"BLACK POINT MAN" FOR THE RIGHT STRIKES AGAIN

What is it with the Gentleman from Tennessee these days? Does he want Bill Frist's Senate Seat in 2006 so much, that he has sold his soul to the Devil and willingly signs off on all types of legislation that guarantees to continually harm more than help his Memphis constituents? Is being a United States Senator that important? I guess so, since he sold out his own uncle months ago. And that was just the beginning.

His appearance at Bush's Social Security promo will do more for him than the picture of Bush giving the Mafioso's kiss to Joe Lieberman during the SOTU address, as Mr. Ford forges a quest for Frist's Senate seat. As in Memphis Dems (especially his African-American constituency) are going to wake up and smell the coffee and anything Mr. Ford says by way of explaning himself is not going to pass the laugh, let alone, smell test. He won't even be able to call Bill O'Reilly for his spin, either.

He would do well to watch how Connecticut Dems are laying into Lieberman. Lately, more and more websites are popping up on the blogsphere, asking to front a candidate to challenge Joe for his Senate seat in 2006, 'cause Connecticut Dems are getting tired of his whoring for Bush. I think the "kiss" did it for them; it's just like watching when Judas kissed Jesus (as a means of identifying Him to hand our Lord over to the Pharasees to be murdered).

In California, trust me, we only tolerate Dianne Feinstein, and that's because she knows how to CYA. Additionally, she occasionally votes the way we want; in our best interests. But her support for Condoleezza Rice almost immediately facilitated a "Get Rid of Feinstein!" growl from progressive liberals and even a few conservative Dems, not to mention a couple of Republicans out here on the "Left Coast".

I'm not going to play the race card regarding Rep. Ford's chances for the Senate; if it weren't for his political baggage (and I'm not talking about his family, because I refuse to believe people in Memphis didn't know what was going on with his elders); like his support for policies which harm most poor people than it helps them), his collaborations on legislation in the name of "bi-partisanship" (anyone partnering with Rick "man on dog" Santorum already suffers a loss of credibility) his political affiliations (card carrying DLC member and avowed "Blue Dog Democrat") and his feeding at the corporate trough, with reciprocation required being a signatory on that dastardly bankruptcy reform bill (a DLC requirement).

In all honesty, minus the political baggage, I would say he has a good chance to win that Senate seat if just to demonstrate to America that the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan's founder, Nathan Bedford Forrest, the state of Tennessee, a "Red State", has advanced into the 21st Century by electing their first African-American Senator to the U. S. Senate, joining the only African-American in the Senate, Barack Obama. But let's not forget, Obama didn't ride to the Senate on the "sell-out" express; he drove the progressive "PT Cruiser" to Washington, with full possession of his values and beliefs.

Shoot, in California, but for racists in this state, we would have had our first African-American Governor (former LA Mayor Tom Bradley) back in 1988.

In fact, I'd be the first to sign up to help the brother out. But for his political baggage, I cannot even contemplate doing no more than to humbly request he just run for re-election to what is considered a "safe" House seat, because he still needs to be schooled in what's important to lower and middle class America, whom he represents. You can't represent the people if you have no clue what's going on with them, or if you have no knowledge of what they face, because your life provides you with no frame of reference or experience to empathize with their plight.

When I attack a DLC member, I'm attacking their positions and their policies; not the person themselves - if I have, that's because I'm trying to emphasize what they represent and the danger I believe they pose to the rest of us. I'm sure they are nice people; I've met Rep. Ford and he has been very nice to me. But there's the qualifier; "IF". I can't overlook what he has done through his political posturing and the danger he represents to Black America when he attempts to pass himself off as pitchman for "New Black Leadership" among us. If he was serious about being a leader for African-Americans, he should have had his collective butt down in Atlanta at Tavis Smiley's "State of the Black Union" event back in February, like I was, if for nothing else, to demonstrate concern about the issues that are truly relevant not only to African-Americans, but all Americans. He would also do well to remember the history of African-Americans, if that would serve to inspire him and remind him why he wants to be an emerging New Black Leader. For me, if you want to be a New Black Leader, how about:

