Obama wouldn’t be winning if he were white or a woman?

Yes…..this is what a leading democrat and current Clinton ally said yesterday.

Yes….lawd come over and pinch me now. LOL!!! So Obama is winning the Presidential race because he is black!!!???!!!! Black is the new white? Or is it the new 20?

It’s the whole black thing that has made him a shoo in for president?

I just cant get my mind around that one…..where would I start. I’m not one for bashing Hillary just because I like Obama .. (I like her also)….but this…this is some crazy stuff.

The story is here: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gbcy1Yb3zaOmmAnT2wND6pL63gGAD8VBU1A00

I am very disapointed in Ferraro.....totally!

She of all people should know better.....they wil try everything to steal the nomination from Obama.

The Democratic party will be fractured and, will be GIVING the election to the GOP, if they haggle Obama unfairly as they do.

I would agree with her.

Obama's being referred to as the first Black President. Hillary's being referred to as the first Female President. They both are benefitting from the possibility of making history. And after George Bush - the presidency has been subjectified to such a degree that qualities like "black" and "female" become more appealing than other qualities.

Obama is using the same or similar rhetoric from other Senators that ran for the presidency (which he has admitted to) and they did not get as far as he has gotten. So the only difference people are seeing is his race - as his message and beliefs are no different than others in the past.

Why he has done better than Jesse or Al Sharpton is because he is a legitimate candidate - those two were not. They entered their respective campaigns carrying baggage from their past that seemed much more divisive while Obama has a more unifying message. So when he is referred to as the first Black President - the word black is simply an adjective, whereas in the case of Jesse and Al, many felt that they made the word black the noun and president the descriptive word. Big difference.

I think her tone was definitely wrong. It came across as spite or bitterness that she (Hillary Clinton) suffered the misfortune of being white and female.

I think her tone was definitely wrong. It came across as spite or bitterness that she (Hillary Clinton) suffered the misfortune of being white and female.
stirred controversy with her recent remarks that Obama's campaign was successful because he was black.

"It wasn't a racist comment, it was a statement of fact,"Ferraro

stirred controversy with her recent remarks that Obama's campaign was successful because he was black.
"It wasn't a racist comment, it was a statement of fact,"Ferraro

Does that change the message and the manner of his positions? Should we now go out to ask stupid questions of Obama, just because they say he's black?

Look...this election is what it is. Nasty politics.

I want to ask Ferraro and Billary and their fans this question; will Hillary be in control of the white house, or will Bill Clinton be the President?
:hammer:

Both Hillary and Obama benefiting from the possibility of making history is very different from benefiting because one is black. Obama is a leading candidate in America despite the fact that he is black. He has managed to make this campaign about issues and change and has managed to remain above the racial fray. Both Clinton and Obama are one and the same…..i.e. Senators using the same rhetoric from other Senators that ran for the presidency.

They differ in race and gender. Both huge hurdles to overcome but one is certainly more historically oppressive in the US than the other (although it’s a given that both racism and sexism are significant). Its easy to assume that the US would elect a white woman before the US elected a Black anything. That Obama has shook this theory is a testament to him and his ability to overcome the traps of social racism. He has not used his blackness as a weapon of victory (can that be accomplished in modern day America??). The only people harping on about Obamas race are his detractors. He has managed to become a leading candidate in spite of this obstacle not because of it.

And now in 2008 Being a Blackman is suddenly a BENEFIT? I think it is. The inherent pressures build character and create extremely capable men and women for those of us able to avoid the pitfalls. But I don’t think that’s what Ferraro was talking about.

You know I love pictures…so....and you really think his blackness is suddenly key to his sucess?: click here (http://www.macalester.edu/~fines/presidents.jpg)

This whole thing pisses me off, really.

Ferraro - herself a trailblazer as the first woman VP candidate - boils down the issue because she has boobs and a coochie.

"If my name were Gerald instead of Geraldine, I wouldn't have been the VP candidate", totally negating the fact that she is a very intelligent person.

