Geraldine Ferraro...Not a Racist; This Guy...Definitely a Racist

In case you were wondering, the above video is of Jeremiah Wright, Obama's "spiritual advisor", former pastor, and current member of the Obama campaign.  Wright has previously made comments that include saying that the U.S. brought on 9/11 itself as well as stating that blacks should not sing "God Bless America", but rather, "God damn America".  

Now let's see if the media holds Wright and Obama to the same standard they held Clinton and Ferraro.  After all, Wright's comments were undoubtedly racist and he is still on the campaign.  Ferraro's were not racist in any way, and she is now gone from the campaign.  Yet, tomorrow morning the Ferraro bashing will continue and this story will be largely ignored.  It's just another case of media bias.  

My Special Comment To Keith Olbermann

Keith, you have crossed the line.  Gone are the days of you being a commentator who provided an alternative to Fox News.  You have now become just another Bill O’Reilly---someone so obsessed with himself and his ego that he must go after individual politicians who he personally dislikes.

Keith, you say that you don’t endorse Barack Obama.  Exactly who do you think you’re kidding?  For the past 2 months, you have gone after Sen. Clinton night after night while providing glowing commentary on Obama.  Your disdain for the Clintons is evident and your love for Barack Obama is well-known.

Keith, you indeed  need to apologize to Sen. Clinton.  You, last night, implied that she is a racist and compared her to David Duke.  That is absolutely disgusting.  The Clintons have done more for the African American community than any other politican in the last 35 years.

Secondly Keith, you and everyone else in the media should be ashamed by the way you've spun Geraldine Ferraro's comments.  Did you bother to read them?  Did you bother to look at the facts on which Ferraro based her remarks?  Why do you think Obama has done so well in South Carolina, in Georgia, in Alabama, in Louisiana, in Mississippi?  What do you think proved to be the deciding factor in the extremely close primary in Missouri?  I’ll tell you Keith: the African American vote. 

Why is it suddenly taboo to say the truth?  Is it that you truly think that Obama, if he weren’t African American, would get 85-90% of the black vote?  Are you that blind Keith?  

It’s not that I or Ferraro, as she has explained, finds any fault nor is it degrading for African Americans to vote for their own.  I, as many, understand the pride African Americans must have voting for one of their own.  As do women concerning Sen. Clinton.  Is it racist to say that the only reason Obama is getting such a large chunk of black votes is because he himself is black?  Is it racist to say that Obama would have not likely won South Carolina, Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi if he were indeed white?  Of course it isn’t.  It’s not that Obama has a message that is so overly appealing to African Americans as compared to Sen. Clinton's.  

Again, I stress that it is not a bad thing for African Americans to vote for Obama.  But, Keith, it is a bad thing, no, a horrible thing, for you to say that anyone who says what I've just said is racist.

No one has said that the only reason Obama is where he is is because he is black.  But it is undeniably one factor.  We shouldn’t be so politically correct and censored that we can’t say that.  Obama has run a terrific campaign.  He is a great speaker.  He has energized people of all races, men and women.  But he has won many contests because he is black.  That is a fact backed up by the exit polls.

So, Keith, get off Ferraro’s back for stating the truth that others are simply afraid to say.  I'm not sure why they're afriad, since she didn’t say anything degrading or anything to belittle Obama, but whatever.  She simply stated her analysis---which happens to be backed up by the exit polls.

And lastly, Keith, you say that Clinton is dividing the party?  Excuse me?  Who injected race into the battle for South Carolina when his campaign released memos accusing the Clintons of racism?  Who dug up this Ferraro comment?  Who refused to rise above the fray and won’t let this harmless story rest?  Who has spun this quote from Ferraro from a simple analysis of the race at hand, into a sign of racism?  You know the answer Keith---the Obama campaign.

And you, by posting your disgusting special comment and continuing your daily bias coverage of this campaign, are dividing this great party.  

Not only should you apologize, but you should be removed from MSNBC’s election night coverage.  You have let your personal opinions get in the way of what you’re supposed to be doing---covering a particular election.

I once though you were going to bring a voice for progressives to the world of cable news, but instead you brought a voice for one candidate----Barack Obama.  You have implied, as recently as last night, that Clinton should not be considered a Democrat and neither should her supporters.  Well, Keith, I am a Clinton supporter and I am a Democrat.  What are you, though, Keith?  I’ll tell you: just another pundit who can’t give fair coverage or analysis of anyone or anything for anything.  If it doesn’t help your candidate, Barack Obama, it doesn’t get on your show.  But if it does help him, you’ll spend days on it.  

My request: stop thinking and reporting as if only Barack Obama is right on everything and everyone else is scum.  Hillary Clinton is not scum.  Bill Clinton is not scum.  Geraldine Ferraro is not scum.  For that matter, Barack Obama is not scum. But you, Keith, might just be.---

Keith Olbermann: today’s worst person in the world!!!

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.)