Ferraro: Obama should be thanking me for comments

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Geraldine Ferraro says her comments on Barack Obama's race being the primary reason for his success in the presidential campaign are being "spun" as racist, and she says he should be thanking her for the comments. Rather than retreat from her seemingly foot-in-mouth comments, the former New York City lawmaker has decided to go on offense. Ferraro has claimed her words were taken out of context and has decried being painted as racist by some.

"The spin on the words has been that somehow I was addressing the his qualifications. I was not," Ferraro said Wednesday on ABC's Good Morning America. "I was celebrating the fact that the black community in this country came out with a pride in a historic candidacy, and has shown itself at the polls. You'd think he'd say, 'Yeah thank you for doing that. ... we want to say thank you to the community.' Instead I'm charged with being a racist."

The latest dust-up over whether Clinton supporters are inappropriately inserting race into the campaign began with Ferraro's comments to a small California newspaper last Friday. In an exchange with a "decidedly bitter edge" Ferraro said, "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position." The same day she repeated the sentiment to conservative talk radio host John Gibson but denied she was playing "the race card."

Clinton said she disagreed with Ferraro's comments, but there's been no effort from the campaign to remove Ferraro from its finance committee. Ferraro has raised at least $100,000 for Clinton. Standing by her comments -- "I believe that," she said -- Ferraro tried to put into context how her observation ended up in the newspaper. "I was asked after the speech, 'What is the reason that you see that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are at this level together?'" she said. "Could I have said because his experience is what puts him there? No. Could I say because the stands on issues have distinction? No."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Ferraro_Obama_spinning_me_as_racist_0312.html

[C_U_L8R]

1. Keep digging.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

36. yes, Ferraro is digging HRC's political grave

[backscatter712]

104. Some of James Carville's cynical wisdom:

"When your opponent is drowning, throw the son of a bitch an anvil!"

Ferraro does make a great anvil, doesn't she?

[easy_b94]

2. WTF...Can anybody tell me whats up with this women?????

[goclark]

31. Get her to the Betty Ford Center immediately

she is not to be believed.

Yet, she is the messenger for Hillary.

She is the puppet and Pillary hands remain clean.

Where is the link to the DNC ~ time to write them again and give them a piece of my mind.

I've also sent an email to Pillary's campaign and told them to take me off of all mailing list and if I ever see an envelope with their name on it I will send another donation to the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP!

[roguevalley]

87. could be one of two things: she either believes it and she's a blowhard

bigmouthed idiot of the first water or they are playing cynical politics and appealing to the "alabama" that is supposed to exist between Pittsburgh and Philly. Either way, she's a complete deficient human being.

[stray cat]

3. it just gets better and better

[bicentennial_baby]

4. Jeez Louise....

:crazy:

[saltpoint]

5. "Kids, this is important. Your Aunt Geraldine hasn't been feeling well of

late. Now I know this is going to be hard to understand, but we're going to drive her up to the State Hospital. There are some very nice people there who will take care of her. I know you love your Aunt Geraldine, but she's just not been herself lately. Well, actually she kinda HAS been herself lately, which is the problem. You can visit her weekends and bring her flowers. No -- not the black-eyed Susans -- she doesn't like those for some reason. Ok. Run along and play now."

[TwilightGardener]

13. LOL!

[uponit7771]

24. LOL! very witty

[babylonsister]

46. And heaven forfend, don't bring her daisies! She eats them!

:hi:

[saltpoint]

54. LOL! She does. The treatment team won't let anybody bring her flowers.

She eats the flowers -- and the vase, too.

[SoonerPride]

6. If she represents mainstream Democrats

I'll eat my cat

[pdxmom]

7. So she is now saying that Clinton and Obama are the same in regards

to policy and experience? I don't think the Clinton campaign agrees with that statement either.

Oh, and her spin is crap.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

64. I read it as

He has less experience so thats not whats helping him and they are close on the issues so thats not helping him...

[writes3000]

8. Wow, she is tone deaf and a little out of her mind.

"You should thank me for saying you only got to this point because you're black."

Thanks, Geraldine. Thanks alot.

[Medusa]

28. A LITTLE out of her mind?

try a LOT! :crazy:

[EmilyAnne]

88. "Hi, Geraldine. Its me, Barack. Listen, I just want to thank you for saying that I only got to

this point because I'm black. I sometimes feel guilty that I was so lucky in being born black. It really has been my ticket to success. Without my color, I'm just like anyone else, but being black makes me just like every other black person who is running for president. Thank you, Geraldine. You've got class."

[K Gardner]

Geraldine needs to go away for awhile, a long vacation in the South of France perhaps.

