E-mail a friendRep. Harold Ford, Jr.
original airdate July 30, 2004
In 1996, at the tender age of 26, Harold Ford was elected to Congress. He's been described as wise beyond his years and is known for considering legislation based on the issues, not necessarily the Democratic Party line. His main focus has been on improving education. Rep. Ford is a member of several progressive alliances, including the bipartisan Blue Dog Coalition.
Video of Harold Ford and Ellen Tauscher.
Rep. Harold Ford, Jr.
Tavis: Congressman Ford, nice to see you, sir.
Rep. Harold Ford Jr.: Good to see you, my friend. Congratulations on the show, and thanks for having me on.
Tavis: Thank you for the congratulations, and thank you for coming on.
Let me start by suggesting to you: It would appear to me, an outsider, that, one, you're playing a bigger role with Kerry than you did with Gore 4 years ago. And number 2, we all know now in retrospect that Gore infamously lost his home state when it really counted, but you delivered at least in the primary for John Kerry. How did you do it last night? Am I right about the fact that you're playing a bigger role here?
Ford: It's a good role. Al Gore is so close, and I'm so close to him. He gave me the chance of a lifetime speaking at the Democratic convention as he did, and I love him like an uncle.
Delighted to be playing a massive, substantive role with John Kerry. And last night's victory was really a testament to him. He came to the state; voters met him; voters saw him. And as they listened to him and learned more about him: his record in the Senate, his experience in the military, winning 3 Purple Hearts--or earning 3 Purple Hearts and a Silver and Bronze Star, his experience as a prosecutor. And in my part of the country, Tavis, we like folks that hunt, and he's a duck and deer hunter. And that played well at home, and because of those reasons, in addition to his vision for the future, he won. And I was proud to be a part of the team.
Tavis: Well, the story today, as you know, is that those stories about whether or not Kerry can play down South, since you like to hunt, the stories about--the questions, I should say--about whether or not this dog would hunt down South have been put to rest today. The story is that having won Virginia and having won Tennessee, this guy can play down South. I'm not so certain of that. What's your take on it?
Ford: It's a powerful statement to the White House that big belt buckles and big rhetoric and big talk alone are not gonna bring about votes. You have to come with ideas and answers to how to create jobs, how to improve our intelligence and how we act on it, how to ensure that every American child has an opportunity to receive a good education, and how you lower the cost of hospital and healthcare for every American. That's what Americans, and particularly people in the South, want to hear.
I would agree with you this is no... You can't translate this victory or interpret this to mean he can win Tennessee or Virginia. But I tell you this: he's a lot closer tonight than he was last night in being able to carry both of those states come November. We know we have a tall task in front of us, and we're ready for it. John Kerry says it best, "Bring it on." This campaign will be ready for everything George Bush throws at us because not only will we throw back but we'll throw a vision at him and for this country to rally around to support.
Tavis: What do you make of the fact that now, officially, Wesley Clark is out of the race, as of earlier today? What do you make of the fact that one by one they seem to be going down the tubes, so to speak?
Ford: He's an honorable man, General Clark. He brought tremendous experience into this race. He brought a new dimension into Democratic politics, being a 4-star general. We don't have many of those in our party running for elected office, particularly running for president. He has a lot more service in him, and I hope that this is not the last time we hear from General Clark in the public arena and certainly on the national stage.
John Edwards, a tremendous candidate. He remains in the race. I hope he is able to hang around just a little bit, because it keeps the media attention there. Then you have Howard Dean, who has done a remarkable job at bringing new voters into the fold. As this thing goes on, it'll become clear who the nominee should be.
John Kerry's won 11--or 12--out of 14 contests now. There are 2 more before next Monday, including Wisconsin and Nevada, and we'll see how we do there. We're gonna work hard. We're not taking any vote for granted. Because, remember, 4 weeks ago, many had counted this campaign down and out, and 4 weeks later we find ourselves in a position to not only win the nomination but to take George Bush on and win in the fall.
Tavis: With those kind words, not just about your guy Kerry, but Edwards and Clark and Dean, maybe you shouldn't be in Congress. You ought to be an ambassador to the U.N. That was very good, Harold, a very diplomatic response.
Ford: I want to win, and we need everybody on board to win in the fall, whomever it may be. I think it's gonna be John Kerry, but at the end of the day we need John Edwards, Wesley Clark, Joe Lieberman, Bob Graham, Howard Dean, Reverend Sharpton, Dennis Kucinich, and Carol Moseley Braun all on board with this campaign, as well as many others across this country.
Tavis: All right, so you want to win. Tell me whether or not these stories of late about President Bush and whether or not he was, in fact, to use the words of Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic chairman, 'AWOL.' Tell me whether or not this story does in fact play to John Kerry's advantage, given his war-hero status.
