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Hey, Did You Hear Barack Obama Is Black?
As you know, Geraldine Ferraro went and expounded on her original comments on race and gender by making them worse. But you may not know that she went on TV this morning, ignoring my advice ("go away!"), and continued her insanity.
Clearly the Clinton campaign hasn't told Ferraro to stay quiet; to the contrary, it is trotting her out. So, screw it, I'm posting this:
An emailer writes in with an excellent summary of the Ferraro situation:
Seems to me she probably made the original comment off the top of her head, but [the Clinton campaign] made a very cynical short-term political calculation that among the white voters of Pennsylvania painting Obama as a whiny affirmative action case who's constantly "playing the race card" and is racist against whites(!) is in their best interest. Maybe they're right! But you know what, after Mississippi yesterday, Obama has a /bigger/ delegate lead (161) than he had before March 4th. Which means in the last week and a half, while HRC has been "winning" the narrative, she's lost ground in the nomination battle.
Comments
Mr. Stein, you are a monster.
Obama's own achievements have brought him to this moment. He fights a candidate whose vast name recognition - without which her 1st NY Senatorial race would have been unthinkable - came from marriage to a famous husband. Indeed, she still cites "First Lady" as a foreign policy credential. Is this a feminist achievement?
How ironic that Ferraro would suggest Obama was in a place he hadn't earned!
Posted by: Monte Asbury on 03/12/08 at 11:08 AM Respond
She not only "lost ground" because he gained more delegates, but also because there are now several hundred less delegates available for her to catch up. The vote percentage that she must win in the remaining contests just went up again.
Posted by: converse on 03/12/08 at 12:57 PM Respond
Geraldine is right, if Obama was a white man, the race would be over -- and he would be the nominee!! Instead, the Clintons are running on fumes by playing the race card and using scare tactics.
Posted by: Kate on 03/12/08 at 1:14 PM Respond
Kate, you have no apparent powers of analysis. Ferraro is finally saying publically what millions have been saying privately. And, MOJO have you not noticed that HRC supporters have nearly abandoned your blogs because the cultish Obamans can only attack and not discuss?
Posted by: sage on 03/12/08 at 1:41 PM Respond
sage
Ferraro is engaging in dangerous counterfactuals... if Clinton were not the President's wife, where would she be? If Clinton were a man, who would be winning? What if Obama were a woman with all the same skills and credentials? If John Edwards had been black, how would things be different? What if John McCain had not been a POW for 5 years but a "mere veteran" like Kerry - would he have won the nomination? What if Powers had not called Clinton a "monster"? What if Clinton had not cried the day before the NH primary? What if there were less racists in this country? What if Limbaugh had not said "go vote for Hillary"? What if Clinton had pointed out that Edwards won South Carolina in 2004 rather than digging up an antiquated reference to Jackson's wins 24 years earlier? The speculation goes on and on.
What is Ferraro's point - other than to appeal to some sense of white victimhood? What is your point in defending her? So many people in the last 48 hours have said that what she said was "true" - there is no such thing as a true counterfactual ... by their very nature such counterfactuals are neither true nor false, but mere opinions. I bet if John McCain had not been a POW for 5 years, Obama had gone to Yale instead of Harvard, and Hillary had passed the DC bar, the 2008 race would have been totally different... but who cares except science fiction writers?
Posted by: Salty1 on 03/12/08 at 1:59 PM Respond
This is NOT the first time Gerraldo has made the exact same comment. Last time against another Black candidate.
See a link here
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0308/A_Ferraro_flashback.html
If her candidate was ahead, the world would be a happy place for her.
Posted by: augustus on 03/12/08 at 2:11 PM Respond
one of the reasons "millions" of people are saying it is because we can't seem to get beyond race in this country. somehow, ferraro feels the need to continue to push race as a dominant, if not the dominant, aspect of identity. obama's education, professional career, fund-raising, oratory skill, and all the rest of it are secondary to his race, huh? my goodness, and he's so well spoken for a black man! and that hillary, for a woman, she's really smart! better?
Posted by: nmc on 03/12/08 at 2:38 PM Respond
Lori Bergfeld
race shouldn't be a factor, but didn't Ms. Obama invoke it when she said "this is the first time i've been proud of my country......"
