Geraldine Ferraro Calls Barack Obama The Affirmative Action Candidate
Wether Republican or Democrat, every American should be appalled by the brash accusations of Geraldine Ferraro. As one of the leaders of the Democratic party, and a superdelegate in the upcoming convention, Madeline Ferraro continues to disgrace her party each time she speaks. A few weeks ago I wrote about her opinion that the superdelegates were indeed “super”, as in superior to the other members of the party. On Friday an interview was printed in which Geraldine Ferraro basically dubbed Barack Obama as an affirmative action candidate, with nothing to offer other than his skin color.
“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.” Ferraro does not buy the notion of Obama as the great reconciler.
Wether or not Ferraro buys into the notion of Obama being the “great reconciler” is irrelevant to the fact that it is her opinion Obama is only successful because of his skin color. This type of identity politics has plagued the Democratic party and will continue to do so until it’s leaders focus on issues more than skin color or gender.
Regardless of Obama’s skin color, he is an eloquent speaker in the mold of Bill Clinton who has the power to excite a crowd. Mrs. Ferraro seems to believe that if it were not for his skin color however, Americans would not accept him as a serious candidate due to his lack of experience. She neglects the fact that Hillary Clinton suffers from the same shortfalls as Obama with that regard, as the majority of her “experience” stems from her being married to a successful politician, rather than being successful in her own right. Should we then assume that had Hillary Clinton not slept with the former President she would not be in the position she is in?
Wether we like it or not, this type of identity politics is with us to stay for the remainder of the primary season. As Ed Morrissey points out:
Ferraro and the Democrats can’t make a much better case for Hillary to be President than they can for Obama. That problem will remain with them regardless of which candidate eventually wins the nomination, and despite Ferraro’s protests, neither will win it on the strength of experience or on policy. The Democrats have gone all-in for identity politics at the expense of both, and Ferraro’s complaints ring very hollow indeed.
There is an old saying that beauty is only skin deep. For Democrats voting in this years primary, their choice is just as shallow.
UPDATE: Obama’s chief strategist has called for Clinton to drop Ferraro from her finance committee:
David Axelrod called on the New York senator to drop former New York Rep. Geraldine Ferraro from her finance committee. “When you wink and nod at offensive statements you’re really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes,”
Seems like a reasonable request considering how quickly Clinton was willing to drop Elliot Spitzer’s name from her list of endorsements.
UPDATE 2: Clinton responds:
“Well, I don’t agree with that and I think it’s important that we try to stay focused on issues that matter to the American people.”
“And both of us have had supporters and staff members who’ve gone over the line and we have to reign them in and try to keep this on the issues. There are big differences between us on the issues — let’s stay focused on that.”
With the exception of how quickly the two candidates wish to pull out of Iraq, I dont see any issues whatsover that they differ on, but maybe thats just me.
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If Geraldine Ferraro’s claim that Barack Obama is becoming the Democratic party’s 2008 Presiedntial candidate solely becuse of race, can we then safely conclude that Ms. Ferraro was named the Democratic party’s 1994 Vice-Presidential candidate solely because she is a woman? FOR SHAME, GERALDINE! YOUR BIAS IS SHOWING!
Kathryn,
It was 1984, not 1994, but your point is well recieved. Another question could also be wether or not Ferraro is only endorsing Clinton because she is a woman.
Women voted for her because she was a woman but not all women.
People are voting for Senator Clinton because she is a woman.
Other people are voting for her because she is qualified not because she is a woman.
Men are voting for Obama, Men are voting for Clinton, women are voting for Obama, women are voting for Clinton. Blacks are voting for Obama because he is black…and that is an indisputable fact. Blacks are voting for Clinton because she is a woman.
People are voting for Obama because he speaks well, even without ideas.
Others, blacks are voting for Obama because this is a golden opportunity to get a black man to be president, as he speaks well and pretends that once elected both the senate and house members will vote for him without reservation….
Other blacks are voting for Hillary because she is a woman,…and women have long waited for this opportunity and Hillary is a brilliant woman.
People: In public one must speak politically correct, one must not speak the truth
but only in private. What hypocracy. All of us will vote for who we want, for whatever reason persuades us.
We should just vote and keep it secret.
Kathryn–
Ferraro has said time and time again she would not have been the vice-presidential candidate if she were not a woman. You might have meant that as a rhetorical question, but the answer is yes. She realizes how slippery and shady politics are, and she commented on how people are treated differently. She thinks being a black man in this primary is a good thing, the Obama camp thinks it is a bad thing and has attacked anyone who even hints at the fact that Obama is half black. Must be the white half of him that is ashamed.