[C_U_L8R]

17. Oh not yet... it's just getting good.

truly unbelievable stuff.
Do they really think this is gonna play in PA ???
I give the good people of PA a little more credit than that.

[NJSecularist]

9. The Clintons should be thanking you for being just another race-baiting surrogate

[TwilightGardener]

10. Hillary's Older White Female Suicide Bomber, running in with another vest-full once again.

[DemGa]

12. WTF???

[TwilightGardener]

16. She's being used to blow the race/gender issue wide open for the rest

of the campaign.

[DemGa]

18. Wild supposition -- it passes for fact here these days -- just run with it---NT

[writes3000]

22. Question: Why do you need to call her "Older, White"?

Aren't her age and skin color obvious?

[TwilightGardener]

29. Because Hillary is trying to make this a battle between the older white

women and black people. Which minority group will win? How can we pit them against each other? Hillary pretty much knows she's lost the black vote, so she's trying to keep Obama from eating into her demographics--working-class and older white ladies. Best way to do that is to allow the older white lady to stir the race/gender pot--note Ferraro's original comments didn't just insult Obama, but included a whine about sexism.

[yardwork]

66. I have to agree, and it's pathetic.

I used to support Hillary's candidacy. No more. This is ridiculous. The worst aspect of it is that Hillary is doing nothing to stop this unfolding disaster. If this is the way she would run the White House, no way.

[Independent-Voter]

81. Right on all counts. It's politics at it's worst.

[Johnny__Motown]

32. she is a heroine to many older white women, now she is being used as a wedge to further divide Dems

[saltpoint]

34. She is iconic but her comments were ill-chosen.

With the icon vibe comes big-league duties.

She dropped the ball.

[yardwork]

71. I think it's worse than that.

Ferraro's comments were not taken out of context. She said that Obama wouldn't be the frontrunner for the nomination if he weren't black. She said that he doesn't have the leadership skills or experience or policy positions to warrant being in this position. She's saying that his success is entirely due to his being black - which she insists (bizarrely) gives him an advantage in U.S. politics.

Since the country has never had a black president, and no black person has ever come as close to being president as Obama, it's obvious that being black is not an advantage to being elected president. That means we have to look elsewhere for the reason for Obama's success. Gee, it might be his qualifications? Ferraro says no - it's just because he's black.

This is a nasty, underhanded put down of Obama's qualifications, wrapped up in the ugly racist myth of "affirmative action = a free ride." The code to white racists in Ferraro's comments is that Obama is essentially a welfare queen.

It could not be more racist and more patronizing. I can't believe that Hillary is allowing this to continue.

[saltpoint]

110. Yep. Hillary let this one out of the gate and it's ultimately her

responsibility.

[NJSecularist]

50. Very good comparision.

Hillary's surrogates are employing the kamikaze strategy, engaging in race-baiting for some easy white racist votes in Pennsylvania.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

65. Your post is pretty offensive....

Although the thought behind it is pretty accurate. Ferraro seems intent on career suicided with this and she is trying her darnedest to take Obama with her..

[TwilightGardener]

69. Actually, someone else on DU came up with it, and I thought it was

an apt description--I seek to offend, though. It's how I get my jollies.

[charlie]

11. She's just an embarassment of riches n/t

[MethuenProgressive]

14. Once again, the outrage was over the spin, not what was really said.

It's the BO MO. Search high and low for something -anything- that can be spun as "racism", call the media and EXPLODE WITH OUTRAGE, then Hope the OUTRAGE captures more airtime than the truth will.

From OP: Neither Obama nor his campaign specifically accused Ferraro of "racism,"

[writes3000]

27. If a high level Dem said "Hillary Clinton is only still in this race because she's a woman"

I'd bet every last dollar I've ever made and will make that there would be cries of sexism all throughout DU.

Are you saying that there wouldn't be?

[Hepburn]

30. Hello????

No one accused her openly of rasicm???

Does anyone fucking have to? Like it is NOT there for all to see!?!?!?

Please: Take your Hillary blinders off!

[MethuenProgressive]

63. Hello??? The quote is FROM THE OP LINK

Please: Take your Obama blinders off!

Neither Obama nor his campaign specifically accused Ferraro of "racism," but his campaign strategist David Axelrod said Tuesday that the comments were "offensive" and signaled an "anything goes campaign." He also noted previous instances of Clinton surrogates' questionable comments and Clinton's hedged answer when asked about Obama's religion.

Note Assholerod plays the Race Card again

[rateyes]

60. She's the one who claimed it wasn't about his qualifications,

then said, he's not qualified, he's where he is because he's black.

