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Geraldine Ferraro Needs a Mirror |
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The latest comments by Former Representative, Former Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate, Former Senate candidate, Former CNN pundit and current Hillary Clinton fundraiser, Geraldine Ferraro, has minimized the accomplishments of the Barack Obama campaign. In an interview with a small California newspaper, Ferraro said:
“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.”
Set aside for a moment whether there is any accuracy in that statement, and consider the one making the argument. Geraldine Ferraro caused a stir 24 years ago when she was named to the Democratic ticket by Walter Mondale. The reason she was on the ticket? Her gender. Then-Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, said that a woman should join Mondale on the ticket and that woman should be Geraldine Ferraro. Part of the political equation at the time was the tough fight the Democrats knew they would have on their hands. Ronald Reagan was rather popular in the country at that time, the country had emerged from a recession and inflation had been cut considerably. The Democrats knew they had to do something to shake up the dynamics of the race, and the selection of the first woman on a major party ticket did do so – for a short time.
The issue of Ferraro’s husband’s finances came up shortly after the convention. Interestingly enough it involved the release of federal tax returns – her husband refused to allow their returns to be made public. Ferraro had to withstand a long, nationally televised news conference to answer questions about her family’s finances, and while she did well, the shine had worn off her candidacy. I think it is fair to say that if Ferraro were a white man from New York she would not have been in that position. And if she had been an African American of either gender in 1984, she would not have been in that position. Was she merely lucky? Well in a Time Magazine article published while she was being considered for the VP spot, she answers many questions that could apply to Obama:
“Gerri passes all the tests,” says Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly, a Connecticut Democrat. “She is photogenic, she is bright, she has worked, she has brought up children, she is the right age.” But is she qualified to be Vice President? Ferraro is the first to admit that she is being considered mainly because of her gender, not her qualifications. But she adds, “If I weren’t capable of doing the job, I wouldn’t be talked about.” Naysayers bemoan her lack of expertise in arms control and foreign policy. Ferraro feels the Budget Committee has been a crash course on the economy (”I can debate that with anyone”), and working on the Democratic platform has refined her views on other domestic issues. A trip this year to Central America produced strong doubts about U.S. policy there (”We’re just going about it all wrong”), and she returned from the Middle East with her pro-Israel views reinforced.
Both Women and African Americans have claimed at times that they must do well above average just to be considered equal in the worlds of business and politics by the white men who control the levers of power. I am sure Ferraro passed those tests at the time, and Obama passes them today.
This isn’t the only issue in which Ferraro failed to examine her past objectively when it comes to this campaign. A couple of weeks ago she published an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times defending the role of Superdelegates at the convention, noting she was on the commission that created them back before the 1984 election. She stated that the superdelegates were intended to unite the party by bringing in party officials:
These superdelegates, we reasoned, are the party’s leaders. They are the ones who can bring together the most liberal members of our party with the most conservative and reach accommodation. They would help write the platform. They would determine if a delegate should be seated. They would help determine the rules. And having done so, they would have no excuse to walk away from the party or its presidential nominee.
It worked. In 1984 I headed the party’s platform committee. We produced the longest platform in Democratic history, a document that stated the party’s principles in broad terms that neither the most liberal nor the most conservative elected officials would denounce. It generated no fights at the convention. It was a document that no one would walk away from. We lost in 1984, big time. But that loss had nothing to do with Democratic Party infighting.
But the truth is the 1984 example does illustrate the problem of superdelegates. Much like what is expected to occur this cycle, neither Walter Mondale nor Gary Hart had a majority of delegates from the primary and caucus process. In fact, Hart had won more contests than Mondale, 16 to 10, and just barely got fewer popular votes. He also won more states at the end of the process going on a winning streak. However, Mondale had locked up most of the superdelegates before the primary process even started giving Hart an incredible disadvantage before the race had even been run. While I doubt Hart would have beaten Reagan in 1984, a strong case can be made that he would have won more than the one state (Mass.) and DC that Mondale-Ferraro won, giving help to down-ticket candidates.
It is clear that the superdelegate system harmed the party in 1984. But Ferraro, once again, does not clearly see her own past when it comes to the current situation. I would suggest that she invest in a new mirror so she can take a closer look.
I have a vague memory that GF started her life in politics trying to get people to block the integration of her local school district. Any truth to this?
Andie,
I vaguely remember this too. My mother was furious when Mondale named Ferraro to his ticket because she distinctly remembered Ferraro standing in front of the school refusing to allow it to be integrated. Unfortunately, my mother is dead now so I can’t ask her the year, place, etc. But we do share the same memories. If I find any evidence, I’ll forward it to this blog.
One of the reasons why Barack Obama said the Republicans had the big ideas in the 1980’s is because Democrats had so many small-minded leaders, like Geraldine Ferraro, at the head of their party.
