Obama Ferraro Race Flap Roils Race

"Geraldine Ferraro has stepped down from her role as a member of Hillary Clinton's finance committee," CNN reports.

Ferraro said thousands of people are part of the finance committee, saying it is not a staff position, but a voluntary one for those who raise money for the campaign. She also said she has raised $125,000 for Senator Clinton.

When asked if she had any regrets about what she said, Ferraro replied, "absolutely not."

"I am who I am and I will continue to speak up," she said. She added that she thought it was a shame that the Obama campaign was trying to block her First Amendment rights, and that she felt that was no way to conduct a campaign....

Ferraro said David Axelrod, Obama's campaign manager and an acquaintance, should have called her to ask her the intention of her remarks, which she says the Obama campaign used to hurt Clinton.

When asked how she felt about Hillary Clinton distancing herself from her remarks, Ferraro replied, "I am perfectly fine," and that there were no hard feelings. She said she understands what Clinton is going through, and understands that being part of a presidential campaign is "very hard."

Ferraro's Letter To Clinton: The full text:

Dear Hillary -

I am stepping down from your finance committee so I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what is at stake in this campaign.

The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you.

I won't let that happen.

Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do to make this a better world for my children and grandchildren.

You have my deep admiration and respect.

Gerry

Ferraro Still Unapologetic: The New York Times notes:

Geraldine A. Ferraro resigned Wednesday from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign finance committee but remained unapologetic for citing Senator Barack Obama's race as the decisive factor in his success.

"I feel terrible for the fact that Hillary is stuck in this thing," Ms. Ferraro said in an interview Wednesday night. "Why put her in that position?"

Ms. Ferraro said that she was not asked by anyone in the Clinton campaign to leave the committee but that she did it on her own, sending an e-mail message to the senator's campaign Wednesday afternoon, as the political dust-up over remarks she made last week went into its second day.

+++

Former Vice Presidential candidate and Hillary supporter Geraldine Ferraro has sparked a fury on the campaign trail after commenting that Barack Obama was "lucky" to be black:

"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 camp has responded strongly to the remark, seeking to contrast the response of Sen. Clinton to that of Obama in handling controversial comments by supporters.

Campaign manager David Axelrod has repeatedly called for Ferraro to be removed from her position with the Clinton campaign:

"The bottom line is this, when you wink and nod at offensive statements, you're really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes," Axelrod said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

"There's no other way to send a serious signal that you want to police the tone of this campaign," he added. "And if you don't do those things then you are simply adding to the growing compendium of evidence that you really are encouraging that."

Axelrod said Clinton has encountered problems because people view her as a "divisive and polarizing force."

"The best way to address those concerns is to not allow divisiveness and negativity to flourish among your supporters," he said. "And this is an opportunity for her to address that."

Barack Obama has called the comments "patently absurd," saying also:

"I don't think Geraldine Ferraro's comments have any place in our politics or in the Democratic Party. They are divisive. I think anybody who understands the history of this country knows they are patently absurd," he told the Allentown Morning Call. "And I would expect that the same way those comments don't have a place in my campaign they shouldn't have a place in Senator Clinton's either."

The Clinton camp initially responded with the terse statement "We disagree with her," but has since offered a response from the candidate herself:

Clinton said, "I do not agree with that," and later added, "It's regrettable that any of our supporters _ on both sides, because we both have this experience _ say things that kind of veer off into the personal."

Ferraro appeared on Fox News to defend her comments, warning Obama not to "antagonize" Democratic supporters like her:

UPDATE: Ferraro, in a follow-up interview with the Daily Breeze, claimed she is being attacked because she is white:

"Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up," Ferraro said. "Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?"

The Clinton camp has responded to these comments:

Ms. Ferraro is speaking for herself. We have made clear that we reject her remarks.

UPDATE: The Clinton camp has released a memo insinuating that Barack Obama is playing the race card by focusing on Ferraro's comments. Here is the full text of the memo:

In January, NBC's Tim Russert confronted Senator Barack Obama with a four page memo from his campaign characterizing statements they claimed the Clinton Campaign had made about race. Asked in hindsight whether he regretted pushing this story, Senator Obama said:

Well, not only in hindsight, but going forward. I think that, as Hillary said, our supporters, our staff, get overzealous. They start saying things that I would not say. And it is my responsibility to make sure that we're setting a clear tone in our campaign, and I take that responsibility very seriously, which is why I spoke yesterday and sent a message in case people were not clear that what we want to do is make sure that we focus on the issues."

