Once You Go Black...

Here we go. Again.

Barack Obama is now 'lucky' to be a black man in politics? That's so convenient, it almost leaves me speechless. What former vice-presidential-candidate bigmouth Geraldine Ferarro inferred about Senator Obama — that he is where he is due to the color of his skin — isn't entirely without merit. It's just that her claims, clarifications, diatribes and subsequent lack-of-apologies are nothing more than insulting race-baiting wrapped euphemistically in a weird compliment. She takes a small slice of a voter's possible selection criteria and puts it front and center, knowing damn well what will happen. Ms. Ferraro conveniently fails to extrapolate that white men have been comfortably riding their race into Washington D.C., state and local offices for 200 years. But now it's a problem that a black man might please a few folk who, out of guilt or pride, might want to see him succeed? It's not that she was simply marveling at America's curious infatuation about Obama's story, but she was applying the sort of cutting and cheap litmus test that I'd expect from the angry white male block. It's the age-old argument that entirely misses the fact that there hasn't been a candidate in our lifetimes that didn't benefit from a certain appeal due to their height, wealth, race, name, faith or smile.

This so reminds me of the O.J. mess over a decade ago, where white Americans woke up to systematic racism and all of a sudden wanted to end it right then. On TV. Mainstream America woke up just in time to protest the first well-known black man in history from being the beneficiary of money and privilege in the criminal justice system. Gee, thanks for tuning in. And they wondered why so many black folk jumped for joy at his acquittal?

So now we have a black candidate who has run what has been — through any historical measurement of success you apply — about the best presidential race in modern times. And Ms. Ferraro, another trailblazer benefiting from her gender by her own admission, wants to reduce all of that incredible success to the results of public sympathies about his race? Or was that public enthusiasm? I can't tell. Listen, if America is feeling guilty and wants to elect the catharsis candidate, go right ahead. Remember, we have two to chose from. Three if you add McCain (lingering Vietnam War Vet sympathies). I'm sure Ms. Ferraro would readily agree that Hillary is a 21st Century echo of the feminist movement and gets quite a bit of steam from that too. But what also isn't mentioned enough is that both candidates suffer under this weight too. America's stubborn issues of race (he hasn't won yet, folks!) and gender (she is clearly under a double standard) are on the front burner.

For the past number of months, I've had to listen to the drone of political reporters and pundits reacting to, dissecting and compartmentalizing the so-called 'black vote' whenever it pertained to Senator Obama. Sure, they also parse the (still angry) white men over 40, the female, the elderly, retired clowns, gay Russian cyclists, and umpteen other sub-categories. But this sort of exit polling and projections have largely been spurred on by the clumsy handling of race and gender by the media. Blacks don't vote as one organism. And to reduce even a vote by somebody like John Lewis to a fist-pumping bout of racial solidarity is insulting to say the least. After all is said and implied, it's white America that has a much longer history voting in unison (for white candidates, of course) than blacks do.

But what worries me most is that the campaign Obama tried so hard to avoid is now taking shape in spite of him due to rogue forces on all sides. And to a lesser extent, the demonization of Ferraro will only force us into our O.J. postures again. To focus voters on Obama's success as a result of mainly race will reduce this to forced political bussing. This will surely drive some whites and conservatives away from his candidacy and make others second guess themselves. Nobody wants to get hoodwinked like the poor white township of Rock Ridge in Blazing Saddles. I really hope we're all smarter than this, but I don't know.

Follow Raymond Leon Roker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/raymondroker

Comments

[standforpeace]

Great post. I just want to add one question. Where were all the Democrats worried about Black racial solidarity when 84% of Blacks were voting for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 and at even higher rates for Gore and Kerry in 2000 and 2004. It's funny, but in all of those years, I can't remember being approached by a single Democrat urging me to think for myself and consider giving my vote to the
Republican party candidate.

