If there is one thing the Clinton campaign and their surrogates do have down pat, it is playing the victim:
Former congresswoman and vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro is resigning her fundraising position with Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign after controversial comments she made about Clinton’s rival, Sen. Barack Obama.
Comments by former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro are drawing criticism from the Obama campaign.
“I am stepping down from your finance committee so I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what is at stake in this campaign,” Ferraro wrote in a letter to Clinton. “The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won’t let that happen.”
Ferraro told CNN she sent the letter to Clinton Wednesday afternoon.
All she had to do was shut up, but she couldn’t. Instead, she went on the offensive:
Geraldine Ferraro had a full media schedule today. Despite Hillary Clinton’s surface condemnation of her racist comments regarding Barack Obama, she was booked on the Today Show, The Early Show, and yesterday, most insidiously, Bill O’Reilly’s Radio Factor.
And even though her own stupidity and her own mouth are the direct cause of her own demise, she is the victim of the evil Obama campaign. I am really looking forward to four years of Hillary Clinton blaming all of her shortcomings and mistakes on the evil Republicans, aren’t you? Because eight years of “the Democrats are worse” and refusing to accept responsibility has really left the country in such a great place.
Crust
Totally off topic, but via Glenn Greenwald, for those who want to contribute to fight telco amnesty and get the Blue Dogs in line, go here.
Ted
Even Karl Rove would have run Hillary’s campaign with more dignity than this. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it in presidential runs. Hillary’s entire theme these days seems to be that her losing the nomination would be extremely unfair and discriminator.
Anyway, I’m sure myiq2xu will be along shortly to defend Ferraro’s comments.
rob!
i just watched Dem strategists Hilary Rosen and Peter Fenn twist themselves into linguistic knots on MSNBC’s “Tucker”(he’s not hosting, that’s why I’m watching) trying to condone what Ferraro said.
I know 2 things:
1)if a REPUBLICAN had said this, they’d be apoplectic.
2)the host, Joe Scarborough, just said that the Dems have women mad on one side, african-americans on the other, as if those are the only two groups mad about this.
i’m an Obama supporter, and i’m a lily-white male. i am HORRIFIED at what Ferraro said. my girlfiend and parents, equally honky, are HORRIFIED at what Ferraro said. its not just overly sensitive african-americans, Joe.
i don’t believe the Clintons are racist, i just think they’d throw anyone under the bus to win.
but Ferraro is crabby old racist white lady.
Rarely Posts
My God, would you quit it? Do you want Hillary to shoot her…would that satisfy you? Her original comments weren’t racist. She might be an idiot, I’ll grant you that. But you are being ridiculous.
Davebo
No, firing her from the campaign would have sufficed for me.
But luckily this has all been defused because Ferraro is leaving her position in the campaign, in order to spend more time campaigning for Hillary.
Martin
See, but now Ferraro is on O’Reilly defending her remarks and getting his sympathy. Clinton need not attack any more – she just deputized the smear machine to carry the message for her, with a Dem as justification for being able to talk about race. And you’ll note that the Republicans and McCain have been quiet about this stuff lately. McCain will denounce those remarks stronger than Hillary did, mark my word, so no dirty hands from the Republicans.
I give Hillary a 50/50 chance now of winning in the convention.
Martin
Explain her comments, please.
ThymeZone
Just when I thought that the Clintons had reached the bottom, they manage to plunge even deeper into the pit of disgusting shit.
AkaDad
Shame on you Hillary for not denouncing and rejecting Geraldine Ferrarokahn.
rob!
maybe i’m naive, but i’m not even really sure how what Ferraro said affects votes, even after all this hugger-mugger.
her comments were racist (and stupid, and uninformed…) but on the surface she was mostly just pointing out that Barack is black–that seemed to be the underlying point.
well, who doesn’t know this already? wouldn’t the kind of person who would be swayed by these attacks be already on Hillary’s side a long, long time ago?
if ONLY blacks were voting for Obama, i could see this working, but he won Maine, Wyoming, Iowa…not exactly hotbeds of multiculturalism.
(btw, Obama…I’m from NJ, which went solidly for Hillary. sorry about that, I did my best)
dslak
Ferraro’s comments aren’t racist because she’s a woman. Periodically.
Conservatively Liberal
So she resigned from a position that she said that she could not be fired from? Not only that, but the resignation was defiant in its tone. She is not sorry for what she said, and she is sticking to that story line.
Hillary can corner Obama on stage about Farrakhan, and he denounces and rejects him, but she refuses to do either in this case. How convenient.
Once again, Clinton Rules save the day for Hill. This primary is over, and Hillary is the dead
manwoman walking. There is nothing more for her to gain at this point in the contest. All that she can hope for is to damage Obama in some way that she can benefit from it, or hope that the SDs hand the win to her at the convention. She is behind on the popular vote, the pledged delegate count and the number of states won.The fat lady has been cranking it out for some time now, and I think she is going to lose her voice before Hillary gives up.
The next race based attack against Obama will be right before the PA vote. I hope the SDs come to their senses before that and that they bring this mess to an end.
Andrew
The only appropriate response, and the only one that will actually make Ferraro mad, is to mock her mercilessly.
I propose will.i.am make a video, “Yes We Can… Say Stupid Racist Shit.”
Rarely Posts
Obama is lucky to be who he is. There’s nothing wrong with being black. NOTHING! Ferarro’s comments were bitter, not racist.
I am thrilled, THRILLED, that the two top Dems are a black man and a white woman. Does that make me racist or sexist?
Zifnab
That’s cause she’s a classy girl.
Rarely Posts
Why? Is being black shameful? Am I no longer allowed to notice that someone is black?
This reminds me of when Michelle Malkin melted down because someone called her the Asian Ann Coulter…well, guess what, Michelle, your heritage is Asian–wtf are you ashamed of your heritage?
Zifnab
BOTH! If you were secure in your masculinity and whiteliness, you’d be voting above race and gender and casting your vote for John McCain. Only by voting for a lying, lobbyist-nuzzling, media-whoring, rat fucker can you claim to fight against discrimination in choosing a candidate for public office.
zack
Prominent Hillary supporter Rush “McNabb only got where he is because he’s black” Limbaugh came to Ferraro’s defense today. He feels her pain at being called “racist.”:
Yeah? Well, join the club. Join the club, Gerard — uh, Geraldine. Sorry. You are exactly right. Join the club.
What did Geraldine Ferraro actually say? She said that he’s only there because he’s a black guy. She said if he were a white man, he wouldn’t even be in the presidential race. So she’s essentially saying that he’s unqualified and black, right? Now, let me ask you people a question. Who gave us this concept? Unqualified and black, pfft!, shooting to the top? Who gave us this concept? I am rubbing my hands together in glee here. It was liberals who demanded this.
Ferraro’s condescension captures the tone of paternalistic liberalism perfectly. Its ‘victims’ should know their place and plot their ascent according to the progressive charts set up by the white liberal establishment,” meaning Obama has reached too far here.
So, Rush is happy, and so is Team Hillary. The following meme have been introduced into the PA primary:
1) Obama only got where he is because he’s black (i.e. he’s unqualified).
2) the Obama campaign is racist and hates white people.
Those are the themes Team Hillary wanted introduced into the campaign. Ferraro did that quite successfully. Mission Accomplished.
D-Chance.
So, even in resignation, it’s the poor white woman being “attacked” by the evil black man… and the poor white woman is doing the heroic deed of protecting another white woman from being “hurt” by the evil black man. God, Geraldine, just shut up!
dslak
“What, is being a gay Muslim socialist shameful? I didn’t know that when I said it!” The last refuge of the scoundrel (okay, second-to-last).
John Cole
Bingo, now to go for a twofer and play the victim card to make sure the cranky white female vote comes out. Taylor Marsh can write five posts about how Obama’s upper lip position in a picture means he was sexist when he looked at Hillary after a debate.
Pretty smart- they get the anti-affirmative action blue collar vote and ramp up Hillary’s last base of support- the Sisterhood of the Travelling Rants (the older white woman).
Sasha
Ferraro’s original comment was indeed damn foolish and tone-deaf, but not necessarily racist.
The problem is with her is that after being called on it, rather than back out gracefully, Ferraro decided to dig in and double down. Her follow up — “It wasn’t a racist comment, it was a statement of fact.” — pisses me off, as does the arrogance of proclaiming her ill-considered opinion to be true wisdom. Apparently, the reason I support Obama isn’t that I think he’s a qualified, inspirational, principled candidate who can win the general election, but because I just want an “imaginary hip black friend” (another boneheaded comment from a Clinton staffer).
Now (in contrast to the dignified exit of Susan Powers) Ferraro loudly rejects any responsibilty for the consequences of her idiotic comments and resigns in order to become unaccountable bombthrower for the Clinton camp.
As such, Ferroro is poised to blow up any chance of the Democratic candidate, whomever he or she may be, from becoming President.
Rarely Posts
I’m a white woman. Aren’t we the only ones that support Hillary except the hispanics? Oops, did I just make a sexist remark? Oh, and since I’m married to a hispanic, I guess that was racist, too!
Fug!
Rarely Posts
Yep, cause women are bitches, right?
Martin
Rather than continue to say Obama is unqualified, which isn’t working when Sinbad is part of your experience team, she says that he wouldn’t be there if he were white (without being burdened to provide any evidence for that assertion).
