Times Dabbles in Passive Aggressiveness
Just loving this “profile” of Harold Ford in the NY Times:
After Mr. Ford, a five-term Tennessee congressman, arrived in New York, he took a job as a vice chairman at Merrill Lynch (now Bank of America). But he kept a toe in politics, becoming a commentator on Fox and then NBC, which features him several days a week on programs like MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”Speaking from a conference room at New York University, where he is a teacher, Mr. Ford, 39, expressed enthusiasm about his new hometown, though he described a life quite different than most New Yorkers. On many days, he is driven to an NBC television studio in a chauffeured car. He and his wife, Emily, a 29-year-old fashion executive, live a few blocks from the Lexington Avenue subway line in the Flatiron district. But Mr. Ford said he takes the subway only occasionally in the winter, to avoid the cold when he cannot hail a cab.
Asked whether he had visited all five boroughs, he mentioned taking a helicopter ride across the city with fellow executives, at the invitation of Raymond W. Kelly, New York City’s police commissioner. “The only place I have not spent considerable time is Staten Island,” he said, adding that “I landed there in the helicopter, so I can say yes.”
***Mr. Ford declined to discuss what he is paid by the bank, but publicly available data suggests that he earns at least $1 million a year. Asked what role outsize pay packages played in fueling the financial crisis, Mr. Ford said he objected to capping executive compensation on Wall Street. “I am a capitalist,” he said. “I believe that people take risk, and there are rewards if they do well; they should lose if they don’t.”
I have no idea what kind of chance Harold Ford has, but he might do a little bit better if he can get some staff who can sniff out a media hit job ahead of time.
*** Update ***
Glenzilla. Go. Now. Incomparably horrific.
Actually, I agree with that last quote.
And Harold Ford has done nothing well that I’ve ever seen, so I agree he should FAIL in Titanic size proportions.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:45 am
I’m pretty far from NY, but I’m also pretty sure that Ford ain’t gonna put one over on the good people of New York state, no matter how much the party establishment tries to sell that shit sandwich as a tasty pastrami on rye.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:47 am
Harold Ford appears to be a democratic ringer for Sarah Palin. While the Haitians suffer from a devastating earthquake, we’ve got a whole ‘nuther focus in America:
http://bringbackjohnny.wordpress.com/
Enjoy.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Ah, yes, the rugged capitalists at Bank of America, ready to live or die by their own wits in the marketplace….
He won’t end up a U.S. Senator from New York, but this man has a big future ahead of him as a shill for the plutocracy.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:50 am
This is making me picture an indignant Harold Ford dangling upside-down from a tree after stepping into a crude rope trap, hollering “Quit laughing and get me down from here!”
January 13th, 2010 at 7:50 am
C’mon John, it wasn’t a hit piece, the Times can’t help it if Harold was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
Poor Harold, he can’t be bothered with taking the subway like the other 8 million new yawkers.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:52 am
Always with that “people take risks” thing. Causing a financial meltdown and still earning 1 million a year after is isn’t “taking a risk”. Or it is, if you mean a risk to other people.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:53 am
Sounds like one of them limousine non-liberals, DLC style.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:54 am
@The Tim Channel:
yes, he’s a big empty headed bimbo (Dana Perino). if harold wasn’t cute and if didn’t inherit his father’s congressional seat, he’d be taking the subway, like every other new yorker.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:56 am
Greenwald points out the contrasting point Ford makes in criticizing rival Gillibrand for opposing the bank bailout.
On the one hand, he is the brave capitalist who enjoys enjoying the fruits of (someone’s? his?) profits; on the other hand, WHY WON’T YOU SUPPORT HANDING TAXPAYERS’ MONEY TO BANKERS WHO LOST MONEY IN THEIR OWN FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS?
January 13th, 2010 at 8:06 am
Well, I can only hope Harold Ford continues to put his foot in his mouth. When a GOP strategist (I don’t remember which) says how great he thinks it would be for the GOP to have Harold Ford try to run, that says it all. I have no idea why he’s doing this, but I am still marginally hopeful that some NY dems will talk him out of this really really bad idea of trying to primary Gillibrand.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:06 am
What a fucking maroon.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Gawd, I wonder who’s dumber, Harold or Mika?
January 13th, 2010 at 8:09 am
I still have no idea what he is thinking. Unless this is Bloomberg testing his political machine in NY, or trying his hand at being a political godfather this makes zero sense to me.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:10 am
@Keith G: Careful…
January 13th, 2010 at 8:11 am
@Mike Kay: If an unthinkable object meets an irrational force…
January 13th, 2010 at 8:12 am
@Ron:
Like Palin, Harold has no self awareness. This interview is Exhibit #A.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:14 am
@Keith G:
it’s not quite as idiotic as saying that you are well-suited to handling foreign relations because you can see Russia from Alaskan territory… but it’s damned close.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:15 am
Has he ever had a real job?
