Why Ford Really Really Lost
Fri Nov 10, 2006 at 07:59:53 PM PDT
I appreciate
this diary. It expresses my own feelings about Ford to a degree. In fact, it may be the real reason he lost. I don't know. Personally, I held my nose and voted for him. On the other hand, maybe if he had inspired me to part with $25 that I felt was better invested in my family than in his asshole candidacy, that would have helped him.
It's true that he irked a lot of people with the Memphis Meltdown. He probably lost a lot of votes there. Petulance is unappealing in someone who asks to represent your state in the Senate, and it probably moved some undecided voters from his column to Corker's. Hell, it's one of the reasons we despise GW.
But the reason I think he really lost, above and beyond his obvious sense of entitlement, is twofold:
1)He failed to offer a compelling alternative
2)He was dishonest, particularly with regard to his own positions
More on the flip.
1) He had a lot of good postions... A sensible energy and environment policy, for one. He even brought them up early in the campaign. But he didn't campaign on them. He campaigned on his conservative credentials and the nebulous notion of "change". Well, Corker had him beat on conservative cred, and "change" is great, but to be taken seriously, you have to spend some time explaining what sort of change you have in mind, and getting that message out. He managed to do that on one issue, and then only weakly. Most Tennesseans were aware that he favored a plan to divide Iraq along ethnic and religious boundaries. What else for Iraq? Hell, I don't even know & I was paying pretty close attention. What else, overall? I don't know that either - just "change".
He was "for" a lot of things... education, green energy, social security... but he didn't draw out his positions in his campaign, and nobody really remembered them. We forget "for" when it is presented in such vague and general terms. He didn't espouse an agenda to address those things he was "for". He didn't show us what he had to offer, how much he cared about the issues important to us. Why would someone who voted "R" in Frist's election vote "D" in this one? What compels respect and attention? Nothing. Why would someone who stayed home last election come out this time? One reason: he is black. And, in fact, I saw black people in my nearly-all-white precinct voting for the first time that Tuesday. It helped me hold my nose for him. But, it wasn't enough.
2) An anecdote: A friend who is very conservative watched the debate in which Ford characterized himself as "pro-life". Well, yeah, he is, I'm sure. We all are. But, he votes pro-choice, and he didn't make clear that he does so. In effect, he lied. Corker didn't go to Memphis to attack Ford's family. Or, if he did, Ford had no evidence of it. When he said that this was the case, he was being dishonest. Dishonesty is a turn-off... believe it or not, for conservatives, too... And conservatives are much more likely to notice it in a Democrat.
So, that's it... He gave few reasons to vote for him in his campaign, preferring to try to out GOP the GOP (which didn't work), and he showed a lack of integrity. Not much else to say. Contrast with Webb or Tester, or McCaskill - who presented a positive agenda & showed themselves committed to the good of their states & their countries rather than just themselves... It's pretty obvious to me why Ford lost.
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