We agreed then. We agree today. Supporters from both campaigns will get overzealous. Senator Clinton today reiterated that when asked about Geraldine Ferraro's recent comments:

"I do not agree with that and you know it's regrettable that any of our supporters on both sides say things that veer off into the personal. We ought to keep this focused on the issues. That's what this campaign should be about."

Senator Obama's campaign staff seems to have forgotten his pledge. We have not. And, we reject these false, personal and politically calculated attacks on the eve of a primary. This campaign should be about the leadership we need for a better future and these attacks serve only to divide the Democratic Party and the American people.

UPDATE: The Ferraro story has continued on the morning news shows. Ferraro has said she is "absolutely not" sorry for her comments:

"I am sorry that people think this was a racist comment," Ferraro said in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America."

She continued:

"David Axelrod, his campaign manager, has chose to spin this as a racist comment because everytime anybody makes a comment about race who is white _ he did it with Bill Clinton, he was successful; he did it with (Pennsylvania governor and Clinton supporter) Ed Rendell, he was less successful; and he is certainly not going to be successful with me," Ferraro told CBS' "The Early Show." "He should have called me up ... He knows I'm not racist."

Obama referred to Ferraro's comments as "slice and dice politics" on the Today Show:

"Part of what I think Geraldine Ferraro is doing, and I respect the fact that she was a trailblazer, is to participate in the kind of slice and dice politics that's about race and about gender and about this and that, and that's what Americans are tired of because they recognize that when we divide ourselves in that way we can't solve problems," Obama said on NBC's "Today" show.

Comments

[rudyacuna]

09:01 PM on 03/14/2008

I have been active for about fifty years. When the primaries started I resolved to stay out of them -- the candidates who I liked and spoke to the interests of Mexican Americans did not have a chance -- so why participate in the charade? I found Obama to be too moderate; I remembered that Bill Clinton -- on whose record Hillary is running on -- built the first wall between Mexico and the US, passed a horrendous welfare law, was himself ready to privatize social security, was a hawk, and chummed around with lobbyist and the ruling elite. I did not hate Clintons -- I just did not think that they represented the poor. This perception was reinforced by the fact that the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 (Solomon Amendment) and other laws that facilitated the recruitment of Latino high school students were passed on Clinton's watch. He was no Harry S. Truman who vetoed similar acts. Well, I have now decided to vote for Obama, not because he is black, but because of Bill Clinton's race baiting in South Carolina and because Hillary's surrogates have pushed me over the line. The blatant use of the race card has set back the progressive movement, given opportunism a bad name ,and opened wounds that will not be fixed with "I am sorry!".-- ensuring the election of a militarist. As a kid we would chant, sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me. Well, we were wrong -- hurtful words never heal. Moreover, I find the demeanor of Geraldine Ferraro especially offensive. She is not an impetuous teenager. She is a rich white woman who speaks with the air of a colonial privilege.

[kfdan]

06:22 PM on 03/14/2008

Only sheeple would fall for Ferraro's stunt. It's a good idea to take a serious look at how and why Clinton has gone negative. She has been losing the run for the nomination and using her attack dogs to make negative comments to get votes. Her campaign strategist brought race into the fore NOT OBAMA!

[rudyacuna]

02:46 PM on 03/14/2008

I have been active for about fifty years. When the primaries started I resolved to stay out of them -- the candidates who I liked and spoke to the interest of Mexican Americans did not have a chance -- so why participate in the charade. I found Obama to be too moderate and I remembered that Bill Clinton -- on whose record Hillary is running on -- built the first wall between Mexico and the US, passed a horendous welfare law, was himself ready to privatize social security, was a hawk and chummed around with lobbyist and the ruling elite. I did not hate Clintons -- I just did not think that they represented the poor. This perception was reinforced by the fact that the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995 and other laws to facilitate the recruitment of Latinos was passed on Clinton's watch. He was no Harry S. Truman who vetoed similar acts. Well, I have now decided to vote for Obama, not because he is black but because Bill Clinton in South Carolina and hillary surrogates have pushed me. The blatant use of the race card has set back the progressive movement and given opportunism a bad name.-- ensuring the election of a militarist. As a kid we would chant, sticks and rocks will break my bones but names will never hurt me. Well, we were wrong -- hurtful words never heal.