Which leads to…
So again, Obama has been cast as unqualified, not because of any evidence but because Ferraro (a Democrat who wouldn’t sell out one of her own, right?) has deemed it so, and presented *race* as the substitute for the evidence that she failed to provide. See, Obama isn’t unqualified because he didn’t do the kinds of things that Hillary did (even though he did almost all the things Hillary did) but because he is black.
Now, Rush has license to run with that:
Is Rush being racist? Sure. Is Ferraro? Absolutely, because she knows what the *intent* of her words were. She knew full well that Hillary would get a boost from this by not having to prove her experience credentials on account of her being white, now that Obama is being questioned on his due to her statement. And she knew full well being a Dem and attacking Obama on race, and going on O’Reilly with it would get her that outcome.
Let’s ask a different question:
Why would Ferraro make this assertion, I think 4 times now on 4 different media outlets? What did she intend to achieve with this statement? Praise for Obama? I think we’ve ruled that out after the first day. Why keep repeating it?
tim
“All she had to do was shut up, but she couldn’t. Instead, she went on the offensive”
Seems to me, John, that increasingly you want everyone who disagrees with you to SHUT UP. Either that, or you end the discussion by announcing that the one who dares to differ with you is “an idiot.”
Nice. Very convincing.
As for me, I get a kick out of Ferraro’s defying those lily-livers who shriek “racism” at every turn. Makes me smile with pleasure.
John Cole
A lot of nerve coming from an admitted racist and sexist!
Rarely Posts
Sasha, I agree that Ferraro is an idiot. But blaming the loss of the Dem candidate on her is a bit of a stretch. We’ll do it to ourselves with this stupid bickering. In today’s episode Hillary comes out like a bitch and Obama like a victim–doesn’t matter if either statement is remotely true.
Martin
Its not about votes, directly. It’s about the convention. She’s banking on a brokered convention and having enough time to kill Obama’s electability because race has poisoned it for him. They’ll have to accept her in order to win the general, even if they hate her guts picking her.
John Cole
Sometimes you all make me want to scream. Personally, I would like Geraldine to keep rambling at the mouth for a couple more days. I think her behavior will be a net problem for Hillary, and I want Obama to win, so that is a plus for me.
What I clearly meant was that all she had to do to defuse the situation and stop causing her chosen candidate problems was to shut up. Instead, she went on a media blitz and caused tons more problems for Hillary.
Conservatively Liberal
IMO, Hillary really blew a different chance here. If she would have stepped up, fired Ferraro and then forcefully denounced her remark as racist in its tone, she would have calmed down the AA community considerably. This would have given her a huge lever against people who accuse her campaign of race baiting.
By waffling and supporting what Ferraro said, she only reinforced opinion among the AA community (and other Democrats) that her campaign is playing the race card against Obama. Her pointed attack against Obama about Farrakhan backfires on her now because people can see Obama clearly and unequivocally denouncing and rejecting Farrakhan, yet Hillary refuses to do the same with Ferraro.
Clinton Rules.
Martin
Rarely,
She’s not an idiot. This is clearly intentional. She’s taking one for the team. This is #6 on Halperin’s list:
http://thepage.time.com/halperin%E2%80%99s-take-ways-mccain-can-beat-obama-that-clinton-cannot/
Rarely Posts
Martin, I would never had made that connection. But thanks for giving the right a stellar talking point.
But satisfy my curiousity, are you saying Obama’s blackness makes him unqualified?
Dennis - SGMM
As for me, I get a kick out of Ferraro’s defying those lily-livers who shriek “racism” at every turn. Makes me smile with pleasure.
George Wallace and Lester Maddox must have had you on the floor.
Rarely Posts
Okay, that was funny. But you have to admit my taking what you said to mean women are bitches is a valid conclusion to draw.
Martin
How would that have helped? It’s clear now, even to Clinton that she can’t win on delegates from elections or even superdelegates. She’s not going to win by rising above Obama – that ship has sailed now. Now she needs to take Obama out and hope that she can pull the delegates around at the convention by making the case that he can’t beat McCain.
Martin
Rush already made the connection. See the quote above. And Rush didn’t need to make the connection because Ferraro made the statement with the *intent* of making that connection. Sooner or later she was going to get it through his fat head. Why have a dialog with O’Reilly if that wasn’t the intent?
I think Obama is eminently qualified, but I think Clinton has repeatedly failed to make the case that he is less qualified than she is. Ferraro forces the listener to conclude that he *must* be unqualified by sheer fact that he is here and black, because she says quite clearly that he wouldn’t be here if he was white. What other conclusion does she lead us to draw, but that he is unqualified? And why would a prominent Democrat say such a thing about a member of her own party, so clearly she is telling the truth!
And you guys are buying into that last statement in a different way as well by saying that she’s an idiot. She isn’t. She’s ruthless.
Sasha
There isn’t a Dem loss yet to blame Ferraro for, and hopefully there won’t be. But her lack of humility and apparent relish to keep a divisive issue alive will do nothing but hurt the Dems and help the GOP. Her actions virually ensure that the stupid bickering will not only continue, but will intensify.
tBone
Nah, myiq2 won’t address Ferraro’s comments directly because he knows they’re indefensible.
Instead, he takes the reverse-racism angle and accuses Obama of racist dogwhistling. This involves a complex linguistic web that links Obama to Denzel Washington, Malcolm X, Farrakhan, and possibly the Illuminati.
It’s quite fascinating. If I were myiq2, I’d demand a bonus along with my regular weekly check from Mark Penn.
wwz
You are cunfusing Ferraro with Clinton. Don’t feel bad. It’s happening all over the place.
TheFountainHead
I don’t know what I’m more pissed about right now. The gall of this woman to make overtly awful comments as she did and then claim the Obama camp is attacking HER, or the fact that the powers that be in the Democratic party have not stepped in to end this yet. Unbelievable. Right now the possibility of an Obama presidency is the only thing keeping me in this party. Short of that, they can all just go to hell.
Oh yeah, and another $25 to Obama for Ferraro’s kamikaze attack.
Cain
Tim, you’ve got some serious blinders on. What you’re seeing is political theater calculated to bring out a particular kind of emotion from PA voters. To claim that someone is where they are because of race is beyond stupid. How can you gain an advantage from 14% of the population without some support from the other 86%? You need appeal to 37% or more of the main stream population to win. That’s still a significant number.
Morever, if you think about a white woman complaining about a black man attacking her probably inspires all kinds of interesting stuff if you lead them to think that way. She’s got nothing; this kind of attacks is all she got and she’s a total loser. Worse she’s embracing and merging with the right wing slime machine to do it against a fellow democratic. That takes a special kind of class.
In the end though, the move is still pretty risky because the democratic establishment may react negatively to this. There might be a blacklash.
If I were Obama, I would simply respond with “What’s wrong with being black?”. Just that out and see what kind of parsing Ferarro comes out. Let her destroy her own credibility.
cain
John S.
Cranky white woman = bitch?
That seems like quite a stretch. I mean, most of the older white women in my family are pretty cranky at times, but I don’t think of them as bitches.
My recently departed grandmother was definitely bitchy an awful lot, but I thought of her as a curmudgeon.
dslak
It could be worse. They could be confusing Denzel Washington with Louis Farrakhan.
John S.
Geraldine Ferraro still has credibility left to destroy?
rob!
i just saw Pat “Equal Opportunity Hata” Buchanan on Hardball saying “it was a mistake for the Obama campaign to call Ferraro a racist.”
problem is, THEY NEVER SAID THAT. ever. Obama made comments, sure, but he never called Ferraro a racist.
gee, it must be easy going on TV when you don’t have to worry about, y’know, knowing stuff.
Mike S
I tend to agree with that in some ways. Her innitial comments were more bitter than racist. It was the follow ups that went over the line. People weren’t attacking her because she was white, that’s absurd. They were attacking her because she is an idiot.
But the net positive for Hillary here is the white men who were skipped over a promotion that was given to someone of color. As is so often the case those white men weren’t passed over because they suck, it’s because the black man held them down.
But there is a lot of bitterness out there. In some ways I can understand it. Women finally have a candidate who is totally viable. And unfortunately for them there is a completely viable man of color there too. And even more unfortunately for them he is running a spactacular campaign.
I think that many of Obama’s supporters would be bitter and saying idiotic things too if the roles were reversed.
PaulW
Dear Ms. Ferraro. There’s a reason why the Obama campaign is attacking you, and it’s not to hurt the Clinton campaign. They were attacking you BECAUSE YOU ATTACKED THEM FIRST! You cannot claim victimhood when YOU were the one to start the damn thing in the first place! If anyone was hurting the Clinton campaign, IT WAS YOU MS. FERRARO! It was YOU making racist remarks (and they are racist) accusing Obama of benefiting from affirmative action rather than from his own success. Does affirmative action explain his ability to win elections?! NO! He won those strictly on merit (and because the Republicans put up a crazy guy doing a Tim Meadows impression for the Senate campaign).
Swear to Ceiling Cat, this is like dealing with 7th graders.
Beth from My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy found me a nice /facepalm photo of Knut, hoping I cans borrow it.
Sasha
That’s probably what Hillary is angling for — six weeks of Obama being inaccurately referred to as some kind of “-ist”. The GOP was just tagged in to verbalize the meme.
