Talk:Harold Ford Jr.

message: The part about Ford's moderate voting record, in spite of charges that he is a liberal, is misworded IMO. The dominant consensus is that Ford is a moderate or 'centrist', as opposed to a doctrinaire liberal democrat. Indeed, his prominence in organizations with a reputation for moderation and centrism, such as the "New Democrat" & "Blue Dog" coalitions would give cover to this assertion. Charges of liberalism would be heterodox to the consensus; and should be framed that way. 
The entry should be changed to something that states that Ford is considered a moderate in his party, and indeed he belongs to several coalitions within the supposed moderate or centrist wing of the party; although some charge that his voting record is little different from those of his more avowedly liberal colleagues.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dustin Ridgeway (talk • contribs) 
:The New American's Conservative Index ranks him a little higher than the average congressman.  The ranking for the most recent review gave him a 44 with a overall congressional average of 36.  --Kalmia 08:17, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  To quote a recent Time Magazine article: "The Congressman who is running to replace retiring Bill Frist as Senator from Tennessee has voted to outlaw gay marriage and to repeal the estate tax, and wants to amend the Constitution to ban flag burning. He supports getting rid of the handgun ban in the nation's capital and says the Ten Commandments should be posted in courtrooms around his state. He favors school prayer, argues that more troops should have been sent to Iraq and wants to seal the border with Mexico." .  That doesn't sound like a liberal to me. -- Sholom 04:17, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: He's certainly not a liberal.  But, with Tennessee now somewhat strongly red, it's rather unsurprising.  One thing is certain, however—Ford is more of a moderate than his 2006 Senate opponent. · j e r s y k o talk · 04:25, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Possibly because his opponent is a complete right-wing nutjob.  Whoops! --Ademska 05:59, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Heh. Seems like only yesterday Corker was a lilly-livered moderate running against two staunch conservatives for the GOP nomination, eh? Danthemankhan 02:56, 28 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Harold Ford: A Liberal? 

message: First off, the poll was done by Rasmussen, which predicted the 2004 presidential election to within .5% of the vote.  It is a very reliable and trustworthy pollster which is generally considered conservative leaning, if anything.  It asked a simple question and got a simple answer.  How is it unscientific?  And how are you to decide that?  Wikipedia article clearly use rasmussen's polls, proven by the fact that the polls are used when discussing the senate election itself.  So we can only use the ones you like but not the ones you don't?  What's your criteria for using a poll.  It's scientific by Rasmussen sometimes but not other times?
Not your job to decide.  It goes back in. --69.249.195.232 08:01, 18 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Race Poll Justifiable 

message: Blueboy96 noted "Added seat history, since it looks like it can't be done on district pages".  [[User:Jersyko|Jersyko}} removed it, saying "who says it can't be done on district pages? isn't there already a 9th District article with this information?".
My response?  I took the info from Blueboy96's revision, and put it into the 's article.  I think it's a nice touch, actually. -- Sholom 18:33, 24 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Blueboy96 had that information on the  page as the only history of that district so I edited it to reflect the actual history of the 9th district which is not always in Memphis due to redistricting. I've been trying to standardize the district pages and the general consensus has been to follow the history of the district as it was numbered regardless of where it existed geographically. I hadn't thought of putting both sets of information on the same page but I think for now it'll work so long as it's clear which list of representatives refers to  the 9th district throughout time and which refers to Memphis' district throughout time though I think a split into two different pages is ideal in the long run.  -  Bjoel5785 15:33, 26 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Seat history 

message: A brief history of Congressman Ford's family is warranted in this article, at best.  The family legal problems are not the cause of Harold Ford, Jr. and shouldn't be adressed in his article.
If it's decided to keep the family legal problems in his artcle, then let's keep the history factual and  watch NPOV--Ophelia Ford was not stripped of her seat. (large can of worms with that statement)  The election was voided.  End of story.--Scribner 19:37, 24 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed for the most part.  I don't have a problem with mentioning the family's legal woes in this article, but you're right in pointing out that they shouldn't be hashed out here.  Big red herring, imo. - Jersyko·talk 20:48, 24 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Family History 

message: Below are links to radio interviews with Harold Ford, Jr. on local Tennessee radio shows.
http://www.southernrootsradio.com/sounds/ford2-23-06.mp3
http://www.eddieconner.net/sounds/HF02-13-06.mp3
http://www.southernrootsradio.com/sounds/HFord3-23-06.mp3 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.83.130.158 (talk • contribs) .
:If you would like to include a link in the article, please provide a link to the website page(s) on which the links to these interviews appear.  I think users would appreciate that link more than they would a simple list of MP3s with little to no context.  Thanks! · j·e·r·s·y·k·o talk · 20:46, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Interviews with Harold Ford, Jr. 

