Letters to the Editor
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Alex sums it up
We (and by we I mean the American media and the American public as a whole) are intensely superficial when it comes to choosing our elected officials --Alex K.
I would add in each election cycle our intensity of need for the superficial is growing. The electorate is like the guy sitting in his car outside a Quickie Mart, unsuccessfully feeding his needs by desperately eating more and more twinkies.
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Give up, Alex.
I know the perspective you're coming from - namely, someone who understands how campaigns work and the cynical smoke and mirrors involved. I've been there, too. You understand what Ferraro meant because such conversations are common in the political world, and you and I know it. It's just the business.
But there is simply no sane way to discuss this with the public at large. They don't have our perspective and experience, and they don't understand how successfully their buttons have been pushed.
There's a larger issue here for Obama, though. While this sort of thing will help him in the primary, there's some serious fallout. One is that if Clinton wins the nomination, he has poisoned her for the general election with the charges of racism. (Funny, how the same people who were screaming that Clinton was doing the work of the Republicans for them by implying Obama wasn't ready to be commander in chief missed this one. Blind spot, anyone?)
The other thing, though, is that he's also shot himself in the foot for the general. His whole strategy was to run as a post-racial leader who could attract independents and moderate Republicans, and now he's become the Great Black Hope. There's some major backlash potential there.
The fact that his campaign has gone so far off message to push the racism meme tells me they're a lot less capable than people think.
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Alex, I agree with you
I am a political writer and have interviewed presidents Bush and Clinton and MacCain and many other political leaders down to local dog catcher and I agree with what UberBlond says. We get used to these discussions and see how these quotes are made and then taken (this is not to imply that I am defendinf Ferarro because I'm not. It was a stupid and senseless thing for her to say). We also understand what happens behind all the hype and commercials and large town hall meetings and so on because we see the candidates and their advidors when they are just being people--taking phone calls, saying hello to friends, relaxing and so on. And we see behind the strategy first hand.
It is our job to then take that knowledge and relate it to the public. Unfortunately, as many of the posts here indicate, many in the media have failed to do their jobs properly (beyond merely making acceptable mistakes) and therefore the trust we may have once had from the public has been diminished if not completely disapeared.
And we also have to contend with Oberman and O'Reilly who inflame passions on either extreme through the deft use of rhetoric and selective presentation of facts.
The end result of all of this is we have two very good Democratic candidates who both have done a lot for Democrats and most importantly for this country and will continue to do more good. And yet, there are hundreds and thousands of posts over the last few weeks that are mean, hyperbolic, personal, wrong in their facts and assumptions, naive in their understanding of politics, policy and campaigns, and cruel.
Those people who have contributed to this diminishment of discussion and debate should be ashamed.
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Excellent summation of the situation
Well said!
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@Texas Democrat
When are we going to be apologized to for being labeled this way? The entire MSM refers to Obama supporters as "educated, affluent and elite" people. They call the ones who support Hillary are "old women, uneducated, working class poor" that vote for Hillary. This is stereotyping at its best. Not all of her supporters are old. Not all of her supporters are poor and uneducated! Just like not all of Obama's supporters are of the same color. These stereotypes are ridiculous and ignorant.
The talk about Obama's supporters education, affluence and status is based on solid polling, as is the fact that older women, less-educated and working class poor tend to strongly support Clinton. These are facts, not some opinionated labels. This is very different from the "cult" or "Kool-Aid" Obama supporters are said to be involved with, which is completely opinion-based.
Also, Obama says that he is the one to deserve credit for getting new people involved in politics. How does that describe those of us that have been involved for years without Obama's supposed inspiration? Do we not matter? Just because we do not support Obama does not mean we have been asleep in politics!
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Alex's post really just reinforces my already dismal opinion of him. It's sad Salon has him running the War Room.
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Q: Can't we all get along?
A: No
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ALEX, AT LAST SOME BALANCE IN AN OVERHEATED DIALOGUE
Thanks Alex. The reality is that many African-Americans seem to feel that they cannot move forward, or score a win, if they cannot charge or imply "racism" i.e. Tonia Brawley, Duke Lacross, Hymie Town, etc. etc. -- gotchas for all the times when they got no justice. They have used the media to their advantage to give society as a whole a collective guilt trip.
Many in the white community are resentful, among other reasons, because they feel they pay for programs that let African-Americans move past their own children, so racist feelings seethe beneath the surface on both sides. Many see Obama moving toward the Presidency without having paid his dues in terms of experience and time served to gain experience.
This campaign season has seen much race-baiting, so the race issue has burst forth full bloom. Make no mistake the Obama campaign has used race as a nasty little, under the radar tactic, while their candidate has stayed above the fray -- or has he? He always leaves a little bomb behind, "I don't think she/he meant to be racist, but the comment was negative and unfortunate." The Obama supporters along with the Clinton Haters start screaming, Clinton supporters and the rightwingers push back and the media and pundits stir the pot and all hell breaks loose. It will go on and on and the damage will eventually create more scar tissue, but life continues into another cycle.
Anyone who believes that Hillary or Bill Clinton or Geraldine Ferraro are racists are idiots. However, they make comments that relate to the history they have lived as they see it, and with which millions agree. The fact remains, all three worked their butts off to raise the level of equality for all people.
For those who lived through the '60s and '70s, the turmoil, the militant groups, the underground, the riots, the assassinations and all the ugly yelling and screaming, Obama's 20-year church affiliation and the Rev. Farrakham connections are troubling. The taped sermons, the books, etc, etc, are all connecting him to a militant, separatist philosophy that makes no sense for one who is preaching unity. Charging racism when hard questions arise will only add to the problem. Obama will never get elected President until he is able to fully address this elephant in the room.