Having listened to ALL of Geraldine's comments now....

[susankh4]

I think I understand what she was trying to say. I think she was speaking from her own personal experience... having been the first woman on a national ticket. She even stated that she was only on that ticket because of her gender. And she knew it. "Had my name been Gerry Ferraro, I would not have been chosen."

I know that Geraldine has been very frustrated by the way this who race thing has played out this year. So have I. It began back when HRC was falsely accused of being a racist because she talked about LBJ's role in civil rights legislation. And when Bill was accused of racism for suggesting that Barack's record on the war was a "fairy tale." (LBJ *did* sign the civil rights act, and Barack *did not* vote against the war.)

When one campaign constantly spins something like this... like race .... sooner or later the other campaign is going to lash out. Geraldine felt she was in a position to do so. And she took the bull by the horns. For that I applaud her! It really *is* time that someone stood up to the bullying tactics being used by Axelrod. Mr. Axelrod knows full well that he is inciting race at every turn. Injecting it into Mr. Obama's speeches. He's flying under the radar with it..... and should be called on it!

All this said, I don't think the Ferraro outburst will play well for HRC. And I am starting to feel I'd like her to drop out. I'd like to see her distance herself from all of this before it gets worse. For her own protection. Hillary is too good at what she does to be drawn into the smut this way.

I'll be standing by Hillary to the bloody end. And I am not sure I can ever vote for Obama after what has been done to HRC in his name. But, if Hillary were my close friend I'd tell her to move on..... look at where she can make a difference.

2012 will be another year. Four years of McCain won't be as bad as eight years of Bush.

Please tell me I am wrong!!!
:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Qanisqineq]

1. I agree

I want Hillary to be the nominee but I want her to drop out some days. It doesn't matter what she says or anyone in her campaign says, it is all twisted into being something racist. I never did understand how "fairy tale" was racist in the first place. How Obama could let his campaign twist what Bill Clinton said into something so ugly. Something so completely different.

I used to like Obama, now I can't stand the guy. I really honestly hope he loses the GE. For a long time I said, "I will vote for the nominee, period." Now I don't think I could. I worry about the Supreme Court nominees but I don't feel much more comfortable with Obama picking them either.

If Obama's campaign is going to cry "racism" every time the republicans say anything negative about him, I think it will hurt him more than it will help. His supporters on the internet, calling into AAR, all hate anyone that is not rabidly pro-Obama. They attack and say vile things about Hillary and her supporters. Obama has done nothing but act like an arrogant asshole and keep this shit going. I've said it before, but if this is what he inspires in his supporters then I don't want any part of it.

[susankh4]

2. Axelrod is dangerous.... and I am really concerned for everyone involved....

Axelrod should be ashamed of all the racial overtones he continually interjects into Barack's candidacy. Apparently that is his specialty.... find a young black politician and write speeches for him. Speeches that call up images of Malcolm and Farrakan. This will get a fear reaction from white voters, who collectively remember the violence of the past.

But...because it's subconscious...they won't be able to put a finger on why. And, in the end, THEY will be branded as backwoods racists.

It's an astounding strategy, really. And quite dangerous for everyone involved. Especially for the speech givers who will eventually become targets for the fear and hatred they are calling up. Stimulating the subconscious in this way may be clever in the short run. But it will be deadly in the larger picture.

[robbedvoter]

3. Obama's campaign had a memo with all the sharptonizing of the Clintons

It was before SC and blacks were still with the civil rights fighters - the Clintons. So, the Obama campaign came with the sharptonizing instances - mostly by twisting statements ("fairy tale" was referring to Obama being anti-war, not to his being a candidate). MSNBC - as the campaign surrogate they are, executed the memo point by point, echo chamber followed. I always thought that when Obama tirned Faux down - it was because MSGOP offered him friendly coverage. becase of what I have seen, and because this is someone who never took a risk in his life.
If not familiar: sharptonizing= painting your opponent as racist by taking disparate words/expressions or simply making shit up. It works. Got NYC a GOP mayor in 2001!

[liberalnurse]

9. Geraldine Ferraro was 100% correct.

Mississippi black voters voted for a black man, not the Democratic Candidate. Heck, they would of voted for OJ Simpson if he got that far in a Presidential Primary. The message she offers is a wise one for all Democrats to examine. The tune of Hope and Change without valid evidence the messenger can deliver is not what is carrying this candidate...It is the right wing media, who want to go up against Obama and the black voters who are taking the bait to fulfill a dream of diversity and acceptance. Repugs want this and are feeding it like a dope dealer selling crack to the Hoe on the corner.

