Geraldine Ferraro's Ugly Words - Accidental, or Campaign Ploy?

(Read more HuffPost coverage and reaction to Geraldine Ferraro's comments)

Geraldine Ferraro, once a beacon of hope for the possibility of a new era in American politics, has now disgraced herself for a second time. Today's 'clarifying' comments regarding last week's racist remarks were, if anything, even more offensive. They, and now Ms. Ferraro herself, symbolize a dark and ugly political era that belongs firmly in the past. And by allowing her to remain with her campaign in an official capacity, Hillary Clinton has brought the shadow of Ms. Ferraro's disgrace upon herself.

I remember the pleasure my then-wife and I felt when Rep. Ferraro was nominated as the Democratic Party's Vice Presidential candidate. As parents of a small girl who was already showing leadership traits, we -- and many others -- saw her as the harbinger of a better and more inclusive politics, the politics of the future.

What a disappointment yesterday, then, to read of Ms. Ferraro's ugly and bigoted comment that Barack Obama is "lucky" to be black, and that he would not be where he is today "if he were a white man" or "a woman." Make that ugly, bigoted -- and incorrect. There are no serious political observers of any political orientation who doubt Sen. Obama's political skills, including Republicans or the Clintons themselves.

Ms. Ferraro's comment may be offensive and wrong, but that doesn't mean it's stupid. On the contrary: It looks pretty shrewd. Her words play very well into white resentment of affirmative action, by harping on the notion that less-qualified black people are getting jobs that should go to hard-working and experienced white people.

Ferraro's words suggest a coded play for the bigot vote, with the "woman" reference thrown in to somehow link Obama with the oppression of women (a little something for the Erica Jong set.) It fits in nicely with the "accidental" darkening of Obama's skin in a Clinton campaign photo, or Sen. Clinton's recent statement that Sen. Obama isn't a Muslim - "as far as I know."

If that weren't bad enough, Geraldine Ferraro went back to the well today: "I really think they're attacking me because I'm white," she said. "How's that?"

How "that" is, Ms. Ferraro, is offensive and shameful. You have dishonored the country that has given you so much.

Still, are her statements the uncensored ravings of a bigot - or yet another example of the Clinton campaign playing the race card and then saying "who, me"? Comments like Ms. Ferraro's play into the fears and resentments of some lower-income white voters - the same voters who just so happen to be Sen. Clinton's strongest voting bloc.

Before Hillary's devoted followers weigh in, they should consider this: Geraldine Ferraro still has a position with the Clinton campaign. (See update, below.) Clinton's waffling rejection of Ferraro's comments stands in sharp contrast to Samantha Power's immediate resignation. (And the Powers comment was personal in nature, not a play to bigotry.)

Here's what Senator Clinton had to say today: "It is regrettable that any of our supporters on both sides, because we've both had that experience, say things that kind of veer off into the personal," she said. "We ought to keep this on the issues." Apparently she can't resist exploiting the victim role, even when an official in her campaign has transgressed the bounds of political decency.

And Ferraro isn't just some "supporter." She has an official role with the campaign as finance chair. She speaks as a Clinton surrogate. By allowing Ferraro to keep her role in the campaign, Sen. Clinton is giving Ferraro's remarks her tacit approval. She's confirming the worst fears of those who believe she will stoop at nothing to become President.

Do I believe that Sen. Clinton has a secret command center dedicated exclusively to transmitting coded messages of racial bigotry? Of course not - er, I mean, not as far as I know. Do I think she and her staff use coded appeals to bigotry when it's convenient? Put it this way: A pattern of "accidental" racial slurs has persisted throughout the campaign, despite all the controversy, and has yet to be explained. (And, as a commenter noted, Ferraro used the same line in 1988.)

It's still possible, given enough public pressure, that Ferraro will resign from the Clinton campaign. That would be appropriate. But given the waffling today, even that would now leave the suspicion that this was an example of a time-worn and dirty political tradition: Have a surrogate inject hateful ideas in the campaign, then let them take the fall for it once the ugly message has been set loose.

Either way, it's time for Geraldine Ferraro to retire from the public stage. At this point she's no longer just an embarrassment to the Clinton campaign. Her continued presence as a Democratic figure tarnishes the entire party. At a time when American politics needs to lift its sights toward higher purpose, she is a reminder of its ugly past - one that, sadly, is apparently still alive and well in some quarters.

Oh, and one last question: Is Geraldine Ferraro by any chance a superdelegate?

UPDATE: Geraldine's latest gem - "I will not be discriminated against because I'm white." And, as of this writing, she is still an official representative of the Clinton campaign.

