Focus Group: Many Dems Agreed With Ferraro's Remarks

The Swamp:

Geraldine Ferraro's comments about the role that Sen. Barack Obama's blackness has played in his political success are fodder for the Sunday talk shows. During a speech, the 1984 Democratic vice presidential nominee was reported as saying: "Barack Obama would not have made it this far if he was a white man."

So it's worth taking a look at how Democrats responded to her later explanation of what she was saying. HCD Research did a focus group of 431 Democrats showing them Ferraro's defense of her remarks during an appearance on Fox News last week where she's a frequent commentator.

Read the whole story: The Swamp

Comments

[AC500]

Older women need to get over their anger at having given away their power to men. This is really what's at the crux of the older woman's vote for Hillary. Strong and powerful women married boys and gave away their power to them (because it was not acceptable for women to have power) only to have these boys betray them with affairs with other women because 'boys' do not want to sleep with their 'mothers'. Women are taking back their power now but until they take responsibility for their own self-betrayal in giving away their power in the first place to weak men, they will remain imbalanced, weak, self-defeating and ineffectual.

[DoAsISay]

Fox News? The members of this focus group were probably the Limbaugh Dems for Billary. And how do they define "many"? More than one? Two, Three? We know for sure there are three- Ferraro, Hillary and Bill. Did they send their doubles to this focus group, or did they show up themselves?

[3fingerbrown]

I strongly object to the inefficient method we have of stifling free speech in our country. In other repressive regimes where saying what one thinks is not tolerated, they "disappear" the offender and put them to work in zinc mines or banana plantations. Here, we kill them by degrees in the media, with no benefit to the state. Mrs. Ferraro is old but spry. Surely we can squeeze a year or two of hard labor out of her for her crime before she drops.

[thomdavis1]

"Focus Group: Many Dems Agreed With Ferraro's Remarks"

and MANY did NOT

[nunzia]

This is a big surprise only to the obamabots.

[ladyfractal]

No, it's no surprise to *this* Obama supporter. If it weren't Clinton, it would be someone else and given the black politician that would be viable as a Democratic politician wouldn't and *couldn't* be a race-man or race-woman (think Jessie Jackson or Cynthia McKenny) they would have the *same* problems. Democrats like black politicians who talk about race and make them feel good and 'diverse' and 'multi-cultural'. They do *not* like black politicians who have a larger area of interest. In other words, for a certain generation of Democrats there is--and it kills my heart to say this---*NO SUCH THING AS A BLACK PERSON QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT. That's right, folks, I said it. There are a lot of good, progressiv­e-talking, ostensibly multicultural Democrats who just *cannot* believe that Barack Obama *really* could be as smart as he is, as educated as he is because THAT IS NOT WHAT BLACK PEOPLE DO. And these allegedly progressive people hold this belief, all the time believing that they are non-racist and 'love' black people but that is not the case.

If you are black, educated and a Democratic Progressive (as I am) you have just had your wake-up call. We are stuck between the rock (the GOP where the overt racists go to play) and the hard place (the Democratic party where we talk a great game but where both the elites and the rank-and-file, don't necessarily mean it).

[research]

What is the Focus group BS, go read the article and look up the company,. more BS.

[naijaman]

Yes Ms Ferraro, Obama is where he is today because he's black. I'm sure he became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review because he was black. I'm sure he graduated with high honors and a 3.89 average from HARVARD because he was black. I'm sure he got elected to the Illinois Senate because he was black, and yes, he only got elected to the US Senate because he's black. Hell...he raised $55 million in February....that's right, you guessed it....because he's black.

Such idiocy should be illegal, and for Ms Ferraro to compare her being PICKED to be a running mate in 1984, to the excellent presidential campaign that Obama has run so far, built from the ground up, is patently ABSURD.

Ms Ferraro...go away and STFU.