[Two Americas]

12. a strange alliance

The African American community is rallying around Obama and it is very much like the OJ phenomenon. "Our man needs help." Understandable. I am in solidarity with that urge.

Whites are rallying around Obama because he is the "I am not a racist" candidate for them. Predictable. Of course using a person of color as a tool to deny and ignore sytematic and institutional racism, is itself racist. Playing "gotcha" with Ferraro and others is the tried and true way to distract people from institutional and systematic racism - "see? Over there! There is the racist! I am not a racist! Over there! That is what a racist looks like! Not at all like me! I support Obama, even though he is Black! That person doesn't!"

[Chovexani]

15. That is an excellent, excellent post.

And really needs to be an OP. I agree 100%.

I think Ferraro has a habit of saying things badly, in a way that's easily misconstrued and taken out of context, but there is truth to what she was saying.

The thing is not all of us are falling for it. My family and I continue to stand with Hillary and shake our head at the hot mess the Obama campaign's turned into. It's crazy. I've spoken about it before but there is almost like a witch hunt going on with black folks. If you don't support Obama then you're a traitor and a house negro. Madness. I'm disgusted by the way Obama's people have turned the community in on itself like this as a way to gain power.

The Donnie McChickenhead fiasco should have warned everybody about the divisive politics Obama was about, the LGBT people shouted it from the rooftops and few listened. That shit was as much about race as it was homophobia--it was no accident he chose a WHITE gay minister to speak to the crowd instead of any number of black LGBT ministers, or black hetero ministers who are allies. He didn't pick a black because it would have undermined the strategy: paint blacks and LGBT at odds against each other to pick up the black evangelical vote. Putting a black LGBT up there would have shattered the long held myth among the black homophobes he was courting that homosexuality is a white man's perversion. It would have made them listen to an uncomfortable truth and possibly not vote for him.

Divide and conquer tactics, y'all. People are getting bamboozled by this man and they can't even see it. I'm glad you brought up OJ because I felt exactly the same way about it back then, despite being young at the time. WTF has this man ever done for the black community to engender such blind loyalty based on shared pigmentation? He does the politically expedient thing. In fairness, so do most people in politics, including Hillary, but he tries to play like he's above that kind of thing. He's a panderer and a hypocrite and so are his cultists.

[Two Americas]

18. thanks Chovexani

The Donnie McChickenhead fiasco should have warned everybody about the divisive politics Obama was about, the LGBT people shouted it from the rooftops and few listened. That shit was as much about race as it was homophobia--it was no accident he chose a WHITE gay minister to speak to the crowd instead of any number of black LGBT ministers, or black hetero ministers who are allies. He didn't pick a black because it would have undermined the strategy: paint blacks and LGBT at odds against each other to pick up the black evangelical vote. Putting a black LGBT up there would have shattered the long held myth among the black homophobes he was courting that homosexuality is a white man's perversion. It would have made them listen to an uncomfortable truth and possibly not vote for him.Text

Your words are like a refreshing downpour after a long drought. Thank you for this. That is what I saw, as well, but didn't know how to express it.

I have been avoiding the subject of race and steering clear of GD-P - it is so ugly and mean-spirted and insane - but you have given me the courage to wade into the cesspool and I just made a couple of posts there.

[libbygurl]

4. I agree with most of what you say, but are you also saying you want Hill to quit?

No way am I going to ask her to do that! She's a fighter, and she knows (as we do) that this has certainly not been a fair battle at all for her - with the media against her, and worst of all, the Dems themselves and the so-called liberal sector/blogosphere (I have forsworn most of the lot, one of the worst being The Nation, DailyKos, MoveOn.org, and with few exceptions to this mob mentality) also vilifying her - and the last for very precarious reasons having to do with the IWR vote vs. O's convenient anti-war speech.

I am with Hill all the way. Axelrod can do what he wants. It's going to continue to be an ugly fight, but by no means should Hillary quit!

[Sadie5]

5. Hillary should NOT drop out

This is exactly what Axelrod is trying to achieve, stay and fight is not what he is expecting.I'm with the HRC campaign to the end.

[susankh4]

7. I hope you are right...

and that if she stays in, she can rise above all this.

But I am really growing concerned for her safety, if Axelrod keep it up.

