Harold Ford Heckled Over Fox Comment At Netroots Nation

Former congressman Harold Ford was billed as a sheep amidst the wolves when he was booked for an appearance at the Netroots Nation conference here in Austin. And while for the most part the DLC head and self-described 'centrist' Democrat received a cordial welcome among the progressive audience, there were a scattering of hisses, boos, and the occasionally unruly heckle during his discussion of FISA, Obama and Democratic politics more broadly.

Appearing alongside DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas - in what has become a series of appearances for the two since they butted heads during a Meet the Press appearance last year - Ford pushed back against the notion that Obama had abandoned the netroots on the FISA fight.

"Many of the candidates that people in this room drew national attention to voted yes for FISA including Jim Webb and Claire McCaskill," he said, "as did 20 of the 30 red-to-blue candidates that were highlighted by the netroots."

For that argument, he was received with some sympathy. But the crowd wasn't too cordial later on when Ford discussed, among other things, his time as a pundit on Fox News.

"I used to work for Fox News. I no longer am there," he said after an audience member, during the Q&A session, accused him of smearing Democrats and echoing right-wing talking points. "I have great, great respect and admiration for my former colleagues there..."

Some in the crowd were incredulous, hissing Ford, asking (err... screaming) "why and who," and offering a scattering of boos.

Later Ford was quizzed on why he would support granting telecommunication companies immunity for their participation in the FISA program. His response - that it wasn't the companies who should be held to a fault but rather the public officials who ordered their participation - was challenged by several different questioners, who demanded "accountability" for privacy violations.

"I think that accountability was brought in 2006 when [the GOP] lost in the House and the Senate," Ford responded said. "And we have only eight more months of George W. Bush..."

"When is he going to prison!" screamed an audience member to a few claps.

Watch some (poor quality) video of the heckling:

Comments

[cmdrgmh]

What these so called centrist DINO's don't realize, we have a New and Strong, Stronger than anything anyone was ever seen Democratic Liberal party. The primary voters alone are enough to win this election. Liberals had millions of voters who voted just in the primarys. We out voted republicans 3 to 1. Sometimes 4 or 5 to 1. We no more have to cow down to the DINO's . That era is over. We Don't Need Centists in this party. Good Riddens. DINO is ( Democrat In Name Only).

[Deaninphilly]

What you don't realize is that you do need the centrist. The far left will not win anything all on its own. People see the actions and the behaviors of the far left, those calling themselves progressives as the same as those on the far right. Just because the far left screams and yells the most doesn't mean you the majority of followers. Just because centrist may agree with you on certain issues does not give you a mandate to run amuck. Sorry, but you'll win nothing and end up just like the far right has, on the outside looking in.

[totaldisbelief]

Then why are the Obama/McCain polls so close?

[scrawf]

I don't know which is worse; your sentence structures, or your spelling. As to your point about not needing centrists/moderates-you are full of it. If Obama wins this election, it will be because of independents and moderates.

[MsLiz]

Better a centrist Democrat than a Republican. Here in Alabama, we are proud to have Democratic opposition to Republican Congressmen. Don't forsake us.

[naturallight]

The same dem party that has tanked 8 years in a row and even tanked after the '06 anti war referendum?
a centrist like 'Bam who wants a "surge" into Afghanistan and to stay in Iraq as he "refines" his positions after winning the primary? How do you "refine" an illegal invasion/occupation/police state?? My Friend, I worry if the "progs" are getting played as bad as the Christians got played by Boosh.

[John51]

HuffPost's Pick

Harold Ford is representative of the people in his congressional district and has worked in the interest of those people. Regardless of how the people in other districts feel about his voting record, he voted as he felt the people that elected him would have him vote. I think it is difficult to understand and appreciate the landscape in another's backyard much less try to influence another's representative. Most of us have lost control of our own representatives; it appears our elected officials have forgotten who they are elected to represent. The national picture is complex and unwieldy to work. Once elected, how should the President manage the country? Is the president our representative or is he elected with free reign to manage the country, within the law, as he deems fit? It seems to me that the only control that the people have on the administration of the country is through their locally elected representatives thus it is imperative that we hold our representatives accountable for implementing the will of the electorate. I believe Harold Ford attempted to serve in this manner and was the voice of his congressional district. Does it matter if citizens outside of Harold Ford's district agree with his positions or is it more important we influence our representatives to implement our district's will and let democracy work. Maybe, if each of us hold our local politicians accountable, the national landscape will begin to reflect the will of the people.

