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

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Comments

[austinobserver]

If Hillary thought she could win the nomination by donning a white hood, she would grab the nearest white sheet so fast and start cutting out eye-holes it would make your head spin.

[presto]

Why is it okay for you to say things like that?

[joe757]

"If Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race," Geraldine Ferraro - April 15, 1988

"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." Geraldine Ferraro - March 2008

Hillary '08 - Taking American Backwards!

[RButler]

Here's THE LIST. Words and phrases you cannot say. Memorize it.

'lucky' Ferraro used it.

'clean' Biden caught hell for using it.

'articulate' again a no-no

'fairy tale' Bill Clinton's mistake

'Jesse Jackson won SC in '84 and 88' another Clinton whopper

'niggardly' sounds like

'LBJ'

'3:00 AM' whatever. It scares some people

'the word that begins with the letter N also known as the 'N' word'. It's OK for some people to use it

'a person's middle name' but you can use a middle initial such as 'W'

This is only a partial list. You can add to it but it's more effective if you list a word AFTER it's been spoken so as to cause the most upset.

The above is the banned list. It's OK to call some people 'bitch', 'witch' or 'monster' however. Well, actually, only one specific person. If you called Michelle any of those names, you can kiss you butt goodbye.

If a certain person becomes president, this list will probably number in the hundreds of words, maybe by executive order. Be prepared.

'

[kingfishstew]

Man, think if you'd only been born black. Then you'd be like a God!

[StillAmused]

Small detail: Ferraro didn't say Barack Obama is "lucky" to be Black. She said "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."


It's sadly entertaining, watching TV yammerers like Chris Matthews (and many from whom we'd expect more) literally spend twenty minutes dissecting the racial factor in the primaries from every conceivable angle, virtually beating it to death... then, casually drop a snotty aside about how Bill Clinton (or the Clinton campaign) has "injected" race into the contest.


The press, it appears, is no more averse than many of the screamers on these pages to cherry-picking comments, out of context, then waving the bloody shirt.


Here's what Ferraro said, in context:


"I think what America feels about a woman becoming president takes a very secondary place to Obama's campaign -- to a kind of campaign that it would be hard for anyone to run against," she said. "For one thing, you have the press, which has been uniquely hard on her. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign.


"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," she continued. "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."


Not the best choice of words, but it's hard to disagree..­. especially since she's subsequently stated, "If in 1984 my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would never have been the nominee for V.P."


Similarly, Bill Clinton's comment in South Carolina regarding Jesse Jackson's earlier presidential bid came at the end of a lengthy exchange with reporters, during which THEY pressed him on the historical role of race in the state's politics (attested to by Rep. Kendrick Meek [D, FL], himself African-American, who witnessed the exchange).­.. but the Jackson quote was airlifted, in isolation, from that lengthy conversation and spun with abandon by the press and Obama partisans.


If surgeons exhibited this level of critical thinking, half the population would be hobbling on one leg, the other amputated based on an original complaint of a sprained ankle.

[kingfishstew]

And you conducted an experiment proving this, I assume. Can I see your control reality, the realities where you changed Barack's race and / or gender to see how far he got? I'm not sure you paper is going to with stand peer review. Doesn't even seem to be highs-school level work, to tell the truth.

[shoveler666]

THANK you for this reasoned parsing of the general out-of-context, reductio-a­d-absurdum sound bites.

At the risk of further knocking off the chips that are poised on SO many shoulders: Barack Obama self-identifies as a Black person, as is his right. However, factually, he is of mixed race. By the simple fact that he has chosen to self-identify as Black, rather than of mixed heritage, he has ipso facto made his self-identified race a component of his persona, profile, character, resume, etc. etc.

Geraldine, ham-fisted as her words might have been, was only responding to a question put to her. She did not define Obama, he has defined himself.

[kingfishstew]

Well, it's a bit hard to say that 'Obama' defined himself, all things being equal. In identifying himself as black, he's simply showing an affinity for four centuries of the American tradition of labeling people of mixed white-black heritage black. In fact, when he was born, there were states that would have forbidden him to classify himself any other way.