[flyguy14222]

Oh brother....do you have an IV direct from Obama HQ? To denigrate the accomplishments of Ms. Ferrero as you do shows your true ignorance.

[mrdontplay]

well said.

[peskyliberal]

Thank you for a well stated post

[Silpat]

She just looks like an old, bitter, drunk racist.

[Mattie]

are you part of the politics of hope and change, why am I not suprised. It's such a cute little line, it's to bad most Obama supporters are mean, nasty racist people who condone hate speech by the Obama side, but condemn it on the Clinton side. You can't even compare what she said to the racist rants by Obama's mentor and pastor for the past 20 years. Again, if you are going to preach hope and change, why don't you stop with the ugly name calling. I love how you guys think you can win in November after you insult half the democratic base. .Guess what they released a new poll today, and McCain beats both Hillary and Obama, so your hate filled divisiveness is working. You are driving dems away in droves. Oh and another thing, Hillary did better against him than Obama did, but still lost.
Hillary 08

[markusmarkus]

Which is why she's on Fox Noise.

[robeson]

The only focus in this group was that it intended to give her the platform, alone.

[Seattlelite]

The comments by Ferrero are not only offensive to Sen. Obama they are offensive to any person that considers themselve a progressive democrate. Not the mention how offensive it is to AA in this country. Sen. Obama is where he is because of "who" he is PERIOD. The only people that don't realize this are "old democrates" the one's who "thought" they were color blind and accepting.

[Mattie]

So do you agree that Americans deserved 9/11, that white people invented AIDS to kill blacks, do you damn America. Where's your outrage about that.

[NoSillyName]

Ferraro's backpedaling "explanation" probably confused some people. Others undoubtedly agreed with her. Besides, a focus group is not a statistical study. It was flawed and really proves nothing. It provides an inflammatory sound bite using the inexact word "Many".

[MRb1000]

If the majority of the democratic party believe this we are dome as a party. What Ferrar said is stupid.

Ok George Bush senior chose three star General Colin Powell to become the leader of the Military because he was black. Yeah in our military you had people saying the same thing just like Mrs Ferrar. You are all stupid if you believe this. Colin Powell was chosen because he was the best leader period. He had the skills so Bush senior promoted him to four stars above many other three and four star generals. It was because he was the best America had within our military. He is one of our best military generals in history. Ask General Colin Powell how lucky it was being black in the military.

Now, Barack Obama come on the seen and he is lucky to be black. Ok as the Tuskegee Airmen how lucky theY were, ask the black Buffalo soldier how lucky they were, ask the black Army under general Patton how lucky they were, during Vietnam ask the black man serving how lucky they were.

Now, you see how much this song sounds so stupid and silly. Black America still serve the country with pride. Are we lucky to be black? No we are proud to be black because GOD made us in his own image. This is what keeps us keepin on!!! Until the day I die!!!

AMERICA YOU BETTER TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOUR HEART. PLEASE WALK ONE DAY IN A BLACK MANS SKIN AND YOU WILL NOT FEEL LUCKY.

OK IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE ME. TRY BEING BLACK AND GET A CAB! WALK DOWN A STREET! ON AND ON AND ON. MOST OF US DO NOT CRY ABOUT IT WE JUST MOVE ON.

Please grow up America the world is watching and waiting!!!!

[NtFourSale]

Racism is passe and so are Ferraro and Clinton. Make room for the young. They've had their turns.

[AnninCA]

Ageism is passe, too.

[Mattie]

please, you idiots wouldn't know how to survive without your parents. Look at your post, it's a typical divisive Obama supporter's rant. Always putting someone else down to make your point. Is that what you call hope and change.

[mesuki]

The fact that she works for Fox News says it all.,No decent,sane or honest people work for Fox News Network. The unfair and unbalanced network!

[MRb1000]

Now we know the source. Hillary is a republican.

[ajax2]

Even given her the most favorable platform most didn't agree.

[halyscomet]

Why should we be surprised that SOME Democrats agree with Ferraro?