[StillIRise]

Thank you for this very thoughtful and reasonable comment. It seems that each of us expect OUR point of view to be represented by every political leader, including the potential president, and if our view is not represented, the representative is trashed. Few of us seem to consider the district or people they were elected to represent. It's a very immature and uninformed perspective of the broad political landscape.

[infinity]

Bull biscuits. Will of the people? As determined by whom? Hate to remove your rose-colored glasses, but it's been a long time since Congress was representative of this country and Harold Ford is a prime example of why that is unlikely to change. Congress represents K Street, the special and monied interests. Besides, this was a first principle, Constitutional issue. Voting favorably for amending FISA had nothing to do with the "will of the people" or individual Congressional Districts--it was choosing to uphold the 4th Amend. (as Congress is sworn to do)or allowing lawlessness. Try reading John Kennedy's Profiles in Courage for examples of those who voted their conscience rather than for expediency.

[wbramh]

Well congratulations to Tennessee.
And thank God for State lines.

[uheardme]

Wrong, which is why Steve Cohen is now the representative of Ford's old district.

[disgusted48]

Didn't Ford give up his congressional seat to run for the senate, and that's the reason they have a new representative?

[Classof89]

I don't trust this guy at all, and he seems to be a confused person. He needs to just go ahead and hand over his liberal card.

[scrawf]

You don't even know who he is, do you? Scary.

[Classof89]

Yeah I know who he is, especially if I live down here in the South!

Check out his voting record:

-Supported a ban on benefits for same-sex couples, as well as the Federal Marriage Amendment (which would ban same-sex marriage). (Sept. 2004)

-Voted to go to war in Iraq; Also told Democrats they should be more supportive of the Iraq War.

-Criticized Senate Democrats who attempted to filibuster the nomination of Samuel Alito.

-One of the few Democrats who voted for the Bankruptcy Bill.

-Supports some restrictions on abortion, defining himself as a pro-life candidate, including supporting a ban on intact dilation and extraction (called by its opponents, partial-birth abortion). --The last thing I want is a representative, especially a male, to tell me what I can and can’t do with my body.

-Supported the Republican effort to intercede in the Terri Schiavo case.

[Classof89]

And yes, I know that he's a centrist of the Left, but you know as well as I do that Democrats are labeled "Liberals"/"Progressives" no matter what. That's why I said that he should just give up being a Democrat and go with his increasingly conservative beliefs and become a Repugnant.

[RedWhiteandBrooklyn]

If Ford had actually been a Liberal, he wouldn't have lost his last race.

[disgusted48]

Gore lost his home state, tennesse, in the 2000 presidential race. After eight years as clinton's vp, I believe he qualifies as a liberal. Not every democrat is a liberal, and not every liberal is a democrat, and apparently liberals don't win in tennessee.

[FogBelter]

I like Harold Ford ... but he and the other DLC folk have to understand there is no place in the Democratic Party for Republican Doctrine ... I'm sorry ... the tent can't be that big.

[DofG]

The problem with politicians is that they become diseased by the "lawyer in them". Unlike a "wise man", like Dennis Kucinich-the politician, they just don't understand that ultimately there is always a higher standard to live up to: not merely the consensus politics of the moment! The thing that they really don't understand about retroactive immunity is that the telecoms had a constitutional choice! But it was a choice that they were willing to make, because the government has given them lopsided regulatory advantages, which enables their gain of vast profits. And this is at the heart of what makes our "free market" system a de facto plutocracy. Because when these companies fail, or sometimes, even break the law, deference is given to them for their sheer size and influence. Social law suppose to be impersonal, and without prejudice. But because social law, so much of the time, is applied in a state of hypocrisy for the plutocrats, social corrosion results from their bad example. So in one swoop, they give license to a million new criminals, for the sake of saving a few!

