Harold Ford, Jr., the former Democratic congressman from Tennessee who is considering a primary challenge against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), is taking heat from gay rights activists over his voting record on gay rights. The New York Observer reports that Ford is being "bird-dogged" by members of The Power, an activist group planning to protest Ford's February 24th speech before the Stonewall Democrats.
Since beginning his public flirtation with a Senate run, Ford has attempted to portray himself as a marriage equality supporter. This claim is not supported by his voting record in Congress. The Human Rights Campaign, in its 2006 Congressional Score Card, gave Ford a rating of only 25% for the 109th Congress, the last year in which he served in the House of Representatives. Ford voted twice (in 2004 and 2006) to support the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have enshrined in the Constitution discrimination against gays and lesbians. Also in 2006, Ford voted against the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which sought to expand federal jurisdiction to reach hate crimes based on sexual orientation; the Military Readiness Enhancement Act to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;” and the Uniting American Families Act, which sought to provide same-sex partners of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the same immigration benefits as legal spouses of U.S. residents.
Curiously, Ford's 25% rating in 2006 marked a significant shift from his ratings in the 108th and 107th Congresses, when he received ratings of 44% and 100%, respectively. Perhaps it is only a coincidence that in 2006 he ran (unsuccessfully) for Senate in Tennessee against a conservative Republican, while today is positioning himself to run against a senator who has studiously shifted to the left since her appointment by Governor David Paterson.
Would the real Harold Ford please stand up?
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