[fishwax]

70. you don't have to search very far in her comments lately

:crazy:

[yardwork]

77. See my post #71

Ferraro's comments are racist. She's saying that Obama is getting "special treatment" just because he's black.

[theboss]

In all honesty, I didn't realize Ferraro was still alive until this happened

When was the last time Geraldine Ferraro was in the news? This has to be exciting for her.

Tomorrow: David Leisure goes after Obama. Then, Michael Gross from Family Ties.

[FredScuttle]

59. Heh.....David Leisure

There's a quality 80's reference

[theboss]

68. Max Headroom just insulted Obama! Oh no!!!!!

Next up will be that guy who talked fast for Fed Ex.

[FredScuttle]

75. ALF and William "The Refrigerator" Perry just said Obama's overrated

next up on MSNBC, a press conference featuring Frank Bartles & Ed Jaymes, Yahoo Serious and the California Raisins to claim Obama's race is an unfair advantage.

(Webster will be along to add that Obama's height advantage is unfair too)

[theboss]

76. The Smurfs just questioned whether Obama truly is a person of color

Meanwhile, Roddy Piper and Dr. Ruth campaigned in Scranton for Hillary.

[XemaSab]

99. Michael Jackson hasn't endorsed yet.

:P

[MadHound]

15. The Clinton campaign better realize that Geraldine is really harming them

And put a muzzle on her before any more damage is done.

The best way to do this would be to officially kick her out of the campaign, but as we see with the Clintons, money trumps morality every time, and twice on Sundays.

[BlueIdaho]

19. Just

one more hair ball in the sink. So its not his background, his education, his experience, or any other skill or ability, its his blackness? Jeeze,I remember when HRC and her campaign thought he wasn't black enough!

Shameful.

[tyne]

26. Oh Please.

'What is the reason that you see that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are at this level together?'" she said. "Could I have said because his experience is what puts him there? No. Could I say because the stands on issues have distinction? No."

Could you have said that he inspires the country to work together to transform the country in a positive direction? Yes. But you didn't.

[yardwork]

78. Welcome to DU. I agree completely.

[Kittycat]

20. FFS - someone pull the plug on her.

[TheZug]

21. Oh, Great White Mother, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

[OhioBlue]

23. make her stop....

she just keeps getting worse. really, one of her friends needs to do an intervention and tell her to stop digging.

[Hepburn]

25. So.......

....Ferraro is an example of the "older, white" female crowd that is supporting Hillary???

OMFG.....:puke:

I am nearly 60, white and female...count me TOTALLY out of this bullshit Hillary approved racism!

[Johnny__Motown]

39. I will assume you don't live in central PA, I bet her focus groups show this polls well there

[redqueen]

43. You don't think there may be some backlash?

I have to hope a few people might have their eyes opened as to how horrid this kind of attitude really is, and actually be embarrassed by this crap.

[TwilightGardener]

58. Not enough backlash to make a difference. I am from PA, and I don't

hold out much hope that Obama will make it a close race there. It's not an overtly racist state--they're too smart for that. It's subtle, but my own father-in-law, a lifelong Democrat and native PA resident, refuses to vote for a black man.

[yardwork]

79. At what cost? Hillary's desperately trying to wrestle the nomination back

and she appears to be willing to appeal to racists to do so.

I complained bitterly when Obama pandered to homophobes to win SC. I am complaining just as bitterly now that Hillary is pandering to racist bigots. It would be hypocritical not to do so. I give Obama credit for not doing it again. Hillary seems willing to do it over and over again.

I'm disgusted with this country's tolerance of bigotry.

[k8conant]

56. I am 58, white and female and I also denounce and reject Ferraro...

she's gone way past decency. Clinton should also denounce and reject her and her statements.

[Smelting Pot]

33. It seems to me that she is REPRESENTATIVE...

of the Clinton campaign at this moment. It was said last night during the coverage of the Mississippi results that the Clinton camp WANTS this dialogue out there. Now, as a Democrat, why would you want someone associated with your campaign saying these seemingly bitter, racist-tinged things about your opponent? Well, it is being used to "put him in a box." The Clinton campaign want the voters to stop looking at Obama the Senator and start looking at Obama the BLACK CANDIDATE. It's a strategy, and I hope she called on it. But I doubt the MSM will do it...

[K Gardner]

40. I believe they already have called her on it. I heard the same thing last night,

about her bringing this out now and letting it foment to play to the "white Alabama" in between Pittsburgh and Philly.

Its been exposed for what it is. And it will be the end of Hillary.

