It's true: Harold Ford, Jr. is a joke. His New York Post editorial today more or less announcing his candidacy for Senate is terrible. His various friends and associates are a rogue's gallery of Gawker's most hated.

This is besides the fact that he once dated Julia Allison! Because that was a long time ago, at least. More recently:

  • Deposed car czar and complete asshole Steven Rattner is his biggest backer. Rattner, a New York Times journalist who became a financier is still under investigation for his role in the New York pension fund pay-to-play scandal.)
  • We are told that Ford enjoys the support of Mayor Mike Bloomberg! Who is not a Democrat, by the way, so what he is doing meddling in a Democratic primary is anybody's guess.
  • And, look, he hired Bradley Tusk, who Bloomberg hired to run his recent reelection campaign. His strategy, as campaign manager: have and spend all the money, and then barely beat a guy who was not really campaigning at all. Maybe that will work again! (Tusk, by the way, is the former Deputy Governor of Illinois. As in hand-selected by Rod Blagojevich himself.)
  • His pollster: Doug Schoen! Schoen is known as the "estranged partner" of Gawker Hero Mark Penn. He is also known as a Democrat-hating Democrat-in-residence at Fox News. And the guy who demanded that Hillary go even more negative on Obama in April of 2008.
  • Who is Ford's spokesman? Why, it's Davidson Goldin! Goldin, formerly of NY1 and MSNBC, recently started a "media-strategy and branding firm" with Joe Dolce. Yep, Joe Dolce! Goldin also represents once represented James Frey! And... oh, god, Emily Brill. (Do you see how deep this goes?)

These are the people backing this nonsensical campaign.

The problem most people had with Kirsten Gillibrand was that she was a moderate from upstate whose career wasn't particularly distinguished and who held some beliefs (mostly gun control) that wouldn't fly with New York City Democrats.

So, of course, these brilliant minds decided that she would best be challenged by a conservative from Tennessee whose career is a joke and who holds no beliefs. Honestly, Democrats? Field conservative and moderate Democrats in conservative and moderate districts and states. In New York, field a fucking liberal New Yorker. There is not a Republican Senator from Mississippi who happens to be an anti-war atheist. There should not be a pro-gun anti-choice Senator from New York.

(Basically, we still want Carolyn Maloney.)

Oh, but at least Ford acknowledges that his support for gay marriage is a recent development. His "I've always been pro-choice" line is a bit suspect, though! Sure, Planned Parenthood scored him at 78% for his whole House career. But: he got 19% from NARAL for 2001-2002 and 30 percent in 2003. He voted to ban "partial-birth abortions" and voted to make it a felony to "transport" a minor across state lines to get an abortion. Also he shouted "I'm pro-life" over and over and over and over again, on TV.