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Tennessee Mud-Slinging

October 26, 2006 12:15 PM

After a little more research, it seems Democrats are alleging many more racist slams against Harold Ford than just the ones detailed ion my first blog posting this morning.

The first is a radio ad from a mysterious group called "Tennesseans for Truth," which says of Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford, Jr:

"His daddy handed him his seat in Congress and his seat in the congressional black caucus, an all-black group of congressmen who represent the interests of black people above all others...Ford's Congressional Black Caucus secretly prepares and presents their own alternative budget to Congress each year to fund aid to black Americans. Discrimination at its worst...Tennesseans want a color-blind senator, a real Tennessean representing all of us without discrimination."

Earlier this month, GOP Senate candidate Bob Corker asked the radio station to pull the ad, though his campaign stopped short of calling it racist.

The second is from the Tennessee Republican Party and, according to Democrats, is more subliminal but no less nefarious.

A mailing (YOU CAN SEE IT HERE) with a picture of Ford Democrats allege has been darkened (WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE) that says of the Democrat, a fairly light-skinned African-American, that (EMPHASIS THEIRS):

"He pretends to be a conservative but he's a liberal.

"He purports to be from Tennessee but he's a product of Washington, D.C.

"He passes himself off as someone with a deep connection to the Volunteer State but he gets obscene amounts of liberal money from out of state…"

Democrats say the emphasized words are clearly meant to conjure forth the image of a black man trying to pass himself off as a white man. Republicans say the photo has not been altered and the words have nothing to do with race but rather a liberal Democrat trying to pretend to be a moderate.
Agree? Disagree? Despicable? Much ado about nothing?

-- jt

October 26, 2006 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (7)

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I love being a Democrat. My sense of social justice propels be to be none other. Paying taxes, being patriotic, living according to the ten commandments, it's all part of who I am and I am a proud life long Democrat.

Posted by: Lucy Borik | Nov 12, 2006 4:09:49 PM

Racist? Pretty much any negative add against a black man in america someone always finds some sort of subliminal, insidious message. It is just politics, people. I personally love negative campaigning, and think the republicans have been too nice this season. They should be mean and evil like CNN, the spokestation for the Democratic party, showing American soldiers gunned down by terrorists. it is time for the Republicans to act as mean and evil as the media tries to make them out to be.

Posted by: Randy C | Oct 29, 2006 5:35:56 AM

Uh, Ted...we did attack Germany

as for the topic at hand, while I can see where it could be interpreted as racist, I can also see where it was just a (feeble) attempt to smear Ford as a 'playboy'...It was just tacky and wrong, and even worse, the RNC dithered about yanking it from the air...family values my foot!

Posted by: phillygirl64 | Oct 27, 2006 10:54:58 AM

When I first visited the city of Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee (Bristol straddles the state line between both states), I heard a joke that was making the rounds in the city. Someone was going to build a souvenir shop right on the state line. On the Virginia side, customers could choose from tasteful historical souvenirs and guidebooks; on the Tennessee side, they could buy all the styrofoam beer coolers, pickup truck mud flaps, 8-track tapes, and Confederate flags they'd want. I thought that the joke was probably started by some insecure Virginians, since I saw nothing like that in Bristol. Based on the utterly charming campaign materials (I refuse to label such trash as "literature") referred to in today's blog, I now see that I may have been premature in my assessment of Tennessee standards.

Bob Davis and the rest of his Repubs should be so ashamed of themselves that they wouldn't go out in public for fear of being pelted with rotten eggs! It is painfully clear that these despicable campaign ads are created by a party that is so desperate that it has to resort to race-baiting. Or, as Sophillyfatz put it far better than I could: "Straight from the Rove handbook; lie, cheat, deceive, pander--all is fair (or unfair, it doesn't matter) as long as the slime-ball Republicrats win."

Posted by: chuck | Oct 26, 2006 2:51:38 PM

Look Democrats, quit whining. I am a Democrat and if someone put an offensive ad that is not true on against me or even suggests that, I would invite them, if they have the nerve and they are all a bunch of spineless bastards hiding behind the christian, NRA, and draft dodging group and fece on all of them. That is after I kick the living crap out of them myself. All you Moron's that voted this idiot in office and his crew into office, continually amaze me. You Moron's are following a draft dodger and allowing this thugs in congress to put you son's and daughter's into harm's way and you still suppport them. Any day of the week, whether it be a Democrat or Republican, I would rather take orders in the military from an enlisted officer than a draft dodger. The choice is yours. But! If you are watching the daily deaths mount up, maybe you Moron's would come to realize, you are fighting in the wrong direction and listening to the wrong music. I wonder HMMMM! When Japan attacked us, Did we go and attack Germany? No you Idiots, we attacked the country that attacked us, Japan! How in the Hell did you Moron's get us into Iraq which had no WMD'S and did not attack us on 9/11? Riddle me that you Idiot's. My 2 cents. But keep in mind, this is one Democrat that strikes back if you have the nerve to test it. Whimps!

Posted by: Ted | Oct 26, 2006 2:01:12 PM

Good subject heading. I feel the need to bathe now.

Posted by: cordelia525 | Oct 26, 2006 2:00:05 PM

I cannot tell if that is a jungle beat or a poor drum solo. But what I do know is that I want a senator who used to sell ice. (Paid for by Sideshow Bob for Mayor.)

Posted by: reyonthehill | Oct 26, 2006 1:13:25 PM

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