The Politico headline is the jumping off point. The subtitle the lede: Harold Ford’s political weakness may be his high-paid job at Merrill Lynch and a gilded Manhattan life.
Yeah, because we all know how much the American electorate is ready to sign on to that this year.
Mr. Ford declined to discuss what he is paid by the bank, but publicly available data suggests that he earns at least $1 million a year. Asked what role outsize pay packages played in fueling the financial crisis, Mr. Ford said he objected to capping executive compensation on Wall Street. “I am a capitalist,” he said. “I believe that people take risk, and there are rewards if they do well; they should lose if they don’t.” – Senate Hopeful in New State Airs Evolving Views
Hey, I’m a capitalist, too, but people who take risks don’t expect to be dumped into an unregulated market of greed and irresponsibility, where they’re the only ones who lose, while the gamblers who took their money are made whole by big fed.
Glenn Greenwald unloads on Ford before his first sentence is finished: The incomparably horrific Harold Ford…
All I want to hear is if Mr. Ford has “evolved” on women’s civil rights like he says he has on gay marriage.
Hey, but good luck, Harold. Looks like you’re going to need it.
My question is this why is Ford running as a Democrat? What qualifies him as a Dem. He seems like the perfect person to start the new Corporist Party. Oh yes, I forgot they took over our party.
FU*K Harold and the horse he rode in on.
I don’t think he’s serious about this. I think that he is trying to get some media attention in the hopes of setting himself up for something in the future.
“Hey, I’m a capitalist”….I don’t do essay’s so let me stretch here a bit. On October 3, 2008 the $700 billion dollar TARP Bill passed in Congress. They claimed that we needed TARP to save the banks because the real estate market had crashed. However, as Paul Kanjorski (D-Penn) said recently, “On Thursday September 11, 2008 the FED noticed a tremendous downturn of money market accounts….to the tune of about $500 billion dollars….in about 2 hours.” He went on to say, “The Treasury pumped $105 billion into the system….but could not stem the tide so they closed the system down. Otherwise by 2 PM, $5.5 trillion would have been drawn out of the money market system of the United States.” When questioned about this Treasury Secretary Paulson said “It was an electronic run that took place on September 18, 2008 between 9 and 11 AM.” Why Paulson got the date wrong is still a mystery. Why the “electronic run” took place nobody is saying. But it appears that the $700 billion in TARP money was needed to replace that $500 billion that disappeared into cyberspace on that day in September 2008. It looks like the real estate bubble was used as an excuse to hide the actual cause of the banking collapse. Peace
Imhotep…links please
Harold Ford typifies what is wrong with politics today. Harold Ford will do and say anything for power. The only real convictions and principles he holds are those that will put him in office. These are not real public servants. They sacrifice almost nothing and stand to gain plenty. If the people of New York vote him into office, they will richly deserve what they get. If he has the temerity to run, I hope Kristen Gillibrand whips his ass.
The Conservative Democrats often refer to “public – private partnerships” as their PREFERRED way to help people. Consider silently Halliburton or Blackwater, or Pharma, and health insurance companies partnering with government.
The name “public provate partnerships” appears sooooo innocent but they appear rather morally corrupt when you consider Meedicare Part D costs so much for the middle class.
The Republiklan party gave no benefit to middle class people who had only medication cost from 0 to 675 dollars a year and yes some people have that cost per year. The $675 appered the cost of the 35 dollars a month premiums and $275 yearly deductibles when most middle class people had Medicare Part B premiums of 96 dollars a month that they paid for for their outpatient doctos visits. This appeared corrupt, enriching the health insurance comapnies and the drug companies. Yes the coverage gap fleeced a lot of middle class people but so did the 35 dollars a month and the $275 a year deductible which made even $2000 a year drug purchases a joke of a benefit of 50 percent off instead of the 80 percent off that Medicare Part B beneficiaries got for regular outpatient doctos visits. The drug benefit should have gone in part B, covered 80 perecent instead of 75 percent that part D covered with no coverage gap, no means test.
Then public private partnerships of Halliburton and Blackwater lead to huge salaries for mercenaries but not huge salaries for this private workers who do kitchen work, etc. farming that out to local people at very low wages.
We need to stop these so called politically connected public private partnerships.
We need to talk about the PRIVATE taxing of what the Republiklan party likes most, namely the corporation. Low wages appear a PRIVATE TAX on honest hard working people. High prices appear a PRIVATE TAX on honest hard working people shopping for goods and services. Yes we nee dto politically attack the Republiklan party for hypocritically preferring these PRIVATE TAXES on people that benefit their consitituency, the elite company executives.
We need to get rid of public private partnerships, especially in Medicare like in Part D and Medicare disadvantage because they really mean privatization and PRIAVTE TAXING and PRIVATE Goverment.
If one voting record counts, FORD is a heck of lot more of a liberal than GILLIBRAND. FORD was the most liberal member of the Tennessee congressional delegation. I believe FORD is a more of a politician then a hardcore ideolog and would represent and vote his constituents views over some of his personal beliefs.
Ideological Rank Orderings of Recent Congresses
109 29756 54 9 TENNESS D FORD 93 828 0.888 157.000
http://voteview.com/hou109.htm
110 20735 13 20 NEW YOR D GILLIBRAND 65 1305 0.950 224.000
http://voteview.com/hou110.htm
Correction, should be “If one’s voting record counts”
Harold Ford Heads the Democratic Libertarian Conservative organization. I will not vote for him or any Republican.