Committee votes to void Ophelia Ford election (TN)

WMCTV.com ^ | 1/17/06

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks! Never thought I would see this happen.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Forgive this tiny photo, it's the only one that begins to show how Caucasian she really is (BTW, the dirty little secret in the family is that Big Momma Ford is White -- in fact, the "fairest Ford", one of the brothers who moved to California and is not in politics, though is a registered Republican, supposedly has "White" listed on his driver's license as race). Some other pics I've seen of Ophelia, it looks like they "darken" her (a la O.J. and the infamous "Time Magazine" cover). Trust me, she's Whiter than I am, and I'm about as pasty White as they come.

Also, I'm still unsure what the racial demographics of the district are. During that incendiary press conference, she was just pulling things right out of her ass.

[AuH2ORepublican]

When you say that Big Momma Ford was white, I assume you are talking about the mother of Harold Sr., John, Ophelia, etc., right? And when you say she was white, you don't mean that she was an octoroon or something, but a bona fide Caucasian? That must have been quite the scandal in 1930s Memphis, a white woman marrying a (very light-skinned, I'm sure) black man and having 8 kids with him. Here's a photo I found of Ophelia, where she looks a bit tanner. But here's one of her swearing-in to the Senate, in which she appears to be quite white, and her brother Joe appears to have a pinkish complexion:

[Kaslin]

From the Tennesseean

-- snip --

In Ford's election, at a minimum, six votes are questionable: two attributed to dead people and four to convicted felons.

Roland and Republicans say there are far more, including 40 ballots cast by people living outside the district and another 60 voters who failed to sign ballot applications properly. And they cited newspaper reports in Memphis that 31 other votes are in question because an election worker's signature was forged.

Ford Fraud

[AuH2ORepublican]

Let me try again to post that picture of Ophelia with a suntan:

[AuH2ORepublican]

OK, for some reason I can't post that picture. Let me try a third time: In case it still doesn't work, here's the article that includes the picture: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060112/NEWS0201/601120389/0/CORRECTIONS

[AuH2ORepublican]

I hope that the Senators rule not only that Ophelia should be excluded from her seat but that Roland should be sworn in as the rightful winner of the election. If the Senators declare the seat vacant and there's another special election, I'm not so sure that Roland will be able to do as well, especially if they allow a primary, in which another black Democrat could defeat Ophelia.

[fieldmarshaldj]

From what I've read, Big Momma was White without a modifier (but all the claims from the Fords in the past was that she was not). Where the Fords are concerned, there has been so much racial intermarriage over the generations that is pretty much obvious they are far more Caucasian than African in ethnic makeup, yet try to pretend to the "community" they are as Black as Bernie Mac.

In that pic, I might point out the "judge" is Supreme Court Justice Adolpho "Papa Smurf" Birch, one of the most horrendous judicial activists and purveyors of injustice the state has ever seen. His legacy will always be the case of an elderly virgin who was raped and murdered where he authored the opinion that the perpetrator of the crime did not "meet" the standards of heinousness for the death penalty. The man is a despicable pig.

Auntie Ophelia is truly one of the most frightening freakish-looking individuals I have ever had the displeasure of seeing close-up (thanks to tv cameras). She has obviously had multiple (botched) plastic surgeries to her face (almost to Michael Jacksonesque proportions) and looks agonized every time she tries to open her mouth (let alone trying to enunciate to an audible level - she needs a mic to literally within an inch of her mouth to even understand what on earth she is saying).

[fieldmarshaldj]

Terry Roland seems to be pushing for a re-vote, which could very well result in his losing the election. At this point, given the closeness of the returns, I would prefer the Senate vote to seat him, period.

BTW, Auntie Ophelia stole the primary, too. State Rep. Henri Brooks (an authentic Black woman) didn't bother to legally contest it, but supposedly some of her supporters helped Roland.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Historically, extremely light-skinned blacks in the South came not from intermarriage with whites but from mulattos, quadroons and octoroons from slavery days (the product of white masters having black, mulatto or quadroon mistresses) marrying similarly light-skinned blacks. If Harold Ford Sr.'s father was a dark-skinned black who married a white woman in early 20th century Memphis, that would be quite atypical. I'm not saying you are wrong, just that I find it very surprising.

As for Justice Adolpho Birch, indeed he does look like Papa Smurf. But Papa Smurf had a much better sense of justice.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Terry Roland seems to be pushing for a re-vote, which could very well result in his losing the election. At this point, given the closeness of the returns, I would prefer the Senate vote to seat him, period."

---

The Senate is the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its members (at least at the federal level and, apparently, in Tennessee as well), and a simple majority could declare not only that Ophelia did not win her election but that Roland was the real winner. However, if the GOP's one-vote majority is going to declare Roland the winner, it needs to be *damn sure* that Tennesseans believe that there is overwhelming evidence pointing to Roland having won the election. If Tennessee voters think that the GOP was involved in a power-grab and proceed to vote out a couple of GOP Senators next election, thereby giving the RATs control of the Senate, we will be wishing that the Senate had let Ophelia stay.

The less controversial decision would be to decide that Ophelia's election has been called into question, exclude her from the Senate, declare the seat vacant and call a new election. But, as I said, I think Roland would lose a revote. If it is clear that Tennesseans believe that Roland won, the Senate should release all the evidence pointing to Roland winning and then exclude Ophelia and seat Roland. Roland will likely lose next election, but any inroads he can make among black voters will be instrumental in keeping the GOP in power in Tennessee for years to come.

[fieldmarshaldj]

The reason the vote turned out as it did was because a courageous rural Democrat voted to exclude her, countering a traitorous RINO, who voted to seat her. We have had a very serious problem with party discipline on our side of the aisle. We have a numerical majority in the Senate, but not by organizational standards (that aforementioned RINO having voted to keep the decrepit Lt Gov John Wilder in control of the body - and he has the power to dictate how the division of power goes).

[GailA]

She's filed a federal injunction to over rule the resolution just passed.

[GailA]

The district is mostly black. Terry Roland is white, a business man from a small town in the county, Millington. He's well liked by everyone in the area black and white alike. She only won by 13 votes. In Memphis the dead, felons and double voting occur every election.

[GailA]

[Redbob]

Arrrrgggg!
My eyes! My eeeeeyes!

[Mr. Mulliner]

I LOVE that movie. Used to be one of my all-time favorites. One of my kids bought it for me at Christmas.

[AuH2ORepublican]

How the heck were you able to post that picture? I tried 3 times and failed miserably (and I was able to post another picture of Ophelia).

[NewRomeTacitus]

The Tennessean newspaper did a piece on Harold Jr. a few months back, intrigued by how someone with so little political experience was angling for Bill Frist's Senate seat. The article intoned "The Ford Family's hobby is politics but their real business is funeral homes."

So they combine the two now and again (heh heh).

BTW, FieldMarshal; the staff photographer attended one of their Sunday meal get-togethers and it looked like an ad for 'The Colors of Benniton' - although I find their overlooking racial boundaries to be one of the few positive aspects they have as a family. It seems the Old Man did indeed marry a white lady back in the day, which probably accounted for his consistent losses while running for high office.