IS IT "LOVE" OR "ABUSE"?

I haven't blogged in awhile because I started a new job, as well as being busy writing op-ed pieces for the ezine, The Black Commentator. So I apologize for this being my first post for the month of March.

After visiting the website, FancyFord.com, and its' pretty lame counterattack, VeryFancyFrist.com, plus reading all of the "outrage" at the Rethugs' painfully obvious attack on Rep. Harold Ford's candidacy for the U. S. Senate, I'm reminded of a few things:

1. You play "nice" with those who are equally willing to reciprocate. Harold played very nicely with the Rethugs, even to the point of prostituting himself before the Young Republicans at some college in Tennessee; not to mention continuing his suck-up appearances on "Anus In The Morning", and personally loving himself some good ol' GeeDubya, the current Commander-In-Chief.

And his reward for playing "nicely" is that Website, paid for by the Republican National Senate Committee, ergo, meaning that her highness, Senator Liddy Dole, is in complete agreement and consent to the attack on Mr. Ford. Now, at present, the Ford Campaign hasn't fought back, and I don't know if that's good or bad. If he fights back, he draws more attention to the website.

On the other hand, if he doesn't fight back, this thing has a chance to gain a full head of steam and demolish his chances before he gets to the primaries, and Rosalind Kurita wins by default.

2. Spewing Republican Talking points, trashing your own Party members on policy issues, and possessing a voting record that not only demonstrates just how out of touch you are with your constituency, you're so out of touch with them that you just don't give a damn...that is, until it's time to go to the polls.

The "love" you have been shown for this mighty effort? The GOP's attempt to paint you as a "liberal" in the mode of Ted Kennedy.

Ask the President about those who "love" him. Examples are Claude Allen, GOP Poster Boy who's looking at a theft and fraud charges in Montgomery County, Maryland, for ripping off Target's and Hecht's in returning merchandise and collecting refunds for stuff he didn't actually buy. Bush considered making him a Federal Judge until the Democrats actually showed some cajones and filibustered him.

Or ask Colin Powell about his "love" for Bush. So much "love" forced Colin to go and tell flat out lies to the United Nations in paving the way for the current war in Iraq. So much "love" has forced Colin out to make way for Condi Rice.

Or ask Michael "Brownie" Brown, former disgraced director of FEMA, about his "love" for the President. That "love" has now forced Brownie to defend himself as to who is really to blame in the Katrina debacle.

Talk to Paul O'Neill and Richard Clarke - to be fair, they never expressed any love for the President, but they did express their loyalty to him, until it dawned on them that Bush was nuts, his plans had the anti-Midas touch to them, and anyone challenging Bush got thrown into the boiling vat of slime that Karl Rove always has simmering on the back burner.

The "love" for someone who can only return that love as long as you agree with them, do what they say, and cower in the corner when they raise either their fist or their voice, is not love. It is abuse.

Harold, no one is condemning you for your love of the finer things in life, or for anything else that you do in your personal life. It's really none of our business, except only in so far as your ability to hold political office in competent fashion, which I've been questioning for years. That the GOP would now decide that it's time to put who they consider an "uppity Negro" back into his "place" is Hypocracy 101.

My problem is that you left yourself wide open to such partisan attacks, when you worked so hard, and trashed any basic Democratic core value in attempting to make a bridge to, and going to sleep with the enemy. Do you see the "love" you expressed for Bush and the GOP being returned to you? Or are you feeling the pain that comes with such one-sided "love".

No matter how hard you try; no matter how much Ken Mehlman says, "I'm so sorry to have hurt you - I don't know what came over me; you have my word - I promise not to hit you ever again..." you will get hit...AGAIN. You will get hurt...AGAIN. You may lose your political life from the beatings this group is positioning itself to hand out to you if you don't get your head out of your ass and realize that the current neo-facist wing of the GOP does not seek bipartisanship, inclusion or anything that would resemble a functioning democracy. They only seek to steal (elections), to kill (political careers) and to destroy (political careers and human beings).

Let's be frank - I don't like your political opinions, positions or your voting record and I'm not backing down from that. You already know I worked on both CBCMonitor Report Cards, and you got failing grades. However, I don't want to exactly excuse you from bringing this upon yourself, and yet, you are a victim. I would rather that you campaign and win or lose on the political issues. You will have a difficult time as it is defending your political positions and your voting record. But the GOP obviously believes that they can't control your outer package, so they're going to hand you a few black eyes, some bruises, and hell, just ugly you up enough so that you'll be convinced that no one wants you except that abusing partner you're with.

So, it's time for you to decide, Representative Ford. Is it "love" or is it ABUSE? I've counseled more women in abusive relationships than I care to remember, and the one thing I always knew - when you get tired of an abusing partner, you make escape plans to leave, and I say "escape plans" because the abuser doesn't allow you to go willingly, unless they are in jail. Eventually, you get tired of being hit, punched in the gut, kicked, yelled at, imprisoned and isolated. And though you probably won't admit it, that's where you've been for the last three or four years.

All that lavish living was probably an attempt to make yourself feel better about...yourself. Now the GOP uses what they do on a daily basis, against you. They probably enticed you in, and now that you're in, they accuse you of either being a pimp, prostitute or homosexual (they can't decide how they wanted to paint you, so they threw in the entire bucket of different colors).

While you can't clean up what's past, you can determine what your future will hold. Maybe it's a Senate seat, or maybe it's just life as a small town lawyer or lobbyist. Whatever you decide, please decide to stop being abused by the GOP before we are forced to watch you at your own political funeral because they "loved" you so much that they "loved" you to your political death.