I'll be meeting with Harold Ford Jr. in two hours...

[Clark2008]

...please post a list of questions you'd like for me to ask him.

I'll probably have limited time, so I'll pick the best two or three.

He's running for Senate in Tennessee. I realize many here think he's a DINO, but he's been moving left on the issues since he started campaigning and even had to be held back on the floor of Congress Friday night to keep from beating the living shit out of a group of GOPhers.

So, your help will be appreciated.

[Clark2008]

1. Hate to kick my own, but I have to get ready.

Anyone got a good question I can ask?

[marbuc]

2. I like Ford

He embodies what works for Dems in red states.

[julialnyc]

3. Hmmm

What issues will bring new democratic voters to the polls in the south (In other words, how does a politician stick to his or her ideals without compromising for the annoying swing voter who seems to take the shape out of the democrats message)

[Clark2008]

12. So - ask him, then, how we get our message out effectively.

The South has only been "red" for two presidential election cycles; therefore, I can ask what has happened since 2000 that has so driven off the swing voters from the Democratic Party and what we can do to circumvent that (that, of course, being the Reich-wing media. We all know what the catalyst is behind the South's shift. Dems can't get out their message effectively).

[julialnyc]

14. Also, I wonder how many voters

really swung right and how many democratic voters sat out because they didn't see much of a difference.

I guess I don't know quite how to put this into words, but I think Bush might have gotten more republican voters out to vote last year largely by his whole "if you love Jesus you must vote for me" and by putting divisive issues like gay marriage on the ballot. I also remember the day after election day the news saying the the youth of our country didn't show up in the numbers we though that they would.

I wonder if there really are a huge number of swing voters and I wonder what are the issues that would really light a fire with democratic voters.



I LOVE the idea about asking him about the media manipulation and how they always hint that dems need to act more like republicans (and so they usually do)

[demnan]

4. Ask him what is his position on the Iraq war

ask him if he agrees with Congressman Murtha about withdrawl of the troops from Iraq. What is his exit strategy?

Ask him about women's rights issues. Would he continue to support abortion on demand?

Ask him how he would solve the health care crisis in this country.

Ask how he would address the infrastructure needs of our nation (i.e., aging highway system)

Ask him what he would do to promote jobs with livable wages in this country.

And for yourself:

See if you can get a flag that has flown over the Capitol Building. That's a great keepsake. And by all means, make sure he sends you a free House of Reps calendar, or Senate calendar- I have several from Jim Moran, signed and they are wonderful keepsakes.

[libnnc]

5. Tell him that his passion

the passion he displayed in the House Friday night, is greatly appreciated. That passion should be encouraged.

Get mad. Get hot. It's time for it.

[immoderate]

6. I'll kick it.

I think of Ford as a DINO too. But I'd rather see him than a Republican elected.

My question, I guess, is what's he going to do that would change my mind about him?

--IMM

[hlthe2b]

7. Sounds like if you want to ignite his "passion..."

Ask him about Tom Tancredo!

[Clark2008]

9. LOL!

I have been talking to my fiance all day about how I was, definitely, going to ask him about his exchange on the floor Friday night.

I can't wait to ask that question. :)

[autorank]

8. Ask him if he thinks there is anything wrong with elections, voting

machines in particular. OR better yet ask him:

"Do you think that the screw ball outcomes with voting machines have replaced 'spoiled ballots' as the new way to target minority voters."

"Spoiled ballots" occur mostly in monority dominated districts. That means they get thrown out.k In presidential elections for about 20 years the rate can be 1-2% (a lot in a close election). In FL 2000 is was a huge amount. He'll know what "spoiled ballots" means. Might get a response on voting machines/tabulators.

"screw ball outcomes with voting machines" -- problems every where but particularly in Ohio in minority districts--15-25% turnout in some black precincts in Cleveland, registration problems in Ohio and Florida where people show up to vote and they're not on the state database--happens for minorities more, "undervotes" (no vote) for president for Hispanics and Native Americans in NM 2004 3-10 times the rate of Anglo precincts.

If he wants more info, PM me;). I'll get you some.

GOOD WORK!!!

[WhiteTara]

10. I second the voting machine question

It is probably the most important issue today. we can have as many verbal victories we want, but nothing matters if we can't have a legitimate voice with our vote.

[Clark2008]

11. Tennessee has Triad in the rural counties - so it's definitely

important here. The largest counties - Knox (Knoxville), Hamilton (Chattanooga), Davidson (Nashville) and Shelby (Memphis) - use something else that's tons more reliable.

I think I'll start by asking him something benign about it - like how I work in the tech sector and it concerns me that it's so easy to remotely tamper with the machines. And I can then say, "And when someone charges that there may have been tampering, then we can't even check them because the companies turn around and say the software is proprietary and can't be investigated."

Most people understand tampering and how computers can be remotely accessed.

[Zen Democrat]

13. Howard Fineman reported Friday night that when Schmidt read that "quote"

from Bopb about "Marines don't cut and run" ... that Harold Ford, Jr. rushed to the well of the House yelling against her and was followed by most of the Democratic congressional delegation. Good work, Harold.