Geraldine Ferraro is currently fighting cancer, and I wish her no ill-will in her fight. Perhaps it’s time for her to step down from public life and concentrate on her health and family. Anyone who can make such a misleading statement: “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position%u2026 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.” This is a politician who is truly out of touch with today, cancer drug influenced, or racists. Since she has cried fowl to being labeled a racists, perhaps the drugs she is taking to fight her cancer have damaged her good judgement, and common sense. At the very least she is not someone who should hold an office. The Democratic Party will fair far better with her out of the picture. Stay home Geraldine Ferraro, and fight the fight for your life, and stop the devisive and derrogotory comments. It is apparent that it is not the time for you to make public appearances or speeches.
BTW, I have to say, this is really a bizarre poll you have up on this site. WTF is your orientation? If you had space for three more candidates, would you pick your neighbors? Anyone, as long as it wasn’t Barack Obama?
Just looking at possible matchups. See previous polls here: http://www.theseminal.com/pollsarchive/
I think she is reflecting what a lot of Hillary’s primary demo are so frustrated about. They can’t figure ou/ hate how Obama’s message and charisma are affecting voters. Save the racism, she sounds very much like my mom.
Ms. Ferraro really showed herself today on GMA. She seems to have feelings of inadequacies that she is transferring over to Obama. Just because Mondale picked Ferraro as a showpiece VP she infers that Obama must also be allowed to run for the same reason. The more she tried to explain her context, the worse she sounded. She is nothing but a bully and her brand of politics is exactly what divides this country and exactly what we, the American people, said we are tired of. The more I hear from Clinton supporters like her the more sure I am to vote for Obama.
If anybody thinks that any of the candidates running for the President of the United States is white is a joke.
Hillary Clinton has publicly admitted that she has Jewish roots. She is also an honorary Jew. She converted to Methodist and her church supports Israel.
Bill Clinton has Jewish roots.
John McCain roots is Irish and John McCains wife roots is Jewish.
Rush Limbaugh’s wife is Jewish.
John Lieberman that endorsed John McCain is also Jewish
Monica Lewinsky has Jewish roots.
Eliot Spitzer has Jewish roots.
The only candidate with fifty percent pure white blood running through his veins is Barack Obama mixed with African blood.
Geraldine is a joke. She forgot that when she ran for the Vice President of the USA with Walter Mondale that she received 91% of black votes! This is how she thanks blacks for voting for her?
People with Jewish roots are not white. People with Italian roots are not white. People with Irish roots are not white, they are all mixed up.
I think we should be concerned about the dwindling white race population because there are too many fakes pretending to be white while they know that they are not.
If John McCain wins or Hillary Clinton wins, where is the protection for America? How are we guaranteed that Israelis will not be hijacking American’s foreign policy? When will America be free from making enemies of the Israelis our enemies? When will the money that USA have be spent on defending and protecting Americans instead of Israelis alone?
Washington Watch: John McCain and the Jewish vote
If Sen. Barak Obama is the Democratic standard bearer look for right-wing Jews to step up their hate campaign against him and efforts to brand him the Muslim Manchurian candidate.
Jerusalem Post - February 5, 2008
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FSh owFull&cid=1202211060463
I’m not sure why we should be striving to elect a “white” president, if that’s what you’re getting at.
I just barely approved this comment. Hate and bigotry is not acceptable here. If you have something substantive to add to the discussion, be my guest. Otherwise, please take it elsewhere.
Ms. Ferraro,
I am terribly disappointed. Your recent suggestion that Mr. Obamas%u2019 success happened only because he is black is especially painful. To think that being black in America is a lucky thing strikes me as being inconsiderate.
I am a black person born the same year as Mr. Obamas%u2019 wife 1964, and I can tell you there was no time in my life being black a lucky thing, or are you unaware of the sad and continuing legacy of American race relations. You disregard Mr. Obamas%u2019 legitimate and laudable accomplishments by attributing them to one thing, and it%u2019s the one thing Mr. Obama tries least to be %u2013 a man of race. Mr. Obama is a child of God, a husband, a father, a university graduate and a lawyer. Mr. Obama has been a stellar state representative of Illinois and he is currently a United States Senator, and great American. Somewhere probably in the high teens of the list of things Mr. Obama is would be black man.
The statements you have made and defend amount to making his race his primary attribute. You are playing the race card in a manner that is insulting, and quite frankly would be more expected from the kind of reactionary people America has hopefully outgrown.
In 1984 I was a student at the University of Southern California an institution with a traditionally conservative bent. I remember campaigning for and ardently defending a certain congressperson from New York as being more than just a woman, but a person regardless of gender worthy to potentially lead this country. I%u2019m sorry to know now that I was wrong, and all the time any Gerard really would have sufficed.