You know the race is tight when campaigns stoop to the level of trotting out the lowest common denominator. In this case it is Geraldine Ferraro. Her comments have sparked a firestorm in the media and calls for Clinton to denounce her statements. I can't agree more. Ferraro's comments were nothing short of racist propaganda.A CNN article quotes Ferraro saying "If Obama was a white man, 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."
Her statements reduce Illinois Senator Barack Obama to just some black man who happened to wander into a presidential election and "the country is caught up in the concept." Her viewpoint is completely and utterly disrespectful of the position he holds as a United States Senator.
He didn't wander into the Senate off of the street - he was voted into the Senate by a
majority of voters. Not because he was black, but because he is an
intelligent, inspiring, caring, and extremely patriotic man. The
voters of Illinois and the voters across the United States see this.
However, Geraldine Ferraro sees only a lucky black man. It is shameful
that she was ever considered for the position of Vice President.
The CNN article continues on by quoting Ferraro saying that the press "has been uniquely hard on her [Hillary Clinton]. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her."
Well, BOO HOO. It's a campaign for the presidency of the United States, not the newest Survivor or Big Brother season. The American people expect the press to be hard on the candidates. Does Geraldine believe that Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-il, Dmitry Medvedev, or other World leaders will go easy on Hillary because she's a woman? Just ask Margaret Thatcher how easy World leaders were on her because she's a woman. Give me a break.
This all boils down to one thing - the Clinton campaign is panicked. Obama took more delegates in Texas and took Mississippi tonight. He is on the path to a considerable lead in pledged delegates. The only hope that the Clinton campaign has is to scare people into not voting for Obama. It is the typical tactic that old-school Democrats like Clinton and Ferraro use against Republicans, but now they have to roll those scare tactics out on a fellow Democratic Senator.
The bottom line for me is: I believe that the Clinton campaign should call Geraldine Ferraro's comments what they are - racist, repugnant, ignorant comments from a horribly racist time in the history of the United States. The Clinton campaign cannot afford to roll this year's campaign back to the scare tactics of the 1980's while Barack Obama is promising to lead the United States toward a bright future. That's a sure-fire way for her to lose the election - if she hasn't already...
Mark
The CNN article continues on by quoting Ferraro saying that the press "has been uniquely hard on her [Hillary Clinton]. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her."
Well, BOO HOO. It's a campaign for the presidency of the United States, not the newest Survivor or Big Brother season. The American people expect the press to be hard on the candidates. Does Geraldine believe that Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-il, Dmitry Medvedev, or other World leaders will go easy on Hillary because she's a woman? Just ask Margaret Thatcher how easy World leaders were on her because she's a woman. Give me a break.
This all boils down to one thing - the Clinton campaign is panicked. Obama took more delegates in Texas and took Mississippi tonight. He is on the path to a considerable lead in pledged delegates. The only hope that the Clinton campaign has is to scare people into not voting for Obama. It is the typical tactic that old-school Democrats like Clinton and Ferraro use against Republicans, but now they have to roll those scare tactics out on a fellow Democratic Senator.
The bottom line for me is: I believe that the Clinton campaign should call Geraldine Ferraro's comments what they are - racist, repugnant, ignorant comments from a horribly racist time in the history of the United States. The Clinton campaign cannot afford to roll this year's campaign back to the scare tactics of the 1980's while Barack Obama is promising to lead the United States toward a bright future. That's a sure-fire way for her to lose the election - if she hasn't already...
Mark
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