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Geraldine Ferraro on Obama

Geraldine Ferraro may be correct when she says: "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. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

--As it has been noted, Obama was a lightly experienced politician when he was selected to give a prime-time address at the 2004 Democratic convention. It may be true that a white man would not have been given that opportunity so quickly. And?

--Many people have various reasons for getting selected or highlighted for opportunities. Hillary because of her last name, Obama because of his race, Ferraro because of her gender, McCain for his military service, others because of where they went to college or who they know. Obama shouldn't apologize for the decisions that others made to highlight him. Obama may have been highlighted because of his race, but what he is doing with it is still extraordinary.

--It may have just been that Ferraro was shooting off her mouth. But I also suspect that it was just the latest attempt by a Clintonian to divide voters along racial lines. Here's an "if" for Ferraro--if a Republican had made such a comment, she would be accused of Jesse Helms type race baiting.

CJL

One more comment: Did Ferraro complain in 2004 about Obama getting a chance to deliver his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention?

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