Dennis - SGMM
As long as Pat keeps that bag of cloves around his neck to cover the old man smell, he’ll have a place on television. He’s a pundit now.
dslak
Except that, early on, blacks were tilted toward Hillary. I assume that’s the equivalent group on the Obama side that would be playing victimized identity politics.
w vincentz
Well…now that Eliot will have some time on his hands and post menopausal Gerry has freed herself of commitments, perhaps they can get together and comp each other some hot flashes. Any port in a storm, disregard lightning plz.
dslak
Something just happened here with w vincentz’s post that will change this thread forever.
Conservatively Liberal
I did not mean that it would help Hillary win, but that it would have helped cover her ass after the war is over. I do not think that she would have even considered what I said above, but rather my observation shows (to me) that Hillary is not sincere about her not playing the race card. This was a deliberate ploy on their part, and I think it went exactly as they expected it to.
Ferraro is now a martyr, a victim of race politics. Just like Hillary is a victim. Now Ferraro can stay in play for Hillary, and there is no visible link between them. The fact that she is unrepentant, and that Hillary still will not reject and/or denounce Ferraro tells me that this is what they wanted.
The intended perception is that Obama, his campaign, his supporters and the MSM have unfairly attacked two prominent Democratic women. This following on the heels of a decisive win for Obama in MS, which is being used by the MSM to underscore that whites are voting white and blacks are voting black, just keeps the ‘Obama is black!’ narrative going.
I am glad that I have never even considered voting for Hillary. She is exceeding my expectations in how low she will go, and I don’t think we have seen the end of it.
It is called ‘poisoning the well’ at this point, IMO.
Cain
So you recommend the Jesus strategy? Let Obama show class by showing sympathy and say he will embrace her as a sister? Let the pony do that.
cain
Rarely Posts
Okay, Martin. I thought you were making up the Rush quote. Let’s all step back and let Rush frame our primary. Because that’s what he’s doing.
Cain
Not just Rush, but all of them. Ferraro going to every talk show that can write her name and spewing her nonsense is what it’s all about. Worse these demagogues love their new power of being able to take down someone through a innuendo.
This Ferraro thing looks like tag team wrestling where Ferraro got the nod to fight in the ring. Obama in turn should get Michelle into the ring and let’s see what happens then. Michelle will kick Ferraro’s ass.
cain
Brachiator
I am not saying that this was a deliberate strategy, but it is working to deflect questions about Senator Clinton’s padding of her experience.
Instead, we have the absurd, but easily accepted view that Hillary Clinton is, by definition, qualified to do anything because she is a strong woman, even though her actual qualifications to be president have everything to do with her marriage to Bill Clinton and nothing to do with her own independent accomplishments.
On the other hand, we not only have the Obama is only doing well because he is black, which is contradicted by his actual performance during the campaign, but we also have Mickey Kaus in Slate Magazine, for example, going the whole hog to suggest that Obama is not a legitimate contender because he has supposedly benefited from affirmative action (Ferraro’s “Kinsley Gaffe”).
So, family and social connections, nepotism, the advantages gained by marriage — hell, this is hard work that would make Horatio Alger proud. None of this need be challenged, questioned, or vetted. Unless you’re black.
dslak
Now here comes the “Obama is a wussy, PC liberal” meme
skippy
oh yeah, i’m secure in my masculinity, but i’m really secure in my whiteliness. i’m very whitely. i’m one of the whiteliest guys you’ll meet. whitely and masculinly, too.
it’s too bad obama has to parade his blackliness around. he’s so blackly, there’s no problem w/ferraro pointing out how blackly he is. she’s confident in her feminineliness, she’s very femininely, and whitely, too.
but he has to cry victimly when a whitely person simply says he’s blackly, it’s disgustingly.
Pb
Yep–racist, intentional, and despicable. Want (more) proof? She was shopping this shit around weeks ago, to John “madrassa” Gibson of all people. Dear Hillary, Geraldine, Mark Penn, et. al–STFU and GTFO. I don’t care WTF you do instead–start a conservative talk radio show for all I care. Just go away.
Martin
Again, Ferraro is the one that put racism out there – not Obama:
Obama never said she was racist, she willingly thrust that mantle on herself because it furthers her agenda here.
I’m not suggesting we let Rush frame our primary. I’m saying that Clinton is using Rush to frame our primary. I’m making an accusation.
Conservatively Liberal
What? The same ‘impeachment is off the table’, ‘keeping our powder dry’ Democrats who view their jobs as careers and not commitments to their constituents and country? Sorry, but years ago someone stole their spines. All they know now is to do whatever they can to remain in office for as long as they can, and to curry favor wherever they can.
These spineless idiots want to be on the winning team, yet they are too scared to cross the Clinton clan even though Obama is coming out as the clear winner. This is a perfect example of why I am no longer a Democrat. They have the ideas I like, but they refuse to lead. They all wait to see what the general consensus is, and then they jump behind it enmasse in the name of job security.
Democrats have some brains and yet no spines. Republicans have steel spines and no brains. We need leaders, and we have a herd of lemmings leading us.
Martin
I think the Jesus move is the winner here. Obama needs to take the wind out of this and find something to pivot onto. Not sure what off the top of my head, though.
She doesn’t need to cover her ass. In fact, if Obama’s polling should go to hell over this, what are the delegates going to say? There could be 100% agreement in the room that Hillary took him out on race, but if she’s the one with the best shot 10 weeks from the election, what choice do they have?
Rarely Posts
Why did Obama’s campaign ask that she be fired then?
I do think we are letting Rush and his ilk frame our debate. I don’t think what she said was racist. Obama should have laughed it off and exposed her for the idiot she is, just like Clinton should have laughed off the monster comment.
We are handing the Republicans four more years in the White House.
dslak
Am I the only one who failed to notice Rarely Post’s concern about the Powers/”monster” thing before it became a convenient counterpoint?
Dennis - SGMM
Yep, and during the general she can say that McCain got where he is by being an old white man who intentionally remained in a N. Vietnamese prison camp. That ought to work out real well for her.
Cain
Speaking of which, it’s all quiet in pony land. They need to get their act together and come up with a counter message or something. Letting it go gives Ferraro an advantage. That’s not very smart.
cain
Rarely Posts
Probably.
Pug
Obama said, and I quote: “I don’t think her [Ferraro] comments are racist, I think they are ridiculous”. Pretty much sums it up. Nothing more really needs be said.
Obama’s campaign should move on and let Ferraro’s dumb comments speak for themselves. They will fall under the weight of their own stupidity, especially in light of the fact she said the exact same thing about Jesse Jackson in 1988.
She really does come across as not much more than a bitter old woman. If this is supposed to help the Hillary campaign, I don’t see how. If the Clinton campaign is reduced to this kind of thing in a desperate attempt to get the Pennsylvania red-neck vote, they are so finished.
John D.
If you honestly believe that, please define “racist”.
Dictionary.com defines racism as “a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement”. If you can explain to me how “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color), he would not be in this position.” does not claim that his individual achievement is due to his race, I’d like to hear *that* explanation.
Her comment may not have been malicious (though I personally believe it was), pandering (though I personally believe it was), or insensitive (though — again — I personally believe it was), but there is no damn way it was not racist. She made a specific claim that his candidacy was dependent upon his RACE.
Rarely Posts
Ask Obama, he agrees with me. You people are destroying the Democratic party, not Hillary or Obama.
All of you and your stupid, petty, bull shit.
dslak
Rarely Posts Says:
Google sez: No.
jake
Fixed!
From the article:
Maybe he can take Ferraro’s place in Camp Clinton.
Pb
Racist.
John D.
Obama is taking the high road, for political reasons.
I’m asking *you* to define “racist”. I’m asking *you* to back up your claim that her comments were not racist.
The rest of my post was my explanation why I think her comments were racist. Whadda ya know, I still do. Amazing.
Mike S
I just checked my comment. Funny, I said no such thing.
I think Obama needs to take the gloves off. People need to know that he will fight when he needs too. That is one of the big worris for people. That plan A fails and he has no plan B.
Martin
Obama campaign finds humor
(apparently it is indeed real)
dslak
So black people only know how to box? Racist!
Mary
Fucking brilliant. Sure, Fisking is so 2002, but that was nicely done.
IanY77
Reminds me of that little douchenozzle Ben Domenech after his plagarism was outed: “I’m just glad you spent the last few days bashing me instead of bashing America”.
dslak
Obama’s got some ‘splainin to do.
I did like this bit for pure comedy:
That’s gonna leave a mark!
Pug
The Clintons believe they can spin their way to the nomination. It’s a joke and Obama should treat it as such, like in the Time article.
Sojourner
Ah yes, because we cranky white females are so stupid we can only do what we’re told by our female leader.
Rarely Posts
No offense, but your link was me saying the column in WAPO was disgusting. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make.
Sojourner
I look forward to hearing Mr. Cole make the argument that Obama brings out the cranky black vote.
But that would be racist, wouldn’t it.
Sexism is okay.
Rarely Posts
You’re saying inside he thinks it was racist and is just lying? Wow, maybe it just isn’t racist.
It was bitter. There is nothing wrong with being a black man these days. I’m not sure how I can prove it wasn’t racist, it just wasn’t, in my opinion and in Obama’s. Unless like you claim, he’s just pretending.