I totally agree with Geraldine. The Obama campaign twisted her comments. She has done so much for minorities. I find black racism against whites as much of an issue as the opposite.
to: Kathryn Nocerino
if youd read the background, or the whole articles of the subject,..you will notice that SHE DID SAY, if she wasnt a woman in 1984 she never would have been on the VP ticket. so,…you are shaming her for being bias,…yet she did do what you claim she didnt DO. I hope more people look deeper into what she actually said instead of just reading what the media puts out on her. again,..the media screws up and the american people suffer. you go FERRARO,…you people that think obama is clean of dirt just wait,…and where were all these “black voters” when we were trying to keep Bush OUT of office?? Kerry and Gore could have used them then,..but..hmm….whats the difference,…Obama,…Kerry,..Gore,…WELL,…I CAN TELL YOU ONE THING….its there skin color. Hell,..does anyone realize that only a fifth of white democrats are voting,…they are toobusy working hard, paying taxes, raising families, or old and immobile to get to the poles….but,..HMM…double, triple that number of blacks are racing to the poles….i guess as long as they arent waiting on the couch for their government aid check…literally now im serious,…they have nothing else better to do but make sure someone gets put in office that will be “for their best interest” yet, when the country needs them in other elections they are no where to be found. i guess they dont want to trouble themselves to support the democratic party and the future of this country as a whole….just when their interests are concerned.
My Dear Geraldine,
If you had been half so politically incorrect in 1984 I would have been hard pressed not to have voted for you. You are correct in stating that the reason you were selected as a vice presidential candidate was the fact that you were a woman. When we voted against you we were sexist pigs. Now if we question Obama’s friends, intentions, qualifications and associates we are racist. Don’t let the Whining Poor me’s beat you into submission and make you apologize for telling it like it is. In the final analisys the only thing that matters is that we ride hard, shoot straight, and always tell the truth. Much love and respect. Mike
Mark Springsteen,
Not all of us are sitting on a couch waiting for government assistance. A great many of us, myself included, have college degrees, professions (not just jobs), homes, and families. Your blanket statements are an all to sad indicator that it is indeed better to be thought of as a fool that to open your mouth and remove all doubt. As for Geraldine Ferraro I think her comments were fine until she said the “country is caught up in the concept”…that was offensive. I’m also now getting very annoyed with the fact that now she is trying to anger white voters with these “there attacking me because I’m white” comments and trying to play some kind of victim role. She misspoke and refuse to admit it, bottom line.
HEy Ron,
Now I never said ALL of them waiting on the couch,…just refering to “the ones” on the couch. Theres white trailer trash too. I cant tell if your waving the race stick….or the fact stick- and just viewed what i said wrong. you know as well as I do go to any urban corner bar or club and you will see a vast more blacks with a wad of drug cash…with no job,..driving caddys,..etc…or talk to rental property owners and hear their stories of 95% of their problems are blacks on housing,…running scams on their govt. aid checks by moving precisely in the middle of the month to collect two overlapping weeks of checks and when you try and right the wrong the county and state has no means of dealing with it b/c its technically not illegal apparently or they have better things to go after…like donuts or something i dont know b/c i see criminal activities from white and black day in and out. but damn. id vote for Bill Cosby almost before Barrack now,..i used to be a general fan of Obama as long as he got a little more experience say—in the VP spot for 4 years. and now that more facts unfold on Barrack like his church and typical white views…whats there to say about him now? its reverse racism,….He said the church issue wasnt worth discussion. in short order it didnt matter. brush it under the rug. but if hillary was going to a kkk supported church you better believe it wouldnt go under the rug. and dont say its different because Barracks pastor doesnt lynch and burn people. The pastor supports views that warp and misguide. It does not work for society it works against it. Our white parents views are dying. Whites have new views. We are glad to lay in our new bed WHERE everyone is repsonsible for themselves. That church there is not interested in equality but shaming whites and potentially approving of taking more than giving. And saying Geraldine Ferraro being the same as that effen pastor..when she made her career supporting minorities lol!? Then, Barrack, on the radio saying typical white person and how we act distant is a reaction to experience. your damn right it is. how would you react?? ive seen other blacks know when to avoid trouble. its smart when they do it but racist when whites do it?? wtf? when i watch the news, read the paper. what race is committing most of the random violent crimes? random as in against anyone. as in you could be walking towards them. as in the same vacinity. and what happens if i protect myself? i go to jail b/c i commited a crime by protecting