Letters to the Editor
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No, actually she doesn't.
She's right.
She's right about herself. She wouldn't have been where she is (and wouldn't have made the history she did) without being a woman. Hillary Clinton wouldn't be where *she* is without being a woman. Barack Obama wouldn't be where *he* is without being black.
Why is this such a terrible thing to say? It's true. Look at John Edwards. For once in our history, it was a bad time to be a white guy going for the Democratic ticket. He was arguably the most "qualified" candidate. Edwards was solid, passionate, and charismatic. I didn't support him. I'd have voted for him if he won, but I didn't support him. He was a white guy. I believe we need someone who isn't, not just for tokenism but for the perspective of what it means to be an outsider. Being black or female or white or male or Latino or Asian isn't just some label you slap onto the Census form; it speaks to your formative experiences and the way you see the world. It's time for someone who isn't a member of the "normal" privileged class--the white (straight) guys, the guys who have defined "normal"--to take a turn at the wheel. I was hopeful that it would be a chance for the silent half of the population. It doesn't seem that's going to work out. I'm a little resentful of the way Obama treats and talks about Hillary--he doesn't seem to respect or recognize that her bid is as historic (arguably more) than his is.
But Ms. Ferraro is right on, even if we aren't supposed to talk about it. Obama wouldn't be where he is if he weren't black (and he would probably not have made it this far as an eloquent black woman). When did it become a crime to point out the blatantly obvious?
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politcal correctness hasn't gone away
It is possible to recognize the truth in what Ms. Ferraro said about one of the significant factors for Mr. Obama's success while recognizing that this fact in no way detracts from Mr. Obama's merits, accomplishments, vision, and ability to be a great president. Everyone has a race and ethnicity, and if they can make that work for themself in a positive way, more power to them. Sorry you felt it necessary to play into the personal destruction game, Joe. This piece was entirely unnecessary.
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Apologise for political correctness sake
Quote anyone out of context and they're going to sound racist, sexist or often even sane. This is one more example of the ridiculousness of our primary process. First the Christers then the Yankees in the rural areas give the lick-spittle media some perverse slant to feed Maureen Dowd, who can't be bothered to show up; and then things are decided by inane managers who can't let their products be human. If all it would have taken to have prevented the disaster in Iraq was a high-priced hooker, I would have chipped in. There are more important issues facing this country than buying into some campaign manager's latest sacrifice of a supposed liberal. The race card is ugly, and it plays both ways. But Ferraro will still be voting for Obama. And FISA will still be listening to us to protect us from us. They got Spitzer, didn't they. J. Edgard Hoover would be proud.
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The Dems Should be Terrified
This is 1968 all over again, only with identity politics thown in to make it even more combustable. The fight between Hillary and Obama is getting nasty and will only get nastier all the way to the end. This bodes ill for Dems. Obama supporters are already threatening to stay home or vote for McCain if Hillary gets the nod, and Hillary supporters are saying the same thing if Obama gets it.
McCain might very well walk into the White House while the two Democratic camps degenerate into oppression envy.
As a person thoroughly disgusted with the two-party system, I will support whichever candidate fucks this country up so much that a third-party alternative becomes inevitable. It's high time the Dems and GOP went the way of the Whigs.
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more than 12,000,000 voters disagree with Ferraro
Ms. Ferro's gripe is with the more than 12,000,000 Americans who voted for Obama, but if she had put her remarks that way, she would have been condemning the democratic (small d) process and looked even more imbecilic than she already did.
In 1984, Ferraro was plucked from obscurity to the VP nomination by fiat; Obama is winning primaries and caucuses across America. That's the difference.
Besides, it's a not uncommon phenonmenon in politics, Eugene McCarthy, Ross Perot, Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, even George W. Bush, were all relatively unknown candidates who sprang from far back in the field. They didn't all go the distance, but the phenomenon is a relatively common. Time and chance happeneth in politics as well as in life in general.,
Dan
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She's being honest
I agree with the first two letter writers. Ferraro's being honest as she sees it and if she apologizes she'll be disingenuous. You can disagree with her and I'm sure a lot of people will but that is her opinion and she's entitled to have it.
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Thank God Joe has returned
As a long time reader and admirer of Joe Conason, it is nice to see that he has returned to journalism after his recent ass-kissing pieces about the Clintons.
This is the kind of journalism that Joe can do when he is not falling all over himself to defend the Clintons-regardless of what they have done.
Interestingly, Ferraro was named to the ticket ONLY because she was a woman; HIllary is a Senator and a candidate ONLY because she was married to Bill Clinton. And feminists worship these two?
Obama? Any fool can see that if John Edwards had the "chops" of Barack Obama, he would have long ago locked up the nomination. Listen to Obama respond off the cuff to the outrageous attacks on him with a quiet dignity and thougtfulness and ask yourself when you've EVER heard a leader handle himself so well.
This is supreme intelligence and talent.
Now imagine a leader like that in the White House.
Yes, I do understand all the "feminists" who have been wetting their pants over "one of their own" getting in the White House. But what they haven't considered is, IF Hillary were to make (God Help Us) it would be a woman simply riding her husbands coattails. Wouldn't it be so much better to see a woman (like Pelosi has) make it on her own?