To say that Obama is where he is because he's black - or Hillary because she's probably a woman - says nothing to the fact that they are both very intelligent as well.

If Ferraro's quote were to hold water, she would have been Vice President and Jesse Jackson would have won his bid as well. Since they both lost, it has to be because of something other than their gender or race.

Now, Ferraro is saying that people are attacking her because (get this) 'she is white'!

Billary refuses to denounce/reject/ fire Ferraro which just goes to show that the Clintons will throw as much misinformation and fear into this campaign as needed to win despite the possibility that it could damage the Democratic party enough to give the election to John McCain.

Hillary herself said that McCain would be a better President than Obama. Talk about canibalizing her opponent for her own means!

The tone of the Democratic campaigns need to 'change' if the US doesn't want a 3rd Bush term...

Well, I have less faith in Americans than I have faith in Obama or Hillary. Most intelligent people will think of her comments as ludicrious outside of the context of the United States.

But if 99 percent of African Americans vote for Barack Obama - I certainly don't think its his message that is getting them to vote that way. Not that the african american vote is so significant in other demographics, but I think it does play an implicit role. If Barack Obama were rejected by the "black" community as being anything other than authentic it would be a psychological indication to others that a man not accepted by his own cannot be accepted by us. And he was off to a bad start....

But again as I've said, I think americans in general see "black" and "female" when they see Obama and Hillary. You can see this in the exist polls when respondents make mention of not believing a "woman is ready to lead the country" or "that a woman can't win the election". Its never about their message, beliefs or values. Its about who they think can win the majority of american votes. Until recently, the majority of blacks in america were siding with Clinton because they didn't believe "america was ready for a black president".

So intellectually her comments may seem repulsive - but in the context of the United States - they are painfully true.

I would agree with her.

Why am I not surprised...

Well, I have less faith in Americans than I have faith in Obama or Hillary. Most intelligent people will think of her comments as ludicrious outside of the context of the United States.
But if 99 percent of African Americans vote for Barack Obama - I certainly don't think its his message that is getting them to vote that way. Not that the african american vote is so significant in other demographics, but I think it does play an implicit role. If Barack Obama were rejected by the "black" community as being anything other than authentic it would be a psychological indication to others that a man not accepted by his own cannot be accepted by us. And he was off to a bad start....
But again as I've said, I think americans in general see "black" and "female" when they see Obama and Hillary. You can see this in the exist polls when respondents make mention of not believing a "woman is ready to lead the country" or "that a woman can't win the election". Its never about their message, beliefs or values. Its about who they think can win the majority of american votes. Until recently, the majority of blacks in america were siding with Clinton because they didn't believe "america was ready for a black president".
So intellectually her comments may seem repulsive - but in the context of the United States - they are painfully true.

Your going to have to explain that further. Her comments say that the only reason Obama is doing so well is because he is black. Please explain how that is so.? What are these black benefits Obama suddenly enjoys? And where can I get some?

Being black only adds additional pressures to Obamas candidacy. He has to appeal to the white voters who make up the majority of America without appearing like a sellout to black america. Being black means Obama has to be black enough to get the black vote but not to black as to turn off the vast expanse of middle america. Or the reverse of that. He has to address Americas racial polarities without getting drowned by them. While Bush on the other hand simply ignored black America and won anyways.

Like everything else black men in America face...Obama is having to work twice as hard to achieve the same result.

This is a double negative not a double positive. Being black hasnt provided Obama a cushion of luxury...secure knowledge of assured votes.

I would agree with her.
Obama's being referred to as the first Black President. Hillary's being referred to as the first Female President. They both are benefitting from the possibility of making history. And after George Bush - the presidency has been subjectified to such a degree that qualities like "black" and "female" become more appealing than other qualities.
Obama is using the same or similar rhetoric from other Senators that ran for the presidency (which he has admitted to) and they did not get as far as he has gotten. So the only difference people are seeing is his race - as his message and beliefs are no different than others in the past.
Why he has done better than Jesse or Al Sharpton is because he is a legitimate candidate - those two were not. They entered their respective campaigns carrying baggage from their past that seemed much more divisive while Obama has a more unifying message. So when he is referred to as the first Black President - the word black is simply an adjective, whereas in the case of Jesse and Al, many felt that they made the word black the noun and president the descriptive word. Big difference.
I think her tone was definitely wrong. It came across as spite or bitterness that she (Hillary Clinton) suffered the misfortune of being white and female.