myself! id get sued for poking his eye out. so you just avoid it all. Most educated non hateful clean blacks are completely different…they have something to loose as well as a good life to fight for. Id be proud to be a friend to a good black man. White trailer trash are pretty down and out and drugged up too…but you dont see them out running around shooting, robbing, etc,..and i suspect there is even more white trash simply because there are more whites in the population–BUT— for some reason crime is predominantly black. Why? because they are held back?? ya,..we are all held back in some regard. If you can do the job and do it right. your in. if not, you are unemployed or lazy end of story. there are alot of factories that are just concerned with output,..not looks/clothes. not everyone likes to fall into line. but everyone has legal options to make money–even hippies. but they dont complain. its there lifestyle and choice and they dont expect an extra handout. I cant get certain jobs. I dont have a degree. i didnt work hard enough in school to fight to finish. It holds me back. but i dont even go out there and blame my skin color. but thats not the way a significant amount of blacks think. so who plays the victim role? god id LOVE more blacks to be like the average guy down the street. He’s not a black friend. He’s just a friend. sometimes we can see them out. good quality blacks. But just like good whites,…they too stay in under the covers and sit on the couch watching t.v. after a hard days work. you just dont see them. you dont know they are there. but there arent too many of them. And sadly you have misread Ferraro. Obama is a good man,..or at least was until this typical white person/pastor ideals came out. What Ferraro meant at least what I believe she meant was —-the factor that put Barrack in the lead were the votes from blacks that never appeared in the booths before *cough*cough* b/c they were suddenly “interested” in politics…and the votes from voters who went with the Barrack flow of unity and peace which was sooo easy b/c back in the beginning he really did look like a good candidate and now we can not go back in time and find out what some of those voters would think NOW after hearing what his church says and his view on all whites are typical how they act towards blacks. I mean that is such a broad bias view. And what if Hillary was going to a KKK church? would that be a non debatable issue? LoL it all just stinks. Hillary is not only a good default candidate she is a hell of a woman and experienced senator/lawyer that has been in the worlds eyes for decades. Remember she is a defender of this country and when she voted yes for the war,…she was being lied to by the bush administration about CIA intelligence and didnt know they would be so foolish to go in so unprepared. You cant fault her for trying. And as far as Barrack goes…I see less blacks in general help out their fellow neighbor races that live in their own city( ex. volunteer, look out for other people in general, and get rid of the “all about me” attitude ),..im not surprised Obama voted no to go halfway across the world to save some middle easterns. i have never been helped out of s snowbank when i was stuck and asked for money by anyone other than blacks. point proven.
and Ron,….you maybe have written a fine reply,…even though I do not believe “a great many of us have degrees” just like I do not believe that statement when applied to any race…well other than asians LoL…But can you write a reply that explains any better why Barrack has such a surge of black voters and yet the majority of probable hillary voters has not spiked much? I am clearly saying,..the huge population of blacks that registered to vote were a vast majority that did it based on skin color of Barrack,..and did not have many responsiblities that day to interfere with voting. college educated like yourself likely were already registered to vote and had in the past. Barrack HAS people voting for his charm,…but its the color vote that got him past hillary. its unfair. its and uneducated vote. its a vote that revolves around IF you can get to the poll. whereas in illinois the polls closed at 7pm and commuters stuck in rush hour,…working white class, never made it to the polls. a sea of cars sitting still on the interstate not voting, as a sea of unemployed blacks that give nothing to society like the sea of cars….but they are allowed to rock the vote. Ron, as an educated black man, I take it,..do you really feel the urge to back Barrack after sitting at that church and commenting on typical white reactions and downgrading Ferrarro? Its a clear spin on the race card, doing to others what is said wrong if done to them. Ron, man, Id vote for YOU if there wasnt this simple bias. Its sooo short. the bridge is so short. we all know there is trash on both sides. i can hate white trash and its right b/c they are trash. you can hate white trash b/c they are trash–we wont tell you your racist. but i CAN NOT HATE black trash like you b/c its racist. thats bullshit. ask bill cosby. and the typical behavior to avoid crime and criminals is like a switch- like Obama said…but its built in to all humans. if you see behavior that is indicitive of criminals you will see responses that are typical in everyone. since there are more blacks with behavior that reminds everyone of criminals such as gang tattoos, hard slang and aggression,…you will see everyone not just whites reacting LIKE they have potential criminal backgrounds…what more do you need?
