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I grew up in Memphis/Shelby county to pretty conservative parents. Needless to say they were not big fans of the Ford family. Looking objectively at the family history I tend to agree with some of the criticism that is leveled against them.
But after moving to East Tennessee I see a lot of people over on this side of the state that tend to idolize the younger Ford, probably because he's young, African-American, and seems to have political momentum. I'm not saying that we should give up on him, but at the same time we should be just as critical of our own "leaders" as we are of those on the other side. To me, Ford Jr. is a lost cause, especially if he is willing to kowtow to the religous right in fear of loosing his seat. It would have been SO EASY to vote against the Fed Gay Marriage amendment, claiming your vote on the grounds that it should be a decision left up to the states, without offending your voter base (in his case the African-American church communities of West Tenn).
Just because he puts a (D) after his name doesn't mean he's going to represent the party faithfully (cough Zell, cough Miller). Southern democrats are a weird bunch.
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