[ChristopherLib]

I like Harold Ford. People forget how close he was to becoming the first black US Senator in the south since Reconstruction. He ran the kind of campaign he needed to give himself a chance. I disagree with him on some things, and he handled that Fox News thing the wrong way. I don't expect him to lambast Fox News the way people like me do, but he didn't need to give them praise either. Still the guy is just really likable and smart and I would vote for him for almost anything if I could.

I as a liberal have distanced myself from the Netroots because of this kind of this kind dictatorial if you're not with me all the time you're a traitor garbage. The good Democrats they've disparaged is just unacceptable to me.

[ErnestineBass]

Sorry, dear, but if you think Harold Ford, Jr. is a "good Democrat", I suggest you review his 2006 campaign platform. Republican Lite to the core. Educate yourself.

[mathme]

Isn't that what Dems since Clinton have become?

[Marcee]

ChristopherLib, I agree wholeheartedly. I like Ford, but his praise of Fox was unnecessary and fawning.

In the last few weeks, I have had this sensation that some of the Netroots are becoming ideologues similar to the smug, self satisified, morally superior individuals on the right who are unrelenting in their opinions and indignant when their views are not embraced by others. I detest this behavior on the right; I don't like it any better on the left.

With that said, I did see an interview today on Race for the White House with Daily Kos' Markos Zuniga who gave me hope that commendable, strong opinions coupled with tolerance are extant in some members of Netroots. That was a very encouraging interview.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25741744#25741744

[totaldisbelief]

Netroots will end up alienating anyone in the Center (centrists/slightly right/slightly left)
Complete Ideologues are never a good thing.

[ebethgay]

I also like Harold Ford and think his crooked, crazy family is what kept him from becoming Senator. However, I didn't read his comments as praising Fox News, rather showing affection towards people he worked with while there. I'm sure there are people who worked at Enron who felt warmly about their coworkers, but realized Skilling and Lay and the other executives were dunderheads.

[mcgreen]

Agree with you, this is why I'm supporting Obama.

I'm tired of stupid partisanship that insists only our representative can have good ideas. Good ideas are in short supply and we need to be open to them from where ever the source.

[dollars2donuts]

I'm with you Chris! I'm a progressive, but the netroots have been behaving abominably lately. Look at how they trashed Obama the last few weeks and now Ford. Maybe they're racist, LOL. Okay, probably not, just very much foaming at the mouth at anyone not 100% in agreement with them on every single issue--very, very childish, IMO.

[watchingthings]

When the Rebublicans with Dubya took power....the US government started lying to the populace and somehow the populace accepted the lies [9-11].......and because they were accompanied by threats of terrorism if you did not accept the government's lies. When a government lies to it's populace....this is not democracy....it is the beginning of authoritarian rule.

[holeybuybull]

watchingthings, while I agree with your last staement, if you think this government policy was just initiated with W, you aren't a student of history. Under the Clinton presidency, the enron loop hole became law, welfare for people was slashed, the fairness doctrine died, etc., etc. He didn't exactly stand up for americans against the Republican controlled congress, either. Bush 41, Ronald Reagan, etc., etc. This country hasn't been run for the benefit of the average citizen for a very long time, no matter what the rhetoric has been.

[watchingthings]

.......and when he comes home...........he tells his family....don't do as I say to the public.....I lie to them......do as I tell you here at home to do.[some way to raise a family]....what is everyone to do with all these government lies?

[319]

The one thing about this whole event that struck me after reading the article was how the so-called hecklers were aloud to ask questions and speak of their understandable displeasure for the FISA bill WITHOUT being removed, or cited for tresspass. At right-wing functions dissent usually ends up with someone being removed, arreseted, or both. Now why is that?

[billysviez]

i live in Tennessee and i think Ford is a sellout. to me, he is for himself and to hell with the rest of us and the Country. i did vote for him against bob Corhscrew, a rethug from Knoxville. i will vote for Obama but think he was wrong to cave on FISA and is starting to look bad to a lot of voters.

[uheardme]

You are right. When exactly was the last time Harold Ford LIVED in Memphis?????? He's a self-interested opportunist. Period.

[Counterglow]

You already know the answer...but I love the question.

Is it just me, or do others agree that there seem to be fewer people carrying handcuffs and tasers at "liberal" events?