[redqueen]

47. Her campaign has been been called on it... not sure how often or where,

but they will be called on it again tonight in an Olbermann special comment.

[BeyondGeography]

35. What an ass...a bitter, old white loser

Note to Gerry: A lot of people think your candidate is lucky to be who and what she is. Otherwise, with that spotty resume and that less-than-overwhelming personality, she'd be NOWHERE.

[cali]

37. She's a fucking asshole.

[dancingme]

38. So black pride is the only reason that blacks support Obama?

That's what she is saying. She does not give African Americans the ability to intelligently examine the issues and the candidates and come to a decision that Obama would be a better opponent of McCain in the general election. Gerri, you are stuck in 1970.

[redqueen]

41. "Could I say because the stands on issues have distinction? No."

Someone send Ms. Clueless a copy of Obama's speech.

:wtf:

I would say I can't believe she's still trying to defend this, but it's clear at this point that the Clinton campaign intends to stand by this line of attack. Shameful, and I hope it backfires on them bigtime.

Can't wait to hear Olbermann's special comment tonight!

[ericgtr]

42. This woman is the worst kind of racist bitch

and Hillary loves it. Two peas in a pod.

[SoonerPride]

44. Meanwhile. Obama laughs it off and moves on

He completely dismissed it and mvoed on.

[redqueen]

53. His campaign is ready to fight. Hers seems more interested in shooting its own foot. (nt)

[AgadorSparticus]

45. Thank you Geraldine for putting it out there as it really is....that the reason

why Hillary is doing so well with the older white women demographic is b/c of their racism. I have heard over and over by acquaintances that their mothers (who are die hard liberals) are voting for Hillary b/c Obama is black.

[GarbagemanLB]

73. Then they aren't liberals, simply put. If you refuse to vote for someone solely based on their gende

r/race/religion, you are NOT liberal and you are NOT progressive.

[AgadorSparticus]

86. I agree. I'm just saying that hrc knows that this demographic is out there

and she's pandering to it.

[yardwork]

80. My mother - an older white female liberal - supports Obama.

My mother is in her 70s and has supported Obama for months. She said he reminds her of JFK. No appeals to racist bigotry are going to change her mind. In fact, it's ramping up her disgust for Hillary. Before, my mom preferred Obama because she likes him. Now, she also intensely dislikes Hillary because of the way she's run her campaign.

Stupid strategy of Hillary's, and shameful. Sometimes its better to concede with dignity than go down fighting, if the fighting requires this kind of behavior.

[Not the Only One]

48. This makes real progressives see the light about Hillary, so, sure, Thanks!

I guess it's good to be reminded about how far we still have to go to reach equality in this society, to a day when people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

Thanks, Geraldine, you racist bitch! :)

[sniffa]

49. WTF is wrong with Jellybean?

This is her third foray into this correct? or 4th?

It's hard to keep up, and the fact that it's continuing should prove without a doubt the campaign is now behind her/this.

[bicentennial_baby]

51. It's freaking bizarre....

I can just imagine the outcry if the tables were turned. :crazy:

[redqueen]

57. Oh yeah... no doubt at all anymore. (nt)

[DarienComp]

52. Dear Geraldine,

I'd like to sincerely thank you for insulting me. And for lying about it.

Much obliged,

Barack Obama

[libnnc]

55. And if anyone had said back in '84

that only "eye-talians" would vote for you, Geraldine...

hmmmm? How would THAT have sounded?

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

61. I'd say her foot is somewhere in the neighborhood of her duodenum now.

Keep at it, Ferraro. :eyes:

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

62. She is a bigot, Period.

1) I could have bought it if she retracted by saying she misspoke and she was only addressing the reality of politics in that a gifted but younger person needs a hook to compete with the DC Machine. We all know the hook is the fact he *is not* a part of the DC machine but whatever

2) The fact she pulled the same crap in 1988 almost word for word!

3) This itself is a racist comment

"I was celebrating the fact that the black community in this country came out with a pride in a historic candidacy"

This is still saying 'Hes only here because he is black'... Its so F'ing pathetic..

Remember the Rush / McNabb thing? The whole 'hes a media darling because he is black' thing? This *SO* reminds me of that... How many of the now hillbots were backing rush then?

[Colobo]

74. Exactly. Bigot should be Geraldine's middle name.

[whatchamacallit]

67. In a way she's right

He should be thanking her for the taint she's left on Hillary, her campaign, and her rabid supporters.

[Barack_America]

72. What an ass. Did somebody push the "self-destruct" button on NY Dems?

-Ferraro
-Spitzer

Hillary had better be careful.