• Going to jail for protesting human rights causes (see Rangel, Dellums, Sharpton)
• Sponsor some meaningful legislation (Conyers)
• Voting on Principle in Congress (see McKinney, Tubbs-Jones and Barbara Lee)
• Challenging the President on issues like the Voting Rights Act (Jesse Jackson, Jr.)
• Publicly showing support for the Congressional Black Caucus
• Taking a beating on the Selma Bridge to protect Civil Rights (John Lewis)
• Going into foreign political hotspots and free some hostages (Jesse Jackson, Sr.)
• Most of all, not allowing yourself to become a bought-and-owned Negro in order to curry favor with the Right Wing (Shirley Chisholm)

Hell, his own father, former Rep. Harold Ford, Sr., even took a beating from the Right Wing, courtesy of one Ronald Wilson Reagan, when he was in Congress and Reagan was the President. Those bank fraud charges he was charged with didn't just crop up; Ford, Sr., just like my mentor, Ron Dellums, held very powerful positions on sub-committees during the 1980's that kept Reagan from doing with the budget what GeeDubya is doing now! And just like they attempted to frame Ron Dellums as a cocaine addict (and failed) Ford, Sr. was charged and tried (twice) for Bank Fraud (which, as it turned out, most Republicans were the biggest offenders) and acquitted of the charges (rightfully so).

I should know; I was an intern in Dellums' office when the Reagan gang came after Democratic members of Congress, especially the African-Americans who chaired subcommittees where he needed money for that friggin' Star Wars project (Dellums was chair of the Armed Services Committee; and I believe Ford, Sr. was on the finance committee - feel free to correct me). This last piece of history should have inspired Ford, Jr. to slap the taste out of the mouth of any Republithug coming along to court him over to the Right side, in the guise of being "bi-partisan", "moderate" or "centrist". Why are you talking to the biggest racist on talk radio (Don Imus) about your plans to become the next leader of African-Americans, and you know that SOB would pick us off at 50 yards with 30.odd buckshot coming from a 30-30 Winchester Rifle?

My late mother would call this "Straddling the Fence". My late father, not known for gentle language, would call it "Kissing Ass". Sorry, my father was plain spoken, and when you grow up hearing your father saying "Never kiss anyone's ass" it's hard to forget it, or to apply it in your own life.

If GeeDubya can use the excuse of revenge for initiating war with Saddam Hussein, no Republican should have been able to get within ten feet of Harold, Jr., as a result of the partisan conspiracy used to attempt to drive his father from office in disgrace. Looks like it's time for Ford, Sr. to take Ford, Jr. to the woodshed, cause this is serious. Look at what we have in the Oval Office right now - all because Poppy didn't take Dubya to the woodshed when it mattered; we have a certifiable nut job with his hand on the chicken switch! God help us all! Especially since you get kick out of forums if you even hint you're going to disagree with Dubya.

I noticed the protesters who managed to sneak in, were kicked the hell out of the joint. So why was Harold allowed to stay, being the avowed Democrat that he is, and going publicly on record that he can't support the President's plan for Social Security? Leave it to my journalistic mentors at Black Commentator to light that fire under Mr. Ford, too, along with an assist from bloggers Josh Marshall and Steve Gilliard.

I also notice that the rare times Rep. Ford has popped up on my radar, he's either being a Faux News Democrat Media Darling, or being vilified by the rest of progressive America, especially progressive Black America, who believes him to have utilized his family's political legacy to sell the rest of us out. I also believe that he makes the gargantuan mistake of believing his own press, which sets him up for a colossal fall, cause the Right Wing is like an abusive lover. Use you, beat the snot out of you, and when your usefulness is gone, so are THEY!

You never want to see that happen; not to a person who demonstrates such promise and potential, if mentored and guided wisely, and if the person is teachable. Yet when they demonstrate they are going to do things their own way, come hell or high water, there comes a time when you have to step back and allow them to drown in a pool of their own making, including ______(you fill in the blank: arrogance, greed, conceit, self-deception).

Alas, the Black Point Man for the Right Wing Strikes again. Read about his stealth tactics here http://www.blackcommentator.com/130/130_cover_ford.html.

Sometimes you just have to give up on some....in order to keep going for the rest of us.