Sunday, October 15, 2006

HAROLD FORD AND THE CHURCH-PLAYBOY FLAP   [Byron York]

One minor argument in the Tennessee Senate race is over Rep. Harold Ford's reported attendance at a Super Bowl party thrown by Playboy magazine in Jacksonville in 2005.  Republicans, who note that Ford has taped a campaign ad inside a church, accuse him of hypocrisy — of partying with Playmates and then promoting himself as a man of faith.  Today, Ford was asked about it on ABC's "This Week":

STEPHANOPOULOS:  Republicans put up an ad calling you a
hypocrite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER:  Harold Ford says...

FORD:  I won't let them make me someone I'm not.

ANNOUNCER:  Fair enough.  So what kind of man parties with
Playboy playmates in lingerie, then films political ads from a church
pew?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANOPOULOS:  Churchgoer by day, playboy at night?

FORD:  I've never been to a Playboy mansion party.

Today, the Republican party in Washington sent out a terse response: "The party Congressman Ford attended was the Playboy Super Bowl Party in Jacksonville."  That is, it was a Playboy party, reportedly with Playmates and lingerie, just not at the Playboy mansion, which is in California.

By the way, after his "Playboy mansion" answer, Ford continued:

I'm just not going to take morality lessons from a party — the National Republican Committee is running it — from a party that took hush money from a child predator.  I mean, I'm just not going to sit back and allow them to try to characterize or make me something I'm not.

10/15 12:31 PMShare