Congress' second youngest representative, Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.), spoke to a bemused crowd at the Arco Forum last night, imploring audience members to put a punch back in the political process.

"It's frustrating to see the boldness lacking in politics today. Folks wanting to do bold things are now dismissed," Ford said.

Ford was a keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention last year in Los Angeles, and has been dubbed by many Democrats as the party's rising star.

"Many people think he will be the first black president," Adam J. Wienner '04 said last night.

Ford said he scorns the tendency of today's politicians to over-rely on poll results, and he praised Senator John McCain's (R-Ariz.) controversial but insistent support for campaign finance reform.

"There is too much reliance on polls today. I won because I talked about things the pollsters told me not to talk about," Ford said.

Ford was elected as representative of the Memphis district of Tennessee at age 26, and is currently serving his third term in Congress. Yesterday, he stressed the importance of drawing more young people into the political process.

"Before hearing him, I really thought that political involvement was not the best way to make an impact. His speech really made me want to become more involved," Cheryl E. Sherrod '04 said.

Ford said that the nation's most under-addressed issue today is education reform, and defended his stance on school vouchers for under-performing students in low-income districts.

Students questioned him on his stance on vouchers after the speech, and some became impassioned and rather critical.

But Ford took the criticism in stride and dished out a dose of his own lighthearted digs at President George W. Bush.

"I admire President Bush for moving forward without the polls. I don't know how many people if polled would have asked for more poison in their water or more carbon dioxide in their air, but he doggedly marched ahead." Ford said.

Congress' baby-face was a bit gentler in his remarks about the Senate's oldest member, Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.).

"To be his age and to be able to function is something we should all envy," Ford said.

Ford's uninhibited candor is a real draw to many of his younger supporters.

"He's very frank and willing to discuss the issues in a way that gets young people excited," Wienner said.