[anamandujano]

14. Absolutely not. She is neck and neck with less money and the MSM

against her. The only way they can win is if she drops out.

It's true that the Obama campaign is threatening violence if he is not installed, and that scares everyone. They've been working this angle for a long time.

This is a good example of the hope and inspiration he offers. No thanks.

[Two Americas]

17. there is something else there, too

There is something else going on that doesn't get talked about. I am always suspicious when people are in such a big hurry to end something, to close the deal, and are shouting down critics. The argument that we will somehow be stronger against the Republicans the sooner we settle on a nominee rings hollow to me. There is something else hidden there - weakness.

The Obama phenomenon is all puffery, and hence highly unstable and volatile. They are trying to "close the deal" before anyone looks too closely at it or reads the fine print. So long as we "believe" in Obama, it seems real, but there is little if anything of substance there. Senator Clinton, on the other hand for all of her faults, is more substance than flash. They are throwing everything then can at her and it isn't knocking her out, while being extremely intolerant and defensive about anything being thrown at their candidate. The Obama supporters know that the candidacy is weak and that it requires everyone to suspend judgment and "believe" on order to sustain it. It is very vulnerable.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

6. xultar has a great thread proving what Ferraro was

actually saying. Of course, it's sinking like a stone because it doesn't feed the Hillary-hate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5038728

[libbygurl]

8. Rec'd it. Also couldn't resist countering the 'O didn't vote for the war' lie that ...

...a late poster wrote!

[vireo]

10. Lots of Edwards hate going on there as well

:eyes:

[Two Americas]

11. race

What the Obama people are doing with race is going to set race relations back 20 years.

They are twisting the meaning of the word racism in ways that are very similar to the ways the right wingers and hate radio have been doing for 20 years. This is very dangerous.

Making support or opposition for one individual the litmus test for racism, and labeling people racist based on that, is highly reactionary and ironically is itself racist. It is tokenism. It is not far at all from the right wingers saying "don't tell us there is racism. Look at Condi Rice."

Labeling people as "being" racists also promotes racism, and leads to witch hunts. It supports the reactionary idea that we can ignore systematic and institutional racism, and merely focus on what someone says. It suggests that some "are" racist, while other "are not." Even the most rudimentary understanding of racism tells us that "being" a racist is a silly concept, since we all are racists one way or another when we defend or support a system that is itself racist. Are there any whites who have not enjoyed benefits from white privilege? There are few whites who are fully cognizant of that. Understanding racism takes a lifetime, it isn't something that you magically "are" or "aren't" based on a statement or two. There is also a pernicious assumption that is hidden, that those who call someone else a racist are therefore themselves not racist.

The Obama supporters are doing the same thing with the subject of race that the right wingers have been doing - so corrupting and perverting our understanding of racism that intelligent discussion becomes almost impossible, while at the same time promoting tokenism and other attitudes and assumptions that actually reinforce and promote racism.

The danger in promoting a handful of people of color to positions of power, while at the same time ignoring the millions of others left behind, is that reactionary people can say to poor African Americans— "see? We have a color blind society! Look at Condi Rice! Black people who work hard and have good moral values can make it, so what’s your problem? Quit your complaining.” When Obama supporters make support or opposition to his candidacy the litmus test for racism, they are promoting this pernicious and racist idea. When they bend and twist every thing into supposed examples of racism, they are eroding people's understanding about what racism actually is, and destroy any hope of intelligent discussion of the issue.

[Maribelle]

13. I totally agree.

I posted this earlier:


This presidential primary should have been a momentous opportunity for this nation, still scarred by the racial strife of prior generations, to produce a truly multiracial democracy where race did not define a voters choice for nominee. It has, instead, perhaps deepened political subdivisions.

[NashVegas]

16. The Dangerous Thing About It

First, it was a gaffe, IMO. One of those inconvenient truths you're not supposed to point out.

If it had happened at the beginning of the campaign and everyone rode it out while she defended the comment, Clinton might be doing better in the polls right now. Instead, I fear she'll have given the Repubs a working example.


We can't afford 4 more years of Republican political rule, not unless McCain is ready to betray the BFEE.

[Two Americas]

19. where were all those people?

I know from experience that challenging racism here, sadly, repeatedly demonstrates that very few whites on DU are willing to go there, and you will be met with a torrent of racist assumptions and statements when you try to approach the issue and steadfast denial and bristling hostility.

Yet now we are to believe that they are all courageous fighters against racism?