I

[MyNameIsJames]

Hey 666 - When Barack Obama was born he would have been listed as black because of his skin color. Why are whites so sensitive about how Blacks react to the Bull Shit that White America created in order maintain an advantageous position for so many years. When Obama was born there was not a nice little "mixed race" box that his mommy could have checked to indicate that he was not a NEGRO. Get your head out of the sand and face reality.

[jdkjdk]

"If in 1984 my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would never have been the nominee for V.P."

Except this isn't true. If she had said "If in 1984 my name was Geraldine Ferrier instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would never have been the nominee for V.P."

Mondale first choice was Mario Cuomo who turned it down. The campaign wanted a catholic, preferably an Italian Catholic because they are slightly more Republican.

That Obama might the first darker hued american is less notable that he'd be the first american with a non silent vowel on the end of his name to be elected president (Ok, Monroe is the exception that proves the rule and I guess "y" is sometimes a vowel so Kennedy was a first so long as he promised not to listen to the Pope).

[presto]

Yes, thank you. But you'd better duck. Reason does not go over well here.

[greejambri]

you're spinning so much that you'd better sit down before you fall over from dizziness.

[StillAmused]

Lisa Loopner?

Is that you?

[Sunny]

From NEXIS: The Associated Press April 14, 1988, Thursday, AM cycle Ferraro: Jackson Won't Be Democratic Nominee LENGTH: 192 words DATELINE: AMHERST, N.Y. Former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro says Jesse Jackson won't be the party's presidential nominee and wouldn't be in the race if he were white. Speaking Wednesday at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Ferraro credited Jackson for "grabbing the imagination of the public" and said he is "telling people the things we want to hear, but he won't be able to deliver what he is promising.­"

[kingfishstew]

What a coincidence, she tried to stand in the way of President Jackson's meteoric rise to the White House on the back of his blackness as well. She really needs to get over it. Once a black man declares he's running for president, there's nothing you can do to stop him. Whites are just race traitors, after all, and women sex traitors.

[Pantelleria01]

You know, just because you all are saying something does not mean anything happened. The reactions here seem rather shrill. This young man, how does he know that "certain lower income white people" are Clinton's biggest supporters­"...this is an unqualified statement at the least, and very immature. This article sound like it was written by a little boy who wants to be taken for a grown up. there is a kind of rabid screeching in most of these blogs that makes it hard to take what any of you have to say very seriously. I am not defending the actions of Ferraro. I am wondering what kind of reactionary and clumsy clown show all these shrill and hysterical blogs seems to represent. Where are you going and what are you doing? I started with this article then read all the blogs on this subject gathered here and there is not a gram of good journalism in the whole package. Name calling met with name calling, racism met with bigotry, foolishness met with downright ignorance. Who are you people? Where are you going?

[belicheat]

Hey rocket scientist, look at the demographics of the exit polls from nearly every race this primary season. Clinton consistently carries non-college educated / less than 50k income whites with better than a 60/40 split. Those would be "certain lower income white people." Try reading something sometime, you might learn a thing or two.

[rachaelisacancer]

Try reading between the lines and you could learn a thing or two as well.

This blog suggests that "lower-income white people" are racist and Clinton is using that to her advantage. So all poor white people are racist? That's just about like saying all college-educated blacks are racist.

Who voted for who again?

[bcapple]

I am a yellow dog democrat but if Ms Clinton and her campaign do not stop this mud slinging, I will not vote for her if she wins the presidential nomination

[AuntSam]

I'm curious - For all of us that are so outraged and yelling FOUL - how many have contacted the DNC, MSM outlets, et al.?
When the Tennessee Republican Party put out those horrid remarks and website postings, I (a registered Independent white professional woman) sent emails to McCain, RNC and Tennessee Republican Headquarters. (As did many others.)
For those, whether Republican, Independent or Democrat, who believe these type of remarks to be destructive to our whole electoral process and country, send those emails now. Be respectful and factual, otherwise the message will not have needed impact.
To quote Ms. Clinton, "Shame on you," Geraldine, Hillary and Maggie (and all who endorse and enable this type of rhetoric.)

