Geraldine Ferraro, a trailblazer for women as the first woman on a major party national ticket (Walter Mondale’s presidential running mate in 1984), said the following about Senator Barack Obama:
“If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is.”
One hardly knows where to begin in commenting on this infamously insensitive and inaccurate statement. Do I think Geraldine Ferraro is a racist? No, I do not. Do I think she radically underestimates the difficulties that African-Americans, even when highly educated and wealthy, still face every day in our society? Yes, I do.
Otherwise, she would never say what she did—and then be so uncomprehending of why it was offensive to blacks. First, no one who has lived as a black person in America for even one day would ever equate being black with being “lucky” in the sense that blackness confers preference and societal advantage. I have been educated and sensitized to this through many long discussions with black friends and colleagues over the years. They have made me aware of the many slights and indignities African-Americans face on a weekly, if not daily, basis that most whites never see because the offending whites do not behave the same way around us.
For example, an African-American walks into a department store and the white security personnel follow only him or her, not any white shoppers. Or, a black graduate student notices that when he walks alone across a campus parking lot, people in the cars he passes often lock their doors—something they don’t do when he is walking with a white student or students. Or, black men find they are pulled over by police at disproportionate rates, no matter how expensive their automobile – just because they are black. How can anyone call such experiences “lucky?”
One black businesswoman, trying to explain the outrage she felt at Ferraro’s remarks, said, “You’re always dealing with race and how not to make it part of your message and how really to get people to transcend these lines . . . that’s what it is to be black. It’s to really hope that people really see you for you.”
Barack Obama has been engaged in a Herculean struggle to transcend race in his presidential campaign and to be judged for who he is as a candidate—to transcend identity politics, of race or gender.
Ferraro’s comments also signal that she may herself be a prisoner of the gender and racial identity politics of her era. Born in 1935, Ferraro seems oblivious to the post-racial culture of those under 35 in America—young people who see much hope in Barack Obama precisely because he is a brilliant candidate for national office who happens to be a black man—not a black man running for president.
Lastly, Ferraro’s comments seem to dismiss Obama as an “affirmative action hire” who is where he is only because he is black. Given the fact that he is one of the most naturally gifted and charismatic politicians to arise in the last twenty years, that is a lot like saying that Tiger Woods is where he is because he is black and that he is “very lucky” to be where he is in the PGA Tour.
This column originally posted at Beliefnet.com’s Casting Stones blog.
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Dr. Richard Land is president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention's official entity assigned to address social, moral, and ethical concerns, with particular attention to their impact on American families and their faith.
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Actions speak better than words.
Mr Obama choose Mr. Wright as his spiritual teacher for 20 years and included Mr. Wright in his election staff, these are the actions of Mr. Obama. When shocking hate messages began to flow from the mouth of Mr. Wright on television, hyperbole spin was written for Mr. Obama distancing Mr. Obama from Mr. Wright. The weird thing is, some people actually believe the spin written by Mr. Obama’s election machine. But regardless what Mr. Obama says, he chose Mr. Wright as his spiritual teacher for 20 years and added Mr. Wright to his election staff.
If you make the choice to listen and learn from Hitler every week over 20 years, do you expect me or any other rational being to believe that you wouldn’t be or want to be influenced by Hitler’s ideas? And what does that say of your personal integrity if you chose American hating Mr. Wright, or Mr. Hitler as your guide in life?
And also consider recent announcement that the chief of the firm involved in the State Department’s passport breach is one of Obama’s adviser. And that Obama has been caught lying about Rezko, regarding the amount of money Rezko gave him, and that Obama still hasn’t come clean about his Rezko land deal. Or further, how Mrs. Obama makes a phenomenal $317.000 a month at a hospital in Chicago that is famous for turning away the poor, especially the black poor.
If Obama were to become president, what would stop Mr. Obama from appointing Mr. Wright to his cabinet? And after Mr. Wright’s appointment, if anyone complained they would be called racist. And it seems as if this strategy - that it is racist to criticize a black man - is already in effect as Mr. Obama can do anything corrupt with minimal impunity by the public or the press. But if Hillary so much as sneezes, she is taken through the laundry and hung out to dry and then beaten some more. Such bias treatment towards Mr. Obama because of his race is racial discrimination. And I believe another reason why Mrs. Clinton is unfairly criticized to such an extreme is because the men of this country can’t stand the idea of a woman for president. Think about it. It seems a lot of powerful men in the media will do anything to keep Hillary Clinton from being president; clearly a libido thing.
We should have as our country’s leader someone with wisdom and knowledge, whose goal is the selfless betterment of the world. We should not elect someone with a personal agenda of personal power or select them because of the fashionably of their race. And we should see past the scared libidos in the media trying so hard to keep a woman from succeeding.
We should judge a person by their actions and not their words.
The fact that Obama choose Mr. Wright as his spiritual teacher for 20 years and included Mr. Wright in his election staff speaks well for Mr. Obama’s thinking and actions. Words are easy to manipulate and it is UNLIKELY that Obama's recent race speech was written by Mr. Obama himself, but of course written by his spin machine.
And regardless that he is ‘fashionably black’ and that many of you have some desire to prove to yourself or to others that you are not prejudice and that you like ‘black people’ with an attitude of ‘See, I like black people, I’m voting for a black person,’ such an attitude of voting for a person because of their race is the definition of prejudice.
But it seems to me if Mr. Obama had a lighter skin tone, there is no way he would be tolerated in as much he is aligned with a violent religious group, and never says anything substantial. And not only that, consider yesterday’s announcement that the chief of the firm involved in the State Department’s passport breach is Obama’s adviser. And that Obama has been caught lying about Rezko, regarding the amount of money Rezko gave him, and that Obama still hasn’t come clean about his Rezko land deal.
If Obama were to become president, what would stop Mr. Obama from appointing Mr. Wright to his cabinet? And to be sure, if anyone complained about Mr. Wright’s appointment, they would be called racist.
We should have as our country’s leader someone with wisdom and knowledge regardless of race, not someone hungry for power for the sake of power.
Out of all the 300 million people in America, is this really who you want for president – blindly popular with young people, power hungry, deceptive, vague, and coldly self-centered, – and is there a better definition of a potential Anti-Christ?
Geraldine understood what this article did not - Obama is in this race because of his ethnic background. It is his 1/2-black parentage that led to amazement, strong support, and talk of him running a campaign. But is that really a bad thing? The reality of the situation is that Obama used his uniqueness, his charisma coupled with his heritage, as a stepping-stone.
Many whites and other races are still waiting for the shot at being president. Many would love to run. But they cannot get that starting-off point. Obama did, because he is black and well-spoken. Being black he has an almost-guaranteed base of support. Being a solid speech-maker means he will gather others.
I'm not suggesting that Ferraro's comments were the wisest. They may have lacked a bit of tact, or have been taken out of context. But she was correct - we wouldn't know Obama's name if he were white. There would have been no way for a white Obama to stand out and been seen.
CRC:
You are COMPLETELY CLUELESS!! Read the article!!!
Geraldine hit the nail square on the head. It is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Trouble is in todays politically correct world most people can't handle the truth. Way to go Geraldine!!! Obama has no experience and no brains, and I don't care what color he is or what sex he is because that is meaningless.