Mark
Whooo! That was a long one Mark. I appreciate your feelings mark but I would like to point out a couple of things. In Obama’s speech on race he highlighted something that many white Americans seem to or choose to overlook… The fact that we didn’t even have racial equality, legally, until just over 50 years ago…so for a hundred and fifty plus years blacks in America were not allowed to have equality financially, educationally, politically, or in the realm of employment. This created an existence bent on survival at any cost. Since this problem went on for generations, the anything to survive ideal was passed on to children, who passed it on to their children. Many wealthy whites have been wealthy for generations, blacks obviously not because generations ago we weren’t afforded the same opportunities to create wealth as white Americans. So the vast majority of African Americans remained poor. I thank God that Americans (most of whom were white) created affirmative action, an attempt to equal the playing field, this was created because it was obvious that blacks were being selectively held down, qualified or not. Since then many things have changed but the mindsets remain the same for many poor blacks, blacks who have never known anyway out of their circumstances as far back into their heritage as they can go. Your comparison of whites and blacks is like two guys running a marathon one who is in chains the other not. When the gun goes off the one who is not in chains starts running, the one who is in chains tries to run but is held back by the chains, an hour and a half later the chains are removed…the guy who has the hour and a half lead is now taunting the second runner saying everything is equal, how come your not where I am, you’re a man like me color is not an issue, there are no restraints how come your not running side by side with me… This is what your saying to African Americans; your free, there is nothing holding you back why aren’t you like me, lol, come on. Many like myself with educations (Degree in History from the University of Massachusetts) are trying hard to run and making gains, others are so dejected, discouraged and humiliated by distance they stop running, and this is where many blacks are today. Next lets look at something interesting about the Rev. Wrights comments, because even I sent an email to his church, chastising him for wayward comments lacking in wisdom and Godly love only to find out later, by someone who was smarter than me and most of America, that the comments he made about 911 were a direct quote from a white Ambassador… He was quoting an interview from fox news, the whole America’s chickens coming home to roost and all was said by a white man and Rev. Wright was denouncing these comments and urging his congregates to love…lol I know I felt stupid when I read the whole context…don’t you? This was simply an attempt by the media to do what they do best sensationalize and create fear. Now the best candidate in for president probably since JFK, is on the defensive. Obama is the best and brightest candidate out of the three, not because he is black, *cough**cough*, half black, half white, but simply because he is! He can bring this country back into harmony with itself and with the world. He is a true example of leadership, white, black, both, male, or female. To be honest at this point I really wish he weren’t black because then there would be nothing to stop him because we need him. Hillary will say anything, do anything… her only real experience is being the victimized wife of a former president. Her message has changed through out the tide of her campaign always based on how well Obama is doing, while his message has remained the same. I want a president who is going to defend our country because he loves it whether we have done good or bad, just like he defended his grandmother and Rev. Wright. Mark don’t let the media or skin color ruin a brighter future for you and your children. Vote Obama
Ron,
To use an old joke, do want you want some cheese to go with that whine?
Obama is the Affirmative Action candidate. We will never know how far he would have gotten if not for the quota system. Would he have the stamina to stay the course, if he hadn’t been given points or admitted to schools because of his skin color. Should he have gotten less points or consideration because he is 1/2 African American or should the fact that he is is mixed racially nullify any consideration under affirmative action?
What group of people ever came to this country and started with an advantage? Have we forgotten the signs of “No Irish Need Apply” Or the hardships the Chinese and Japanese endured when they came to this country.These people were never given anything, yet nmanaged to make something out of themselves.
Never in the course of U.S. history, has so much been given to so few, who’ve accomplished so little.
John D,
To use an old quote that applies so well to your response “It is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth (your keyboard in this case) and remove all doubt.” John like so many, your bitterness, hatred, or fear has you in a place where you purposely ignore the reality. You can NEVER compare African Americans to any other ethnicity when it comes to making something of themselves. There is not another group of people in this country who were brought here by force then deliberately and systematically held down…are you joking! You compare African Americans to the Irish, who came of their own free will, then changed their names to bypass “No Irish Need Apply”. Are you going to compare a small number of Chinese immigrants to the vast number of slaves and former slaves or are you really that ignorant to the circumstances? Do you really believe that we all started on an equal playing field is this your claim? Why haven’t the Native Americans made more of themselves, oh…sorry genocide. Why do you refuse to admit the truth. You say “never…has so much been given to so few, who’ve accomplished so little”, what a foul way to reuse Winston Churchill’s powerful statement, but really African Americans through slavery helped to build this country. After slavery African Americans, against all odds, developed inventions, participated in politics and made significant additions to American popular culture… We have accomplished so little. You my friend are far to jaded to even give credit for truth. Nothing is worse than the sighted being blinded by bias, hate, bigotry, or fear. I will pray for you John, that if you don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ you will experience his Amazing Grace.
God Bless You