Posted on 08/26/2005 3:42:57 AM PDT by GailA
GOP questions his leadership for Senate
By Lawrence Buser August 26, 2005
It didn't take long for political opponents of Congressman Harold Ford Jr. to pounce on the news that his office had sought consideration from the parole board on behalf of a notorious convicted killer.
The Web site for TeamGOP, a Republican grassroots organization based in Nashville, trumpeted Ford's miscue under the headline, "Harold Ford Jr. sends letter for hit-man."
"This is a disgraceful act for anyone, elected official or not," TeamGOP said. "This is the kind of leadership that Harold Ford wants to bring to the US Senate?"
Ford responded that Republicans were being insensitive to the victim's family.
In a letter to the parole board earlier this month, Ford asked the board to give consideration for the positive steps convicted killer Phillip Michael Britt has taken while behind bars for the past 28 years. Although his signature was on the Aug. 2 letter, Ford said this week he was unaware of the wording in the staff-written letter and said it does not accurately reflect his feelings about whether Britt should be paroled.
"I've read some of the right-wing attack blogs and I think it's insensitive (to the victim's family) for Republicans to make political capital out of this," Ford said Thursday. "I made a mistake, I've corrected it and I've apologized to the family. It's an unfortunate situation, but the reality is parole was denied."
Ford wrote a second letter on Aug. 19 informing the parole board he does not support Britt's request for parole.
He said he wished Britt had gotten the death penalty.
Britt is one of three men convicted for the rape and murder of 24-year-old Deborah Groseclose in 1977. The parole board denied Britt parole Wednesday for at least six years.
"I think he didn't have a clue about the crime Britt committed, which his staff didn't bother to research," Groseclose's sister Rebecca Easley said Thursday, adding that she appreciated Ford calling her this week to discuss the issue. "Hopefully, this is a very valuable lesson for him. I doubt that sort of thing will happen again out of his office."
Ford said his office sends out hundreds of letters a week, but that he has now established stronger safeguards to ensure that his correspondence accurately reflects his position, including form letters that might go to the parole board.
"It's never happened before and I'm going to try my hardest to see that it never happens again," he said, "whether I'm in Congress or the United State Senate."
Ford, a congressman for nine years, is running for the U.S. Senate in an election that is more than a year away. Political science professor Marcus Pohlmann of Rhodes College said he does not believe the parole-letter misstep will have any major impact on the campaign.
"If this had happened a month or two before the vote, you'd be more concerned," said Pohlmann. "These things are going to come up. I don't see it as much of a problem here in Shelby County where he is already pretty well known, but in parts of Central and East Tennessee where he's trying to establish himself for the first time with those voters, it may be somewhat of a distraction.
"It's part of the problem of sitting congressmen or senators running for office or higher office. They have a record of their own, but there's also other people speaking constantly on their behalf who might be called to task."
-- Lawrence Buser: 529-2385
This is Frist's seat.
I guess I'm confused. Is someone implying that he wrote the letter at the request of the head of the parole board?
Oh but. Jr. and Congressman Jesse Jackson are good friends. They have been seen playing streeball in Memphis together.
Rep. Ford's action was immoral and his response to his critics reveals he is also incompetent, insensitive, and stupid.
I hate the Ford's and Jr. is right at the top, but stupid he isn't. Overactive ego.
Ford will get practically no support outside of Memphis and Nashville. Most people in Tennessee know what criminals the Ford's are.
Not that we know of...btw when I asked former sen albore to write letters objecting to the early parole of my son's killer he gave the excuse of seperation of federal vs state issues as an excuse not to do so. Ditto US Rep John Tanner.
Ed Bryant or Van Hilleary are the two leading conservative GOP contenders. Both former US Reps.
Traughber is the chairman of the TN parole board and the husband of the #2 in the House, Lois DeBerry who is one of the biggest Dems in Memphis and Shelby CO. NO one gets that high up in the RAT party and doesn't know the husband of a extremely powerful person like Rep Lois DeBerry. All the elected RATS in Memphis know each other and their spouses. Only a dummy would think other wise. And FReepers are NOT dummies.
He (his staff) wrote the first letter on behalf of the KILLER, when it was pointed out to him his error, he wrote a second letter OBJECTING to the parole of the killer...dancing on both sides of the issue. (Traughber probably let JUNIOR know that he had screwed up big time)
"According to Imus, he's already got one foot in the door of the White House."
This is absolute proof of the lingering effect of drugs. Even after so many years of "being clean" Imus is still addled by the wild drugs he took in the past.
"He has a snowball's chance in Hell of being the next senator from TN, but it's fun watching him squirm. The whole family is corrupt."
i hope that you are correct. This open seat is a concern for me at this point. PA and RI as well. I just hope That Old Ford gets canned quick
Charles Traughber is the Chairman of the State of Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole. This is significant because Mr. Traughber was instrumental under Gov. Blanton in selling Clemency and Pardons to convicted inmates in the 1970’s.
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