Posted by: Lori Bergfeld on 03/12/08 at 3:38 PM Respond
Calling Obama "lucky," well, that was ill-conceived, and mabye Ferraro had ulterior motives (love that video). Still, why is it so outlandish that Obama's race might have helped him get to where he is in this primary? I went to an Obama house party where a bunch of mostly white Berkeley liberals talked about how important it was for them that their kids be able to see a face in the White House that was more reflective of America, in other words, not another white man. Ferraro walked into a minefield by broaching this subject, but c'mon, is there no truth to it? I voted for Obama partly because he's smart and likeable, and a great speaker, but I also think having someone of color in power sends the right message for this country and the world, and that most certainly factored into my decision. I feel the same way about having a woman in charge, but I've got other issues with Hillary. I really don't know which one would be more effective as Prez. That we may never know. But would a white Obama, given his lack of experience, be the frontrunner now? It's conceivable, perhaps, but how can all these folks who are calling Ferraro a racist completely dismiss the possibility that Obama's race has helped generate public excitement for his campaign, among young people, blacks, and liberal whites who have been yearning for the right person to come along to fulfil that dream? Seems like denial to me.
Posted by: Mike Mechanic on 03/12/08 at 3:46 PM Respond
Race has nothing to do with it. Bottom line, Obama's oratorical skills, keen intellect, education, grassroots and political achievements and his ability to "connect" with people of all ethnicities and walks of life, make him a force to reckon with. It takes a certain caliber of a person, a special someone with a special something who can stir and motivate the masses to become active in the political process or to take notice and listen. Obama has a "gift" that few possess, which has nothing to do with race, creed, color, or gender.
Posted by: G.E.M. on 03/12/08 at 4:42 PM Respond
And doesn't Senator Obama invoke it when he gives his speech about "bamboozle and hoodwink"? No attribution to Malcolm X included. Could there be a reason for that too?
Posted by: SadButTrue on 03/12/08 at 5:04 PM Respond
Every black is voting for him no matter how stupid he is and inexperienced in politics. It's their revenge!
Posted by: Justin on 03/12/08 at 5:25 PM Respond
Obama is not black! He is half black and half white. It is time you and all others get rid of this stupid way of labelling people. How can a white mother give birth to a 100% black child? It is rediculous and pathetic to reason that way. If he parades as being black and claims that he loves his mother and nonblack sister, how does he view his mother? Does he reject her and his grand parents. The terrible thing is that blacks who are not of mixed heritage prefer to have all other deny their genetic heritage and anglos are ony too happy to accommodate that because they give in to the 1% theory...if yu are not 100% white then you are otherwise. Obama will get my vote when he comes to term with his heritage and acknowledge that he is proud of being who he is, a man with an african father and a white mother.
Posted by: Eustace Sheppard on 03/12/08 at 6:04 PM Respond
Kate, you are right on. If Kerry or Gore had the message of hope and reasoned progress that Obama is bringing to the "white" house they could have defeated Bush and all his minions and puppetmasters. More than even his message, Barack will be a great president (the 1st such in a long while) because of who he is: a decent person. Looking forward to January '09.
Posted by: Nathan on 03/12/08 at 6:38 PM Respond
I agree with G Farraro. I know lots of people who agree with her. Nobody wants to come out and say it though. See what happened to her.
Posted by: Joanne on 03/12/08 at 6:44 PM Respond
You need to finish that sentence so I can connect the dots. Did she say she was proud of her country because her husband is a Black man running for president? Or did you just infer that was what she meant?
Posted by: dede on 03/12/08 at 8:11 PM Respond
Justin which stupid White person will you be voting for? Obama has been an elected official longer than Hillary, he was the president of the Harvard Law Review, and he has been a community activist. Tell me which of those things makes him either stupid or inexperienced?
Posted by: dede on 03/12/08 at 8:16 PM Respond
My first comment was for Lori B.
Posted by: dede on 03/12/08 at 8:18 PM Respond
For Ferraro to say that, is not only dangerous to Hilary's campaign, but is also dangeous to the Democrats as a whole. If blacks, hell all minorities don't feel like they own suppsoed party is backing them up, they may just not vote.
Posted by: Paul on 03/12/08 at 8:55 PM Respond
Kate and Nathan you are 100% correct. I used to have some respect for Hillary Clinton, but after the past two weeks that is long gone.
Posted by: Brett on 03/12/08 at 9:19 PM Respond
Please try to appreciate that it is this moment in history that has chosen Obama - he represents something people have longed for - a decent President who was once a "skinny kid with a funny name".
Posted by: Proudofmycountry on 03/13/08 at 1:42 PM Respond
Memo to my fellow Democrats:
Dump the Clinton’s-- NOW!