One of the most Senior Democratic Senators - Robert Byrd - is a known KKK member! Look at some of HIS statements.

Still, MOST Democrats DO NOT agree with Ferraro's assertions. As a lawyer, she KNOWS that "luck" alone, won't get ANYONE through Harvard, to the State, the US Senate, and soon the Presidency. ONLY depth of intelligence, integrity, hard work and yes, a LITTLE luck can impact these results. Note that Obama's race is far secondary to these.

[JacobSinger]

It is fair to say that most Obama supporters do not agree with Ferraro's comments--but that's about as far as it goes. You clearly indicated that you feel anyone who does agree with her is a racist--that's your opinon, and we know what opinions are like--but like so many Obama supporters you speak boldly, as though you are an authority on the matter racism and who qualifies for that label.

If that is the case, please point me to your published treatise on the true definition and nature of racism, and the specifics on what one has to do and/or believe to avoid such an unsavory designation.

Otherwise, I'll submit that you're speaking through a lower orifice where hot air and methane gas are the normal propellants of such nonsensical discourse.

[ladyfractal]

Jacob:

Okay, as an older (40-something) Obama supporter and a black woman who has spent the larger part of her adult life in progressive Democratic circles, I'll take your challenge:

Racism (n): 1. The belief that one group of human beings, typically distinguished by some characteristic set of differences in phenotype (typically skin-color, hair texture, etc.) are less capable of full-humanity and personhood *because* of those differences. Typically, racism manifests itself in one group, that will be a political/­social/eco­nomic majority looking down upon some other group whose major differences are of physical phenotype (the aforementioned) as opposed to, say, mental phenotype (intelligence, self-control, etc.). Cognitively, racism represents a common hasty generalization and is something that many people, perhaps most, engage in to some degree at some point in their life.

2. Active hatred of and oppressive behavior toward members of certain ethnic groups. In this formulation, racism is whatever Nazi's or the KKK does and therefore, there are precious few racists in America (perhaps as few as a two-hundred thousand or fewer). This allows everyone to feel good because all one has to do to be non-racist is don't use racial slurs and pay lip service to the idea that everyone is equal.

Now, please note that nowhere in this does it say that racists *hate* people of different ethnic groups. One could be perfectly racist and not wish ill upon another group. To give two examples; conservatives tend to be racist in the sense that when they talk about the problems of welfare, the underlying image is of a black face, when they talk of immigration reform, the underlying image is of a brown face which speaks Spanish. In this instance, blacks are seen as lazy, indolent and unwilling to work. Latinos are seen as being foreign invaders who are untrustworthy, etc. Liberals tend to be racist, in the sense that they see blacks as these earthy purveyors of spiritual wisdom, generally lacking in education and intelligence and in desperate need of protection and 'understanding'.

I recognize that for a lot of liberals to have a place to put Obama they have to put him in the 'he got lucky' set and in some sense he *did*, as did I. If he managed to not grow up in utter grinding poverty and was raised by people who did not, themselves, grow up in that kind of poverty then he is lucky. But that's just the luck of birth, it is not the luck that got him where he is, it just positioned him to become who he has. He graduated at the top of his law school class because of his own efforts, not because he is black. He was editor of the law review because of his own efforts, not because he is black. He was elected because of his efforts, not his race. He is raising money as if it were going out of style because of his efforts, not because he is black.

I recognize that this might come as a surprise to a lot of black progressives for whom the idea of 'black' means 'urban, uneducated and poor' but there's a lot of us out there who are very well educated, not poor, have quite a few brain cells to rub together and generate some high-quality heat and are driven to be excellent because we know that neither our friends (progressives generically) and our enemies believe that we are capable of much outside of sports, entertainment and dispensing folksy, earthy, wisdom of the 'I may not know nothing 'bout no Presidential primaries but I know that you don't go kickin' over the hive when the bees have just returned...'

Cheers