Question and answer with Harold Ford Jr.

[Jackson4Gore]

http://www.blackenterprise.com/exclusivesekopen.asp?id=1183

Harold Ford Jr.'s Next Undertaking

Q&A: Tennessee congressman discusses his decision to leave his seat in the House for one in the Senate
By Joyce Jones

Washington insiders have always known it was just a matter of time before Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. (D-Tenn.) set his sights on a higher office-officially, that is. Truth be told, Ford, now 35, who replaced his father as the U.S. representative of Tennessee's 9th District at the tender age of 26, has been testing the waters for the past five or six years. A rising Democratic star long before the world began mispronouncing the name “Barack Obama,” Ford believes the Senate is where the real action is. This month, after almost 10 years in the House, he filed to run for the seat now held by outgoing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Here's what he told BLACK ENTERPRISE about this ambitious-and risky-undertaking.

Q: Why do you want to vacate a safe seat in the House for an uphill battle to the Senate?

A: The biggest issues facing the country, the questions that it will have to answer over the next decade or so will be answered in the U.S. Senate, from how we reduce dependence on Middle East oil to finding ways to spread democracy to the Middle East and other parts of the world to fixing up public schools and making healthcare work for everyone. And as I sit in this perch in Congress and watch what's happening, I'm willing to take the risk, and I believe the voters are where I am on the issues.

Q: Do you think that the House has been confining or that there are greater limitations placed on its ability to affect change, or maybe that it's just too fractious?

A: Much of what we pass in the House, a lot of times is far more extreme than what the Senate eventually settles on. So as much as Congress plays an active and supportive role in passing things, the Senate is where the real negotiations, and frankly where the bulk of the negotiations, occur. The House is an important place-don't get me wrong.

I love the job I have and have been blessed to serve in the House and enjoy the support of people in my district. But the Senate is a different place. If you're in the minority or the majority, the rules allow for you to have and exert more control and influence legislation in more ways and that is more appealing to me.

Q: How have you used your time in the House to prepare for the Senate in terms of your growth as a legislator and raising your profile outside of your district?

A: One of the things I hear most from the voters across my state -- about what they're fed up with and about what we do here in D.C. -- is that they think we argue more than we try to work through things; we lob assaults at one another more than finding solutions. I've been in the minority party since being here and for me to substantially get anything done, I have to work with Republicans. I think politics more and more is about finding ways to work together and finding answers to problems. I have strong convictions about things and you can't get much accomplished if you're not willing to sit down and work with people. That's an attribute I think I've brought out of the House. The experience of serving the committees I've on and the legislation I've been a part of all lends itself to being an effective member of the U.S. Senate.

But the greatest strength is where I see the country going and how I plan and hope to be a part of achieving that in the Senate. We will work over the next 16 months to carry that message across the state. I believe, based on what I've heard up to this point that voters are going to respond in the affirmative and not only give me a hearing, but give me their vote.

Q: What would you say have been your three most significant contributions to your district?

A: One would be voting for a balanced budget when I first got to Congress. We lowered interest rates and saw homeownership rates grow in my district; we saw college matriculation rates grow and largely because some of the smart economic and fiscal policies that we had in Washington and I was proud to be a part of that. I was proud to be part of a big effort to change campaign finance laws and to even it out where everybody's voice could be heard a little more because money wouldn't be so important.

Although I did not support President Bush's tax cuts, I was happy to get one provision in it that allows families to deduct up to $10,000 of college expenses in an effort to make college more affordable.

Most recently we've seen an effort by some of the credit bureaus to allow people to have access to their credit scores to understand the risk they are. Many Americans, particularly African Americans, have gotten a raw deal from credit bureaus as they've done scoring, which determines how much risk they are for a line of credit. I've worked hard, along with a few of my colleagues, to force FICA to share their formula and at least make scores available for free.

We now have to go after some of these predatory lenders who prey on poor and middle class people who have seen some kind of financial difficulty. They penalize people for long, long periods of time for one small mistake they may have made.

Q: In recent times Democrats have had a hard time running successfully for statewide office in Southern states. What makes you think Tennessee is ready to elect someone who's not just a Democrat, but also black, to replace someone who is very conservative?

A: My state has a history of electing people who have a lot of common sense and people whose values represent the state's values. If I were a Republican, regardless of my race, it may make it a little easier, but I think voters are more in tune now with what government should be doing and finding people who will go there and actually do that. If we run a campaign that is focused on the future and how we can make tomorrow better, I have confidence voters will show their support and vote for me.

06/13/05