UPDATE II: As I thought likely, the continued public pressure has finally led to Ferraro's resignation from the Clinton campaign (see third-to-last graf). They tried to weather it out, but thankfully the negative reaction was too great. That says good things about the party and the general public, if not the campaign itself. Ferraro's self-pitying resignation letter, and her promise to keep speaking out, cries out for repudiation from every single one of Clinton's supporters.

Read more HuffPost coverage and reaction to Geraldine Ferraro's comments

Comments

[LeoMarvin]

Isn't it a little ironic that someone with Geraldine Ferraro's history of taking "umbrage" (as the New York Times called it) at innuendos about her own ethnicity would be so adamant that African Americans who are sensitive to coded rhetoric about race are really just ganging up on her for being white?

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3DF153AF936A3575AC0A964958260

[treadway123]

I honestly felt sorry for Mrs. Clinton when bill was playing the race card. Not any more. Mrs. Ferraro is a super politition and thier is not way what she said was a accident. This has been done to polarize Pennsylvania. If you didnn't knw it pennsylvania still has a lot of racial under tone, and anger and the clintons and Ferraro just stired the pot in an attempt to steal votes in that state. I'm really fed up with it. Obama has to speak to these attacks, but fox,cnnn are saying Obama is fighting dirty. If he sits by like John Kerry and the swift boat org. attact him-------­---pennsyl­vania would never understand what the clintons are doing and to other states. It's shameful, and there is not way Mrs. Ferraro would be keeping ths in the news over and over and over unless Hillary thought it was doing her campagne a lot of good! You know and I know one word from Hillary and Ferraro would blend into the wood work. the fact she is still fanning the flames is exactly what Pennsylvania needed to know that Hillary was and still is behind this.

[smile94965]

You don't even make sence. Your comments are quite simply silly. The Clinton machine has injected race into the contest. blacks were not supporting Obama in such massive numbers until after the Clinton machine injected race into the mix. The Clinton's felt that if they injected race into the contest that Obama would be seen as a black canidate and therefore could never be viable. There strategy was to diminish his standing nationally and then go back to the black community and make good and sail through the process. They though that they had built up such equity in the black community that in the end Blacks would look at them as their best option regardless how the nomination was won. Bill Clinton at every opportunity injected race and belittled Obama at any and every opportunity. White women and the feminist movement have been powerful surrogates for hillary from gloria Stienem who stated that sexism is far more damaging than racism. Geraldine Ferroro who swears Obama is where he is because he is Black but can't point to a former Black president nor first lady. The Clinton's give a damn about the Clinton's they would see this party torn apart for their own agenda. They lie, distort, fabricate, and implement a campagn of half-truths and lies. I was the a huge fan of the Clinton's and when bill waved his finger at the American people and lied I gave him a pass because I hated republicans. My own judgement was horrible. He lied and was impeached and his law license was taken away. I fought for him the whole time with blinders on every step of the way. I have listened to Hillary lie about her experience. She said that she helped broker peace over in Ireland and the Main guy eho brokered the deal said she wasnt telling the truth and she had nothing at all to do with either of the parties. She said she was for NAFTA and lied, she said she play on a soccer team for her school and they didn't have a soccer team. I here to tell the feminist movement something. Stop compairing sexism to racism its crazy. I have never seen white women beaten in the streets of America, housed, hung, forced to sit in the back of the bus, enter businesses from the back door, get raped by police officers and have their cases dismissed. Their house or churches were not fire bombed, they were not told by their own constitution th they werethree fifths hum, their retives were not slaves, and so on. The feminist movement was a movement towards women liberation but, white women have always had a voice or the opportunity to be heard because this machine than embraced the discrimination and racism were owned and operated by their husbands, sons, nephews, grandfathers, uncles, and grandchildren. You slept next to them at night and went to church with them on sunday. You shared meals and built families whith the same people who oppressed you. So you believe that you may lose your standing in the pecking order if a Black man jums in front of you in line. It leaves a lot of feminist with an uneasy feeling of being displaced to third place temporarily. But the news is you will always be in second place behind white men its a birthright.

[montemalone]

This campaign is turning out to be an experiment to determine if the American people are finally fed up with politics as usual.
Mr. Obama has decided to take the high road. Many people are impressed by that fact alone. Many more agree with his ideals. We want to effect change in the way things are done, as well as what things are done.
The establishment on both sides of the political aisle are afraid. Fear and hatred are all they know. It remains to be seen if the voting public will see through it all.

