Ferraro is Right -- and 'Ridiculous'
Democratic trailblazer Geraldine Ferraro has become the latest casualty in the Democratic Party's civil war of recrimination. Ferraro is giving up her role on the finance committee of Hillary Clinton's presidential election campaign over controversial remarks she made about Ms. Clinton's rival. The former congresswoman drew outrage for saying that Barack Obama owes his successes in the Democratic primaries to his status as a black man.
Ms. Ferraro told a California newspaper last week, “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman of any color, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”
The Obama campaign repudiated the remarks. But Ms. Ferraro isn’t backing down. “Every time that campaign is upset about something, they call it racist,” she said on Tuesday. “I will not be discriminated against because I’m white. If they think they’re going to shut up Geraldine Ferraro with that kind of stuff, they don’t know me.” While Ms. Ferraro continues to stand by the remarks, she says she is stepping down to take pressure off Ms. Clinton.
In fact, the Obama campaign did not call Ms. Ferraro’s remarks racist. Mr. Obama did use an "r" word to describe them, but that word was "ridiculous."
"I think that her comments were ... ridiculous," he said at a Chicago campaign event. "I think they were wrong-headed. I think they are not borne out by our history or by the facts." Mr. Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod was most vociferous in calling for Ms. Ferraro’s head.
In their fervor to prevent the candidate being defined exclusively by his race, the Obama people, at times, turn to histrionics. The Clintonistas do do a bit of race baiting. But the Obamaphiles overreact.
Let’s face it; Ms. Ferraro is right. Mr. Obama would not be in the position he is in, frontrunner in the Democratic nomination process, were it not for his race and gender. Oh, and every other demographic and socio-economic category to which he belongs. Oh, and every accomplishment, skill and biological footnote he has accumulated.
Ms. Ferraro’s remarks are not so much racist as they are pointless and, frankly, daft. Mr. Obama’s supporters are attracted to his candidacy because of who the candidate is, and this is irrevocably tied to his race and gender. (For the sake of simplicity, let’s set aside the fact that he is as much white as he is black.) If Mr. Obama had not been an African-American raised in a multiethnic, international family, he would not have had the life experiences, and developed the perspective, that make him into the inspirational figure so many people consider him to be.
This is true for all the presidential candidates. If John McCain had not been a white man, he would have had a much tougher time getting elected to Congress from the state of Arizona in 1982. If he had not been a man, it’s unlikely he would have found himself in the situation that led to his being taken prisoner of war in Vietnam. And that experience has contributed to a personal narrative that has served him well in politics.
If Hillary Clinton were not a white woman, it's doubtful she would have married Bill Clinton. She therefore might have missed out on serving the eight years as first lady that she now touts as preparatory experience for the Oval Office. If she were not a woman, she would not have had the life experiences that equipped her to deliver such a salient message at the U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing.
Black voters overwhelmingly go for Mr. Obama. This seems to unsettle some people, but it shouldn’t. Mr. Obama inspires many blacks in much the same way Ms. Clinton inspires women. They know what he has likely overcome to get where he is.
Ms. Ferraro made history herself as the first female vice presidential candidate from a major political party. She acknowledges that her gender helped secure her spot on the ticket. Given this, I can only wonder what exactly was the point she was trying to make last week. Each of us owes our present position to the totality of our experiences, which, of course, is tinged by our race and gender. So what? It’s a wash.
tags: 2008 Primaries, Geraldine Ferraro, Barack Obama, Democrats, Election, Hillary Clinton, Gender, Politics, Race
Democratic trailblazer Geraldine Ferraro has become the latest casualty in the Democratic Party's civil war of recrimination. Ferraro is giving up her role on the finance committee of Hillary Clinton's presidential election campaign over controversial remarks she made about Ms. Clinton's rival. The former congresswoman drew outrage for saying that Barack Obama owes his successes in the Democratic primaries to his status as a black man.
Ms. Ferraro told a California newspaper last week, “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman of any color, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”
The Obama campaign repudiated the remarks. But Ms. Ferraro isn’t backing down. “Every time that campaign is upset about something, they call it racist,” she said on Tuesday. “I will not be discriminated against because I’m white. If they think they’re going to shut up Geraldine Ferraro with that kind of stuff, they don’t know me.” While Ms. Ferraro continues to stand by the remarks, she says she is stepping down to take pressure off Ms. Clinton.
In fact, the Obama campaign did not call Ms. Ferraro’s remarks racist. Mr. Obama did use an "r" word to describe them, but that word was "ridiculous."
"I think that her comments were ... ridiculous," he said at a Chicago campaign event. "I think they were wrong-headed. I think they are not borne out by our history or by the facts." Mr. Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod was most vociferous in calling for Ms. Ferraro’s head.
In their fervor to prevent the candidate being defined exclusively by his race, the Obama people, at times, turn to histrionics. The Clintonistas do do a bit of race baiting. But the Obamaphiles overreact.
Let’s face it; Ms. Ferraro is right. Mr. Obama would not be in the position he is in, frontrunner in the Democratic nomination process, were it not for his race and gender. Oh, and every other demographic and socio-economic category to which he belongs. Oh, and every accomplishment, skill and biological footnote he has accumulated.
Ms. Ferraro’s remarks are not so much racist as they are pointless and, frankly, daft. Mr. Obama’s supporters are attracted to his candidacy because of who the candidate is, and this is irrevocably tied to his race and gender. (For the sake of simplicity, let’s set aside the fact that he is as much white as he is black.) If Mr. Obama had not been an African-American raised in a multiethnic, international family, he would not have had the life experiences, and developed the perspective, that make him into the inspirational figure so many people consider him to be.
This is true for all the presidential candidates. If John McCain had not been a white man, he would have had a much tougher time getting elected to Congress from the state of Arizona in 1982. If he had not been a man, it’s unlikely he would have found himself in the situation that led to his being taken prisoner of war in Vietnam. And that experience has contributed to a personal narrative that has served him well in politics.
If Hillary Clinton were not a white woman, it's doubtful she would have married Bill Clinton. She therefore might have missed out on serving the eight years as first lady that she now touts as preparatory experience for the Oval Office. If she were not a woman, she would not have had the life experiences that equipped her to deliver such a salient message at the U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing.
Black voters overwhelmingly go for Mr. Obama. This seems to unsettle some people, but it shouldn’t. Mr. Obama inspires many blacks in much the same way Ms. Clinton inspires women. They know what he has likely overcome to get where he is.
Ms. Ferraro made history herself as the first female vice presidential candidate from a major political party. She acknowledges that her gender helped secure her spot on the ticket. Given this, I can only wonder what exactly was the point she was trying to make last week. Each of us owes our present position to the totality of our experiences, which, of course, is tinged by our race and gender. So what? It’s a wash.
tags: 2008 Primaries, Geraldine Ferraro, Barack Obama, Democrats, Election, Hillary Clinton, Gender, Politics, Race
posted by citizenjane at 6:03 PM
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