Geraldine Ferraro: Facing the Facts

"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."

Those were the words of 1984 Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee, Geraldine Ferraro.  For those comments, Ferraro has been thrown under the bus by every last person in the media as well as every blogger out there.  Well, not this blogger. 

Okay, I admit, the way it was said, or at least written, comes off rather harsh.  But instead of blatantly accusing Ferraro of being a racist, why doesn't anybody ask the simple question, "does she have a point?"

Indeed, Ferraro does have a point and, for that matter, it is one of many points I have made several times to friends who have come to think of me as the come-to-political-guru and ask me over and over again what are the keys to Obama's successes.  

Let's look at the facts and think here.  Why is Obama where he is now, on the verge of becoming the Democratic nominee?  It's in large part due to African American support.  Exactly how many primaries has he won by winning whites?  Not many.  Turn the question around: why did Obama win South Carolina?  The Answer: Because of overwhelming African American support.  Same thing with the primaries in Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi.  Obama lost the white vote in those states.  If it weren't for deep African American support, Obama would not be where he is, it's as simple as that.  

With that being said, I think it's important to note that there is nothing wrong with a particular group voting for "their own".  We saw it with John Kennedy and Catholics.  We see it today with Sen. Clinton and women.  We saw it for years and years with white males voting for white males.  There is a sense of pride with voting for one's own, and I understand that.  As I've said, there's nothing wrong with it, so why deny it's happening.  It is happening and anyone who believes otherwise is living in an alternate universe.  There is no way anyone can convince me that African Americans would support Obama 90-10 if Obama was white.  So yes, in that way, Obama's ethnicity is a huge plus.  He would not be the near-nominee without the immense support of African Americans, since he would have lost most of the primaries that he has won.  

The final thing I want to say is that I couldn't agree more with Ferraro's statement, "if he was a woman, of any color, he would not be in this position".  Let's be honest with ourselves, if a woman ran for President with as little experience as Barack Obama, she would be laughed off the stage.  Many say they can picture Obama as Commander-in-Chief, but if Obama was a woman, I can guarantee he would not be even thought of as a Commander-in-Chief.  There is a different standard out there for men and women, especially in politics, and I hope everyone can realize that.  

Ferraro's comments, although said in a less than appealing way, are not at all inaccurate and, in fact, hold a great deal of truth.  It's not that it's bad Obama is where he is because he is an African American, because it isn't, but it is a fact. Take away Obama's African American support, you take away his big South Carolina win, which in turns takes away the momentum he had heading into Super Tuesday, which in turns takes away several of his Super Tuesday wins, which in turns takes away his momentum after February 5, which in turn would take away his sweep of the remaining February contests, which in turn would leave him no where as of right now, which in turn would validate Ferraro's remarks.  Again, and I want to stress this, there is nothing derogatory  about saying Obama is where he is because of his race, personally I think it's great that an African American has a valid shot at the Presidency, but it is a fact that being an African American has helped Obama.  It's backed up by exit polls and shear common knowledge concerning the society we live in. 

P.S.: And I know that there are those who say Obama's race hurts him more than it helps.  I'll admit that it might hurt him in some key areas, such as the South, where remnants of racism are still very prevalent,  but even in the South, whites aren't voting AGAINST Obama in the numbers that African Americans are voting FOR him.  So that argument, in my opinion, is a bust.  

UPDATE: As I was writing this, I came across some quotes from NBC where Ferraro apparently elaborated on her previous comments.  The following is from NBC's First Read:

"Ferraro said she was simply stating an obvious truth, as seen in exit polls that show Obama taking as much as 80 percent of the black vote in the Democratic primaries.

"In all honesty, do you think that if he were a white male, there would be a reason for the black community to get excited for a historic first?' Ferraro said. 'Am I pointing out something that doesn't exist?' ...

Ferraro said she was not trying to diminish Obama's candidacy, and acknowledged up front that she would not have been the vice presidential nominee in 1984 if she had been a man.

"But she also echoed remarks of feminist leaders like Gloria Steinem, who argued in the New York Times that Obama would not have succeeded if he were a woman because gender is 'the most restricting force in American life.'

" 'Sexism is a bigger problem,' Ferraro argued. 'It's OK to be sexist in some people's minds. It's not OK to be racist.'"

(On a personal note, at least when I'm talking to friends and others, sexism is very much a problem in today's world.  As progressive as I may be, I have many conservative/moderate friends.  Many would never say they didn't support Obama because he is black.  Maybe they feel that way, I don't know since I can't get in their minds, but they don't nor would they ever imply they are racist.  They do, however, have no problem saying that women (in general) are not qualified to be President and therefore they can not support Hillary Clinton nor could they support any woman who ever ran for President.  Trust me, statements like that have lead to many, many arguments.)