[JerseyBob]

OFF THE RECORD
INTERVIEWER: Well Senator Clinton you must be very busy and I really appreciate the opportunity to sit with you for a few minutes to talk about this important race. One thing I’d like to ask you Senator: If you lost this race, and I know you say that this will not happen, but if you did lose it, what do you think you would do?
SENATOR CLINTON: Its good to be here and I want you to know I feel very comfortable speaking with you because of your stellar reputation for fairness and accuracy. The election? Well, if I don’t win this election, and that’s not going to happen, I will, as they say, carry on.
INTERVIEWER: Senator, are there any particular problems that you see with the campaign?
SENATOR CLINTON: Well yes, there is one particular thing that’s annoying. Senator Obama certainly is an honorable and likeable person. But I do have a problem with me and my campaign staff being accused of making what might be considered racist comment. It’s just so not true and I feel I cannot say what I need to say without being accused of saying something that might be considered racist. I mean, if he were not only black but blind too, I would feel very uncomfortable saying something like “I look at it this way” during a debate. I would be accused of saying something offensive to a blind, black man. This really bothers me.
INTERVIEWER: You said you would carry on if you lost. What does that mean Senator?
SENATOR CLINTON: I’d like to go off the record here.
INTERVIEWER: Sure. Consider your next comments off the record unless you want to go back on the record.
SENATOR CLINTON: I’d like to become Governor of New York. I would like to challenge this guy Spitzer in the next election. He’s not really liked by many and I think I could debate him and carry on a good campaign and not worry about saying something that could be construed as being racist. This Spitzer is a rich white guy and, ha, ha, he isn’t blind so I can really do battle and win the Governorship. Yes, I think I can take Spitzer down. Being a federal senator is like being a small fish in a big bowl. I would like to be New York State Governor then, a big fish in a small bowl. Or, as they say in New York, I’d be Capi di tutti Capo. Ha, ha! There are always options. Ha, ha, ha!
INTERVIEWER: Senator, as busy as you are, you may not know that Governor Spitzer was caught up in a prostitution scandal and has resigned. The current Lieutenant Governor has become Governor and as you might know, he is black and legally bli…. (CRASH) Oh my God! Senator? Senator?

[mcfried]

LMAO. The problem she has is while she could beat Spitzer on the issues, she has no chance against Obama. She voted for the war, with conviction.

[MrWinky]

The proof is in the pudding, Clinton is scum. I realize that there are a lot of us who support her, Hell, I was one of them. Even at the time when I had decided I preferred Obama, I can remember lamenting that it was a shame the Dems had run so many dog candidates, and now having 2 viable ones at the same time seemed a shame.

Look at the contrast though. Power says "monster," which is pretty mild (i.e. not a curse word or dirty) and she is immediately gone. Obama has a rule against personal attacks, and it doesn't matter who you are. Power accepts it, says an apology, and no excuses are offered.

Ferraro comes out with this bigoted filth, and nothing is done. When the heat is finally turned up high enough, and after Ferraro continues to repeat and repeat this, finally Clinton comes out with "we disagree." Not fired, not resigned, but we disagree. Then Ferraro starts with they hate me b/c I am white and you should apologize to me. Finally the heat is too much and Ferraro resigns. Apology - Not from Ferraro or Clinton. Matter of fact, GF whips off a letter saying she is leaving and it seems its Obama's fault. Clinton comes on and says she regrets it, at the same time saying she has been the victim of the same thing. Really? When was that comment from Obama's campaign that you are only there b/c you're a woman? or that you are there only b/c of Bill? Power hated the way you were acting, but there was no sign that she felt you didn't deserve to be where you were.

At the same time Clinton feigns lament, her campaign manager starts with the Obama is playing the race card schtick. Are you kidding me? You say he is nothing but a product of white guilt, that his life accomplishments are nothing, and then when he renounces the repeated statements of Ferraro, you say he is getting racial? That is the slimiest thing I have seen.

There is no doubt that Clinton is trying to poison the well. Whether it is to poison the GE for Obama so she can get superdelegates, or causing him to lose so she can run again in 2012, she has forever disgraced herself.

Let's remember too that Obama has abstained from smearing Clinton. All the garbage from the 90's that many would have dove into with glee, not one word of it has come fom Obama. Everyone from his campaign that has gotten too overzealous and has stepped out of line has been canned, no questions or excuses, and supposedly "weak" Obama has never made any excuses for it. Tough Hillary always likes to talk about how she is victimized.

The irony of ironies is that Clinton claims that Obama is playing the race card at the same time she/GF/Maggie are crying about they can't get a fair deal b/c of sexism. Newsflash: Dodd and Lewis may be supporting Obama b/c they think he is a better candidate.