message: mine:
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The latter commercial has a series of people pretending to be average Americans, average Tennesseeans, mockingly complimenting Mr. Ford, with what are obviously actually insults.  This version has been presented by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, & by Chris Matthews, MSNBC; both of these have described this version as very racist.  The Playboy party woman, very blond Aryan in appearance, is shown twice from shoulders-up, no visible clothes.  The second time she says "Harold, call me," as she pantomimes a telephone receiver.  Many people interpret these images to Jump Jim Crow.  Mr. Matthews has mentioned the Southern strategy, and how this alludes to Southerners' historical terror that "white women" might perceive "black men" as attractive, potentially leading to "race mixing".
----
someone else':
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Ford later admitted he was at the party, saying that he likes "football and girls" and makes no apology for either.  Corker condemned the second RNC ad, calling it "tacky" and stating that his campaign has asked to have it pulled.
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mine:
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Mr. Matthews has challenged Mr. Corker, as well as Tony Snow, to act to have the Playboy reference commercial cancelled; he has posited that Ken Mehlman has engineered these images.
----
Comments about handicappism, other racism, tend to get deleted, w/ no reason, no explanation.
I have learned much from wikipedia through the past few years; however, the racism is thick & plentiful.
Humanity is doing a rather bad job running itself, unless it's trying to run itself into the ground.
I do wonder which racism is worse.  Despite my ambivalence, I do want each to end.
hopiakuta ; [[    { %c2%a1 %c2%bf  %7e%7e%7e%7e  } ;]] 06:36, 25 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, I don't understand the racism charges, whomever they're leveled against.  Regardless, we need sources for claims in our aritlces.  I live in Memphis, so I've seen the damn Playboy ad more than a dozen times now.  But in order to describe it in the way you have, we need a reliable source to cite to in the article text.  For example, the phrase "Many people interpret these images to Jump Jim Crow" is uncited.  If many people do so, shouldn't it be easy to cite a newspaper article or the like doing just that?  The problem is prevalent throughout the paragraph.  Just cite your sources and the paragraph will be fine. · j e r s y k o talk · 13:39, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

text: I think you'd be better served by being a bit more brief in your comments here and not using so many wikilinks.  Aside from that, my point is that the text you added was not referenced.  No, TV is not irrelevant, but claims made in our articles must be referenced such that a reader can easily determine what the sources of those claims are.  The added text contained no such references.  See WP:CITE for more.  But perhaps most important is the fact that this paragraph no longer exists in this article, as it really exploded in national media, and it is now in the TN 2006 Senate election article. · j e r s y k o talk · 02:56, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: [[wikiracism]] continues,...

message: an editor commented: "the source doesn't say anything about a "distastefully lavish lifestyle", only endorsements from people in L.A.; and i'm not sure wiki should be cataloguing every repub attack as a "criticism" of ford)"
You might want to check out the Corker article and see if you have the same reaction about Dem attacks being catalogued on Wikipedia.  As for the reverted bit about Ford Sr.'s use of a racist term, it certainly belongs in the article due to the issue made of race during the campaign.  I'll find a suitable source & reinsert. Dubc0724 22:40, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Did he say cracker or tracker? Good luck putting your pov in the article. Jasper23 22:56, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Everyone knows he said "cracker". I suppose you also believe that George Allen thought "macaca" and "mohawk" were the same word?  Dubc0724 13:04, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah, everyone "knows". Good call on that one. Jasper23 19:21, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

text: But the controversy section in the Corker article is sourced entirely to newspaper articles, and it's not even stuff that has been discussed, as far as I know, in Dem advertisements. In other words, it's possible but doubtful that the Dems originated the criticism. The "fancy ford" criticism did not originate in news reports, but rather in a political ad (the RSCC website). That's the relevant distinction, I think (the origin of the criticism), and why I said that Wikipedia shouldn't be cataloguing attack ads by Republicans (or Democrats, for that matter). If we did, we'd have to include every innuendo contained in numerous advertisements in both Ford and Corker's articles, wouldn't we? Finally, we need a reliable source to include the Ford Sr. comment in this article. · j e r s y k o talk · 22:58, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

text: I'm not sure what you're advocating.  Are you saying that Wikipedia should, in fact, discuss each and every political advertisement attack ad in articles about political candidates? · j e r s y k o talk · 03:18, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: No, but it should not ignore criticism of one candidate while trumpeting the criticism of another. Dubc0724 13:06, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:   :::Thank You.  That does support some of what I've written.  Also, not having so much tendency to employ wikiregulation to kill mention of racism.  &, learning "Jim Crow", & "handicappism {although that word is not relevant on this specific debate about commercials;
it, however, is one of the consistent battles in which I engage, on this website.  Handicappism is a subset of racism}".
Thank You.
hopiakuta ; [[    { %c2%a1 %c2%bf  %7e%7e%7e%7e  } ;]] 13:48, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