[rupert12]

How can he say accountability was achieved with the congressional elections of 2006? Losing an election is not accountability for breaking the law and violating people's constitutional rights. The real criminals weren't even up for election in 2006. Aggghh, this type of BS is infuriating!

"We have only eight more months of Bush?" Yeah, letting his term expire while doing nothing. That's accountability. What an a$@hole.

One of my favorite things that I learned about the U.S. in grade school was the separation of powers and the fact that noone is above the law, not even the president. It made me proud to be an American. I guess that was all a lie.

[nolabels]

I absolutely agree. Who cares about the specific individuals that are in power if they do the same thing as or capitulate to the people that are whittling away our rights? I don't care about Republicans or Democrats. I just care about our rights.

[awcbuddy8]

If you're looking for class, a leftist convention is not the place to find it.

[mathme]

Yes, because right wing conventions are full of class. Conventions in general aren't exactly classy.

[Gma11]

I'm a proud Dem who is disgusted by the boorish behavior of these left-wing thugs.

[Max01]

I'm a proud Progressive Democrat who is absolutely happy with the behavior of the leftwing of the party. Many of us are disgusted with the Corporation-loving centrists who have assisted Dubya and his henchmen to sell out our country.

LIEberman is more your speed. Like you, he's "disgusted by the boorish behavior of these left-wing thugs".

[fair1234]

Ford was used by Joe Scaborough to say negative things about Obama during the primary. Now Ford acts like he is in full support of Obama but during the primary I thought he was a Republican sympathizer because he did have republican talking points and then would praise Obama right after trashing him...I thought it was so odd and my sister says she thinks he is jealous because some thought he was supposed to be where Obama is right now and he is in line with other jealous black leaders who are secretly jealous of Obama's success especially among white voters.

[kroses98]

This guy is a weakling, who will say or do ANYTHING to make a buck. He has NO principles, nor does his DLC organization!!! They are almost like Republicans, and will do Obama no favors by speaking up for him. If Obama was smart, he would distance himself from them, as fast as possible!!! This is the organization of the Clintons, that makes them so wishy-washy. It certainly is not a progressive organization, and Harold Ford deserved the boos that he received tonight!!!

[StillIRise]

I don't think Ford is jealous at all. He is part of the new generation of African American political leaders who are not threatened by Senator Obama. Harold Ford is a pragmatist, and I heard his criticism as constructive criticism, not as malicious criticism. For example, he criticized Senator Obama for not campaigning more in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and I agreed with him. Senator Obama may have still lost those states, but at least he would have given the people there a better chance to know him, and him a better chance to know them. Harold Ford is also not an ideologue, which I respect him for. His perspecitive on domestic and world affairs is not shaped by partisanship; he deals with reality. Finally, Ford is also embraced by white voters, and would have won Tennessee had it not been for the racist ad launched just days before the election, and the racist and fearful whites who galvanized their support against him. I think he knows better than most exactly what Senator Obama is up against.

[Puddin]

Harold Ford doesn't know everything. Mr. Obama spent time in Pennsylvania and he and campaign knew what they were doing regarding West Virgina. When Mr. Ford run for office again, he can run his campaign the way he want to.

[treetracker]

Harold Ford is a Republican in Dem clothing. He's the leader of the DLC - the right wing of the Dem Party. They have promoted "centrist" (right-wing) Democrats who lean toward business (and war - they supported the "use of military force" in Iraq (which is probably one of the reasons Clinton voted for it - another member of the DLC). A good percentage of those Dems who voted for the FISA bill were members of the DLC. They are the scourge of this party as far as I'm concerned and all should be voted out of office as soon as possible.

[ebethgay]

While we may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer, I have to believe that most Tennesseans saw past that silly "Harold, call me" ad. What killed his campaign was that his Aunt Ophelia and Uncle John could not manage to stay out of the news during that race. During that time there were calls for Ophelia Ford to leave the state Senate because she kept showing up drunk to work, kept talking to reporters under the influence, and was publically falling off barstools in hotel lounges. John Ford was under indictment for multiple Federal fraud counts surrounding awarding state Tenncare contracts to an inexistant corporation, plus it had been revealed that he had hiding a second family and failing to pay child support.

So thanks to Harold's crazy kinfolk, we now have what may be the dumbest Senator (and that's saying a lot), Bob Corker.