Mike S
What does he have to explain? That a pastor endorsed him?
Silly season indeed.
ThymeZone
The only thing I heard Obama say today about this was that he didn’t think Ferraro meant anything racist, but that the remark was pretty ridiculous.
So why is anyone stating that he thought the comments were racist?
In any case, the argument re racist v. non-racist is a jackalope. The whole subject is designed to put a racial component into the public perception of the contest. It isn’t necessary to actually BE racist in order to pull that off.
dslak
No offense, but you seem to have confused the contents of my linke with something else.
On the one post you made on that thread, which dealt with the fallout from the “monster” comment of Powers’s, you only mentioned Sully saying that Hillarys “3 a.m.” ad might be racist.
Thus, it seems you really didn’t consider the calls for Powers’s dismissal to be objectional until after a similar situation happened with Hillary’s campaign. It’s awfully convenient that such behavior has only become deplorable as soon as it hurt your preferred candidate.
dslak
I’m not saying he’s morally obligated to explain anything, but the pressure for him to have a “Sistah Souljah Moment” is going to be pretty high for as long as this story’s out there.
jake
1. Because racist and ridiculous both start with an “R” followed by vowel and a consonant.
2. Because he’s an angry black man, of course he thinks her comments were racist, those people think everything is racist!
3. Nothing good on TV.
Those are my guesses.
ThymeZone
Keith Olberman special comment:
Word. If you missed it, the rebroadcast is in 3 hours.
“Unless you say something definitive, the former congresswoman is saying these things with your approval.”
John S.
Boy, I’m sure glad I don’t see the world through that prism of yours.
I’ll save John Cole the trouble, but with a slight modification. While I think it is certainly true that Obama brings out the black vote, Hillary is proving to be far better at brining out the cranky black vote for him. Nothing wakes up a sleeping giant like sticking a red-hot poker in its eye.
Now get out your prism and call me a racist.
John D.
OK, look, stop being defensive for a sec, and answer the question I asked above. I do not want Obama’s take. I do not want Ferraro’s take. I do not want Clinton’s take.
I want YOUR explanation as to how her comment does not meet the dictionary definition of racism. She claimed, specifically, that his position as a candidate was due to him being a black man. I literally cannot interpret her remark in any way that does not involve racism — she made his candidacy solely about race with that comment.
I am not claiming that she hates blacks. I am not claiming that she thinks blacks are inferior. I am simply reading her words, that makes a claim that his successful candidacy is based solely on his being a black man. That is a racist statement, by definition — the definition I quoted above.
I’m sorry if you feel like the language is in error, but I’ll go with the meanings of words rather than your special definitions.
John S.
Fixed that for Ferraro-speak.
Sojourner
Thanks for making my point.
John S.
Oh, your point was that Ferraro made a moronic statement?
I must have missed that in between you trying to somehow contort this into a sexism issue.
Dennis - SGMM
Guess we’re going to be seeing lots of the black people out on the streets wildly celebrating their gratitude for their blackness and where it’s gotten them.
dslak
I think there’s something to Sojourner’s point, but Camille Paglia has said something along similar lines here and here.
In Paglia’s case, she’s deploring a certain kind of feminism, not being misogynist. Maybe that’s what John’s doing here (the sexist bastard!)?
jake
Yep, it’s called St. Patrick’s day. Duh!
John S.
Why does Camille Paglia hate women?
w vincentz
Martin,
Tnx for the humor link. Good.
Hey, did ya notice how bitchy the ol’ ex-vp (loser) candidate looks. Did the batteries in her vibrator die or did they just quit, kinda like she did?
John S.
Methinks sojourner is not a big fan of Camille Paglia.
Conservatively Liberal
Whoa, Keith Olbermann ripped Hillary and Geraldine up one side and down another in his Special Comment. That is going to hurt, and Keith can bet he has been removed from from Hillary’s BFF list. This is the first time I have seen him rip in to a specific Democrat, and he did not hold back.
The Hillbots are going to go ballistic over this. Time to get a large bag of popcorn (buttered, of course) and lurk at the Hillbot sites.
Ok, I like trainwrecks and I am a rubbernecker. ;)
Sojourner
Guys, look at this objectively. John S. (probably unintentionally) said it all. Why is it wrong to make generalizations on the basis of race but okay to do the same thing on the basis of gender?
Why is it okay for John to stereotype cranky white women but it’s not okay to stereotype black people?
It’s a pretty simple question that BJers seem to want to dance around.
Sojourner
You’re right. I stopped listening to her when she claimed that Madonna is the ultimate feminist because she controls men with her sexuality.
A man’s wet dream. Not mine.
John S.
It isn’t and apparently you didn’t get the point I was trying to make.
It isn’t about making generalizations or whether or not they are acceptable, it is about what Ferraro said and what it means. Let me try again.
If the Clinton campaign plays the victim card, they are hoping to draw out their most solid base of support which tends to be older white women (a point Paglia makes in the article dslak linked to). This is not a sexist statement, although the purpose of the above strategy is to play off sexism and use it as an issue.
If the Obama campaign plays the race card, they are hoping to draw out their most solid base of support which tends to be African-Americans. This is not a racist statement, although the purpose of the above strategy is to play off racism and use it as an issue.
What Ferraro has done (and Clinton allowed her to do) is play both the victim card and the race card. Once the race card was thrown on the table, the Clinton camp waited for Obama to point to it and say, “There’s a race card at play!” and then threw their victim card (while ignoring the fact that they threw the race card to begin with). That’s complete and utter bullshit.
So while I agree that it isn’t okay to make generalizations on the basis of sex or race, your critique in this instance has no place and no merit.
ThymeZone
Why do you stubbornly refuse to see that if she uses the First Lady solution to explain why she is qualified to be president, when she uses gender as a qualifier (glass ceilings, woo hoo a woman president) then she puts the gender card on the table and it’s in play.
Is there some reason that you can’t see that? Maybe it’s because I am saying it? Ignore me, and please just look at the point. Obama is not using his race to justify his claim to the nomination. If he were, then his race would be in play. She is using gender and her President By Injection history, so it’s in play.
Help me Jesus! Why can’t they get this simple point?
Sojourner
Too bad my critique has nothing to do with what Ferraro said. My critique was of John Cole’s stereotype of cranky white women mindlessly voting for Clinton.
This cranky white woman DID NOT vote for Clinton.
So why is it acceptable to stereotype cranky white women as mindlessly voting for Clinton?
I have yet to hear anyone at BJ claim that African Americans are mindlessly vote for a black candidate. Because that, of course, would be racist.
Hence my conclusion that,as far as the BJ guys are concerned, racism is bad but sexism is acceptable.
John S.
I don’t know if Madonna is the ultimate feminist, but she sure as hell has singlehandedly acheived many of the primary goals of feminism.
After all, Sojourner Truth (who I presume you borrowed your handle from) said:
Madonna turned the world upside down with her unabashed sexuality (much like Eve did, hence Paglia’s reference to her control over men), and didn’t ask anyone’s permission to do so. She just did it. She may not have turned the world ‘right side up’, but she did what she wanted on her own terms and became very successful in the process.
Asti
Ummm, by adding in the word “cranky” there, you ruin your own argument. It is okay to comment on crankiness no matter WHO is the cranky one.
ThymeZone
Where are you getting that? I have been riding the MUPony hard for a couple months … I don’t remember ever saying ANYTHING about women voting for Hillary. Or blacks voting for Obama.
I don’t remember seeing a lot of chatter here on those themes at all, one way or the other.
The chatter about women has been mostly about women being paranoid every time anyone criticizes Hillary.
Sojourner
TZ: when have I EVER defended what Clinton is doing?
Go back and read what I said when I joined this thread. I challenged Cole’s statement about cranky white women mindlessly voting for Clinton.
That is a sexist comment and I stand by my challenge of it.
I patiently await someone explaining why it’s okay to use sexist language but it’s not okay to use racist language.
Which is a question I addressed to you in a previous thread. I will pose it again:
Serious question: I know hypotheticals suck but let’s assume that Hillary is a black male candidate. Would it be acceptable to make racial jokes about him?
Martin
Truthfully, I think there are contexts where that statement isn’t racist. Obama is comparably qualified as Clinton (if he wasn’t she would have been able to draw that out by now), so this context is already looking like a loser. But let’s twist it about a bit. What if Axelrod said it? Well, we wouldn’t say it’s racist at all. What if Olberman said it? We’d probably pause.
But Ferraro is on the Clinton campaign. We shouldn’t expect her to be saying positive things about Obama. We really wouldn’t even expect her to say neutral things about him. It’s reasonable to expect that she’d say something negative, just as people assume that Obama staffers aren’t setting up good things to say about her. But Ferraro isn’t new to this. She’s been in politics for decades. She knew that comment would be received as being offensive, and not only did she say it, she keeps defending saying it. She’s trying to stand up as a neutral participant here, but she isn’t neutral and she knows she’s not neutral. When you are in a campaign against a black person you can’t make innocent comments about race – because there are no innocent comments from partisans. And Obama’s camp can’t make innocent comments about gender either.
Sojourner
John Cole’s term not mine. See what he wrote above.
Pb
Stereotyping: still not acceptable, so stop doing it, thanks.
Sojourner
And fed into the stereotype that women should be evaluated primarily on their sexual appeal to men. That’s a male view of the world. I like to think that women are more than just sexual objects for male fantasies.
