Sen. Ford under fire for comments

COLUMBIA — Sen. Robert Ford, a Charleston Democrat, is under fire for making a comment about the work ethic of South Carolina blacks.

“Brothers won’t work hard like Mexicans will so we need to make sure enough Mexicans are here,” Ford is quoted as saying, according to a posting by Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beauford. Ford’s comments came during a Senate committee meeting on immigration legislation.

Ford told The Post and Courier his comments were directed at all Americans — not any specific ethnic groups. He said new immigrants, illegal or otherwise, work at hard labor job such as construction. Americans whose families have been in the country for generations work as doctors or lawyers or school teachers, he said.

“I was talking about the building of America and how every generation of Americans did the hard work,” Ford said. “Americans are not going to do real hard work. Everybody in America knows that.”

Joel Sawyer, executive director of the state Republican Party, said Ford should apologize.

“It’s disgusting and abhorrent that any elected official would say something that offensive,” Sawyer said. “He needs to apologize immediately and hopefully the condemnation of his comments will be equally as loud from both sides of the political aisle.”

Ford said he does not mind apologizing, but in this case he said he does not know why anyone would be offended by his comments.

“What am I apologizing for? I made a lot of jokes in my presentation like I always do,” Ford said.

Ford said people who don’t have a sense of humor “need to get a life. I am not going to stop bringing a sense a humor.”

This is not the first time Ford’s comments have caused a stir. Ford was blasted for his 2007 prediction that then-candidate Barack Obama would drag down the whole Democratic ticket.

Dot Scott, president of the Charleston branch of the NAACP, said a comment from a black state senator, a person in a position of prominence, is especially upsetting to the black community.

“Oh, Lord Jesus,” Scott said when she heard Ford's comments. “It's unfortunate that he would say something that negative about African-American males. I don't think they really are his brothers. If they were he wouldn't be saying that.”

Scott did not ask Ford to apologize. She said to do so wouldn't be fruitful. “I am not high on apologies,” Scott said. “People usually say what they mean. I don't think it would do any good to even ask him for an apology. There is only one way. It's Robert's way.”

Carol Fowler, chairwoman of the state's Democratic Party, said she believes Ford's comments are offensive to all.

“Republicans and Democrats have a different view of the American work ethic,” Fowler said. “I think it's the hard work of all Americans, including immigrants, that built this country.

“ … I think he should apologize, but I think he shouldn't have said it in the first place.”

Davis, who posted Ford's comments on his Twitter and Facebook accounts, said Ford was wrong.

“Robert Ford is well known for his off-the-cuff humorous comments, but I think in this case, he's wrong. The assumption he is making is somehow white people or African Americans don't work as hard as 'Mexicans' are. I don't think that's true,” Davis said.

Ford's comments came during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on a new illegal immigration bill in South Carolina. Davis said lawmakers need to keep the debate focused on the merits of the bill.