[Fuzzback]

Make no mistake - Geraldine Ferraro, and I fear, her boss, with their eye on this Pennsylvania primary and its large blue-collar electorate, knew full well what they were doing with this one. And that's why they must be stopped!

[rwferr]

If a white person made a blog entry with that title they would be excoriated as a terrible racist....

[nihilon x]

I've heard plenty of white people say this phrase, sometimes directly to me.

None that I've known have ever been called racist for doing so.

Certainly double-standards in racist accusations do exist, but this is not one such example.

[noamjunior]

the idea that anyone in America ultimately benefited from simply being black is completely insane

[DRaymond]

HuffPost's Pick

The thing about Geradine Ferraro's comment isn't that it was just about race. That isn't what makes it racist. What makes it racist is that it was a deliberate use of the hot button language of bigots, that blacks are getting a special unfair advantage over whites because of affirmative action or political correctness, that they are unfairly taking things from whites, and that whites are being punished for standing up against it. Her rhetoric was right out of a Klan recruitment guide. And it is hard to believe that someone as seasoned in public life as Ferraro didn't know the rhetorical cues of the language she was using, both in her original statements and the non-apology she made for it afterward.

[StephenJK]

A presidential primary election has NOTHING to do with affirmative action or some other similar measure. It has to do with garnering votes based on the content of your campaign and not the color of your skin. Remember those "just words" from MLK Jr.? When you have, as Raymond put it, a racial solidarity vote, it disturbs voters of different persuasions. We have to apply the same standard across the board. If we are to marginalize Ferraro's comments we should, to be fair, be able to marginalize Wright's comments just the same. We can't play good cop bad cop. We need to play "fair" cop with racism. The mediator in the matter. We have to address, confront, vent and MOVE THE FUCK ON!

[nihilon x]

"And it is hard to believe that someone as seasoned in public life as Ferraro didn't know the rhetorical cues of the language she was using, both in her original statements and the non-apology she made for it afterward."


Many racists are ignorant of their own racism...no matter what color they are.


I wasn't at all surprised to hear such comments -- I've been told as much directly to my face by many whites throughout my life, so I have no doubt that this is discussed in private quite often by Klan whites and "liberal" whites alike. No matter how well I did in school, no matter how often I got the highest grade in the class, there were always those white individuals who assumed that I was in the advanced classes or that I was attending college purely based on "affirmative action". I am sure the same will be true in the working world, if I ever decide that I want to resort to the 9-to-5, corporate wageslave lifestyle to make my way in the world.


Its actually something that I've become accustomed to -- the initial assumption by whites that I am inherently not as intelligent or educated as they, that I listen only to rap music and the like, that I must have grown up in the "ghetto", etc, etc, etc...I could write a book about the misconceptions applied to me based solely on my skin color and I still wouldn't be able to describe just how disconcerting it is to realize that just when you have "proven" yourself to one white person, you will most likely how to go through the process again with the next one you meet, indefinitely, ad infinitum, most likely until the end your days.


And of course, that does not apply just to "whites" but to many asians, latinos, and other black people as well...because the moment you defy these stereotypes, somehow you are no longer considered "really black" by those who are stuck in this small-minded mode of thinking.


Basically, I think we are simply at a point in this nation's history where these issues are coming to the surface and they are going to have to be addressed openly if we are going to move forward beyond old racist assumptions and attitudes. As such, I am not at all surprised by Ferrarro's comments, just as I am rarely surprised when the average white kid assumes that I got into college because I'm black, and not because my SAT score was probably 200 points higher than his. Its so common now that I don't even waste time concerning myself with it any longer, and I have no doubt that Obama has dealt with it in much the same way for the majority of his lifetime, especially given his Harvard background.


Racism is so ingrained into the fabric of America that most people in this country don't even know when they are being racist. Likewise, it has become the "new thing" to claim that anyone of a darker skin tone who points this out is "playing the race card" which only further erodes the possibility of any real dialogue on the matter. I still have to shake my head when I hear people say that an Obama victory would symbolize the end of racism in America, that black people have somehow "made it"...as if a half-white, Hawaii-born and bred prep school kid somehow represents the vast majority of the black population in America.