Conservatively Liberal
Because it makes sense?
In my view, the tactics of the Clinton campaign has been to play the card they want, and when it is pointed out by Obama or his supporters they put out the meme that the other side has put that card in play. It is like someone who sticks their leg out and trips you, and when you get up and confront them about it they throw themselves on the ground, start crying to make sure that everyone sees you are a mean bully.
Victim politics. The big bad lucky black guy, his gang and the MSM are attacking two poor old white women, oh my!
This crap has to end, but nobody in the Democratic party “leadership” has a spine left. There are no real ‘LEADERS’ in the party anymore. And we wonder why our country is in the mess it is? Because the Democratic party has failed to lead, and the Republican party has led us off a cliff.
Lemmings, all. I don’t think Obama is a lemming, and I think the lemmings don’t know what to do about that. If he is elected, things may change and change scares them.
It should.
ThymeZone
Sorry, I can’t agree. If a woman is cranky, and someone calls her a cranky woman, that is not sexist. It is simple description.
If we dont have that much leeway in speech, then …. WTF?
How do we describe anything or talk to one another?
Sojourner
Read what I wrote. I was responding to a comment that John Cole made. See above.
Asti
Oh, I guess we should take the votes away from all black democratic women this year because they’ll probably vote for either a woman or a black man.
Does this mean we can go back and erase all the white men’s votes for white men in past elections too?
Sojourner, you’re making a STUPID argument, get over it and move on to something enlightening.
ThymeZone
I know this is not the answer you want to hear, but …
If he were claiming qualification for the presidency based on his membership in a black militant organization …. yes.
He is not. She on the other hand is using her position as Mrs President Ladyperson to claim such qualification.
Since I have already failed umpteen times to make this point, I have to assume that it won’t work this time either
John S.
Thanks for making my point.
First of all, this ‘mindless’ thing is your interjection. Second of all, I didn’t read it as Cole stereotyping cranky white women, I read it as him saying that playing the victim card is intended to gain support with older white women (cranky or not). And that is a fact that seems to be borne out in polling throughout this election. And lastly, if the victim card appeals to a certain segment of voters, it isn’t becasue they are mindless, it’s because they are mindful of the message being sent to them.
Congratulations, you’re in the minority.
You like this word ‘mindless’, don’t you? At any rate, if someone points out that a specific strategy seems to resonate with a certain type of voter, is that stereotyping or making a simple observation?
Asti
Did you have a bowl of stupid for breakfast this morning?
You used a description (cranky) so, of course, no matter who is being cranky, it is okay to talk about if someone is being cranky… umm… HELLO? IS there anyone at home inside Sojourner’s head or she in some extended vacation?
Sojourner
And which cranky woman was Cole referring to?
Whoops. He wasn’t referring to any one cranky woman. He was implying that cranky white women vote for Clinton. Which is a stereotype.
So why can’t you understand that this is a stereotype?
Martin
Nah, they already hate Olberman. He has a penis after all.
[Ferraro says: This post is not sexist]
Sojourner
Which militant feminist group does Clinton have membership in?
myiq2xu
I miss Molly Ivins:
snip
ThymeZone
I like the Frosted Mini Stupids myself.
Asti
Not only does she like the word, she’s trying to emulate it.
Sojourner
So you’re saying that you agree with me that stereotyping women is a bad thing.
Wonderful!
But if you’re not, then so far exactly no one has come forward to challenge Cole’s stereotype other than me.
Which means… gasp! I’m not stereotyping.
Imagine that.
Asti
Perhaps it’s because I’m a non-cranky white woman who is voting for Obama?
You are trying to start a sexist war here, and it’s not working.
ThymeZone
Funny stuff.
Stop being funny. You’re job is to be unbearably obnoxious.
Sojourner
Well this is certainly a stupid argument. Is this the best you can do?
Sojourner
So you agree with Cole’s argument that only cranky white women are moved by the victim card.
Interesting.
Conservatively Liberal
The Keith Olbermann post over at Kos broke the comments for it. You can’t load them to read them now…lol
Keith broke Kos, go figure… ;)
Asti
Uhhh, no it doesn’t, and your logic would recieve an F in a Reasoning and Critical Thinking class.
Sojourner
OMG!!! LMAO. Hello, do you not know how to read?
Read carefully. John Cole used the phrase “cranky white women.”
I was challenging that description.
Looks like you’re the one on vacation.
Thanks for the laugh!!!
ThymeZone
Are you suggesting that it is not possible to rationally stereotype women? That women, like men, don’t have certain proclivities and traits that are more common to womanhood than to manhood?
Don’t we all stereotype gender behavior, and isn’t that natural, and useful?
Of the two genders, which one bitc …er, complains … about the sterotyping all the time? Do you hear men whining “stop stereotyping me as a man!” I haven’t taken a poll, but I think many of not most men are just fine with being thought of as typical men.
What am I missing here?
Yes, I am wearing a kevlar jockstrap.
Sojourner
Oh, okay. So you’re fine with stereotyping women.
Whatever rocks your boat.
Asti
Ummm, please point to where JC said ONLY white women are moved by the victim card. I can cite at least one male who is moved by such as well, NoIQ comes to mind. By the way, the organization known as NOW has a lot of male members who are probably also pushing this victim thing. I think they do it because they wouldn’t get any at home if they didn’t.
Sojourner
Perhaps. I’ll let you know when I hear some rational stereotyping.
ThymeZone
facedesk
facedesk
facedesk
facedesk
facedesk
…
Asti
Sojourner, 3825 968!
I’m not stereotyping women at all, it’s about stereotyping CRANKY, but, forget I mentioned it, you’d never understand anyway.
Sojourner
Read what he wrote earlier in this thread.
Asti
And white women are not the only ones who are ever cranky… you asked why it was okay to stereotype cranky white women and not black people? You did not use a description for black people, you just said “black people”. You answered your own question, and you don’t even realize it.
Sojourner
Really? Then why did John add on the part about white women? Are you suggesting that ALL cranky voters are Clinton supporters? That CRANKY people mindlessly vote for Clinton?
Now that would be an interesting argument. But that’s not what you’re saying, is it?
Why is it that so far, absolutely NO ONE has been willing to say that it’s not okay to stereotype African Americans as mindlessly voting on the basis of race but it’s fine to stereotype “cranky white women” as Clinton voters?
Why is that?
Asti
You are the one who is deciding he said only white women are cranky.
ThymeZone
My impression of Cole on this thread is that he is pulling your chain a little bit.
Is that possible?
Asti
This is obviously not the same Sojourner whose posts I used to admire and enjoy. That Sojourner would never triangulate the way this one does.
Asti
Because Geraldine Ferraro made this about race? Hello?
Sojourner
OMG. I had no idea this was such a challenging concept.
My apologies, guys, for putting forth an idea that is outside your grasp.
But as a rule of thumb, when you make a statement about a group of people, substitute “African American”. Maybe then you’ll have a better idea of why it’s not a good idea to stereotype women, cranky or otherwise.
Sojourner
Yep. And if he is, mega kudos, John!!!
ThymeZone
Asti, I can be a cranky white male. If I am, what wouldn’t you feel like calling me something, like Butthead?
If you did, and I came back and said, Please stop it with your sexist derision! I am not a stereotype! I demand equal treatment!
What would you think? That maybe I was turning gay?
(Yes, I am really wearing a kevlar jockstrap).
Sojourner
Huh? Ferraro makes it an issue about race so it’s okay to bash cranky white women?
Interesting.
Sojourner
Is this the best you can do, TZ?
Not a good effort on your part.
ThymeZone
Stop sterotyping us men! I demand equal treatment!
Asti
It’s not out of our grasp, it’s baseless, stupid and baiting for a sexism war.
The fact is you decided to feel victimized and that’s what you’re pushing here and you’re looking like an idiot as a result.
ThymeZone
How does my example differ from what you are doing?
Seriously.
Asti
JC is calling out those who are using race, and you got pulled in, now you don’t know how to admit you were wrong. Just get over it and let’s deal with REAL issues, shall we?
Sojourner
Poor baby. TZ doesn’t understand why sexism is as bad as racism.
Maybe some day, everyone, even TZ, will understand that.
In the mean time, I’m going to bed.
Asti
Actually, yours was disguised better. Sojourner couldn’t even tactfully ask questions without using words that scream out “I’m being victimized”.
tBone
How’s this: John McCain is primarily going to appeal to cranky old white women. And cranky old white men. Possibly some cranky old people of various other colors, as well.
Sojourner
I dont’ feel victimized in the least. I am absolutely fascinated that you folks cannot grasp the simple fact that sexism, like racism, is bad. Too bad for you.
Asti
You have no right to make that claim. You have no idea who you are talking about, I do, and I can tell you he cares a lot more about real victims than your crocodile tears suggest you do.
ThymeZone
What about my answer to your hypothetical?
Clinton flashes gender card, but cries sexism when gender-centered criticism is aimed at her.
Obama does not employ race as justification for his claim to presidency, therefore, is not susceptible to race-centered responses.
What am I missing?
Sojourner
JC called people on their racism by using sexist stereotyping. Because only “cranky white women” are stupid enough to be fooled by Clinton’s victim card.
So one form of stereotyping, racism, is wrong, but another form, sexism, is acceptable.
