads and maybe, just maybe, call on their own party to stop using them.

So it's time to call the press and make sure this story gets noticed.  We need to ask them why they are not asking the RNC and Republican leaders whether they disapprove of this ad.  We need to force the head of the RNC and other Republican leaders to take responsiblity for this.  If they're willing to do so and won't remove the ads, at least we can make sure everyone outside of Tennessee knows what they're doing.  And maybe, just maybe, we can get the press to pressure the RNC to take these ads off the air.

It's time to email Olbermann and heck, email Tweety too.  Don't forget to contact CNN and let's start blogging!  If we can get the MSM to pick up this story, we can at least get the GOP to take responsibility for their racism.  Campaigns should not be won or lost on race-baiting.  And this time, control of the Senate is at stake.  Act now!

•  We need to act

  If anyone has other ideas, let me know so I can edit the diary.  I've been disgusted at this campaign for a while, but I when I read about the latest ad I just got angry.  We can't let this go by unnoticed.  It's worse than the Willie Horton ads.

  by Philosopher on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 12:14:23 PM PDT

  •  More than just race baiting re "Fancy Ford" ad

    It may not be just the race angle they are going after here. Although I have never heard the term outside the NE PA area where my family is from, I have to wonder if their use of "Fancy Ford" is being used in code.

    Where my family is originally from in very rural upstate PA, there is a term "fancy fella", so when I saw this ad I couldn't help but remember that Fancy Fella is a euphemism for gay. I don't think it's a well known term, and is probably regional. I first heard it when I went had a date (in 9th grade) and one of my aunts said "Oh, you don't want to go with him, he's a fancy fella." Later my grandmother told me the meaning.

    I don't give a Rattus norvegicus's posterior about anybody's orientation, and the Repubs need to called on the floor for all the demeaning and downright inaccurate ads they've tossed out lately.  

    And Dems need to hit back with the facts!

    I'm so tired of all these republican propoganda droppings, they are stinking up the election.

    by Rogneid on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 01:41:09 PM PDT

  •  Here's The Ad

    The ad is finally up on YouTube.  I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow and re-post this.

    by Philosopher on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 03:46:13 PM PDT

•  If Racism Didn't Exist. . .

  The GOP would have about five seats in the Senate instead of 55.

  It's that fundamental to their voting base. Sad, but true.

  by IndyScott on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 12:18:36 PM PDT

  •  If Racism didn't exist

    We'd have more than 1 African American senator currently serving.  Do you realize there's been fewer than 10 African American senators in the history of the United States Senate?

    by Whiskey Sam on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 12:23:25 PM PDT

•  Ron Kirk

  There was some speculation of voter racism in 2002 when Ron Kirk (former mayor of Dallas and A-A) ran against John Cornyn for Senator.  

  Apparently Kirk's polling numbers showed him in a close race that Cornyn ended up winning handily.  Some speculate that when responding to pollsters, people with racist beliefs might respond that they'd vote for Kirk (or in this case Ford), but when they got into the voting booth, they cast their vote against the black candidate.

  I don't know how much stock I put into this, but it's a theory to be aware of in case Ford shows worse than his polling numbers indicate.  Let's hope that doesn't happen.

  by Whiskey Sam on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 12:22:21 PM PDT

  •  The polling in Virginia in 1989 showed that

    if the pollster sounded black, the margin for Wilder was larger, and if the pollster sounded white, the margin for Marshall Coleman was larger.

    by RBH on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 12:30:13 PM PDT

•  I don't know if I think

  or just hope that that nasty little ad is going to bite its keepers.

  by palachia on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 12:26:18 PM PDT

•  linky to the ad?

  by skywriter on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 12:44:14 PM PDT

•  Putrid! Despicable!!! n/t

  by serrano on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 12:48:06 PM PDT

•  Can someone please explain to me

  What someone's race has to do with his/her ability to perform a given job? This is something I have never understood.

  by LynneK on Mon Oct 23, 2006 at 01:19:46 PM PDT

  •  That's because

    you're thinking about this from a rational place instead of an emotional place with long standing racial undertones.

    Welcome to the south.  Nearly 40 years since the death of MLK and many of the same racist attitudes that prevailed here remain.  It's sad.

    by vibinc on Tue Oct 24, 2006 at 08:52:29 AM PDT

    •  The funny thing is

      I was born and raised in the South. I'm from Alabama, but I have never understood the whole "race thing". I guess I just took Dr. King's dream to much to heart; I try to judge people based on the content of the character, rather than the color of their skin.

      by LynneK on Tue Oct 24, 2006 at 09:35:46 PM PDT

•  In the stupid questions category...

  ...is there any suggestion that the college sophomore in question is white? However sickening this is, I don't see any suggestion of race there.

  by dennisl on Tue Oct 24, 2006 at 02:24:02 PM PDT