…the political spotlights will turn to Tennessee in Fall 2008 to highlight the race for senate successor to Bill Frist. This is a must-win race Democrats, as it holds a stake in the uphill battle to regain Democratic control of the Senate. The full armada of the party will need to prop Rep. Harold Ford Jr., despite his tendency to err on the side of values, which would best be described as progressive liberal. Hey who said Dems. could not coin an oxymoron reminiscent of the GOP passionate conservatives? Ford Jr. might just represent the diversified face of the democratic party Antinio Villaraigosa was talking about while addressing a rally for the Campaign for America’s Future yesterday.
Ford Jr.’ s chances cannot be written off, simply because he is a Dem. running in a GOP stronghold. He has a worthy opponent in Rep. Marsha Blackburn. However, he was elected to congress straight out of Law School at the University of Michigan in 1996. At 35 years old, he has become a savvy Washington insider, who needs to be watched closely in the run-up to the senatorial elections.
This race presents a Herculean challenge for newly minted Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean. It presents the fence mending opportunity for former veep Al Gore in TN. TN does not feature on the list of "Red" states in which the DNC is investing $1 million to rebuild Democratic Party structures. MISTAKE. This race gives the Democratic party to make a dent in the Red South, which could be the key to clinching the 2008 Presidential elections. This is a race whose results are hinged on a number of extraneous factors to the candidates. However, I think the Democrats need to start early trying to make this the race to win and give Bill Frist something to think about as he relinquishes his seat for a White House run.
There is no need to bicker on the stances taken by Sen. Ford on the social security issue. The end will justify the means and when it matters most, his vote will make an additional difference in the Senate and strengthen the party when that strength is most necessary.
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