Shame On You Harold Ford

What the Harold Ford-linked machine is trying to do in his old House seat is beyond disgusting. Steve Cohen, a progressive Democrat who may be the best freshman House member in America, is facing a challenge from Nikki Tinker. Cohen is white and Jewish; Tinker, along with the overwhelming majority of the district, is African-American. She's been race-baiting the entire campaign, and her final ad, complete with its KKK imagery, is revolting.



It's irrelevant and disgusting for this local pastor and Nikki Tinker to rile up voters and make the absurd claim that Steve Cohen, a JEW, is somehow aligned with the KKK.

Howie Klein has more on this race.

It's been a very ugly race-- and the ugliness is all on one side, Nikki Tinker's. Steve Cohen was first elected in 2006 with the help of Blue America and we have enthusiastically endorsed him again. If you know anyone in Memphis, please call them and talk to them about this race. Cohen has been a real leader for working families and he is the only progressive congressman from Tennessee. Tinker is a complete corporate shill and far more conservative across a wide array of issues. Rahm Emanuel, a longtime ally of Ford's, has encouraged institutional support for Tinker and has prevented his DCCC pawn, Chris Van Hollen, from coming to the aid of Cohen, the way the DCCC and Nancy Pelosi backed other challenged incumbents like Kilpatrick yesterday and Al Wynn a few months ago. One of the most corrupt members of the Democratic Party, Gregory Meeks (NY) has been supporting Tinker, as has Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio). More progressive and respectable members of the Congressional Black Caucus like John Conyers and Jesse Jackson, Jr. have been campaigning for Cohen.

A race like this lets you know who your friends are. Steve Cohen is absolutely superior to a race-baiting anti-Semite like Nikki Tinker. Let's hope the Harold Ford machine gets their butt handed to them tomorrow night.

UPDATE: Wow, this ad is even worse.

"While he's in our churches, clapping his hands and tapping his feet ... he's the only senator who thought our kids shouldn't be allowed to pray in school," the announcer says, referring to an old vote against school prayer from when Cohen was a state senator. And remember, this is coming from a Democrat.