Is it impossible to tell the truth without being considered racist?

[Stylerod]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama assailed as "slice and dice" politics Geraldine Ferraro's assertion that he wouldn't be where he is in the presidential race if he weren't black.

The back-and-forth between the two Democratic trailblazers - Obama, seeking to be the nation's first black president, and Ferraro, who was the first woman on a major party presidential ticket in 1984 - continued for a second day as they made appearances on network and cable morning news programs.

"Part of what I think Geraldine Ferraro is doing, and I respect the fact that she was a trailblazer, is to participate in the kind of slice and dice politics that's about race and about gender and about this and that, and that's what Americans are tired of because they recognize that when we divide ourselves in that way we can't solve problems," Obama said on NBC's "Today" show.

Ferraro, who was Walter Mondale's vice presidential running mate, said Wednesday that her remarks were not racist and had been taken out of context. She accused Obama's campaign of twisting her remarks to undercut his rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"I was talking about historic candidacies and what I started off by saying (was that) if you go back to 1984 and look at my historic candidacy, which I had just talked about all these things, in 1984 if my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would have never been chosen as a vice presidential candidate," Ferraro said on ABC's "Good Morning America.""It had nothing to do with my qualification."

Ferraro said she has a 40-year history of opposing discrimination of all kinds, including race, and that she was outraged at criticism of her remarks by David Axelrod, Obama's chief media strategist, because he knows her and her record.

My Way News - Obama Says Ferraro Dividing Democrats

I watched an interview with her today and I understand completely what she is saying. Obama is saying nothing new. Nothing fresh. There is nothing special about him. He seems likable. But is that enough? It is him being black that has shoved him forward in the Democratic race. It is the only thing that has made him stand out from the rest.

Ferraro admitted that she was pushed forward because she was a woman. She was qualified, but so were a lot of other people. It was her being a woman that made the DNC give her a push before the rest.

Why can't someone say this out loud without being called a racist?

[7960]

on talk radio this morning:

"So we're supposed to be for affirmative action, we're supposed to give people a benefit because of the color of their skin. But then when someone notices that we're doing it, that's racist?"



To answer your question, yes. It's impossible to comment on anything having to do with race without being considered racist by the people who have a perceived short-end-of-the-stick.

[David Octavius]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

I watched an interview with her today and I understand completely what she is saying. Obama is saying nothing new. Nothing fresh. There is nothing special about him. He seems likable. But is that enough? It is him being black that has shoved him forward in the Democratic race. It is the only thing that has made him stand out from the rest.

Ferraro admitted that she was pushed forward because she was a woman. She was qualified, but so were a lot of other people. It was her being a woman that made the DNC give her a push before the rest.

Why can't someone say this out loud without being called a racist?

Ferraro was wrong in her assertion - his message resonates with people, if all his appeal was the black vote, he wouldn't be here. He has gotten quite a lot of independents, college graduate whites and was starting to get more white voters in general (which he wasn't getting before, hence his message appeal increased) until the Clinton surrogates started spouting about race.

He is nothing special to YOU but to others he is and thats why he is doing well. If it was just because he was black then other black candidates would of won the nomination by now, it hasn't happened because those candidates sucked.

And the fact that she said this in reaction to her dumb comments:

"Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?"

If your going to pull the race card then expect it to be pulled on you.

[Stylerod]

But you can look at her history and know she is not a racist. She said she is thrilled to see this history making event that a woman and a black man are running for president.

I think a big reason people are excited about him is partly because he is black. Not just blacks are excited about it. Plenty of whites desperately want a black in office and want to support him as a sign that they support equal rights.

He is good looking, charming, smart and black. But he has no great message. He is not Hillary, and of course that helps a LOT. But if you look at his views they are nothing new or unique.

[David Octavius]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

But you can look at her history and know she is not a racist. She said she is thrilled to see this history making event that a woman and a black man are running for president.

I think a big reason people are excited about him is partly because he is black. Not just blacks are excited about it. Plenty of whites desperately want a black in office and want to support him as a sign that they support equal rights.

He is good looking, charming, smart and black. But he has no great message. He is not Hillary, and of course that helps a LOT. But if you look at his views they are nothing new or unique.

I'm not saying she is a racist - I don't think she is. But if Obama was white there is a good chance this nomination would of been won by him a while ago. Again YOU dont like his views, fine, but many liberals love his "JFK" like oratory and positive message. But since he started running, other people having been talking about his race and religion and its only hampered him, not help, because the focus is off him as a person and onto some abstract concept of what race and religion is.

