Ferraro on Obama: Not a Racist -- Just an Idiot

Geraldine Ferraro stands by her remarks on Barack Obama and says she's hurt that they have been spun in such an outrageous way:

"if Obama was a white man," Ferraro said, "he would not be in this position...And if he was a woman 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."

Is that racist? No. It's just moronic.

Let's look at a few of the Obama qualities that voters are responding to:

--Eloquent
--Smart
--Good looking
--Inspiring
--Young
--Charming
--Well-Educated
--Breath of Fresh Air

Does Ferraro seriously believe that a white Obama with all of the qualities above "would not be in this position?" The Democrats have been waiting a decade for someone with these qualities to come along, and they'd take him or her in any shape, size, color, or species.

Why is Obama whipping Hillary, for example--despite her far-greater experience? Because she doesn't have half of them.

I've always admired Geraldine Ferraro. I'm sorry to learn that she's braindead.

Comments

[weddedgay]

Sadly, the first female candidate for Vice President of the United States will now be remembered as no more than an angry, frustrated old woman. Not only has she done herself, HRC, and the Democratic Party a great disservice, she has set back respect for women. This entire episode is tragic anyway you look at it.

[jackch]

Since you have said all the nice things about Obama how about some others: friend of Rezko; Corrupt politician, probably closet homosexual, friend of terrorists and in my view and lots of others racist. Oh I forgot he's the only one that can mention ethnicity.

[sarainitaly]

--Eloquent
--Smart
--Good looking
--Inspiring
--Young
--Charming
--Well-Educated
--Breath of Fresh Air

Sounds an awful lot like John Edwards....

When Obama was in the state senate, he accomplished virtually nothing for 6 years.

"...Emil Jones Jr., Emil Jones Jr., a gravel-voiced, dark-skinned African-American known for chain-smoking cigarettes on the Senate floor. Jones had served in the Illinois Legislature for three decades. He represented a district on the Chicago South Side not far from Obama's. He became Obama's ­kingmaker.

Several months before Obama announced his U.S. Senate bid, Jones called his old friend Cliff Kelley, a former Chicago alderman who now hosts the city's most popular black call-in radio ­program.

I called Kelley last week and he recollected the private conversation as follows: "He said, 'Cliff, I'm gonna make me a U.S. Senator.'"

"Oh, you are? Who might that be?" "Barack Obama."

Jones appointed Obama sponsor of virtually every high-profile piece of legislation, angering many rank-and-file state legislators who had more seniority than Obama and had spent years championing the bills.

"I took all the beatings and insults and endured all the racist comments over the years from nasty Republican committee chairmen," State Senator Rickey Hendon, the original sponsor of landmark racial profiling and videotaped confession legislation yanked away by Jones and given to Obama, complained to me at the time. "Barack didn't have to endure any of it, yet, in the end, he got all the credit...."
http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-02-28/news/barack-obama-screamed-at-me/print

Once Obama was a US senator, he spoke at the DNC in 2004. We all watched him, in awe, and thought the same thing, "Wow, He is going to be the first black US president!"

I just didn't know it would be so soon! I mean, I had never even heard of him until that day.

In 2004, after that speech, Obama was interviewed about the possibility of running for president. He said no, he was not qualified. He did not have the experience, and the resume to back it up. He would have to essentially start that day to run for office in 2008.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gexyfVpFMU

Not long after, he was approached, and talked into running. Why? Because insiders in DC knew that they could make him the first black pres. They felt the time to strike was now, after 7 years of Bush, they knew they could make the case for change, and he was the guy to do it.

The media has focused positively on him and given Obama SO much coverage. He is the rock star candidate. He has received tons of coverage because he is the first viable black candidate. Just as Hillary has received tons of coverage because she is the first viable female candidate.

Obama has qualities beyond just being *the black candidate*, but to deny that he, a rookie senator, virtually unknown 2 years ago, with no major accomplishments, has risen to where he is, without the excitement of the fact that he is African American is disingenuous. And for Obama to act all indignant is disingenuous. He should know better than anyone, that he has been helped along, to become the first African American POTUS. And as people have pointed out, Obama garning 92% of the black vote would not be happening if he were white. And the black vote is helping him win delegates in large numbers.