[JohnofWoodstock]

12:35 PM on 03/14/2008

Well, we have a most interesting comment by Geraldine, who not so surprisingly found Newt agreeing with her. Politics does make strange bed fellows.

Geraldine either must be a Clinton Attack Dog or extremely naive when it comes to sociology. The odds would have Obama in jail not the leading democratic candidate. That is where most black men from single family homes end up. To think, we have before us a man who has overcome his race is more remarkable than any slight a bitter pol may conjure.

Let's get real: Hilary, if she was another white woman with a philandering husband, would be facing foreclosure. Her position is as much tied to her circumstances as anything else. The irony of this spurious attack is that it is a veiled racist rant. Isn't that what all the bigots say and have said after affirmative action? Yes, Clinton will do anything to be President, even endorse McCain over Obama. So much for principles.

It seems the real fight in this election is the fight of the people against the pols, who will say and do anything to hold their lofty positions where they garner the benefits of a corrupt political system that favors the white, the rich, the connected, and unscrupulous.

[JackWOrf]

10:37 AM on 03/14/2008

Correction. I accused Oprah of having $1.2 BILLION dollars. She actually has $2.5 billion.

Hey Oprah, give some to me. I'm brilliant too. Just like Obama, but white.

[JackWOrf]

10:33 AM on 03/14/2008

I guess the Affirmative Action lobby gets upset when you say that maybe, just maybe, it is not so HORRIBLE to be a black person in America. Like maybe not every black person in America was raised as the son of a share-cropper in Alabama and ate dirt for breakfast.

There are probably MILLIONS of WHITES who have lived a HARSHER life than Barack Obama. All those trailer trash crackers who never get nowhere.

Barack got to go to Harvard and Harvard Law, and now he has had to suffer through the travails of being a slumlord lawyer, a state senator, a senator and a Presidential candidate. Poor oppressed black dude.

Affirmative Action, Incorporated wants everyone to believe that every single black person is oh-so-oppressed, and oh-so-poor, otherwise the Affirmative Action GOLDMINE might dry up. Wouldn't THAT be too bad for the Civil Rights LOBBY, eh?

And Obama's mentor Uncle Reverend Wright, like many other BLACK RACIST ministers, likes to rant and rave and scream about all those "rich white m-fers" who are to blame for all of the problems of the poor blameless blacks.

And conveniently does not include Oprah, with her $1.2 BILLION, or any number of other lesser black MULTI-MILLIONAIRES. No, we wouldn't want to dampen Rev Wright's RANT by mentioning that there are plenty of BLACKS around who are filthy rich.

And guess what? When BLACKS get filthy rich, they don't act very much different than WHITES who get filthy rich. Have you noticed that? Some are charitable, like Oprah, but some are not. Just like rich white m-fers.

Personally, I think that it is time to PHASE OUT Affirmative Action and all that other RACE-BASED CRAP.

[MRb1000]

06:13 PM on 03/13/2008

Farraro has always been a Bigot. This is nothing new. She has said things in the past about people of color. So lets move on. Yes, we have Liberal Bigots too.

[Micaanab]

01:09 PM on 03/13/2008

Lets look at some numbers.
The states with high populations of black voters (Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and South Carolina)
Lets assume ALL the voters that voted for Obama were all black people (it's not of coarse but just assume to simplify things) This totals 1,475,586 votes for Obama. Lets assume 50% of these voters voted strictly on the idea of voting for a black man and had nothing to do with him being an inspirational candidate (737,793 voters). Now lets assume only 5% of the voters that voted for Hillery were voting for her because they were voting against a black man (which if Obama wasn't black he would have picked up these votes). Clinton had 763,627 votes in these states so 5% of that would be 38,181. Subtract that from our black inspired votes and we have 699,612 votes Obama got because he was black. He currently leads in the popular vote by 703,000 votes. Which means he still would be beating Hillery. Ferraro's comments were not facts as she says. They were the racial speculation of a Clinton supporter that some how felt these comments were necessary to say.

My numbers are based on realclearpolitics.com and my assumptions suggest 737,793 black people were racially motivated as apposed to only 38,181white votes were racially motivated.

