Who said, "If {Obama} were white...he would simply be one of nine freshman Senators..." ?

[dpbrown]

If you guessed Barack Obama, you'd be right.

This is from 2005 on Obama's own Web site:

Obama acknowledges, with no small irony, that he benefits from his race. If he were white, he once bluntly noted, he would simply be one of nine freshmen senators, almost certainly without a multimillion-dollar book deal and a shred of celebrity. Or would he have been elected at all?

Here's the link:

http://obama.senate.gov/news/050626-when_it_comes_to_race_obama_ma/

[elehhhhna]

1. If you have a point, what is it? If Hil wasn't one of the women who slept w/ Bill,

where would SHE be?

[dpbrown]

5. The difference is that Sen. Clinton never said "I'm where I'm at because I'm a Clenis fucktoy"

Obama has said essentially what everybody else notices but can't say for fear of being tarred by the "racist" brush.

Your "sexist" response is a case in point.

Sen. Clinton is a female and has used that to her advantage.

Sen. Obama is part African-American and has used that to his advantage.

There's no slander in noticing.

The "race" card claims are dubious.

[elehhhhna]

7. Perhaps she should. That's a speech I'd tune in for.

[pocoloco]

8. Just imagine where she would be if she had slept more with bill.

[Texas Hill Country]

15. actually, there are numerous accts of how she set aside her political career for bill...

[LisaL]

33. So, what exactly is the difference between what Obama himself

acknowledged, and what Ferraro said?

[TwilightGardener]

2. In the Senate, he's the only black. Kind of makes him a standout.

But he didn't get into the Senate because he was black. He beat a NUMBER of Dems in the Senate Dem Primary race, and beat a fellow black guy (crazy, but still) to get where he is. It's impossible to say who he'd be or where he'd be if he was white--maybe he'd be even further ahead, maybe he wouldn't have worked as hard to excel.

[IndianaJones]

3. doh. nt.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Show Me The Part Where He Says That He Was Elected Because He's Black

Brittney Spears would attract a lot of attention if she ran for the Senate - but I don't think she'd win (outside of CA, that is...).

[ginnyinWI]

6. I have to disagree with Barack on that.

He often talks so modestly about himself. But he is an intellectual powerhouse, and I don't believe he'd be getting no attention if he were white. Maybe no book deal because of being the first black person to be president of the Harvard Law Review, but otherwise he's earned his way.

[lligrd]

39. I Agree. I'd Vote For Him No Matter What Race He Was

I love his intelligence and manner. And he spoke out against the IWR, a big plus for me.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. b b but I thought that g'damned racist Ferraro was wrong

[LulaMay]

10. You mean he understood what Ferraro said perhaps not so well, but attacked her for it anyway?

what a surprise in politics.

Yesterday was POLITICS.

He would never have given that speech if he didn't need the damage control. He would never have mentioned Ferraro if he wasn't trying to score political points and sideways attack Hillary.



Is that bravery like MLK showed?



Hillary would never be allowed to speak out like that against sexism without being assaulted by the media and a called a "whiner".

Because our problems aren't so important, are they? What does it matter or mean that women are more than 50% of our population and we are the most under represented group in government? What does it matter that women are still sexually harassed on the job, paid less than men? What does it matter that women are beaten raped and killed on a daily basis the world over?

For women to barely mention that reality is 'whining', brings a barrage of hate down on us.

[dpbrown]

17. That pretty much sums it up, I'd say

Surrogates attacking one side for noticing that the candidate is part African-American and the other side for noticing that the candidate is a woman don't do any of us any good.

And by the way, Obama says the same thing Ferraro said.

[Capn Sunshine]

11. Next paragraph, same article quoted

"You're going to be the first black president of the United States!" declared Sandy Voss, 58. Obama smiled politely and moved on after she had secured a long handshake.

After he was out of earshot, Voss, who is white, said she couldn't recall voting for a black politician before Obama, but she quickly explained: "His color doesn't make a difference to me. He speaks with one voice."

That article contains no direct quotes from Obama, just a reporters take on the subject.

