Fascinating up in New York:
Former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford is on a listening tour of New York, and he is not unhappy with what he’s hearing.
“I’m getting some encouragement from people across this state, and mainly across this city, who thinks that there could be a stronger, more independent voice in the U.S. Senate,” he said Friday.
Ford met with Manhattan Democratic Chairman Keith Wright in Harlem and Bronx State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson in Wakefield, Bronx. Neither official told Ford to stay out of the race either, unlike others higher in power.
“I’m just happy that he took the time and gave me the respect as one of the leaders here in the Bronx,” said Hassell-Thompson.
Ford is expected to participate in more photo-ops and an upcoming upstate swing, and will probably typecast Senator Kirsten Gillibrand as a virtual political puppet of Washington power-brokers.
“I didn’t take orders when I was in Congress other than the people in Memphis who elected me, and if I run here in New York and I’m blessed to win, I wouldn’t take orders other than from the people in New York,” said Ford.
While this would be a carpetbagger campaign, New Yorkers never seem to have a problem with such. So, that probably wouldn’t be an issue. Meanwhile, further in to the report, the Ford concept seems to be to run as an outsider against Gillibrand and the Democrat powers-that-be – and as a defender of one of New York’s biggest industries, the financial sector. This could get mighty interesting.
If Ford gets in the race, then it’ll become a complete toss up as to how it will all come out – both in terms of who winds up as the Democrat nominee and who winds up as the eventual winner in November. Gillibrand is pretty much just a tool of Reid’s and any reasonably competent GOPer should be able to knock her off…but a Democrat who isn’t a tool of Reid will have a good shot. Trouble is, Democrat leaders don’t like independent thinkers – slaves to their own passions they, in turn, prefer people will servile minds as subordinates.
2010 is going to be a very interesting year.
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