[mjc]

12:54 PM on 03/13/2008

I have tried posting this opinion before before, but it must be too anti-Obama to make these threads. Geraldine Ferraro was merely stating the obvious. There is no racisim in her comment. Obama would definitely be where he is today if he were a white man or woman running for the Democratic nomination. Just check out the number of blacks who have voted for him, from both parties and independents; 90% in Mississippi!! This has become a race in which both sexist AND racist points of view are expressed. Obama coming back at Ferraro assured that race baiting would be pointed at her and at the Clinton campaign. If race or ethnicity can no longer be discussed in our country for fear of drawing charges of racism, we have put our freedom of speech..., and our brains, in a can, not to opened EVER!

[BigBagel]

12:22 PM on 03/13/2008

The only reason she was on a national ticket was because she was a woman. Dueling victims.... I love it.

[Querent]

12:10 PM on 03/13/2008

Ferraro is an idiot. When you are running a political campaign, it's hard to exclude all the idiots, especially those who are prominent in some way. I don't believe Hillary seeded Ferraro's comments. Ferraro just shoots off her mouth, and the emptiness in her skull cavity becomes evident. Ferraro should go back to her richly deserved obscurity. She can continue to believe she is something special if she wants to. She isn't.

[MichaelC]

12:37 PM on 03/13/2008

When Ted Kennedy first ran for the Senate in 1962, his Democratic primary opponent said: “If your name was simply Edward Moore instead of Edward Moore Kennedy, your candidacy would be a joke.”
Geraldine Ferraro tried, albeit awkwardly, to address the Obama phenomenon in which so many Americans, black and white, have become enthralled by the prospect of the first African-American becoming the nominee for President of a major political party. The increasingly slick Obama campaign pounced, accusing her of racism* for saying something in essence very much like the statement above. I happen to disagree that Ted Kennedy’s candidacy was a joke in 1962 and the same goes for Obama today, but that’s a different story.
On this site (March 11), political analyst and commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson -- who happens to be African-American -- wrote:
“Ferraro got it right on both counts when she said that race has made a difference with Barack Obama. He has gotten a virtual free ride from much of the media. His paper thin voting record, lack of experience, zig zag stances on foreign policy issues, Republican lite positions on health care and the sub prime housing crisis, repeated subtle going negative against Hillary Clinton while giving himself a plausible deniability out and insuring that Clinton gets dumped on when she hits back has been blatantly obvious. The media and much of the public have kept hands off him in part out of sheer terror of being branded racist and in part out of hatred for Clinton. And that's the other thing that Ferraro got right. She flatly called the media sexist and said that many Americans, she really said America, has a huge problem with a woman running for president.”
And that’s the truth.
* (In fact, Ferraro is just the most recent in a series of public figures who have criticized Obama and then have been accused of racism by the Obama campaign and its surrogates in the media.)

[steve1945]

11:57 AM on 03/13/2008

people were not so tactless when her husband was the focus of how he did business when she ran for VP with Walter Mondale. sfc

[steve1945]

11:42 AM on 03/13/2008

Well one good thing is coming out of all the recent mis steps,it brings memories of what the 8 years they were in WH was like. More dirty laundry than a laundry in the commercial world. Does America need this pain along with current problems?As for HC and experience well looking at the pres.mail and kibbitzing is not impressive to most Americans sfc

[Zeje]

10:47 AM on 03/13/2008

I'm surprised that Clinton supporters are not ashamed at the way their candidate has conducted her campaign. She makes me feel really lousy about politics in this country - and the future. Clinton is encouraging racism -- and division. That should be clear -- even to her most die-hard supporters.

[mslindab]

10:33 AM on 03/13/2008

I tend to agree with Al Sharpton. The more the Clintons' present this campaign as us versus them (white versus black) the better they will do with white voters and thus can argue the case that Obama has a 'white male' problem. This will be especially true in Pennsylvania. It accounted for votes in Ohio primarily among lower income and less educated whites who tend to be more threatened by the potential of having a black president. If you read some of the comments by voters they worried that Obama would be a president for the blacks only and the whites would get nothing from his administration. What the Clintons fail to mention is that in Wisconsin where the white voters were more affluent and better educated they had no problem with Obama. Will the democrats really buy the argument Clinton is making that Obama is in a downward spiral when in reality the results of each state have more to do with the profile of the population in that specific state? While the northeast votes so strongly democratic, there are many blue collar racists among its members.