[jamaicamama]

I hope that this analysis will make its way to the cable pundits. The Clinton campaign has a racial subtext that is disgusting. An Obama surrogate needs to deal with this.
This is a tactical ploy that Clinton's campaign is exploiting.

[Wigan]

Whether Ms. Ferraro's comments were part of the Clinton's strategy or just venting anger because her candidate is losing, they are very distressing and depressing to hear because they reveal that the apparent commitment of Ferraro and Clinton and people of their ilk to racial equality was insincere. If a minority person stands between them and their goal they are as likely as any red-neck to resort to race baiting. The only difference between the Ferraros and Clintons and red-necks is the veneer over their racism and veneer comes off when push comes to shove.

[kingfishstew]

True. It's like claiming you're comitted to help the handicap live better lives, but oh no, if a Max Clevland is ahead of you in the polls, suddenly people are only voting for him because they feel sorry for him, and if he could walk, he'd never have made it this far!

Really, according to Geraldine the only people we should ever vote for are white men. Any thing else is probably tainted by some sort of mass guilt trip.

[AnninCA]

Well, I so disagree with you, but at least you admit that Ferraro is speaking for herself.

[xenofile]

Seeing what you want to see again?
She "admitted" no such thing. She simply sidestepped that question.

[Bocababs]

Answer: Campaign Ploy....th­is Hillary Campaign..­..they say it...then they back peddle furiously.­...and then, they say it again in another setting a week later.

[bluecash]

I say to Obama, maybe it's time to rehire Samantha Power back as an advisor. After all, if Hillary can keep her staff after such controversy, Obama should be able to keep his.

[AnninCA]

You apparently have no idea about campaigns and staff. Ferraro is nothing more than a fund-raiser.

She has the title of "finance campaign."

But what that amounts to is that she raised money.

She'd do it for Obama, too. Except he's angered her.

[anonhuffpostcommentator]

Oh, she won't do the patently right thing because he's "angered her"? What a great characteristic for a potential Chief Executive. Sounds more like a high schooler. I never thought so before, but maybe women aren't cut out for that kind of responsibility. I don't think that's the case, but, if you say so........­..........­..

[presto]

Power went out in a blaze of monster talk but, in fact, Obama would be a fool to take her back and I'm sure he knows it. I doubt he cares at all what she said about Hillary. Power recklessly and stupidly laid bare the Canadian NAFTA brouhaha and told the BBC Obama would probably not stick with the Iraq plan he was campaigning so vigorously on. She was rightly fired. That was a rookie mistake, but unforgivable nonetheless. The candidate's message is sacred.

[mounthoodliberal]

Ferraro is acting like Mel Gibson with his anti Semitism after his traffic stop, as her comments are digging her in deeper and deeper into the pit of racism. While Mel's was fueled by alcohol, Ferraro's tirade was not......*­as far as I know*

[Dyogenes]

Geraldine is the proverbial pot calling the kettle black--npi!

If there were ever a candidate cut-out, stripped from identity politics, it is Geraldine Ferraro. Anyone growing up in the PC affirmative action days knows that black men along with white men got discounted Big Time! Black men were especially disadvantaged because they had Never had the preferences enjoyed by white men, especially WASP men. Her comments says a lot more about her, and Hillary's feminine mystique than they could ever say about Barack Obama and all that he has achieved--without the handouts and entitlements granted Geraldine and Hillary. What moxie!

If you saw Howard Fineman After he talked with several Clinton campaign officials late yesterday, you have to wonder if this is another tactical stink bomb from Hillary and her Kitchen Sink. Prey God, let it be over soon.

[Tankan]

When you do something by accident, the gracious reaction would be to apologize!

Geraldine Ferraro has refused to apologize, so, what she said was no accident!

In my view, her rhetoric was stealth racism, on both occasions!

It should forewarn the American white population that the Clinton campaign see them as potential racist material, to be manipulated by words of hatred for personal advantage!

[OliveAndBlack]

STEALTH racism? No, this is RACISM pure and simple.

[AnninCA]

Nor will she. She said nothing racist.

Bill Clinton bit the bullet because of Hillary's campaign.

But Ferraro sure doesn't have to.

[xenofile]

Ann, they ought to put you on the payroll, too!