Every Democratic Party platform embraces tolerance and embraces diversity and eschews racism and bigotry. Senator Barack Obama has been the victim of vicious, hateful, racist, religiously bigoted email and whisper campaigns. Senator Clinton’s campaign has on multiple occasions aided and abetted this attack. Several Clinton campaign officials, including Bill Clinton, have attempted to malign Obama’s reputation. When given a chance to 'reject and denounce' the hateful email campaign, Senator Clinton qualified her response (“not that I know of”) just enough to stoke the suspicions of those who stand gullibly ready to believe the email slander.
Senator Clinton compounded the insult and injury by effectively endorsing John McCain over Barack Obama. Beyond making a great attack ad for the GOP, she has eliminated her own ability to campaign for Senator Obama when he becomes the Democratic nominee.
While it is clear that Republicans have voted for both Clinton and Obama, it is also clear that the Republicans who votedfor Obama will return to vote for him in November. Those who voted for Clinton will not.
So, is there any principle the Democratic Party loves more than it loves the Clintons? What does the Democratic Party stand for?
Decision time Democrats: Hope for Change with Obama or keep rolling in the mud with the Clintons.
**************************************************************************
A petition made by Obama supporters to be sent to the DNC
stating that if Senator Clinton becomes the Democratic Nominee for
the presidential election, you will either:
a) abstain from voting in the general election
or
b) a third-party-candidate during the general election.
Here's the link: http://www.petitiononline.com/obama725/petition.html
Posted by: Garry Sisco on 03/13/08 at 7:08 PM Respond
There is a point (one which Obama has demonstrated he is aware of), at which the monied air in Washington overwhelms an office-holder's better sense, and transforms them into a politician, who will adjust their moral stances to accommodate and (critically), to EXPLOIT what they perceive the voting public's sentiments to be. Such a politician then starts to play the public's sentiments like an instrument, in order to further their agenda. Once a politician decides that his/her priorities are more important that an honest fealty to the public, and that political expedience trumps mere moral standards, that politician can no longer be trusted, or even expected, to pursue the public's best interests.
Obama is still tracking the higher moral sentiments of the citizenry, because they are similar to his own personal standards. I think he'll get farther down the road to a truly moral presidency than Hillary Rodham Clinton can, because she's already far down the road to media-populism.
Clinton no longer (if she ever did) sticks with a moral position, if it battles with her pragmatic political sense. Her support of momentary-advantage ploys, such as the fictional RedPhone@3AM meme, shows that it's all about the vote margin, to her. If Ferraro gets her a rise in the polls, that's all that matters. She may think that such a small betrayal of the public trust is justifiable in a larger context, but the fact is, she will continue to operate this way, so long as she thinks it works. Which will be as long as she's in politics, because she now credits indicators that say she's "ahead," rather than those that would tell her that her credibility is taking major hits; that her moral standing is so shaky it's shot.
Don't expect Clinton to wake up; she's as much a victim of her chosen media, as Bush's "core" is.
------
Kill your TV.
Posted by: Dan Mortenson on 03/13/08 at 8:20 PM Respond
Gary Cisco, I signed the petition. Up until a couple of months ago, I would say to people, 'I preferred Edwards but with him out of the picture, I think Obama and Hillary are both capable.' Then I began to study closer and just as I was noting Barack's keen mind, the barage of underhanded Clinton attacks and whisper campaigns began. Now if Clinton were the candidate, it would be such a discouraging thing to vote at all. I'm tired of the suggestion that only monsters can make it [Hillary is the only one tough enough to stand against McCain and Bologna like that], that people with ideas and ideals cannot. My vote goes for values and convictions and a steady, contemplative intelligence - Obama. Thanks, Hillary, for revealing what a piece of crap you really are. Funny I wasted so many years defending you and Bill.
Posted by: Paul Miller on 03/13/08 at 9:53 PM Respond
why do people think obama is black?
only a racist would think he is black, considering he is 50% african american and 50% white. Why wouldn't half the people think he was white or something along that line?
and yes im sorry but his black freinds are thinking like racists too.
the biggest anti/black racist party is the one who never passed a single piece of major legislation to help blacks in their 160 year history.
tally up the votes on civil rights 1965
voters rights 1966
affirmative action 1973
its seems only republicans have taken the effort to help blacks in the last 160 years.
explain why the republican party is demonized as racists ?
as a hard core 4th generation republican.. i think obama is kinda "american" colored.
now you know why im not successful in politics. lol
Posted by: ted on 03/20/08 at 12:46 AM Respond
[...]source here[...]
Posted by: battery on 06/15/08 at 8:54 PM Respond
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Posted by: Ricardo Sanchez on 03/12/08 at 9:45 AM Respond