I used to debate these issues late into the night on the web, but I eventually had to admit that one poster was right in pointing out that there are much better things that I could be doing with my time.


Its the same lesson you learn in real life -- that ignorance is always going to be there...and all you can really do is try to stay above the fray and be the best that you can be, regardless of how others might judge you.

[missette]

Democrats are kidding themselves if they believe Ferraro's comments were completely independent of the campaign, especially given all the other racial innuendo the Clintons and surrogates have spewed over the last couple of months. Look. I've been to central Pennsylvania. Lots of beautiful scenery and friendly people, BUT, I also saw plenty of pickup trucks embellished with Confederate flags. Ferraro's comments were deliberate and meant to appeal to racists in Pennsylvania. My hope is that the state will realize this and speak out loudly against this attempt to curry favor from the worst of Pennsylvania instead of presenting substantive solutions for what ails the state and reaching out to the state's ideals.

[ipitombi]

Well said Raymond.

One should ask Geraldine if she would have been selected for VP by Mondale if she were black or Hispanic. I suppose being white is automatic qualification for higher office in America. Will George W Bush, Dick Cheney, or any of the morons running America be doing so today if they were of another gender or color? I find nothing more irritating than to listen to priviledged whites whine and cry over how a non-white became accomplished as a result of his/her color.

Then, just wonder a little about someone of Colin Powell's calibre. Just like many non-white males, he may just have never aspired to run for public office because he knew all too well about America's senseless bigotry.

Geraldine statement was ignorant, racist, and demonstrated lack of good sense. For that, I am glad she never made it to VP's office.

[rudyinbama]

Ferraro was quite clear stating that if she weren't a woman, she would never have been selected for that VP run.
Unfortunately only two or three sentences out of her 45 minute talk have been repeated over and over again out of context.
The Obama machine will not rest until every opponent and their supporters are slimed as racists.

[missette]

But even here, her argument falls short on the equivalency test.. (And if the media had any analytical capability it would have cited this long by now.) The electorate KNEW she'd been chosen simply on the basis of gender, saw little it liked, and REJECTED her. People see plenty they like about Obama - his ability to work with those with whom he disagrees, his calm demeanor at a time when bloviating (can you spell F E R R A R O?) substitutes for discourse in our country, his unflappability in the face of the most vile attacks, and his appeal to our better nature, plus the moral courage he showed in publicly opposing the Iraq war when it was far from fashionable to do so. And Blacks only began to reject Clinton, for that matter, when she decided to go for the gutter. At the beginning of the campaign most Blacks were for Clinton. Taking Ferraro's comments to their logical conclusion, if John F. Kennedy reappeared today, the electorate would not vote for him unless he were Black. That, of course, is preposterous.

[JoePomp]

Well said Raymond. It doesn't matter whether you are Mother Teresa or Michael Richards, a racist remark is a racist remark. Whether it is done as part of a sinister campaign to snuff out the insurmountable lead of Sen. Obama or something that you yell at a heckler in a comedy club. The statement stands on it's own. It is what it is.

But here's what I think it really is. Subterfuge. The Clintons, by throwing the kitchen sink are like a hockey team that pulls the goalie in the last minute. Theirs a ton of offense right now, but no defense. They are vulnerable.

So here is what I am asking all of my fellow Obama supporters to do. If you blog or call in radio programs or talk to your friends. Keep bringing up the tax returns. The supposedly "vetted" Ms Clinton is hiding something that is sure to be exposed by the RNC.

Ms. Clinton, what are you hiding? Could it be the $millions that Bill has collected from the Emir of the UAE. In fact, consulting with them on the failed ports deal while Hillary was voting against the deal in the Senate.

Please pass this link along to as many people as you can. It's from an April 2007 post on Dick Morris' website.

http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/?p=33

Especially if you have any friends in PA.

