Posted on 10/06/2006 6:06:43 AM PDT by falcon1966
Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Harold Ford Jr. referred to himself as a lawyer earlier this week, but the congressman has not passed the bar exam.
Michael Powell, senior adviser to the Ford campaign, said U.S. Rep. Ford took the Tennessee bar exam in February 1997 and failed. He said that was the only time Rep. Ford has taken the test.
Rep. Ford, of Memphis, got his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996, according to his congressional Web site.
He said Tuesday during a meeting with Chattanooga Times Free Press editors and reporters that Republican opponent Bob Corker has said the next senator should be a businessman and not a lawyer.
"I told Senator (Lamar) Alexander, I said, ‘I won’t hold it against you if I’m elected, and there’s two lawyers in the delegation who try their hardest to work through the issues," Rep. Ford said.
Corker campaign spokesman Todd Womack said, "If Congressman Ford will stretch the truth about his own resume, what else will he stretch the truth about?" Mr. Powell said it is his understanding that Rep. Ford was joking when he made reference to being a lawyer during Tuesday’s meeting.
"He has never held himself out as a lawyer," Mr. Powell said.
He said President Bush has referred to Rep. Ford as a lawyer.
"I think it makes sense to send somebody up to Washington who’s not a lawyer," President Bush said at a Nashville fundraiser in late August, according to a transcript. "Nothing wrong with lawyers, we got a lot of them up there."
Mr. Powell said the GOP is finding "petty" things to talk about.
"We’re a month out from the election, and the Republicans and Mr. Corker still are not talking about the issues," he said.
Wow-he's even more Kennedy-like than I thought.
On the other hand, hopeful Harold Ford Jr. is a lying dog.
Therefore: let lying dogs run for Senate...where they belong.
You are a lawyer regardless of whether you actually pass the bar exam. What you can't do is practice law or give legal advice to the general public. You can work as an in-house counsel for a corporation or organization (although you generally can't appear in court), a staff counsel for most govenmental entities, a law school professor, and a jail house lawyer. There are are exceptions and the laws of each state can vary on this issue.
"Rep. Ford, of Memphis, got his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996, according to his congressional Web site."
Affirmative action at work.
"On the other hand, a person can be an accountant without being a CPA."
Much like being a law clerk without being a lawyer.
Once again, the lib lie about joking...drive-by-media only happy oblige.
Was Foley 'only joking'?
"Rep. Ford, of Memphis, got his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996, according to his congressional Web site."
Affirmative action at work.
Yes!!! In essence they were LIEyers!
Having said that, I am of the opinion that someone who can not pass the Bar exam, is generally an intellectual light weight. There are a few exceptions, such as when someone is ill or has a really bad day when sitting for the exam, but the NY Bar exam can be passed by fairly well trained monkeys - I know, I have to deal with some of the monkeys on a regular basis.
I know several guys with JD degrees who failed the bar exam and never took it again. These guys were so intimidated by the exam that they wouldn't sit for it again. I think they knew that they wouldn't pass, so they moved on. Others I know tried time and time again, but still never passed. I would not consider any one of them to be the sharpest crayon in the pack.
Where Mr. Ford fits in is anyones guess, but my money is on the dull crayon theory.
He's not a lawyer, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Okay, thanks. I suppose that means you can't represent yourself in court or serve as your own legal counsel anymore, eh?
No, of course you can. You just can't represent others. It has often been said, however, that only a fool has himself for a client :)
Reminds me of the old joke:
"What do you call a lawyer with an IQ of 50?"
Answer: "Your Honor!"
Thanks. Just wondering why the different titles - attorney, lawyer, attorney-at-law, counselor-at-law.
Ford=Democrat=Liar. Next question?
Is this Colin's son who was/is on FCC? If so, I'm not surprised he is associating with the 'rats.
I think the "big deal", at least in my mind, is that, aside from blatantly misleading voters, it shows he has a sense of entitlement. It's as if he feels he gets an automatic bid into adding the "Esq" beside his name just because he is Harold Ford.
But he didn't pass the bar, either because, again he thought studying for it was beneath him (I mean he probably thought :"it's a hick TN Bar, how tough can it be!"), or maybe he didn't posses the analytical thought needed to pass, or maybe he just had a bad day. The fact remains, he never passed, and until he does he knows better than to refer to himself as a lawyer. If that kind of deceit is acceptable for you fine, but it's deceit none-the-less. Anyone less than Harold Ford that made such a statement though would be getting a letter from the state Bar Assn.
HA! Good one.
Goes to show you. Our system permits those who failed the Bar to make laws, but only those who pass the bar to figure them out.
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