[Stylerod]

I tell you what. If he does get the nomination and loses to McCain, there will be plenty of people that will bring up his race and say a "Black" man can't win because we are still a racist country. And while there is still racism in this country, I don't think it's enough to make a great minority candidate lose an election.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by David Octavius

I'm not saying she is a racist - I don't think she is. But if Obama was white there is a good chance this nomination would of been won by him a while ago. Again YOU dont like his views, fine, but many liberals love his "JFK" like oratory and positive message. But since he started running, other people having been talking about his race and religion and its only hampered him, not help, because the focus is off him as a person and onto some abstract concept of what race and religion is.

Early in the race I was a Dodd supporter and I didn't think anything impressive about Hillary or Obama's oratory skills..but apparently the media loves it so I should...from what I've seen it's a bunch of David Axelrod speeches that Deval Patrick used and he's recycling, and he repeats them decently

Why do you think sucks so bad at debates? No writers there for him, and no time tp practice your lines again and again...he is not a good natural speaker

[Thorgrim]

Style makes a good point, the media, far left liberals, people on this board...all hate hillary so much they do make this ridiculous environment

[Scrum]

Lets look at what she said in 1988...

And former representative Geraldine A. Ferraro (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday that because of his "radical" views, "if Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race."
Asked about this at a campaign stop in Buffalo, Jackson at first seemed ready to pounce fiercely on his critics. But then he stopped, took a breath, and said quietly, "Millions of Americans have a point of view different from" Ferraro's.
Discussing the same point in Washington, Jackson said, "We campaigned across the South . . . without a single catcall or boo. It was not until we got North to New York that we began to hear this from Koch, President Reagan and then Mrs. Ferraro . . . . Some people are making hysteria while I'm making history."

So can any black man run for President without his skin color being the thing that got him there?


And just like David pointed out, just because you don't like him, doesn't mean he's not a special candidate to other people.

[Thorgrim]

First off, im suspicious of any quote that takes so long to dig up, and then can't be put in it's full statement, so we're possibly being skewed on the context

I'm anxious to see all the Hillary-haters who will come in here to support Jesse Jackson now that they have a new found love for him...

As we've seen time and time on this board, people who have raging hatred for certain politicians (i don't need to name the obvious) will come to suddenly drop all criticism of them and stop bringing up their names if they don't support Hillary

Hillary hatred goes above all things on here

[Scrum]

And if McCain weren't white, he wouldn't be in the race. Neither would Paul or Hilary. She also wouldn't be in the race if she weren't a woman.

See how wonderfully this argument works?

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by Scrum

And if McCain weren't white, he wouldn't be in the race. Neither would Paul or Hilary. She also wouldn't be in the race if she weren't a woman.

See how wonderfully this argument works?

If we are going to go that far, I don't know why McCain or Hillary are in it no matter what their color!

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

If we are going to go that far, I don't know why McCain or Hillary are in it no matter what their color!

That was kind of my point.

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

If we are going to go that far, I don't know why McCain or Hillary are in it no matter what their color!

Exactly.

[motivez]

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Nothing fresh. There is nothing special about him. He seems likable. But is that enough? It is him being black that has shoved him forward in the Democratic race. It is the only thing that has made him stand out from the rest.

What a crock of shit, when is the last time someone as eloquent and able to inspire as many people to get involved in the process has been around? People compare him to Bobby Kennedy for a reason, and it isn't because they look alike.

Obama is an impressive candidate in many respects. The idea that he's only in his position because he's black is ridiculous.

That said, of course his race has helped him in certain states, with certain demographics, and most likely hurt him in others with others.

Of course it gave him a little more media coverage as the first black candidate with a real shot than he might have otherwise gotten had he been white, but he was only given that coverage (unlike someone like Sharpton or Alan Keys) because he was impressive enough in other areas and had as much support as he had to make them think that.

[Rouger2]

That was a put down and he had the right to fight back and it was racial. I think that he just might be the man he and his supporters say he is, but I am still making up my mind on that. He might just be a honest man and wouldn't that be refreshing for a president to be.

[Thorgrim]

I'd like for someone to intelligently make an argument that Obama would have won damn near 90% of the African American vote in SC, saving him from an awful losing streak, if he was white

[motivez]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

I'd like for someone to intelligently make an argument that Obama would have won damn near 90% of the African American vote in SC, saving him from an awful losing streak, if he was white

Of course he wouldn't, but he'd be an incredibly strong candidate regardless.

[7960]

Originally Posted by motivez

Of course he wouldn't, but he'd be an incredibly strong candidate regardless.

he may not have won 90% of the black vote, but he also may have won more of the white vote.