I understand what you are saying however I still don't feel that his "being black" has done so much for him to help him overcome the race issue as a president. In fact, as far as I know, Obama himself doesn't even bring up the race issue much. If the race issue was such a powerful thing that it could make him win, why wouldn't he bring it up all the time ? I mean, that's what Bush did about "gay marriage" and it gave him a lot of strength. He appealed to many conservatives and religious types that way. But Obama only looks black, and a very lightskinned black at that. The message he gives and the way he carries himself is much less STEREOTYPICAL "African American" then other blacks who attempted to run. Maybe he has a certain ability to relate to those who want change through his message and that's what is his most powerful feature. The only thing I see "being black" helping him with is maybe the ability to reach the common man based on the stereotype that the majority of African Americans are not in the upper class.

If Obama was WHITE... he'd be winning HANDS DOWN!!! Look at his opponents--- baggage laden Hilliary and John McCain???

With his smarts: academically, politically and ability to capture the heart of the masses.... if he were white, they'd be no race! :realmad:

Well, I have less faith in Americans than I have faith in Obama or Hillary. Most intelligent people will think of her comments as ludicrious outside of the context of the United States.

But if 99 percent of African Americans vote for Barack Obama - I certainly don't think its his message that is getting them to vote that way. Not that the african american vote is so significant in other demographics, but I think it does play an implicit role. If Barack Obama were rejected by the "black" community as being anything other than authentic it would be a psychological indication to others that a man not accepted by his own cannot be accepted by us. And he was off to a bad start....

But again as I've said, I think americans in general see "black" and "female" when they see Obama and Hillary. You can see this in the exist polls when respondents make mention of not believing a "woman is ready to lead the country" or "that a woman can't win the election". Its never about their message, beliefs or values. Its about who they think can win the majority of american votes. Until recently, the majority of blacks in america were siding with Clinton because they didn't believe "america was ready for a black president".
So intellectually her comments may seem repulsive - but in the context of the United States - they are painfully true.

Sorry, I'm on the other side with this one too. There is a SERIOUS inferiority complex in North America in general regarding black people in positions of power. Also, a lot of blacks see Obama as not being black enough. Some say that because he's not African American in heritage, that he cannot identify with the African American experience. I do agree that when people look at them, they see a black guy and a white woman but I really think that it's Obama's ability to speak and the message he gives that is making the majority of his voters vote for him. Yeah sure, some are voting for him because he's black BUT just as many are voting for Hilary because she's a woman so I feel they cancel each other out. The rest are voting because they generally like him.

Sorry, I'm on the other side with this one too. There is a SERIOUS inferiority complex in North America in general regarding black people in positions of power. Also, a lot of blacks see Obama as not being black enough. Some say that because he's not African American in heritage, that he cannot identify with the African American experience. I do agree that when people look at them, they see a black guy and a white woman but I really think that it's Obama's ability to speak and the message he gives that is making the majority of his voters vote for him. Yeah sure, some are voting for him because he's black BUT just as many are voting for Hilary because she's a woman so I feel they cancel each other out. The rest are voting because they generally like him.

Yup!! and that's why I say...

If Obama was WHITE... he'd be winning HANDS DOWN!!! Look at his opponents--- baggage laden Hilliary and John McCain???

With his smarts: academically, politically and ability to capture the heart of the masses.... if he were white, there'd be no race! :realmad:

But again as I've said, I think americans in general see "black" and "female" when they see Obama and Hillary.

That's weird.

I see 'robot' when I see Hillary!