New York LGBT activists do not welcome the news that anti-gay, anti-choice former Tennessee congressman Harold Ford Jr—who voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, for the Federal Marriage Amendment and did not support extending hate crime protections to gays—is considering a primary challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan van Capelle describes Ford's candidacy as "disturbing":
Ford supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. In fact, he voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment both times it reached the House floor. He has also gone out of his way to condemn court rulings (New Jersey’s, for example) that called for equal treatment under the law for same-sex couples. During his last year in the House, Ford received a 25 (out of 100) rating on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard.
Ford’s anti-LGBT positions run in marked contrast with Senator Gillibrand’s unyielding support for our community. In the year that she has been in the US Senate, Senator Gillibrand has been an outspoken and passionate supporter of every single piece of pro-LGBT legislation that currently exists at the federal level. She has often led the charge in the Senate for calling for the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” She became the first US Senator from New York to support marriage equality, and she actively lobbied members of the New York State Senate to support the marriage equality bill before it received a vote on Dec. 2, 2009. For our community—and any New Yorker who cares about equality for LGBT people—there is no contest here. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand deserves our full support if she is going to be challenged by someone who has a dismal voting record on our rights—someone like Harold Ford, Jr. of Tennessee.
The effort to encourage the anti-gay, anti-choice former congressman's candidacy comes from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, reports Politico's Glenn Thrush, who calls the conservative Democrat "ill suited" for a New York primary. Thrush reports:
"Bloomberg, sources tell the Times, is still smarting over Gov. David Paterson's selection of Gillibrand over his close friend Caroline Kennedy. The Times then reports that a group of "high-profile New York Democrats" are considering bankrolling Ford. What the paper doesn't explicitly say is that these three folks formed the core of the mayor's Democrats-for-Bloomberg movement — and backed his $100 million campaign for a third term, so this effort to pump up Ford looks like a Mayor Mike production, top to bottom."
I think it is important that black gay folks speak out against Harold Ford running against Senator Gillibrand. All gay folks must speak against Ford, especially black gays.
Posted by: Mel Smith | 06 January 2010 at 21:40
He's the anti-obama in every way.
Posted by: Mr. FAMU | 06 January 2010 at 22:14
Harold Ford running for the Senate in New York? It is the most absurd idea I have heard in a while. Ford is much too conservative for ALL New York Democrats, not just gay Democrats, so I can't see how he'd be competitive in a primary.
Ford moved to Manhattan 3 years ago to work for Merrill Lynch on WALL STREET, before "The Lynch" was "saved" by Bank of America. So how is being a Wall Street insider going to win Ford any support among Democrats?
After he ran as a Christian Conservative for the Tennessee Senate seat in 2006 and lost, Ford became Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council. The DLC -- also known as the "Democratic Leisure Class" -- was founded in 1985 after the Reagan won a 49-state landslide in the 1984 election. The DLC's mission was to move the Democratic Party in a more conservative direction. Its leaders have always been from the Lieberman wing.
I am a Harlem resident who is NO big fan of Kirsten Gillibrand, but I will volunteer for her campaign if Ford challenges her for the nomination.
Posted by: harlemboy | 06 January 2010 at 22:17
((waving fan @ Mel Smith and Harlemboy))
"Ford is much too conservative for ALL New York Democrats, not just gay Democrats, so I can't see how he'd be competitive in a primary."
Preach brothas! Preach!
Anti gay, anti choice and pro business. We held our nose and supported you for senate in 2006 in Tennessee...but you are not bringing it for New York.
And has anyone ever lost a senate race in one state and went ahead to campaign in another?
Oh and if this doesnt prove that Bloomberg is a S.O.B. what does?
Posted by: Danny Rivera | 06 January 2010 at 22:42
What an A*hole Bloomberg is. He's getting revenge because Gov. Paterson didn't pick his friend, Caroline Kennedy? Entitlement much?
There are politicians I don't like and then there are politicians like Lieberman and Harold Ford,Jr. that disgusts me in every way. I can't even watch tv when they're on.
Why anyone would think this carpetbagging,homo-hating, Wall Street tool could win NY is beyond me. They're accusing Gillibrand of abadoning her upstate conservative cred, but Ford would have to pretty much renounce every thing he's ever stood for or ran on to even be viable. And, he wouldn't be viable.
I won't lie, the fact that this jerk was brought down through race baiting in TN gave me a little scheudenfrude. He was willing to vilify gay people and vote against our rights as surely as any Republican, but the same brand of bigotry was his undoing.
He needs to go cash his Merrill Lynch stimulus paycheck, go buy something pretty for one of his harem of white women and then sit down.
Posted by: mjolnir202 | 06 January 2010 at 23:06
>>He needs to go cash his Merrill Lynch stimulus paycheck, go buy something pretty for one of his harem of white women and then sit down.
Y'all aint nothing nice up in here, up in here ... lol
I love it and you all are spot on about Harold Ford. Don't let the good looks fool ya, he is snake and no friend of the gays,
Carry on children!
Posted by: Baltimore Femme | 06 January 2010 at 23:21
Thanx for the low down on Ford, guys. I'm surprised I didn't know his lengthy anti-gay record until now, having never been in a position to vote for him.
As for Bloomberg, always hated him, no news flash there. As a Jersey boy, I didn't get the chance to vote against his third term, but as we can see his mission is clearly not to improve the lives of ALL New Yorkers.
With Bloomy backing him, and with people being so easily deluded into voting stupid, its gonna take all of us (not just the white gay establishment) shouting our distaste of Harold Ford to stop Bloomy from crushing the competition (again) with tons of money.
Posted by: Taylor Siluwé | 07 January 2010 at 07:20
Pretty, Harold Ford is. Even got a few of the towleroad queens swooning...
Make no mistake about it, though, this is bad news for the gay community in NY and especially the black gay community.
Bloomberg has race-baited and shucked and jived his way through the marriage equality issue before, so he doen't surprise me, bu who are these high profile Democratic donors. I mean, the Rethugs don't even really have a candidate for this Senate seat, do they.
Posted by: Chitown Kev | 07 January 2010 at 09:06
Someone needs to 'educate' Harold Ford to the fact that hate is hate. Whether its raced-based or directed towards one's sexual orientation, it's one and the same. Unless he's going to announce to the public that he's seeking to represent only hetersexuals, and not the LGBT voters of New York, he should not run. However, a message also needs to be conveyed to black folk (me being one) that it takes more than being black to earn a free ride.
Posted by: Zaidi | 07 January 2010 at 10:20
i hate this gaybashing pink oj!
Posted by: alicia banks | 07 January 2010 at 23:04