Losing votes
It’s no secret that conservatives and Republicans have been pulling their support for Corker. He’s a subpar candidate with a very not good record. But this surprised me:
After much thought, I have decided that I cannot in good conscience vote for a man [Harold Ford, Jr.] who supports the notion of detaining American citizens without the writ of habeas corpus.
The Democrats have been pretty united over Ford, even though he’s running as, well, a Republican. With all his Jesus-loving, pro-gunning, illegal-immigrant-hating, gay-marriage-hating, rhetoric, he’s speaking like he should have an R after his name.
Via AC.
October 18th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Wow, I didn’t realize that subsidizing hybrid cars, universal health care, keeping abortion legal, increasing federal funding for education, protectionist tax credits, upholding the separation of church and state, and protecting traditional pension plans were Republican issues.
(All of these are listed in Ford Jr.’s platform, on his website.)
October 18th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
I can list as many similarities.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:22 pm
They are both just horrible candidates. You cannot give someone a hard time for not voting in this race. I am having gastric reflux just thinking about it.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Yeah, I’d stay home if I didn’t have to go vote no on 1 & 2.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
tgirsch: none of those other issues matter if this government does not acknowledge our basic constitutional rights. I’m telling you: Harold Ford made a deal with the devil to get elected. How will we ever turn back the Military Commissions Act?
October 18th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
S-townMike,
The government has been taking away our basic Constitutional rights for a long time. The only difference between most of the Democrats and Republicans is which ones they want to take away and have taken away. Only a precious few patriots in our government acknowledge and defend ALL of the Bill of Rights for ALL Citizens.
October 18th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Uncle:
So, Republican on a number of issues, and Democratic on a number of others. Wouldn’t that put him closer to running as an independent? Or, at least, a conservative Democrat?
October 18th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
S-townMike:
You think Corker would be any better? If anything, he’d defer to Bush even more than Ford.
October 18th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Well, when i hear him speak, he sounds more republican. ‘course, i’m out east.
October 19th, 2006 at 1:14 am
tgirsch: which part of taking away “the right to a fair trial” or “holding any American citizen in a detainment camp” do you not understand? Ford, a Democrat, voted for this bill, and if elected will be a part of a federal government that can arrest anyone just for looking at it the wrong way. The question of who is better under a despotic government is ridiculous. You act as if nothing changed with the signing of the MCA, and that we still live in a constitutional democracy. There is no difference between Ford and Corker in a Congress that chooses to give the president absolute power.
October 19th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
S-townMike:
I won’t defend Ford for voting for the bill. What I’m saying is that given the opportunity to do so, Corker would have voted for it, too. And would be even more likely than Ford to vote for other things just like it. Look, I’m all in favor of punishing Ford for that vote, but not if that “punishment” means electing someone even worse on such issues. Make no mistake, Corker would be even worse. Ford voted for some shit I hate, but Corker would have, too. And Corker would have voted even worse than Ford. Ford voted against making the PATRIOT act permanent, and Corker has attacked him for doing so. So in Corker, you’d have a Senator who would not only vote for the MCA, but who would also expand the PATRIOT act and make it permanent.
Yes, they’re both lousy candidates, but to suggest that there’s “no difference” between Ford and Corker is risible. You act as if Corker can’t possibly be worse on such issues than Ford, and you’re dangerously wrong about that.
October 20th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
We all draw lines that candidates can’t cross, tgirsch. Ford crossed mine. What does he have to do to cross yours? How far can he go on the issue of civil liberties before you say, “enough”?