[dollars2donuts]

Well said!

[SuboSubo]

StillIRise, I totally agree with you about Ford. He's a centrist and a pragmatist who's very much like Obama. He generated lots of excitement in Tennessee, which was exactly why the TN GOP had to resort to their dirty tricks.

What cracks me up about this generation of liberal netroots bloggers is that they're so entrenched in traditional liberal "litmus-testing" they're just reinforcing the old entrenched politics of the 60s and 70s. It didn't work for us then and it won't work for us now.

[jpetaluma]

I totally agree. At first I thought that Ford would be an Obama supporter. I had heard they were friends. Then during the primary, he definitely tilted towards Clinton. Tha's fine, but he kept trying to straddle the fence and have it both ways. I find him to be very smart, articulate and politically savy. I don't, however, find him trustworthy. I hope Obama keeps Ford at arms length. There does seem to be some jeaousy toward Obama from a handful of AA politicians.

[GoodGuysandBadGuys]

aaahh, the dlc... the reason that the dems are the weak party they are today.

no sympathy for you, ford.

[JDJase]

As I recall, the only dem to win in the past 30 years was a dlc dem...

[GoodGuysandBadGuys]

dlc dem is the same as thing as a moderate republican.

there really is no difference between moderate dems and moderate republicans. they should form a new party - the moderate party - cause really they are both the same.

[holeybuybull]

JDJase, you are correct, and as Michael Moore described him: "the best republican president of the era". The Reublican party has moved so far to the right, that the Democrats can run as the "less war" party and be acceptable, rather than the "no war", unless as a last resort, party. That's corporate control for you.

[Knowitall]

The Democrats aren't weak at all. Over the past few years they've just not had the moneyed interests and vicious blowhards that have fueled some of the disingenious fearmongering that has won races for the Republicans. The political discourse in recent years has been overly partisan and disgraceful.
As for Mr. Ford, I agree with the comments that this young man has been very inconsistent in his positions and strangely critical of Obama on Scarborough's show. I've noticed that when Ford criticizes Obama he has this cat that swallowed the canary smirk on his face. Very strange. (Scarborough is by the way, a charter member of the blowhard club. He's very difficult to listen to, and rather hard on the eyes as well.)
Final thing, Ford recently married a woman that looked very much like the one in the "racist" ad. Apparently there may have been some truth to the ad. Maybe the folks in Tennessee knew something the rest of us didn't know.

[Thorn2008]

We Should refuse to do business with the perpetrators.
NYT
"The phone company Qwest Communications refused a proposal from the NSA that it considered illegal in February 2001, months before the attacks on Sept. 11, the former head of the company contends in newly unsealed court filings.

The executivealso asserts in the filings that the agency retaliated by depriving Qwest of lucrative outsourcing contracts.
Mr. Nacchio said last year that he had refused an N.S.A. request for customers’ call records in late 2001, after the Sept. 11 attacks, as the agency initiated domestic surveillance and data mining programs to monitor Al Qaeda communications.

documents unsealed in federal court claim for the first time that pressure on the company to participate in activities it saw as improper came nearly seven months before the terrorist attacks.

court documents are heavily redacted and N.S.A. officials will not comment on the agency’s secret surveillance programs. Other government officials have said that the agency’s eavesdropping without warrants began after Sept. 11, 2001, under an order from President Bush.

But the court filingsillustrate what is well known inside the telecommunications industry : that the N.S.A. has for some time worked closely with phone companies, whose networks carry the telephone and Internet traffic the agency seeks out for intercept."

[ssg13565]

It is exactly for companies like QWEST, that the other companies should be held accountable. How are we to make up for the harm that QWEST suffered for its principled stance?

If we let things stand as they are, the companies who knuckled under get rewarded and the company that protected our rights gets punished.

If some of these other companies did not do anything wrong, then I am sure they will be exonerated in court. If they have nothing to hide, what are they worried about? (Flagged for the irony challenged.)

[UnknownSoldier]

Its funny that these same people who are saying that the Telecom companies should not have listened to the President of the United States are the same people who blame the unarmed black men who get shot to death by the Police when they don't do what the police say. America you can't have it both ways. The people who need to be held accountable reside at 1600 Pennslyvania Ave.