[Lucinda]

14. He has posted it on his own senate page, I presume he agree with it.

[2rth2pwr]

12. More hypocrisy from the unity candidate.

[dpbrown]

18. ....and his surrogates

Makes me wonder who's the real "win at any cost" candidate.

[rucky]

13. Ferraro's vindicated! Maybe Hillary should put her back on the campaign?

or will she continue to let her play in traffic?

[Lucinda]

16. Great catch! It sort of supports my theory that they ran with the Ferraro quote

to help diffuse the coming Wright contraversy.

ABC had been working on it, and I had wondered if the campaign was aware since it broke the week before FOX started screeching about the videos.

[marmar]

19. He's probably referring to the amount of attention he got, not his qualifications....

.... But thanks for the Fauxian out-of-context edit.

:eyes:

[dpbrown]

21. He says he wouldn't have gotten his book deal or celebrity if he weren't black

And perhaps might not have been elected at all.

But thanks for the Fauxian spin.

:eyes:

[marmar]

23. Yeah, I'm sure he thinks he's an idiotic Affirmative Action beneficiary....

..... that's why he decided to run for president....

That's the inherent idiocy of what you just posted.

[dpbrown]

24. If it's not racist when he says it, it's not racist if Ferraro says it

Nice display of infantile attitude, though.

[marmar]

25. Completely different contexts and intents.

But clearly that would be lost on you anyway.

[dpbrown]

28. It doesn't matter who notices it if it's true

Sen. Obama acknowledges that one of the reasons he's gotten the breaks he has is because he's (part) black.

Someone else makes essentially the same comment and they're smeared.

The hypocrite in all this is the person who smears the person other than Obama.

But clearly that concept is too ethereal for you.

[DemGa]

20. Not even three years ago - and now he's running for president --nt

[nsd]

22. So? If Hillary Clinton weren't Mrs. Bill, she wouldn't be a senator at all. /nt

[Bonobo]

26. Who said "if the previous 43 presidents had been black, they wouldn't have been presidents"?

If you answered "Bonobo did", you'd be right.

[Leopolds Ghost]

31. Post. Of. The Week.

[kevinmc]

27. "if " Hillary Rodham had not met Bill Clinton....

would she still be a Republican?

I'll answer that one .... YES

[Mezzo]

29. why OBAMA DID, that's who.

but don't tell the Obamamaniacs. The truth gets them too much.

[dpbrown]

37. Ain't that the truth

He's the black Messiah come to rescue us with "change" in his pocket.

[McCamy Taylor]

30. HIllary helped Bill get elected. Some people here aren't old enough to remember that.

They ran as a package deal.

[dpbrown]

32. That's true

And Al Gore become one of the most influential Vice Presidents in history, too.

Bill Clinton knew how to collaborate. Some of these all of nothing people should learn the same thing.

[JoFerret]

34. attention seeking ass

.

[dpbrown]

35. Go ahead, tell us what you really think...

Be honest, now.

[JoFerret]

38. Most of what I think is very positive

But he is not my first candidate for president.

[dpbrown]

40. I think a lot of people feel the same way you do

Their voices are kind of drowned out by the "messiah is coming" chorus, however.

[Radical Activist]

36. Oh it comes from the Chicago Tribune.

The paper that endorsed Bush twice. You gave the wrong impression when you claimed it wrote that it come from his Senate site.

[cd3dem]

41. more proof BO is an opportunist and Race Card player

BO likes to watch every white person go down as a racist! He has even taken Geraldine Ferraro down to distract people from looking at his Pastor. Geraldine only said the obvious. If anyone has been the recipient of affirmative action and the desire of people to have multi-diversity in the work place they know this is true.

I have been given jobs based on gender and lost jobs based on sexism.

BO has gained national attention by being an articulate black man. Being a junior senator with little notable accomplishments and being in the lead for the democratic nomination makes it clear. If he were white of either gender, he would still be in the senate "learning" like the other junior senators. No one can criticize him or they are racist.

Can't say how many people have said to me he is a GREAT senator and GREAT candidate. WHY? Please explain!