He should get one.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:17 am
@Keith G:
But was the helicopter laughing? With Harold Ford above, I believe it couldn’t resist.
And that b.s. about “taking risks” always irks me. The banksters took risks with other people’s money. They produced little of value except their overpaid bonuses. So, yeah, capitalism (foam fingers![]())
January 13th, 2010 at 8:22 am
bad link to Glenzilla, JC. There’s a double quote at the end of the link that needs to be taken out.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:23 am
@Dan Robinson:
No, he inherited his daddy’s congressional seat, right outta grad school, at age 26.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:24 am
Even Bloomberg takes the subway on a near-daily basis. Harold Ford ain’t going nowhere in NY politics.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:40 am
I’m getting a broken link to Glenzilla.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:42 am
But can he see it from his front yard?
Ford/Palin 12!
January 13th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Hell, Staten Island is the more conservative section of the city. Good job pissing off the people who would be most likely to vote for your ass.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Hillary Clinton knew how to win New York despite her status as a carpetbagger.
Ford… not so much. Thankfully.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Ford is expected to release his memoirs later this year, The Unbearable Douchness of Sightseeing.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:17 am
@arguingwithsignposts: Damn you! You beat me to it! And…I…am…not…laughing! OK, I actually am. I, too, am sick of this rugged individualism/capitalism roolz bullshit. We bailed their asses out!
Where’s my rusty pitchfork? I think it’s time to get a revolution going, BJ-style (rusty garden implements and plenty of snark).
@Perry Como: For the fucking win!
January 13th, 2010 at 9:18 am
I read both this article and Glennzilla this morning. Gawd, this guy is truly a raging idiot, definitely on the same scale as Caribou Barbie. I guess I already knew that, having witnessed him innumerable times on MSNBC, weighing in on the important issues of our times with content-free platitudes. But the lack of self-awareness in this NYT profile is just jaw dropping. Does he seriously believe that NYC is the only place in New York that has a vote for its senator? And that everyone in NYC is in love with Wall Street? Or that Dems, gays, and women in NY are so stupid that they will immediately fall for his massive flip flops on marriage equality and reproductive choice? He seriously is claiming that he’s always been pro-choice when there is documentary proof that he has claimed up until now that he’s always been pro-life?
I’m no great fan of Gillibrand, but her record in the Senate so far shows that she understands her state and votes accordingly. And the people of New York know that, based on my recent conversations with my friends there in regard to this matter. I haven’t yet talked to one who thinks Ford is sincere on his flips or that doesn’t believe he is the stalking horse for Wall Street. I hope he gets absolutely clobbered and kills the DLC brand forever.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:19 am
@Perry Como: Am I the only one reminded of G.W. Bush’s post-Katrina helicopter rides, that showed he cared?
January 13th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Greenwald should stick to talking about civil liberties issues; in that space, he has credibility. He lost me as soon as he wandered off into Taibbi-land and started talking about the “government-caused” financial crisis. I agree that lax regulation was a contributing factor in the financial meltdown, but “government-caused?” That’s either disingenuous or stupid, and neither is acceptable.
That said, Ford is a joke. I think New Yorkers are smart enough to see through it. Gillibrand shows every sign of evolving into a good Senator, and she deserves a full term to show what she can do.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:30 am
Fuck. This. Guy.
Any questions?
January 13th, 2010 at 9:32 am
@geg6:
I’m confuzzled.
Gillibrand “understands her state and votes accordingly,” and yet you’re “not a great fan.
What else do you require?
January 13th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Right, Merrill Lynch will.
Unfortunately, I can hardly blame the guy for his comments about Staten Island, given that the only time I’m ever there is while driving between Brooklyn and points south/west of the city (freakin tolls on the Verrazano and Goethals/Outerbridge cost an arm and a leg!).
But otherwise he is a raging douchenozzle of the highest order.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:40 am
@burnspbesq:
I see her as a bit of a flip flopper, too. Just not as egregious a one as Ford, who obviously understands nothing about NY. And the fact that she understands her state well enough to know that she could be a Blue Dog in the House but that it wouldn’t fly as a senator makes her a pretty good politician, but not one I admire all that much.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Isn’t Harold Ford the guy who called John McCain’s green screen speech one of his best ever?