[AlertLurker]

82. Remember who represented AAs before Obama's candidacy?

Being a realist, I must agree somewhat with Ferarro. I'm not saying all, or even the majority of AAs vote for Obama because he is of the same race. There are lots of AAs who will do so, however. Whoi could blame them - they are the most disenfranchised voting block in the USA for a CENTURY or more. If you get a shot, obviously you must take it.

Clinton used to be able to count on at least 70% of the AA vote, and now she only gets 20%...could this be merely because Obama is such a "transformational candidate?"

No - it's mainly because he is African-American.

The problems I forsee are thus:

Southern Whitey is NOT going to vote for Obama. EVER.
Clinton could count on the AA vote if Obama was out of the race.

It's not pretty, I realise, but at least it makes sense.

[XemaSab]

101. This sounds like the crazed "If I can't have you, no one will!"

freakout people have been accusing her of for weeks.

2012, baby. 2012.

[JVS]

83. Oh yeah, nothing is as great a favor as denigrating your accomplishments because of your race.

:eyes:
Thanks Geraldine!

[workinclasszero]

84. Ferraro is getting the racist white vote for Hillary

She gets her hands dirty while Hillary tries to act like it has nothing to do with her.

Obama's supporter gets driven out for calling Hillary a monster while nothing happens to Hillary's hate spewing bigot Ferraro!

The cover is well off now. Hillary is goin for the KKK vote now! Here comes the Dixiecrats again, eh???

Why the double standard? Wheres the outrage in the MSM?

Apparently its still OK to smear a black man, but you damn well better lay off on the old white women!

:puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke:

[NoBorders]

90. I think that's the intent

I wouldn't go as far as the KKK vote, but certainly those 20% in OH who said race was a factor in their decision.

I assume if they wanted to, the Clinton campaign could tell her to shut up, but I assume it plays well to a certain constituency--gives them a voice if you will.

[high density]

96. MSNBC's right-wing talking heads (Buchanan, Scarborough) have been saying this

Given her 8% showing with blacks in MS, they say the Clinton campaign is employing this strategy to max the number of white voters they can get. I think it's a short sighted strategy. It might help them with earning delegates in PA but it seems very bad for her prospects in the general election. Obviously this campaign has been nearsighted from the beginning, and this caustic crash and burn strategy is no different from that.

[Tom Joad]

85. wow, the ghetto slumlord is on a roll.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

89. I'd like to thank my sixth grade bully for spitting in my face. It was good for me.

[Swamp Rat]

91. Southern Strategy n/t

[Occam Bandage]

92. I hope the New York Demo-plague isn't contagious.

[Alter Ego]

93. She doesn't know when to shut up, does she?

No, he's not going to say thank you for saying that he's only where he is because he's black, Geraldine. You're an idiot.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

94. The Bullshit Meter is tilting off the scale. What a load of crap.

[high density]

95. Her head is as far up in the clouds as Hillary's

They do make a great pair.

[XemaSab]

97. What a bigot.

n/t

[zulchzulu]

98. Why the hell would I want to see Ferraro speaking at an event in the first place?

Let's walk down Memory Lane where Mondale and Ferraro were handily trounced by Ronald Reagan. Gee, Geraldine...great fucking job with that.

What has she done since then? Who cares!

[Cha]

100. gerry ferrarro's mouth..the gift

that keeps on giving. :wtf: now she thinks Obama should thank her? Kinda inflated herself up ala hilary clinton, don'tcha think.

[XemaSab]

102. I dunno... maybe Obama SHOULD thank her...

For contributing to the implosion of Camp Hillary. :crazy:

[Cha]

106. I know I

am! But, Obama's too classy with his eye on the prize for such distractions as gerry ferraro's mouth.

Looks like gerry wants to keep up her shite for 6 weeks but she needs to be cut off at now.

[Solon]

103. Ferraro: Racist Piece of shit!

Fuck! :grr:

[skypilot]

105. So, in short...

...he should thank her for telling him that he's lucky to be a black candidate because he'll get the black vote.

Uh, thanks. And whatever.

[jmg257]

107. "Celebrating" by stating how black people voting for Obama so "dissappoints her she could die"??...

Woo Hoo! :party:

Spin GF, spin.

[DearAbby]

108. Now I am seriously wondering

if there is something medically wrong with this woman. I gone past the :wow: stage. past the :puke: stage. Getting close to scratching my head and is this person sane stage.

[Cali_Democrat]

109. So basically...

"Obama is unqualified and shouldn't be where he is. He's only where he is because he's black and no other reason. And dont attack me for saying that or your racist against white people. Obama should be thanking me for saying this." - Geraldine Ferraro