This week, two very important things happened that tell us a lot about how our opponents intend to govern--and campaign--this year. As our campaign for the Senate has been in the middle of both of events, I want to share our experience and intentions, because both underscore the importance and nature of our fight ahead.
First, our experience. On February 21, the Administration prematurely—and, in my view, wrongly— announced it would approve a deal transferring control of six major U.S. ports to a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates. I opposed the transaction because I believe the United States should not outsource its security to anyone.
It is true the Coast Guard has primary responsibility for security around our ports. It’s also true the Transportation Security Administration has primary responsibility for air travel security. It would be foolish to suggest that airport operators are irrelevant to air security. It makes no more sense to say that port operators, armed with sensitive information and access, are irrelevant to port security. And yet, that was the position of the Administration and its supporters.
All week, we aired a commercial across Tennessee making this point in the plainest way I could (see the ad here). http://www.haroldfordjr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=45 Not one of my opponents spoke out against the deal on television. I note that because, from Memphis to Mountain City, our message connected with Tennesseans in a way I have not seen in ten years in Congress. Wednesday’s 62-2 vote of the House Appropriations Committee was further evidence of broad and deep voter concern on this issue.
That same day, the National Republican Senate Committee unveiled a political web site smearing me. The “facts” of the site are the most mundane imaginable. I know they are mundane, because they all come from my own campaign finance disclosures. It turns out that I—just like President Bush, Senator Frist, and Senator Alexander—travel out of state to raise money. When I do so, I–just like they—incur legitimate expenses (the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has detailed some of Senator Frist’s legitimate expenses here). http://www.veryfancyfrist.com/ I frankly don’t know what their site is trying to say. Many of you have speculated here and elsewhere what the Republican point is. I do know this much:
Our nation is experiencing record budget deficits under their watch and their site says nothing about that.
Our nation has nearly 50 million people with no healthcare and their site says nothing about that.
The Administration inexplicably sought to outsource our ports’ security to a nation that sent ambassadors to the Taliban, and there certainly is nothing on their site about that.
Now, my intentions. First, I want to thank those who have supported our campaign on this site and others in response to the Republican smear. I know that many of us have not always agreed on every issue. I respect your right to fight for your beliefs, and I appreciate your support in my fight for mine.
Together, I think we can be unstoppable. Visit our web site. Join our cause. We share a similar passion to elect a new generation of leadership to the Senate. We know now what our opponents will do—they will take any action and say anything to keep their grip on power, even when it threatens our nation’s security, and even when they smear the name of good people.
Of course, we expect no different. Smears are all campaigns have left when they are out of ideas, out of step, and out of time.
And so they will keep smearing. I will keep fighting. Let’s all pledge to fight together.
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