Or was that somebody else?
January 13th, 2010 at 9:49 am
[...] In all the mockery of Harold Ford, it’s easy to lose sight of this question: what the hell is Bank of America paying Harold Ford a million dollars for? He can’t even be working full time, not with his regular “Morning Joe” gig. He doesn’t seem all that smart or capable. [...]
January 13th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Sorry, missed a few gems:
Ah yes, the Proletariat Express, the NY to Palm Beach shuttle! That’s how you find out about the opinions of the Man on the Street!
Pop quiz time, Harold! Eastman Kodak is headquartered in what upstate city?
No, Chappaqua doesn’t count as an upstate city. Try again.
This reminds me of some of the lamer profiles I’ve come across on Match.com: “I grew up in Beverly Hills, then I traveled the world, and I’ve been in New York for 4 weeks, and it feels like home! I want to meet a guy who likes Central Park, the Yankees, and Entourage!”
January 13th, 2010 at 9:51 am
@flukebucket:
That would totally be correct. Ford lvoooooooed him some green screen Grandpa McGrumpypants.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:56 am
I have heard (no idea of actual basis, except that he’s obviously DOA as Senate candidate) that Harold’s real angle is to puff himself up and get offered the lieutenant-governor slot with idiot Cuomo. Thus to position himself for the future. I might vote against Cuomo anyway, but Harold would be a deal breaker for me.
January 13th, 2010 at 9:57 am
This guy is a true political genius:
But what about Upper East Side socialites?
January 13th, 2010 at 9:58 am
You know, laugh as we will at Ford (and, we should), his story is emblematic of the thinking in general of politicians in our country. He talks to all these upper-crust folk about running, and now, he’s convinced that it’s the will of the people. What a stunning disconnect, but very instructive.
January 13th, 2010 at 10:06 am
@New Yorker:
Win!
As another NYer it would be a cold day in hell before I would vote for Harold Ford. I’ve watched him on MSNBC for too long of a time.
I think I heard his father-in-law is someone big on Wall Street.
January 13th, 2010 at 10:14 am
@The Tim Channel: Tim, I don’t know who you are, but you’re putting this spammy link in a lot of unrelated topics: http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2.....ong-again/. I hope you don’t plan on doing this regularly.
This looks like regular blogwhoring, and not spam, but it is still obnoxious. It’s not like a poll on late-night talk show hosts contributes anything to anything.
January 13th, 2010 at 10:16 am
@r€nato: You can see Big Diomede island from Little Diomede island in Alaska. They’re 2 miles apart. People have swam from one to the other. Big Diomede island is Russian.
January 13th, 2010 at 10:16 am
@HRA:
His father-in-law is the former chairman of Morgan Stanley, Anson Beard.
http://politics.nashvillepost......-saturday/
January 13th, 2010 at 10:17 am
Hey-oh, Chopper Harold.
A Clintonite stirring up shit. Who would have thunk it?
His run is a stimulus package for useless or aggrieved Democratic Party hacks. Joe Trippi’s one note: the white man can’t catch a break in America… it worked wonders for Dean and Edwards. Bradley Tusk was Blago’s Vice-Governor and skipped out of Illinois one step ahead of the Feds.
January 13th, 2010 at 10:25 am
@eemom: Yes. Baseball bat or really big monkey wrench?
January 13th, 2010 at 11:17 am
People, he’s talked to cabdrivers! What more proof do you need that he’s got his finger on the pulse of the people?
Thomas Friedman must be writing up his endorsement at this very moment.
January 13th, 2010 at 11:28 am
@geg6:
Thanks I knew I had heard it and did not remember where he had the in on Wall St.
January 13th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Glenn Greenwald columns usually make me laugh, but today I think I peed myself a little. Someone better shift him over to decaf when he’s not looking. He’s building up to a volcanic rage way too early in the column, and that leaves him with very little energy left later on to provide frantic updates.
January 13th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
January 13th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
but he believes in National Security, and a strong economy
1
And he doesn’t shoot children!!11 what more do you people want?
January 13th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
@Peter J: I haven’t bothered following the Ford hype (mostly because I think he’s stupid to even consider running), but it seems like today, all I hear is people mocking him for his answer to that question.
Me, I wouldn’t be surprised if it did him in. I mean…Christ, that was a terrible answer.
January 13th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Did you catch the link Sully found of him answering the Giants or Jets question?
I’m beginning to think Ford is a parody troll candidate
January 13th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Where, exactly, is the “risk” in this little scheme/scam?
Ford is an American capitalist—the risk is outsourced; the rewards remain in house.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:26 pm