[LeoMarvin]

I agree with everything you said except "scum." You'll enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SDHxaYhqAo&feature=user

[Nonamnesiac]

Of course it's a campaign ploy. The Clintons developed a strategy to make Obama the "Black" candidate. They did this intelligently, always distiguishing their message from overt or thinly-guised racial epithets, but they did it. They worked through surrogates, but also took part themselves. Shaheen in NH. Rendell in PA (many Whites won't vote for Obama because he's Black),. Bill's comments comparing Jesse Jackson to Obama in SC. Hillary's comments that Obama is soft on sentencing and easy on parole for criminals. Hillary's LBJ/MLK remarks. All of these remarks were designed to make moderate White voters who really want and need change fear that Obama was simply a surrogate for a Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton administration. Those Whites are willing to vote for a Black and sincerely want more change than the Clintons offer, but are still wholly fearful of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, and the Clintons know this. So they directed their surrogates to make comparisons that were removed from them to influence White voters and also made similar comments themselves -- comments designed to make Obama appear to be a front for Jesse Jackson. The funny thing is that warmongerer, free trader, anti single payer health care Obama can't hold a candle to Jesse Jackson, who really would make the change those white voters want and need.

The Clintons have employed a racist sub-theme ever since they realized that limited world view, warmongerer Hillary was NOT inevitable.

[hira]

Geraldin Ferraro made similar racist comments before the California election, Ohio/texas election and now ahead of Pennsylvania election. This is a deliberate and calculated Clinton campaign policy and that is why it is so evil.

[dgscol]

This is correct - they wanted to point out his inexperience and to cover for Bill calling Obama
Hillary's No. 2, when he was ahead. All calculated, and covered.

[krifos]

How about that?How about that? How about pathetic. And I was one of the few people who voted for her back in the day.

[Skepticat]

Ferraro, Hillary and her diminishing fan club may not realize it yet but more and more people are getting tired of divisive smear politics.
So now Ferraro says she's getting picked on because she's white.
Do any of these people think?
Apparently not.

[ozamerican]

Who's "they"? As in "they're attacking be because I'm white"? Does "they" include white people like myself? And those, like myself, who are attacking her because she's racist, not because she's white?

[Querent]

I think it's rather pathetic that a nobody in the Democratic party, a woman who was plucked from obscurity by the desire of the party's onetime leader to make a statement about sexual equality, would turn out to be such an intellectual lightweight, and so totally oblivious of ordinary standards of honesty and decorum as to utter the remark, "I think they're attacking me because I'm white. How about that?"

I suppose Ms. Ferraro will indeed continue to speak out, oblivious of the fact that nobody has any interest in what she apparently believes to be her marvelously clever repartee. Ms. Ferraro hasn't been heard from in many, many years, because she has nothing of any conceivable interest to say. Her momentary prominence was a fluke, on the level of Dan Quayle's momentary fame. She will now return to obscurity, where she belongs.

[Seral]

She made a clear observation, and to be honest, they were not offensive, and definitely even if they were, they were not as offensive as the monster comments coming from the Obama side. At that time, I read many blogger comments that supported those words, and criticized her resignation. Ferraro, on the other hand, was not even at that level, she was just collecting money for the Clinton side, not helping create politics, unlike the one that made the monster comments.

Anyways, I don't think she was being offensive. If you cannot explain why Obama gets almost all the African American votes, then you have no idea what really goes on among people's minds...Because, what she says actually refers to a critical and honest observation that neither refers to bigotry nor insult.

[tea in the harbor]

And Hillary gets almost all of the uneducated white vote! You really want to continue this line of reasoning? Black people, it has been my experience, are just as diverse as us white folk, I've met some black bigots, and I've met some very intellegent and moral black people. The bigots talk about how all white people are out to get them, just like white bigots talk about how black people are going to rob them, or a hundred other steriotypes. So when I hear this kind of crap, wheather it is Ferraro or Farakan, judging peoples actions by their race is bigotry! Have Obama's supporters attacked Hillary's trailer trash? Have they said she was lucky to have been born white and not too bright? So who are the bigots?

[darthmaul]

OK, let's take Mississippi, Clinton got almost all the white votes. What's your point? That racism still exists in this country. Yeah, we know this. But Obama didn't use the race card the way the Clinton's and their staff have repeatedly done. Example: Bill Clinton-Jesse Jackson. Senator Clinton-Louis Farrakhan (Note to Obama: You should insist that Senator Clinton denounce white racists, like Rush Limbaugh, it makes just about as much sense!) And of course Geraldine Ferraro, saying that Obama got where he was only because he was a black man. Ferraro's statements aren't honest opinions, they are misguided, racist conjecture. I'll bet you one thing for sure; The republicans are clicking their heels and licking their chops. Thank you Senator Clinton!