Fascinating.
Asti
It wasn’t sexist… JC did not say all women are cranky, he said a certain segment of the population are acting cranky right now. You are the one who trying to turn this into sexist baiting.
ThymeZone
Well, I am having a hard time getting past the lynchings, the segregated facilities, Jim Crow, you know, little things like that …….
Sojourner
Actually, by challenging the use of stereotypes, I am the opposite of victims.
Too bad for you since the “victim” label is so convenient.
Asti
Wrong, but, I would never expect you to understand, I’m done arguing with a wall.
Dennis - SGMM
The way things are going, I’d say that the candidate who captures the cranky demographic will sweep all fifty states.
Sojourner
What example? I missed it.
John S.
I didn’t see anybody make that explicit claim. In my view, it is intended for a specific demographic, and anything above and beyond that is icing on the cake.
Similarly, the race card is intended to appeal to a certain demographic, but clearly others are moved by it as well.
At this point, I can only assume that you’re taking a piss at me.
Asti
Methinks thou doth protest too much!
ThymeZone
For The Win.
I saw a poll today that said that 76% of Americans wanted a president who would “do things differently from George Bush.”
76% for crissakes. Wow. Can we get more photo ops for McPain hugging Bush?
ThymeZone
My example of saying that you shouldn’t stereotype men the way you are doing here. We demand equal treatment!
Stop the sexist attacks!
Ahem.
Asti
Oh not just hugging, there must be kissing too, lots and lots of kissing (and holding hands, awwww!)
Dennis - SGMM
Then there was that slavery thing, and the miscegenation laws.
Asti
The thread is about the victim label, and you’re the one who is making the loudest noise here. Can it if you’re not feeling victimized. YOu’re protesting says otherwise.
ThymeZone
I saw a photo today of Lieberman and Bush going lip to lip.
Lord, love a duck.
Asti
Not a thing baby.
Sojourner
Especially since none of those things happened to black women. And of course it was the black men who were used as sex slaves by their white masters and bore their children. It was the men who were used as the means for their daughters losing their virginity and learning how to be “real women.”
And because women are treated exactly equal to men in this country (except for details like salary, equal representation in the Supreme Court, Congress, etc.). And of course there are more men living in poverty because they’re raising the kids after the women abandoned them.
And because women can always go to another country where women are in power. Now which country is that? Unlike the African countries where African men are in power, or the Asian countries where Asian men are in power. Or the middle eastern countries where men….
And of course the men had it worse in Afghanistan becaues the men had to wear tents, were not allowed to leave the house without being in the company of a female relative, were not allowed to work outside the home.
And those poor widowers in India. When their wives die, they’re thrown out of their homes by their sons and left to beg for food.
And of course in Saudi Arabia, men aren’t allowed to drive so their women have to hold all the jobs.
And of course, it’s the men who occasionally end up on the evening news after being raped, tortured and murdered by some crazy woman who hates men.
Yep, women really have it great everywhere. Great argument, TZ.
Asti
Ever hear of Margaret Thatcher? Benazir Bhutto? Corozone Aquino? Women who were in power, and there have been others as well, way back in the stone age there was a great queen of Britain called Elizabeth. That was when the monarchy actually held control of England.
No, you’re not victim, you’re just a women hellbent on believing no women have any real power. Fuck you!
ThymeZone
Afghanistan? Saudi Arabia? India? You are using social ills in those countries to support your argument?
All due respect, Soj, I think you need some new material.
I think you really don’t have a rational argument here. You’re totally tone deaf to this thing.
Asti
Not everywhere, but that’s a cultural thing, not a sexist thing. It has a lot more to do with religion than anything. In THIS country, women have a lot more power than women in those countries you are suggesting.
If you are so concerned about the rights of women in those countries, that’s one thing, but to try to equate it with living conditions in this country? Disingenuous.
Dennis - SGMM
Please, let’s drop the acrimony and agree that on St. Patrick’s Day we’re all victims.
Martin
Just as easy for black man to get here as a white man. Let’s ask an expert like former Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro:
I wonder how many delegates she figures they can get out the conscious and how many out of the subconscious? I bet Penn has the math…
Asti
Well, there may be some truth to victimhood on St. Patty’s day, but, March 18th is emancipation day, right TZ? ;)
ThymeZone
Here’s a link to the Lieberman-Bush pic.
Cain
I feel cranky periodically.
cain
ThymeZone
Hopefully I won’t turn permanently green!
Dennis - SGMM
So, like a fool, I clicked on the link. Must find melon scoop and gouge out the part of my brain that retains that image.
Asti
Now THAT is what I call a serious violation of the personal space rules.
Cain
Wow, you can feel the sexual tension between them.
cain
Martin
Oh, but Obama has been an exception. Blacks have always been for him:
So, tell me again how Ferraro’s comments are innocent? Since she’s been on the finance committee for a while, I assure you she’s known the polling inside and out all this time.
ThymeZone
I have to admit, even for those two, it’s just a disturbing picture.
John S.
Of the flower and greeting card industries.
Asti
Only your eyes hon. ;)
Sojourner
Good thing they didn’t apply to black women!
Sojourner
Yep. Bhutto was assasinated. I’m unaware of anyone making the claim that a single woman in power means equality for all women.
Is that the claim you’re making?
So if Obama becomes president, all racism will magically disappear in this country? Is that the claim you’re making?
Pardon me for being skeptical.
tBone
What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Who the hell are you calling cranky?
Pseudofool
I’d be curious to see the reactions to Olbermann’s “Special Comment.” [url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23592081/]Link[/url] It’s clearly scripted which makes it clumsy at times…but he’s right…if garishly brandish.
tBone
Why do you doubt the MUP? Why?
Asti
I’m not making an ALL statement, but you sure sound like you’re making a statement of NONE.
Cut the crap, it’s getting too thick to see in here.
Sojourner
OMG. So all those people who protested racism, sexual orientation discrimination, sexism. All of those people are victims.
You’re arguing that Martin Luther King was a victim?
Yikes.
Asti
You obviously never took a logic class Sojourner. Ever hear of that thing called SCOPE?
Asti
No, Martin Luther King shouted “We shall overcome” and “I have a dream” and had a positive message. Sojourner shouts “waaaaaaaaa, boooooooo, hissssssssssssss”.
Asti
And bounding on hysterics too!
Sojourner
Shame on me!
Sojourner
Scope it tightly enough and you might even win an argument.
ThymeZone
Barack says “Yes we can!”
Clinton says “Not so fast!”
tBone
In His Benevolence, the MUP forgives you. This time.
Sojourner
Boo and hiss to the lame arguments being made here.
But thanks to TZ for admitting that he believes that racism is bad but sexism is not. Because historically, bad things only happened to black men.
ThymeZone
Can’t we all just get along?
Dennis - SGMM
Well, there was that being shot dead thing.
ThymeZone
Let me remind you for the third time that I am wearing kevlar underwear … but …..
WTF? You are seriously comparing the position of American women today with the position of American blacks?
I’d have thought that you would want to cling to at least a shread of credibility.
DougJ
No one would read this blog if John weren’t black.
Asti
Sojourner obviously doesn’t understand Scope at all.. here Sojourner, let me help you out:
Scope in Logic: All and None Arguments
AkaDad
Each time I get turned down for a date, is yet another example that women hate men.
Sojourner
I’m tone deaf to your position that racism is bad but sexism can be okay.
There’s no rational argument that can be made for your argument. You want to trot out the ills against blacks. Yes, a lot of monstrous things have been done. I don’t deny that. But you have yet to pull out a convincing argument as to why sexist comments are acceptable. Your position appears to be that women haven’t been treated as badly so it’s okay to stereotype them.
I’d like to know what your metric is.
Asti
Sorry, I shouldn’t have provided such advanced information such as predicate logic. Perhaps this will be a better starting point.
Asti
continued: ‘but, I don’t feel victimized, no, not in the least’.
Fucking hilarious!
Sojourner
Half of American blacks are women. Duh.
Are you seriously arguing that some threshold of suffering has to be reached in order for stereotyping to be considered unacceptable?
Are you SERIOUSLY arguing this?
Wow. And do you get to set that threshold?
TZ, being the ultimate asessor of pain, will determine which groups deserve to be treated with respect.
Are you accepting applications or shall we just wait for you to decide?
Asti
So, I guess every time TZ turns me down it’s a rationale that men hate women too?
Sojourner
It doesn’t seem to be working for you.
Sojourner
How’s that predicate logic working for you?
Asti
Oh oh, the bounding on hysterics has become a full-blown episode now. I’ve never seen a rocket shoot up that fast. Houston, we have a problem!
Asti
‘but I’m not a victim or anything’
Asti
It was a joke Sojourner. You really ARE A full blown idiot, apparently!
AkaDad
No, because TZ hates everybody. And puppies.
ThymeZone
Despite the fact that you are arguing like a troll, or a drunk, you have a reputation here for being reasonable. For that reason I am continuing to argue with you.
I didn’t say that women haven’t been treated as badly. I said that you appear to be saying that sexism and racism, in the context of this political contest (and I remind you, it was you who wanted to narrow the context down to this political contest, remember?) are equally abhorrent. I am telling you that that’s just absurd. You can’t reach out to Saudi Arabia for an example of misogyny and try to lay that down on American politics and values. That’s bullshit, and that’s why I called your position bullshit from the get-go.