There is an excitement there, and Obama deserves well earned credit. He is an engaging speaker. He brings a youthfulness, and he talks about change and hope. He does inspire his base. But to deny that it is, in large part, due to him getting a big boost because he is African American, is just not true.

Just ask John Edwards. What are the big differences between Edwards and Obama?

I have listened to Obama supporters, and pundits say over and over again that Hillary is riding the coattails of her husband. That she is offering a co-presidency. That she would not be where she is without Bill. That she is where she is because her husband cheated on her. That she takes credit for her years as a first lady, which were nothing more then serving tea. She has been belittled, ridiculed, laughed at, and name called. Obama has called her a liar, said she would do anything to win. He has mocked her years as first lady. He has misrepresented her qualifications and accomplishments.

An Obama spokesperson (Samantha) said, "Senator Clinton, Senator Obama and Senator McCain have never had to answer the proverbial 3 a.m. phone call. Only a commander in chief has shouldered that unique burden and you don't get that kind of experience merely by being married to a commander in chief, as Senator Clinton suggested today."

Obama said, “I think the fact of the matter is that Sen. Clinton is claiming basically the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own, except for the stuff that didn’t work out, in which case she says she has nothing to do with it,” Obama said, and added, referring to his relationship with his wife, Michelle, “There is no doubt that Bill Clinton had faith in her and consulted with her on issues, in the same way that I would consult with Michelle, if there were issues,” Obama said. “On the other hand, I don’t think Michelle would claim that she is the best qualified person to be a United States Senator by virtue of me talking to her on occasion about the work I’ve done.”

He is saying that she is taking credit for work her husband did, not her, which translates to me as, *she is only where she is because of her husband*.

Senator Clinton did not just sleep next to the president. She had her own responsibilities and successes. She had her own career, as a first lady and as a senator.

But, yes. We are excited about her candidacy because she is the first viable female candidate. But she also has the resume and the smarts to back up her candidacy.

We lost some great Dem candidates this year, because of the excitement around Hillary and Obama. Why? Because they are who they are. And that includes being a woman and an african american.

Geraldine is not braindead. Your post, however, reads like you are.

[Lap48]

Again, Hillary's campaign outburst are the symptoms of a panicked campaign--she's down 27-14 in states, trailing by 150 plus in delegates, down about 700,000 in the popular vote and knowing that she's got to nail Pennsylvania. She's got a receptive constituency to the msg she's pushing, now, in the keynote state and she's long ago made the Faustian bargain of listening to "Little Red Hot" on her one shoulder, while ignoring the Angel's of her Better Nature, on the other, thereby throwing her and Bill's heretofore loyal black constituency under the bus.

It is deliberate and coordinated and, I must admit, deftly played. But, one thing I don't understand is how quickly Ferraro could morph from an the head of finance in the campaign to having "no connection with it" and her comments about if "Obama were white, he wouldn't be where he is [the remarks about being a "woman of whatever colour" is just a cover for the more direct message she wants to get across]" to "ONE of the reasons Obama is in the race is because he is black." And sections of the Press are buying it

Oh, wait, we're only 5 to 6 years removed from Iraq and its runup....duh, silly me.

[ndolomar]

hillary clinton was clear as a bell when she said during her stump speech that she doesn't believe the country can progress by reaching across the aisle, negotiating, talking with people and -- most importantly -- listening; she wants to fight, and she not only is doing it with the republicans (in public), she's doing it against her own party's other presidential candidate. but, see, i don't want a fighter who's too busy trying to win -- everyone gets hurt in a fight. i want a leader who's more than willing to listen.

[johnnygoodwud]

Geraldine Ferraro, racist yes, just doing hillarys heavy lifting, keeping the race card alive. is it just me, or is she beginning to look a bit like a sharpei?

[LeeFromVA]

Henry, you are exactly right. Obama has to be the Jackie Robinson of Politics. The truth is, if he didn't have all those wonderful qualities, there's no way in hell he could be in this race.

Now she says he's attacking her because she's white?!?! She truly is braindead.

[vsign]

Thank you Gerry Ferraro. We needed to talk about this race and sex thing. Maybe now we can finally talk about them both.

Many Democrats want to vote for a black man for President to break an important racial barrier. But not this black man - Obama. His father is a foreigner with Muslim roots. Obama has the taint of being a foreigner. It would have been better if his father was an African American.

Not this year - not this black man.