[geminifemini]

I agree with Seral. Political correctness should not trump the truth. All the pundits consider the African-American vote when making their predictions on upcoming elections. Isn't that bigotry and assumption?
About Samantha Powers: I don't really buy it that her comments were benign. Not only did she call Hilliary a monster, but said Ergh to looking at her face. Personal. Like when John McCain called a young Chelsea Clinton ugly when Bill was in office. Powers is a PhD and trust me, knows better, but more than that she was in London promoting her new book. She had her Ann Coulter moment in cashing in on an opportunity to grab international attention to herself and her book. I foresee speaking engagements (paid of course), book tours, and more media spotlight.
Slip on the tongue? Doubtful at best.

[sn]

I am really sick and tired of the african american voting trends being taken as a confirmation of Obama's "blackness." Bill Clinton won 92% of the african american votes in 1992 and 1996. Kerry won 89% of the african american votes in 2004. For a long time before the election, Hillary Clinton won the African American vote by over 10 points. In New Hampshire, the African American vote broke 60-40 in favor of Obama, roughly the same percentage as the youth vote. However, thanks to the racist baiting tactics of Hillary and Bill, the African American vote started breaking strongly in favor of Obama.

The 70-30 break of the white vote in Mississippi is quite misleading. Polls showed that the "Rush Limbaugh" effect in Mississippi republicans crossing over to vote in the democratic primary was about 12%. It is estimated that about 25% of Hillary voters were republicans (who in Mississippi are overwhelmingly white). If you remove the Rush effect, the break-up of the white vote is not that drastic in Hillary's favor. Unfortunately, the media has chosen not to report this and keep talking about the racial divide.

[DietrichMoody]

Insighful Post. Hillary was and is too tempted not to go this route, engage in these ploys. Winning Ugly - it is too tempting for her character. Now give her credit at exploiting this bad hand, as a campaigner when she is on the ground she consistently appeals to the the darker side of people. She know regions and she knew education levels, she knows regional insecurities, or at least her handlers do. Because how brilliant to engage in silly talk, pettiness, unproductive arguments and hearsay, at this stage of the Primary game when we should be talking about the bigger things like the economy and the war. She wants us to trust her with the future when she engages in the politics of the past.


But her ploys also show that her tactics are based in the Reagan Era rule book. You see it with her concentration on "Industrial States". Highlighting the fact that The Reagan Era is old, on its 28th year and has since, and her using it, shows her out of touch with the creative and progressive in the Democratic Party and the Country as a whole. What is more Reagan Era, than Geraldine Ferraro, in an official or public role in your campaign. If the contrast over the last few weeks have shown anything, it is in the contrast of women like Samantha Power, who speak their mind against fellow females and those like Geraldine, that still allow gender hangups of the 1980's, to dictate their careless talk.


However, don't think this "campaign ploy" on the part of Clinton is timed well, Pennsylvania or not. Although tempting, It was suppose to be, but in exercising her temptation, and her Achilles heel for power, Hillary sacrificed her appearance of showing clear, decisive, reasonable Democratic judgments. This is not the kind of Judgment you want answering the Country's phone at 3 a.m. She is also sacraficing her Good Will. I guess it was just too tempting for her. Obama, has left Hillary with a bad hand, her only choice is to Win Ugly, it's a Very Bad hand that will mercilessly magnify her deep Personal flaws.

[Silpat]

On one hand, she is being racially insensitive and on the other she is being strategically provocative. Ferraro is now taking advantage of the media blitz and racial tensions within the Democratic Party by blowing this situation out of proportion by trying to make it look like she (white woman) is beinging victimized by blacks. Not once did Obama say she was a racist, yet she still ties him in to what random online posters are saying with the intention of making him look like the ring leader.

To sum it up, Ferraro is trying to inflame racial tensions to a point to where white people in droves will drop their support from Obama and rally around Hillary. In view of her weak response to Ferraro's rants, Hillary is making it very clear -- she does not care about race relations with blacks or Democratic Party.

[Seral]

I do believe, if she targets something, she targets the opposite.

Meaning, she wants the African American voters to vote not using Obama's skin color as a reference. Instead she asks them to use the character of both candidates and their capabilities, as the main reference. If that happens, Obama's support will definitely lose some ground, because if the African American voters go with the typical 50+-% support for each candidate, then Clinton is supposed to become the winner. Isn't that right, considering the closeness of the votes each candidate has been awarded?

[realistxxx]

I don't know go ask the over 50 white women voting for her like Cubans voted for Castro.