Secondarily, the political context of this contest has another non-equality in it: Whereas Clinton has tried to use gender as a polish for her qualifications and for the rationale for her ascension to the presidency, Obama has not done this with his race. He doesn’t get up there and say “It’s time for a black president.” Clinton says it’s time for a woman president. He doesn’t say “I’ve been a black guy all these years and that gives me special experience relevant to this job” but she says “I’ve been the wife of a president and that gives me special experience relevant to this job.”
She opens the door to gender challenges, and then cries “sexism” when she gets those challenges.
What you are doing at this point, I don’t know, unless you are trying to start a chapter of the Women as Perennial Victims Club in your town. Obviously, you are the right person for that job.
Sojourner
Ad hominem attacks as predicate logic. Was this the topic of your dissertation?
Oh no!! History has been made. Asti is the first known victim of predicate logic!!
May he RIP.
Asti
Nobody said sexism is okay, we’re saying it’s not sexist to call some women cranky. Not only women get cranky. Take a deep breath and calm down Sojourner, you’re going postal and for no fucking reason at all. You look idiotic doing this, do you realize?
Why is no one else fighting this along with you? Ummm, perhaps because, unlike you, THEY GET IT?
Asti
Funny, last time I looked, I had a vagina, not a penis. But, you go on and believe that a man is victimizing you Sojourner. Idiot!
Asti
WTF are you talking about? My argument was about you accusing me of making “all and none” statments when YOU are the one doing that.You didn’t read it though did you, and I even provided you with a second link that was more understandable. You go ahead and fight the good fight Sojourner, you’re batting a 1,000.
Sojourner
I am saying that sexism and racism are equally repellent because stereotyping people is wrong. Because when John Cole chooses to stereotype Clinton supporters as “cranky white women”, he is choosing to disparage a class of people who don’t deserve his disdain. Not all white women, cranky or otherwise, support Clinton. To say otherwise is to suggest that white women will always vote for the white woman.
I then went on to question why the argument isn’t made that black people will always vote for the black candidate. My assumption is that this argument isn’t made because it’s racist. Which, of course, it is.
So why is it that disparaging white women as a class seems to be okay (based on the reaction I have received to my challenge) but doing the same with black people is racist and evil?
Your response appeared to be that black people deserve to be treated differently because they have been treated so badly.
So what you are saying is that any group that has been treated “better” than black people are fair game for being disparaged as a group.
Is this really the position you want to take?
Martin
Any bets on whether RedState has a post with a link back to this thread titled: “Teh stupid, it burns!”?
Asti
Wrong! They deserved it when they opened the cann of worms that led to it. They wanted this to be about how “it’s time for a woman to be President” and they can’t handle the heat that comes from that.
We have a very unique opportunity in this election, unless one votes Republican, or for a consumer reports guru, they will either vote for a black man or a white woman. The fact is Obama is not running on the race card, but Hillary IS running on the gender card and THAT is exactly why when the shit hits the fan, Hillary and her loudmouth feminist supporters are not innocents caught in the crossfire.
Sojourner
Now that I have His blessing, this cranky white woman (who defied Cole’s stereotype and voted for Obama) can now go to bed!
ThymeZone
You’re completely full of crap.
First of all, you’ve entirely left out the political reality of the extant contest. Clinton, the gender queen, wants to be free of gender challenges, even derision, or jokes. Obama, who hasn’t abused race in his campaign, isn’t eligible for racial criticism, jokes or derision.
However, more to your point … everything about it is wrong.
Stereotyping is really just social profiling, and it’s quite rational to describe women as being a class of people with identifiable traits.
I think some 90+ percent of blacks in a recent primary voted for Obama. It’s not stereotyping to say that this happened, it’s just demographic reality. It’s demographic reality to point out that older voters and women are trending strongly toward Clinton.
As for the cranky demographic? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you …. Sojourner. If you ever needed a better example of a cranky female who can’t stop beating the same drum of resentment over and over, you couldn’t find one.
You aren’t a stereotype, Soj. You are now a caricature of yourself.
You are embarassing yourself.
Asti
I tried to give her a hint earlier when I said “Methinks thou doth protest too much” – but, apparently she doesn’t speak medieval english.
ThymeZone
She isn’t listening, I fear.
DougJ
Can’t you see what’s happening here? You’re only attacking each other because you’re all white.
Conservatively Liberal
I am watching this ping-pong match and I am seeing when a ball is hit to Sojourner, the return is a grapefruit. Then a walnut, and next a cow. The ball gets lost and something else is lobbed back. This is an argument that is going nowhere fast.
At this point, I think it would be more productive to try and hold a conversation with a flat tire.
Damn you Scott Beauchamp!
Asti
Actually Doug, I think that’s the most lucid thing I think you’ve ever said. White people do have a tendency to be very ethnocentristic and think our way is best. I’m not proud of that fact.
Pb
All of us, except for O’Bama — I’m sure he wouldn’t even be in this race otherwise:
Truly, ’tis the luck o’ the Irish!
Asti
Yes, it was exasperating.
ThymeZone
My grandmother believed that if we held our hands up to the light we’d see if there was any darkie blood in our veins.
For years I thought she was crazy. Now I realize, she was just a woman :)
(again, I am wearing kevlar underwear)
Pb
I just skimmed through; I never saw her coherently make her case in the first place, but the thread was pretty entertaining at times, anyhow. It looked like the sort of thing that passes for discussion over at Shakespeare’s Sister or some such.
Dennis - SGMM
It’s gone into Monty Python Territory:
“Fetchez la vache!”
Asti
Oh, so now all women are crazy? Ummm, TZ? You DON’T want to go there with me, trust me.
Yes, I know you’re joking. ;)
rachel
Could be.
Chris Johnson
Olbermann was really upset. I think he really wants to support Hillary, but this is too much for him to take. Somehow this “Obama is really unqualified but ALL YOU PEOPLE insist on supporting him just because you want to say you voted for a black president” really offended the hell out of him…
Actually, it offends me as well, but the Clintons are not personal friends of mine, so it doesn’t UPSET me. I already knew there were people in the world so fucked up they cannot imagine a black person being better than them.
And Obama is better than Hil. Increasingly so, it would appear.
ThymeZone
Whew. My grandmother really thought that, though. I never could figure it out, she was an educated woman, but she had some odd ideas.
Asti
We have had this discussion before, in private, and I told you then that my grandfather would have liked your grandmother very much.
Chuck Butcher
Is there anything that is Hillary’s fault? Is she somehow faultless?
There was a witch hunt back in the 90s conducted against a Hillary Clinton. An entire group of people brought forward false claims of criminal behavior and had to fought. Finally their BS ground to a halt, victory was claimed and the Hillary a hero. There is a problem with the narrative, Hillary was the victim of a scurrilous campaign, but there were some nuisance details, like the stuff that set off the “investigation.” You see, the hero didn’t do crimes, just the snakey crap that you can actually get away with, but really shouldn’t do.
Things start to change a little if you take victim out of the equation. If you just play the record straight the poor poor picked on female begins to look a tad more calculating and less upright. You begin to find various current and near past actions less odd. Motivations that couldn’t be squared with the hero and thus unaccountable become more reasonable.
There is an issue, and that is that blind support will remain blind. Due to the campaigns against her, no criticism is allowed, it is simply a return to the bad old days to be opposed with single purpose, the protection of the hero.
Yes Hillaryites, there was a there, there. There also is a there, there, today.
Conservatively Liberal
The thing that really hit me about what Keith Olbermann said was his preface to the special comment. He made it very clear that he had received support from Hillary, Bill, Chelsea and others in her camp when things heated up in the past regarding his special comments. He made it clear that while he truly appreciated their support, he had a job to do and he could not let this interfere with it.
He was about as sad and dejected as can be about what he was saying. He did not enjoy what he was doing, but he did it because it was the right thing to do. I always wondered that if it would ever come to special comment about a Democrat, what would his response be. He did not disappoint me one bit, he was as fair as you can ask anyone to be about this. He criticized an important person who supported him in the past, and he did it very well. It was painful to listen to, so I know it had to be far worse to be the one to deliver it.
I am reading at the Hillbot sites that they are going for his head now. They have started a petition, and there is talk of going after the advertisers and such in an effort to get him canned. I have emailed MSNBC in support of KO because I know after the Schuster bit, they are going to go after him with gusto.
This has gotten completely out of hand, and sadly to say it has Hillary’s stamp of approval on it unless she steps up and puts a stop to it once and for all. Geraldine needs to put up an apology and shut up, and she will not unless Hillary calls for one. I read some other recent material of Ferraro’s on Kos and I have to say that race seems to be an issue with her. She likes to point out that people don’t like voting for blacks (but they do prefer women, go figure), and I think it is because she is the voice of personal experience talking.
To me, it is almost like one feminist camp is attacking blacks because they want a leg up on them in the pecking order. I have read of things in the past where special interest groups would throw other groups under the bus to benefit themselves, and this just looks like another case of it.
I hope this is the end of the Clinton campaign. It is time to end this trainwreck.
Dennis - SGMM
Hillary is doing much to weaken the case against Blood Libel.