[Lex]

15. Yeah, Ford jumped up in outrage and ran down the aisle yelling at her!

I heard that account too.

Glad he didn't clock her. I would've been tempted myself.

[Clark2008]

19. Actually, I heard that other Dems held him back.

I'm not sure that he WOULDN'T have clocked her had he not been restrained by his fellow Dems.

I'll ask. :7

[tinfoilinfor2005]

16. Was just about to post the same thing.

Hoo-Ahh, Congressman!

[BuyingThyme]

17. "Ever heard of Able Danger?"

[Call me Deacon Blues]

18. Tell him if he keeps showing the guts he showed the other night

Then he's got this Tennessean's vote. BUT only if I keep seeing it. I want this to be the rule, not the exception.

[Greyhound]

20. I would like to hear his stance on corporate welfare. n/t

[tjdee]

21. Ask him if he'd marry a New Jerseyan who's a lot more liberal than he.

And also, ask him whether he'd be willing to support some kind of action against the architects of the war in Iraq if it is proven that they willingly misled the country.

And whether he is willing to have an independent investigation of such.

But really, ask him the marriage question. :silly:

Have a good time!

[julialnyc]

22. Please let us know how it went!

N/T

[emdee]

23. Ask him who can run against Marsha Blackburn, please!

I live in Marsha's district and do not want to see her run unopposed. Maybe Ford has some behind-the-scenes info! I did email the TN Dems and they said they are working on it.
Thanks!
emdee

[skipos]

24. how does he plan to get his message to connect with not only

democrats but independents and disenchanted republicans? I'd like to hear concrete specifics. I hope he doesn't use vague politician speak like "by telling them how much I love America and want to defend their rights" etc.

[julialnyc]

25. How did it go???

N/T

[flyarm]

26. ask him why he never says THE WORDS PNAC!! then ask about

the whistle blower who has stated this admin was going to plant wmd in iraq, and if he or any dems have the guts to question if thats the reason valerie plame was outed ..to kill brewster jennings??

see my post :
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5404231&mesg_id=5404344

whislteblower is afraid..she knew of the planting of wmd in iraq! check out the date of this piece!! i kept it in my files!!

http://www.fpp.co.uk/online/03/06/Whistleblower.html

Real History and the Iraq War

Posted Saturday, June 28, 2003



snip:

June 20, 2003


A DOD whistleblower reportedly details an attempt by a covert U.S. team to plant weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The team was said to have been later killed by friendly fire due to CIA incompetence.

Pentagon Whistleblower Reveals CIA/ DoD Fiascos

IN a world exclusive, Al Martin Raw.com has published a news story about a Department of Defense whistleblower who has revealed that a US covert operations team had planted "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (WMDs) in Iraq -- then "lost" them when the team was killed by so-called "friendly fire."

The Pentagon whistleblower, Nelda Rogers, is a 28-year veteran debriefer for the Defense Department. She has become so concerned for her safety that she decided to tell the story about this latest CIA-military fiasco in Iraq.

According to Al Martin Raw.com, "Ms.Rogers is number two in the chain of command within this DoD special intelligence office. This is a ten-person debriefing unit within the central debriefing office for the Department of Defense.

snip:

"According to Ms. Rogers, there was a covert military operation that took place both preceding and during the hostilities in Iraq," reports Al Martin Raw.com, an online subscriber-based news/analysis service which provides "Political, Economic and Financial Intelligence."

Al Martin is a retired Lt. Commander (US Navy), the author of a memoir called The Conspirators: Secrets of an Iran Contra Insider, and he is considered one of America's foremost experts on corporate and government fraud.

Ms. Rogers reports that this particular covert operation team was manned by ex-military personnel and that "the unit was paid through the Department of Agriculture in order to hide it, which is also very commonplace."
According to Al Martin Raw.com, "the Ag Department has often been used as a paymaster on behalf of the CIA, DIA, and NSA and others."

According to the Al Martin Raw.com story, another aspect of Ms. Rogers' report concerns a covert operation which was to locate the assets of Saddam Hussein and his family, including cash, gold bullion, jewelry and assorted valuable antiquities.

The problem became evident when "the operation in Iraq involved 100 people, all of whom apparently are now dead, having succumbed to so-called 'friendly fire.' The scope of this operation included the penetration of the Central Bank of Iraq, other large commercial banks in Baghdad, the Iraqi National Museum and certain presidential palaces where monies and bullion were secreted."

"They identified about $2 billion of cash in US dollars, another $150 million in Euros, in physical banknotes, and about another $100 million in sundry foreign currencies ranging from Yen to British Pounds," reports Al Martin.

"These people died, mostly in the same place in Baghdad, supposedly from a stray cruise missile or a combination of missiles and bombs that went astray," Martin continues. "There were supposedly 76 who died there and the other 24 died through a variety of 'friendly fire,' 'mistaken identity,' and some of them -- their whereabouts are simply unknown."


futher proof of this is as follows ..from my files:

fly

AND MORE BACKUP..
http://www.motherjones.com/news/dailymojo/2003/08/we_53 ...

http://www.americanpolitics.com/20040420Baker.html