Posted on 08/05/2006 8:34:16 AM PDT by SmithL
Republicans ceased senatorial sniping at one another Friday and turned their rhetorical guns on Harold Ford Jr., who fired back while a national Democratic figure suggested that GOP wounds remain unhealed.
A review of the results in Thursday's primary elections indicates that both sides have some reason for unease in their own base party vote as Republican nominee Bob Corker heads into what will surely be a bitter, bruising and extraordinarily expensive fight for the Senate seat now held by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
Besides the two combatants themselves, those joining in the verbal fray in a series of news conferences Friday included Frist and the chairmen of the national Republican and Democratic Senate campaign committees.
All agreed on one thing - that Tennessee will be a continual focus of national attention until the Nov. 7 general election as the pivotal race in deciding control of the Senate.
Corker, a wealthy businessman and former Chattanooga mayor, won the primary with 48 percent of the Republican vote - meaning, of course, that more than half of the GOP electorate preferred someone else, despite Corker's huge spending advantage.
Corker spent about $8.6 million at last report. Combined, Corker's two main primary opponents, Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary, spent less than half that amount.
Ford, who spent more than $6 million, had 80 percent of the Democratic primary vote. That means about one in five Democratic voters preferred someone else, even though Ford's primary opponents spent no money and waged no active campaigns.
In actual votes in the primary, with 99 percent of the results tallied, Ford had 334,459 to 230,399 for Corker. About 478,00 people voted in the GOP primary, about 416,000 in the Democratic primary.
Frist, declaring that he sees his own legacy as a senator dependent on Corker's election, predicted that Republicans would unite behind Corker, "a product of the American dream," against Ford, "the ultimate Washington insider" who is "a throwback to the old ideas of politicians like Al Gore and Jim Sasser."
There were some signs of abatement of hostilities within the GOP camp. A Web site attacking Corker that was operated by the Bryant campaign - www.bobthefraud.com - was taken off the Internet on Friday. But a Hilleary Web site attacking Corker - www.realbobcorker.com - was still in place Friday.
Republicans plan a unity rally today in Nashville, with the primary foes joining Frist and other GOP leaders to pledge support for Corker in the fall campaign.
Frist said the bitterness of the Republican primary campaign "is not going to be a drag" on Corker. He said Corker would have "a huge advantage" on issues since Ford has "voted against $1.2 trillion in tax cuts" and is aligned with "Democrats saying, 'Let's cut and run, let's wave the white flag' " in Iraq.
Ford said he was surprised at Frist's comments, having considered the senator "a friend."
"The majority leader of the Senate is calling me an insider?" he asked, adding that Frist saying he was weak on national security issues is "a lie" and adding, "He shouldn't blame me for his failed management" of national policy.
"The race is not 24 hours old, and the first thing the Republicans do is lie and attack me," Ford said.
"I welcome the opportunity to talk about facts and the truth," said Ford. "The lies and distortion and the smears that characterized the summer (GOP primary) campaign are not going to fly in a statewide fall campaign."
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Committee, said the divisive GOP primary will benefit Ford because "evangelical" conservative Republicans feel that Corker's candidacy offers them nothing.
"The primary has left the Republicans in very bad shape," Schumer said. "Their party is more divided in Tennessee and around the country than our party is."
He said Corker must "mend a whole lot of fences" and "may be able to get the elders of the party on board, but the average citizen feels pretty bad about it."
Corker said Hilleary and Bryant have given him sincere pledges of support and that he expects broad backing from Republicans against the "liberal" Ford. The heated primary, Corker said, will ultimately benefit his campaign by preparing it for the ordeal to come.
"I think we'll look back at this primary and say it was the best thing that could have probably happened," Corker said.
Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, contended that recent Republican polling shows Corker with a substantial lead over Ford, 54 percent to 39 percent - a proposition Ford campaign officials disputed.
She characterized Schumer's comments on evangelical Republicans deserting Corker as "wishful-thinking" Democrats.
"Harold Ford is a liberal, so I do not see that as something to worry about," Dole said.
She declined to comment on how much financial help the national Republican organization would send to Corker. According to Ford, Corker may not need any major infusion of money from Washington.
The congressman said he understands that Corker has spread word in GOP circles that he is ready to put $10 million in personal funds into his campaign. Corker gave almost $2.2 million in personal funds to his campaign during the primary.
Asked about Ford's comment to reporters, Ben Mitchell, Corker campaign manager, declined a direct answer.
"We're not going to spend the next three months responding to every rumor Congressman Ford repeats and spreads," said Mitchell.
Cross your fingers and toes.....we need EVERY REPUBLICAN we can get into the Senate, or its 'impeach President Bush' time....thats what the democrats are living and breathing for today.....
GO REPUBLICANS!!!!
Schumer is dreaming. Isn't he?
ROFLMAO!
Here's a small something that can be gained with a Republican replacing Frist: KEEPING SCHUMER OUT OF MAJORITY POWER in the Senate, so he cant obstruct decent judicial nominees who respect the rule of law happen to treat people of faith with equality under the law! You know, Judges like Alito and Roberts.
The outcome of this primary is very unfortunate. Bob Corker is a pro-business liberal and opportunist masquerading as a Republican. It's as if liberals hedged their bets by nominating one of their own in both primaries.
Unfortunately, there are no good choices. So TN residents should hold their noses and support Corker. Hopefully, will be so cowed by conservative mistrust that he'll spend his entire term trying to win them over.
Any vote for anyone other than Bob Corker is a vote against our national security and a vote against the brave men and women fighting overseas.
As the Rats have radicalized, all legitimate political debate takes place entirely within the Republican party. In Texas, for example, the situation from thirty years ago has almost completely reversed. Back then the Democratic primary drew more voters than the general election. Now, all the Democrats (Grandma, for example) claim Republican status. This has dragged the Pubbies to the left. Unfortunately, many voters (especially septugenarians who remember WWII) don't realize how radical the Rats have become. Also, the WWII generation was far more socialist than current conservatives realize.
If Evangelicals leave the GOP in Tenn. , then pigs will fly. Look, Ford is just another lefty. When will the GOP wings realize that united they can put any Dem away??
This is definitely possible. He spent his entire primary campaign running as a holier than God conservative. In any event, much as I dislike the primary's outcome, he's certainly no where near the abomination Ford would be. If we want to win the war and have decent Federal judges, we've got to support him as much as we would have supported Bryant or Hilleary.
"The primary has left the Republicans in very bad shape," Schumer said. "Their party is more divided in Tennessee and around the country than our party is."
Put a cork in it, Schumer...
Hello from Jonesborough--you're right. We must beat Ford. Sent an email to Corker--that his campaign manager cost him votes with the early ads that came across poorly--even though I did not vote for him, we must unite to defeat Obama junior... Ford talks smoothly and sounds reasonable--his voting record is another thing altogether--against defense, for abortion, for higher taxes--and he doesn't say how he would handle gas prices, just that they're too high... heheh. Typical democrat, no answers except higher taxes for everyone. (I suspect his answer on gas prices is to reduce demand by raising taxes to raise the price). heheh. Let's go in November!
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