Have you noticed? Obama is looking pretty mean nowdays. His talk of being the unifier is sounding pretty stale. He cannot "close the deal" with voters.

And what is this with all the black people voting in a block? Does anyone think for themselves? What other group all votes the same way? Who are the "real" racists?

[Lap48]

"...Have you noticed? Obama is looking pretty mean nowdays. His talk of being the unifier is sounding pretty stale. He cannot 'close the deal' with voters...."

Snoort...Obama's been mild in his demeanor to the point that the likes of Maureen Dowd have taken to labeling him the "feminine" candidate and Hillary the macho bully.

Which, of course, is the trap a black candidate for national office will find himself in. Let it go and he 's not fighting the charges and letting his "opponent define him" with negative campaigning which, according to the "experts" nearly always works; fight it, and he's the threatening, "arrogant" confrontational [black] opponent. Triple this when the opposing candidate is a woman. The Obama campaign has to figure out a way to effectively use effective surrogates and let Obama do the things he does best.

As far as this nonsensical "Looking pretty mean" trope....uh huh, riiiight.

[tfangmel]

Are you kidding?? YOU are the racist!!! If a white man is of a German background does that make hin a Nazi?? How stupid you sound. Where his father comes from has nothing to do with his poitions. And black people are voting not as a block, but as a people who agree with Obama. Did the white people who voted fo Hillary vote as a non thinking block??? You need to check your racist views.

[vbond]

Great comment... but you're missing the point when you say Ferraro is not racist.

You don't know what's in Ferraro's heart anyway.

What we DO know is what's on her lips... racist and racism-fanning words.

Whether the Clintons are themselves racist is beside the point.

The POINT is that they are using and fanning racism for their cynical and destructive political purposes.

Ferraro... brain dead?

Yeah... like a fox.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

Geraldine Ferraro's comments are a lot of things, but moronic or idiotic isn't on the list. This is cold, calculated bigotry aimed at lower educated white voters in Pennsylvania. Lady Macbeth strikes again with these remarks, this time by proxy.

By using Ms. Ferraro as her alternate, Senator Clinton is allowed to publicly express shock at the remarks while her campaign actually was the originator. I highly doubt anyone of Ms. Ferraro's experience in high politics was ignorant of the impact or made the comments because of losing control.

[DennyCrane]

Obama would be doing even better if he was white and his name was John Smith. Hillary is still in this race for three reasons. She's married to Bill Clinton, a lot of women want to see a female President, and some Democrats don't want to see a black president.

[dollphingurl]

okay but what about the fact that she made the same comment re jesse jackson back in the 84 race?

March 11, 2008
Read More: Barack Obama

A Ferraro flashback


"If Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race," she said.

Really. The cite is an April 15, 1988 Washington Post story (byline: Howard Kurtz), available only on Nexis.

Here's the full context:

Placid of demeanor but pointed in his rhetoric, Jackson struck out repeatedly today against those who suggest his race has been an asset in the campaign. President Reagan suggested Tuesday that people don't ask Jackson tough questions because of his race. And former representative Geraldine A. Ferraro (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that because of his "radical" views, "if Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race."

Asked about this at a campaign stop in Buffalo, Jackson at first seemed ready to pounce fiercely on his critics. But then he stopped, took a breath, and said quietly, "Millions of Americans have a point of view different from" Ferraro's.

Discussing the same point in Washington, Jackson said, "We campaigned across the South . . . without a single catcall or boo. It was not until we got North to New York that we began to hear this from Koch, President Reagan and then Mrs. Ferraro . . . . Some people are making hysteria while I'm making history."


Cite Link:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0308/A_Ferraro_flashback.html

[Ajita]

WOW! I didn't know she said the same thing about Jesse Jackson before. Why is no one talking about this?

[Lap48]

See above

[Lap48]

"...Placid of demeanor but pointed in his rhetoric, Jackson struck out repeatedly today against those who suggest his race has been an asset in the campaign. President Reagan suggested Tuesday that people don't ask Jackson tough questions because of his race. And former representative Geraldine A. Ferraro (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that because of his 'radical' views, "if Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race...."



To any New Yorker who's lived in and around the city for the past 25-30 years, this is not surprising. This is as much a part of Ferraro's DNA as running for office was.