text: The controversy section in Corker's article is thoroughly sourced, and the controversy section in this article as it stands is as well.  We have to source criticism properly.  Do you disagree? · j e r s y k o talk · 13:37, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Criticism 

message: The text states "If elected, Ford would be the first African-American Senator from the South since Reconstruction and the first popularly elected in United States history."  Actually, Edward Brooke of Massachusetts was the first popularly elected African-American senator, in 1966, followed by Carol Moseley Braun, in 1992.  If the intent is that Ford is the first African-American elected as a Senator from the South, the line is misleading and needs to be rewritten.  J5cochran 06:50, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: "From the South" is the relevant qualifier, I think, though I didn't add that particular sentence.  It should probably be reworded for clarity. · j e r s y k o talk · 14:45, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  2006 Senate Race 

message: I have to take issue with that.
Barack Obama
--GoHawks4 06:05, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  The claim that Ford would be the first black senator popularly elected 

message: Please add Harold Ford, Jr. to a Chrstian politican category. Harold Ford, Jr. is a very devout Christian and his political stances on inspired by Jesus Christ. 75.2.250.145 03:53, 7 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Category 

message: I suggest that this highly uneeded (and inaccurate in my opinion) qualifier not be added in the first paragraph.
* If elected, Ford would be the first African-American Senator from the South since the end of Reconstruction, and the first such Senator popularly elected in United States history. Shakam 06:04, 7 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree, the qualifier "would" implies that it is not certain, and "If elected" is indeed irrelevant. Stealthound 06:15, 7 November 2006 (UTC)

text: This has been widely reported and repeated in media.  What do you find incorrect about the statement? · j e r s y k o talk · 14:52, 7 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  If elected 

message: he's not really black. is he multiracial or something? Joeyramoney 01:35, 4 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: if he is biracial it is innacurate and biased to only mention his black heritage. 67.172.61.222 21:56, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  "african american"? 

message: The page says this "NBC's Meet the Press extended an invitation for the candidates to debate on the nationally-televised show in January 2006"
Why would there be a candidate debate in January? That must be wrong. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Eric.thomas (talk • contribs).
:The open invitation was extended in Jan. 2006.  The debate was to happen anytime thereafter.  I'll change the wording accordingly. · j e r s y k o talk · 14:19, 22 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Debate? 

message: In order to be effective, the House of Representatives section needs to be categorized via year since the subject of the article has served for ten years. Real96 01:59, 11 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Organization

message: The grammar is a little wordy in this article.  Maybe if the sentences were to be cut short as well as correct tense structure, then the article would be fine.  Also, some of the references don't work.  The original author should have cited the references via date, instead of placing "just links." Real96 08:09, 11 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Minute Details

message: Um... How can the sidebar to this article give Mr. Ford's occupation as "attorney"? To the best of my knowledge, he has never been admitted to the bar in any state, territory, or the District of Columbia; he has only sat for the Tennessee Bar Examination once and failed that. If that is the case, he cannot practice law in the United States, and cannot accurately be described as an "attorney". If he has been admitted to the bar in some U.S. jurisdiction, that fact should be fairly easy to document.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.192.11.224 (talk) 17:19, 25 November 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Good point.  I agree. Interwebs (talk) 17:37, 25 November 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Occupation

message: This article should be addressed in Harold Ford, Jr's wiki-article:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/02/harold_ford.phpNative94080 (talk) 06:34, 26 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Harold Ford Admits "Wrongness" on [[Same-sex marriage|Gay Marriage]], Gets Heckled by Stonewall Democrats 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Substituted at 17:10, 29 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title: Assessment comment

message: Agree. I'm not a regular editor here and don't intend to be, but since Mr. Ford is suddenly in the national news again being discussed as a possible appointment in a Trump administration, which is what brought me here for the first time, I would like to suggest a change for the top of this talk page:
* PROPOSED CHANGE: Add the  template, which discusses etiquette rules. If there is consensus, I vote for this change and another editor can then do it. If not, okay. 5Q5 (talk) 12:10, 23 November 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Consensus requested - talk page top section change suggestion 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: I removed several links in the external links section that appeared promotional or were no longer active and then removed the tag. If anyone has objections, please let me know. Quorum816 (talk) 16:33, 27 May 2020 (UTC)
thread_title: External Links Section

message: Glad you are back on the show ! I enjoy your intelligence on the show of the Five! 216.186.242.147 (talk) 22:17, 5 January 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Present