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!