I keep coming back to Lleyton Hewitt and his 2001 USOpen tennis match vs. James Blake, a multi-racial man [who, like Obama, was the offspring of a black man and white woman]. Hewitt, who was the odds on favourite to win the match, was down to Blake and facing further problems when he--and here's that magic word, again, panicked and fixated on the linesman who had called him repeatedly for foot-faulting, a violation. Replays later showed that he, the linesman, was right but Hewitt went off, out of the blue, on a rant about the colour of the linesman and the colour of Blake as evidence that he was being cheated on the basis of race ("look at [Blake], mate" and, then, pointing to the linesman, "now, look at him" among other bon-mots uttered during the outburst), not that he had repeatedly committed violations.

Under pressure, Hewitt, an Australian, played the race card and guess what? Instead of being hammered by most of the sporting press and the Open Tourney committee backing the linesman Hewitt received a pass [no fines, nada] and the linesman was reassigned. Then, everyone got to say it wasn't a problem to begin with because Blake had "graciously" moved on by not calling Hewitt to task.

Believe it or not, commentators, with few exceptions, attempted to minimise the incident and tried to characterise the statements as "not racist." They were as blind as, say, Steve Thomma of McClatchy News who all but said, on MsNBC, today, that it wasn't out of line to raise the question of race since Mississippi Blacks gave Obama 90 pct of the black vote [and somehow developing amnesia about the reason for that and similar margins of victory since S.C., ie., the continued attempts by a panicked Clinton "Machine" to slime Obama with, 1st, racial innuendo and then, when it felt people weren't "getting it," btringing race to the fore, outright. Thomma should have said that it shouldn't be surprising that Miss blacks, who'd fought to the death for the right to vote, would recognise a skunk at the Garden Party for what it was--a skunk--and react accordingly]. Throw in the likes of Lynn Sweet and Patrick Buchanan [who, after all, is Pat being Pat unlike the other two examples of journalistic clarity mentioned here] and you've got, basically, the 2001 USOpen Press Corps.

Someone should e-mail the Lexis-Nexis 1984 article to Keith, forthwith, in time to include it in his "Special Comments" section, tonight....otherwise, it probably won't get the play it deserves.

[PTTY]

If Hillary Clinton had not been married to Bill Clinton she would not be a Senator
Therefore she is running for President because she is married to Bill Clinton the ex Disbarred President.

Hillary skipped over a lot of other qualified men and women to be the Senator from New York and she was able to make those skips due to the fact her husband is Bill Clinton.
Don't you think other New Yorkers may resent her jumping ahead of them to be Senator from New York.

The governor of New York before he had to resigned in disgrace Hillary's super delegate was going to be the next in line to run for President in 8 years.

[rikoriki]

Ferraro represents the "All in the Family" popular racism of the old blue-collar class. At this point in her life, she is no more likely to see the obvious racism of her mindset than Archie Bunker was. It's ugly and repulsive to see, but what's more disturbing is that Hillary is unwilling to offend (where's the outraged rejection and denouncement?) this element, indeed, it is vital to her strategy to cater to it. My hope is that the American people themselves will put an end to that kind of prejudice, despite the cynical willingness of the Clintons to subtley exploit it for political purposes.

[Lap48]

Right...the ethnic, blue collar Queens neighborhood where Archie resided is a close as you can get to Ferraro's origins [ I think she moved to long island, later on]. Blacks have always had a problem with the inhabitants of those neighborhoods from the hostility and exclusion of the parish neighborhoods to Howard Beach, Gravesend and Avenue X. It's the same in Philly, Pittsburgh, Parma, etc.

The scorched earth Clinton campaign knows this so they employ a Sister of the Campaign who knows the language of those parish oriented neighborhoods that, almost from the beginning of their existence, aligned themselves to keep out blacks. That's why they haven't gone gonzo in punishing Ferraro and totally crapped on her comments--they work in the precinct they'll find themselves in for the next six or seven weeks. While Indiana is slightly different in make-up, her statements will also play in a state that once had almost 35 pct of its state government Klan affiliated in the 1920's [ give a shout-out to D.W. Griffith, here].

In another forum, I wrote, after Obama had won significant gains after the first salvos of racial innuendos and after he made inroads into Hillary's white base in places like Va. that a sh-t storm was heading his way....Well, here comes Mr. Hanky.

[blueraven]

Yes, that is racism. Call it what it is. I'm sick of the whitewashing.