‘We need government strong,’ former U.S. representative says

Rick Albin
·2 min read

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Saying that the United States is still an experiment in freedom, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. told the The Economic Club of Grand Rapids Monday that voters have to ask the right questions and participate for better outcomes.

Ford, who served from 1997 to 2007, said Republicans and Democrats are both contributing to the dysfunction in Washington surrounding everything from the budget to the debt to funding for Israel and Ukraine.

Ford, like his father before him, represented Memphis, Tennessee in Washington and told the large crowd at the luncheon meeting that Congress needs to do better on the basics, come to the table and find meaningful solutions.

He also told those attending that government plays a vital role by doing things that we as individuals cannot do, like defense and education, but it’s up to us as voters to make better choices too. When asked about the government, Ford had a strong statement:

“I would warn heavily against the idea that we don’t need government or government can be sidelined in these efforts. They’re the biggest company, the most important company in the world, largely because the primary responsibility of the president of the United States is to be commander in chief of the most important, most successful military that the world has ever seen. Furthermore, we’re about to celebrate 250 years of our country. And our country, I will remind everybody, is nothing more than a little old experiment that got really big called freedom. And we tried our hardest to lose it, and we’ve done a lot to hold onto it. And we should be very clear without a functioning, vibrant, ethical, full-of-integrity, hardworking and brave government, the experiment will go bye bye. So, I think we need government strong, and we need our private sector strong.”

Since leaving office, Ford has been employed in the financial sector. He also makes frequent appearances on political news programs and is currently a rotating anchor on “The Five” on Fox News.

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