Show us your tax return Ms. Clinton. NOW!

Joe P.

[SShaw490]

I've said it before - If I had a black co-worker who was up for a promotion, and I said, "He's just where he is because he's black", I'd lose my job in about 5 minutes. This is one of several comments from the Clinton campaign that make that kind of statement - it's nothing more than a cynical attempt to catagorize him and thus to diminish him. It's an effort to minimize his ability to motivate and inspire people and thus to persuade them to vote for him. It's an effort to do those things for one reason, and one reason only - THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN HAS NO MESSAGE, NO INSPIRATION, NO VISION FOR AMERICA. They have nothing, so they attempt to say the other guy also has nothing. They say, "Well, Jessie Jackson won South Carolina, too..." Well, Michael Dukakis won Massachussets and California, too...

[Rule Of Law]

Well, at least we'll have a president who doesn't need to go bomb the Middle East to prove what a big man he is.

[tbone99]

In the last few years there's been a spate of movies in which A.A. actors (Will Smith ,Morgan Freeman, others)play wise helpers. to white people who are confused or helpless in their lives.From Driving Ms Daisy to six Degrees of Seperation to the one about Will as the wise caddy or Morgan as God in Bruce Almighty. In these movies A.A have been portrayed , instead of the usual criminal stereotype as the reverse stereotype: exceptional people with wisdom and insight above the tawdry concerns of the world..

Somehow I think some of this idea has been consumed and then projected onto Obama by many..In this sense, I think Ferraro was right.Obama seems to be one of these exceptional people , in his speeches., but he really hasn't come up the ranks the way most politicians have to .In fact he was promoted ahead of other A.A, who had been carrying the water in the Illinois lege for years.The bills they worked on ,were put up by him so he could be fast tracked to the U.S. Senate., which he easily won because his opponents defaulted. In many ways he is untested.. The press also played into this "privilige" .White's folks fear of being called racist also downplayed criticism.

Ferraro was too out there with the race and not enough with the untested, but she does have a point.

[Nommo]

That's where America lives, in the cineplex.

[nihilon x]

No mention of who writes, directs, produces and attends the vast majority of these "A.A." movies as well.

We live in ridiculous times where a magna-cum laude Harvard grad -- of any color -- can be looked at as an "affirmative action" president.

[dmac]

Hasn't come up the ranks the way most politicians have?

Would we have ever heard of HRC if she hadn't been married to Bill?

This stream of 'not experienced', lucky-to-be-black, horsepatootie from the Clinton campaign shows a breathtaking shortsightedness. Is the campaign somehow unaware that all these comments will be replayed in the Fall by McCain to attempt to defeat the Democratic nominee?

Self-serving & shortsighted. Not qualities I like in a presidential candidate.

[tbone99]

Unfortunately most of what we heard about Hilary in relation to Bill is negative so I wouldn't say that is necessarily an advantage, in fact it's probably been something to overcome. She did however go into the Senate with most Repugs and many Dems fervertently hating her and started at the bottom there with no breaks, and yet slow by slow won people over. through her own application.She ran two campaigns in which the opponents actually materializ­ed....She'­s been investigated and found clean to the nth degree.She's not my first pick but I do think she's a known .After Obama has been known inside and out the way she has will he still shine as brightly as he does now?

[imagine0594]

This whole thing reminds me of an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David makes that affirmative action remard to the black doctor and it gets him all mad. Later in the show a black woman talks about how Seinfeld was a racist show because there were no black people on it. I thought the show was funny because I knew exactly what it was saying: it's common for a comment to be misrepresented as racist even when it isn't.

I understand that there is a history of racism in this country, that it still exists, that it shouldn't be tolerated, but Ferraro is not the person to take this out on. Even Obama won't call her remarks racist. He calls them ridiculous, wrong-headed, but not racist.

[Nommo]

You have never been a victim of racism. You certainly cannot define what is racist and what is not.