Ford: Our record is clear. Our man served, and he earned medals while there. George Bush has said that he's served. He's said he was honorably discharged, which clearly he was. We're willing to put it behind us. Let's talk about the future. Let's talk about what and how we get out of this situation in Iraq. Let's talk about how we improve our stature in the world--
Tavis: Let me jump in right quick. You don't really mean that. You're trying to tell me that if you have an advantage on this issue about whether or not he really served--while he sent troops into Iraq, while he sent troops into Afghanistan--you want to really put that behind you? I don't buy that, Harold.
Ford: Well, I'll tell you why. Bill Clinton didn't serve, Jimmy Carter didn't serve, Ronald Reagan didn't serve.
Tavis: But they didn't lie about not serving either. If the president did in fact--
Ford: No, don't get me wrong. If it turns out the evidence is discovered or is revealed that the president misled us or didn't tell the truth about his service, the voters will sort all of those things out. All I know is our record is clear, and we stand firmly behind the fact that John Kerry was not only there but the country recognized his service.
Tavis: Yeah. Let me ask you a few questions about African American voters, since you happen to be not just the youngest member in recent memory ever elected to Congress but certainly an African American congressman representingOe
Ford: Oethe great city of Memphis.
Tavis: The great city of Memphis. I love Memphis.
Let me ask you a few questions. Number one, tell me why it is as an African American, you support John Kerry. And I ask that because there have been a lot of debate of late--indeed, Cornel West, Princeton professor on my radio program earlier this week, raised questions about why black folk would support Kerry and raised some questions about what his black credentials are. As a black man, a black member of Congress, why John Kerry? Because most of the Congressional Black Caucus, when given the chance, didn't go with Kerry. They went with Howard Dean.
Ford: Well, if you look at most black voters across the country, they've supported John Kerry. I think the more people learn about him, they like him. Let me answer your question directly. I like his position on education. I think the biggest challenge the country--whether you're black, white, or Hispanic--we face in the future is how and where and what we're willing to spend to educate our kids. And when kids are shortchanged, you largely find kids who come from middle-income and less-than-middle-income backgrounds being shortchanged more than others. If we're serious about schools, you have to fund after-school and early childhood. John Kerry's committed to it.
I think the future of our country also depends on how serious we are about collecting intelligence. We won't be safe as a nation, and our interests abroad won't be safe, if we can't rely on the accuracy of our intelligence. And John Kerry's committed to improving that. He wants to create a director of national intelligence. He wants to convene all leaders around the world and conduct an anti-terror summit to ensure that countries all around the globe join us in that effort.
And last, his commitment to ensuring that everybody--regardless of what you look like, what's your position in life, where you started, where your parents started--all of that seems to be irrelevant to this guy. He's someone--as much as he may have been brought up in a setting that he was somewhat privileged--I listen to those men and women who served with him in Vietnam. There's one African American man in South Carolina in particular who said that John Kerry helped to save his life. He said, 'Here I was, a poor country kid from South Carolina, and here's this Boston New Englander, 6'4", looked like he had nothing in common with me, put himself on the line for me and led me and all of our friends.' Those kind of stories tell the essence of someone. Not to mention his votes on issues I think are germane to those of us who believe in fairness and openness and diversity. He was there with us in the Michigan case. He was there with us against Charles Pickering. He was there with us as we--
Tavis: Let me ask you--not to cut you off. My time is running. I got about 2 minutes here to go.
Let me ask you specifically, right quickly, about the affirmative action issue. He has tried repeatedly to put this thing behind him. This is a story that will not die, because earlier in his career he once referred to affirmative action as limited and divisive, said that it fosters a culture of dependency. Can he put this story on affirmative action behind him in this campaign?
Ford: I confronted him about that, Tavis Smiley, and he assured me his commitment to openness, fairness, affirmative action. As you know, I was one of the classmates, or I should say, one of the first group of persons to benefit from the University of Michigan's affirmative action plan in '93. I matriculated there then. His commitment to that case and to the principles of that case are unflinching. And I can assure you, if he ever flinches, he'll lose me as a supporter and he'll lose me as a national co-chair.
Tavis: In 20 seconds, can John Kerry beat George Bush? 'Newsweek' and 'Time' say they're in a dead heat right now.
Ford: It's gonna be a tough race. We shouldn't kid ourselves. But I'm willing to put his record against George Bush's, and I'm willing to put his vision for the future against George Bush's. If everybody who voted for Al Gore in 2000 votes for John Kerry and just a few Republicans are disgruntled with George Bush's economic policies, John Kerry can win in November. We'll have a new vision and a new path for this country. You and I will be better, and America will be better for it.
Tavis: Well, as the co-chair of the campaign, I expect in the coming weeks and months we'll get a chance to talk more. Harold Ford Jr., it's always nice to see you, friend.
Ford: Congratulations and thanks for having me on.
Tavis: Thank you. My pleasure.
Up next, actress and author Carrie Fisher. I'm sure that with Carrie Fisher it's always a fascinating conversation. I look forward to having one with her in just a moment. We're glad you're still with us. We'll talk to Carrie Fisher in just a moment, so stay right where you are.
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