Asti
Agreed. And thanks for the heads up regarding the Hillaryites protest against Obama (God, I hate to say it, but these crybaby feminists are making me embarrassed to share their gender) – I have enjoyed a watching Keith for several years now, and I can honestly say, if he said something against Obama, I would NOT be looking to pull his show. He’s the only news source I really can in believe anymore, if he said something about Obama, I’d chalk it up to something that went wrong in the campaign and hope Obama could find a way to do better. These Hillary supporters are like a band of Zena warriors, they have to win in the end (if they don’t, do they commit political suicide? I sure hope so!).
Asti
Asti becomes dyslexic after 10:30 pm ;)
Brachiator
Wow! An entire thread almost ground to a halt because you want to deflect criticism of Ferraro stupidity into a cranky conversation about … crankiness.
Thanks exactly the point. A bunch of cranky white woman can support Clinton and still leave oodles of cranky white women to vote for other candidates. Oh, and by the way, Geraldine Ferraro is one cranky white woman, but she and Mondale were soundly thrashed in the 1984 presidential election.
Oddly enough, white women didn’t automatically vote for the white woman.
But of course, thanks to Senator Clinton, Ferraro and the Clinton campaign goon squad, this is exactly the argument that is being made by media toads in the aftermath of the Mississippi Primary, even though it is not true. This only shows that the supposed racism or sexism of a statement can be utterly irrelevant to the larger political landscape.
But the reappearance of Geraldine Ferraro onto the political scene just invites all kinds of irony (a hat tip to Wikipedia).
So, for example, Senator Clinton won’t release her tax returns.
Ferraro jumps into the phony experience nonsense by stating that Obama owes his presence in the primary to his blackness, which attempts to reinforce the Clinton absurdity about thresholds of various types.
And of course, describing any group of voters as cranky white women is sexist. But here is a blast from the past by the Queen of All Crank.
One might say that you can tell a lot about Senator Clinton by the company she keeps.
I understand that Senator Clinton will be attending the Irish American Presidential Forum, where she will no doubt repeat the lie that she significantly participated in Northern Ireland peace discussions. It would be a hoot if Obama attended and rocked his Irish roots.
myiq2xu
Aye, the lassie has kissed the Blarney stone:
Who is the liar, asshat?
Brachiator
Senator Clinton, of course. Thank you for making my point.
She may not have been baking cookies, but she was evidently passing them around. Along with blarney.
What, substantively did she do to help “bring peace to Northern Ireland?”
Not a goddamn thing.
TenguPhule
Olbermann for President.
At this point, he’s got more integrity and courage then anyone left in the race.
Why the Democratic paty insists on turning itself into that bad date you can’t get through without a lot of beer to blur the lines, I will never understand.
Defeat from the jaws of victory…EVERY FUCKING TIME.
Rarely Posts
dslak, I misunderstood you. I thought you meant I’d condemned Obama for the monster comment.
My official position on it: Hillary should have laughed it off. I’m not going to pile on Obama because of some stupid thing someone on his staff said. I will defend Hillary for being labeled akin to racist because of some stupid thing one of her fund raisers said.
Rarely Posts
Here’s the problem. Saying black people isn’t a negative stereotype. Saying latino people isn’t a negative stereotype. Saying white women isn’t a negative stereotype. One could only claim that if they thought there was something inherently negative about being black, latino, or white or a woman.
Saying cranky black people or cranky white women–that’s a negative stereotype. I respect John Cole more than I respect Ferarro and I’m willing to cut him some slack because I don’t think he meant it as a negative stereotype. Nor do I think he is sexist.
dslak
Not until the next time, anyway.
As for the supposed misogyny of John’s “cranky” remark, does anyone here wish to deny that older, second-wave feminists are a “base” group for Hillary, and thus that it is reasonable to assume that narratives which agitate them to get out and vote are beneficial to her?
For those of you who don’t, what word to describe the agitation of these women would you find to be acceptable, given that “cranky” is off the table?
Rarely Posts
Older, second-wave feminists works pretty well.
btw, I’ve never piled on Obama. So the next time I do will be the first time.
dslak
Ahem. You said, in response to Michael D’s post about Power’s comments:
Whether that is piling on Obama or not I’ll leave for others to decide. What I am pointing out is that you are now saying that Clinton merely should have “laughed off” the monster comment, whereas all you had to say about it before was that it was “beyond belief.”
The most salient difference between now and then being that the same standard is being applied to Clinton.
dslak
You’re dodging the question. What’s an acceptable way to describe their agitation, if not ‘cranky’?
Sam Hutcheson
It gets a lot clearer when you realize the Clintons are actually running for the Dixiecrat nomination.
Rarely Posts
Jeebus, dslak. I was talking about the rhetoric from Democrats being beyond belief.
As for your cranky question…where are these hordes of cranky white women? The only cranky woman I’ve seen around here is Ferarro.
But you go right ahead and keep stereotyping women that support Clinton as cranky white women.
dslak
Democrats like Andrew Sullivan?
And you go right ahead and duck the question, even while taking down a strawman. It’s no less than I’ve come to expect.
Napoleon
We have a winner. That is exactly what is happening and that was one of the big problems with the Democrats before the party was swept out of power. Basically the HRC camp has this huge sense of entitlement that its their turn regardless of the merits of their candidate.
dslak
I see that the MUP has brought together Sully and Olbermann. This after bringing together the Clintons and Rush Limbaugh. Are there any two enemies that the MUP cannot bring together as friends in a common cause?
Pet his mane: He really is magical!
Rarely Posts
No, Democrats like Michael, whom I was agreeing with, and Democrats that read Sullivan’s blog.
Tell you what, you show me these hordes of cranky white women and I’ll tell you what you can call them. The cranky white women is the strawman and until you produce them you are supporting the strawman, not me.
dslak
Tell you what, show me where I said there were “hordes of cranky white women,” and I’ll show them to you. “Cranky white women” can’t be a strawman, since it’s not even a premise in an argument.
“Strawman” isn’t just shorthand for “a view I don’t like,” as you seem to think it is.
Rarely Posts
For the person that wanted to know why I didn’t think it was racist:
There are people that believe black men have an advantage over women when it comes to electability. Whether this is true or not is a matter of opinion. It is certainly true that black men got the right to vote before women of any color. Making this observation isn’t racist and I think that is the point Ferarro was trying to make. Then she went into meltdown mode, so I don’t feel any pity for her. But the original comments weren’t racist. Coming from her though they were probably a lie because she, and Jesse Jackson for that matter, are on record for saying that women have the political edge over black men. btw, she wasn’t being racist then, nor was Jackson.
dslak
So the rhetoric of both Michael and yourself was “beyond belief”? If that’s how you feel, how about exercising a little self-control?
Then you won’t have to condemn yourself for disapproving of Power’s comments.
dslak
How the hell do you read that into anything she said?
Rarely Posts
Did you not type that?
Where are these agitated women besides in your mind?
Rarely Posts
Wow, you can twist anything can’t you.
Michael made a post about the overblown rhetoric. I agreed with him that the rhetoric was overblown. His post, iirc, was directed at people specifically like you that jump and whine and pile on Hillary…not at me who doesn’t pile on Obama.
I’m sorry if your reading comprehension skills are lacking.
dslak
And who are these women? It’s pretty obvious that, in my post, they were hypothetical voters that the Clinton campaign might appeal to. Seems like you’re the one who needs to work on her reading comprehension, if you can’t tell the difference between a hypothetical and an existential claim.
So pointing out that you’re a hack is now piling on Hillary? That poor, poor woman.
Since the point was never that you do, that’s hardly relevant. But we’ve already seen how limited your reading comprehension abilities are.
Rarely Posts
Here’s a good article from Slate. Give it a read, quit pretending that being black is a bad thing, and quit whining. You aren’t helping Obama one bit with these stupid, petty sob fests.
http://www.slate.com/id/2186324/
dslak
Quit pretending that I ever pretended such a thing, and then it won’t matter.
You seem to be confusing pointing out that you’re a hack with double standards with “whining.” This is simply the latest in a long string of conceptual confusions on your part.
I’m flattered that you consider my comments on this blog important enough to impact a presidential race, but I’m a bit more circumspect.
Sojourner
Sorry, TZ, but I really find your concern humorous. This coming from the guy who has asserted his right to bash Clinton by whatever means possible.
All’s fair when it comes to bashing a woman candidate but you positively get the vapors when there’s even a hint of racism.
One is acceptable to you, the other is not.
How embarassing for you to be in the ranks of the Neanderthals.
John S.
A last word freak and a paleofeminist.
The picture starts to coalesce.
Sojourner
In Ohio, we call it respecting people. It’s kind of a midwest tradition.
Sasha
Rereading her original controversial statement, I am not seeing this at all. Is there some historical reference she alluded to earlier?
You agree that her comments were downright dumb. Would you also agree that the comments, though not necessarily racist, was racially charged and unnecessarily injected race in the campaign?
ThymeZone
Oooga ooga.
Sojourner
Well said!
ntr Fausto Carmona
Resorting to a defense by Mickey Kaus. The Clinton-based community must really be desperate these days.
Evinfuilt
Ferraro: “Why do you keep making me hit you?”
Asti
Bullshit, he never said that. You are convoluting this whole argument, and have been from the beginning. Do you agree with what Ferraro said? Is that the point I should take from this?
ThymeZone
I think she’s drunk.
Asti
Well, she’s certainly not in her right mind, I’ll grant you that.