[writeaway]

I am white, never been a "victim" of rascism and worked with a large number of black Americans in over forty years. Every single one had a "chip" on their shoulder about being "black" in America. Many black Americans believe that they are the only ones who can define rascism but are in fact, just as rascist as the next person. Rascism knows no skin color, it will not go away. Never. Not until you get to heaven.

[imagine0594]

This is exactly my point: how do you define racism? One person hears the comment and thinks it is racist, another hears it and thinks it isn't racist. And so we argue about whether it's racist or not. Who's right, who's wrong? Does motive matter? Is it racist simply because people hear it as racist? If Ferraro says she didn't mean it to be taken as racist, is it still racist? Does hatred make it racist?

The fact is, no pun intended, this thing isn't black and white.

[nihilon x]

Interesting how you can watch a television program or a movie written by white people and somehow think that gives you more insight into "racism" than something written or produced by those who have actually experienced it in real life.

If Larry David had said "You're very lucky to be where you are right now" to the black doctor, then maybe you'd have a valid point.

As it stands, you're simply comparing apples and oranges.

[valleygent]

Obama needs to come out swinging once and for all, and cut this race baiting, man-hating, militant feminist down to size, forget the wimpy apologetic stuff. She is the antihesis of what America is, and should be. She is a plague sent up from hell to punish reason. Frankly, she is a GW Bush in woman's clothes. I love and admire strong intelligent women, not Monsters on estrogen bent on gaining power through the facist playbook. Give me liberty or give me death! To hell with a Clinton Presidency, I don't even want to see her puckered face ever again on my television screen.

Millions are thoroughly disgusted by the whole process she has now poisoned. Are you happy now Clintonista's? McCain will be the next President for sure. Perhaps that is best.

[tbone99]

Your comment is an excellent example of sexist speech and gives lie to any kind of HOPE.....

[stringer]

I have to go with Hans B, I really think it's more his voice, appeal to young people, and the Clintons odd behavior than it is his race. Know I'm in the minority here, and I understand and respect other people's opinion.
You have a president (Bush) with 70% disapproval, the same 2 families in office for the past 20 years and the first truly "young, charismatic" candidate since JFK and I think that's where the enthusiasm comes from.
The country's hungry for change. Obama seized on that. He hit on one of those vibes floating under the surface, that mainlines a nerve. Politicians do it every once in a while. Again JFK comes to mind and (unfortunately) Ronald Reagan. Some politicians just have the right message at the right time from the right candidate. I think this is the case with Obama. Not sure if it'll be enough to overcome the DNC machine but I think it's the case.

[Guitarsandmore]

Putting the issues aside for a moment, there IS an element of guilt and pride that makes us want to see a black man succeed.

We feel guilty that so many black people were brought over as slaves and also guilty that there are such rotten living conditions in the ghetto giving birth to further perpetuations of crime and drug addiction and life without hope or opportunity.

We also feel pride when a black man can negotiate through that mine field of injustice climbing the ladder of success in spite of the prejudice that still exists in America.

I don't what to do about the Ghetto, maybe Obama knows how to create jobs for everybody; educated or not.

Maybe Hillary does, too.

But we need to stick with the issues.

[HansB]

It's not his race, it's his voice.

I must admit I didn't think much of Obama's candidacy, having merely read his speeches (which reminded me a bit of the speeches we wrote to get elected class president, at high school. You know the kind: "Friends, Romans, and countrymen..."). But when I first heard him speak I realized why people were mesmerized by him. You just don't expect such a deep voice from such a skinny frame, and the intonation and calm are perfect.

This is someone from whom you'd unquestioningly, blindly, buy a used car.

That's just style, of course. But it invites one to look for substance. With his measured response (his refusal to engage in tit-for-tat) to the mud that's been thrown his way, he has clearly come to occupy the moral high ground. The only thing that can stop him now is racism... and the Clinton campaign seems to know it.