When people think that black people have "an advantage" it's because they feel that black people have too much power, and that things are moving, too far too fast. They think that the teeny tiny bit of affirmative action that's out there, most of which benefits white women, is a guaranteed sure thing for almost every black person-- rather than a patchy and spotty remedy for the reality of racism that most black people never see.
Such people see the support Obama has as unjustified, like affirmative action. They think that because a lot of black people support him they must all be "reverse-racist." They think white people who are supporting him are unfairly elevating the unworthy. They ignore the strong doubts and fears that Obama has had to overcome to win the trust of voters, including the trust of black people. They ignore real appeal Obama has for many voters. They are unable to see that their perception that Obama is unworthy of the attention and the support he earns is based on a racist standard for how much attention a black person 'should' be able to get.
He had to prove to voters he was "clean" and "articulate." (I wish someone had put GWB to that test!) He had to overcome strong doubts about his intelligence (is a Harvard Law Degree enough? being at the top of his class?) --but, at the same time, he always runs the risk of seeming like he's "talking down" to voters-- which, for a black candidate, would be doubly devastating for those with more old fashioned ideas about race hierarchy. He has had to talk about race in a very careful way, to prove he is not a angry black man. Any hint of anger from him would end his campaign instantly. Despite this stunning handicap he has managed to communicate with voters. That is genius. Can you imagine what would happen to Obama if he lost his temper like McCain has so often...?
There are a lot of people in the US who will agree with Ferraro. So, I think making a big issue out of it could be a mistake for Obama. I don't know if the whole country is ready for this conversation.
Now, all of this isn't to ignore that fact that Clinton has faced some real sexism too. She had to overcome her own barriers. Like Obama, she gets a little bit of support for just being a woman, and, like Obama, she must fight hard not to fall in to gender stereotypes, but, I think things would be easier for both of them if they were just white men. However, such hypothetical situations are impossible, neither would be the same kind of person if they were a white man, they would not have had the same kinds of experiences. So it's not really worth arguing about.
When black people say that they voted for Obama "in part due to his race" I can say, with confidence, that most of the time the reasoning behind this is that black people are impressed with the conclusions Obama has made about what it means to be a black person today. Someone like Keyes, for example, makes the wrong conclusions. It's not just that he's black it's that he is a moderate liberal, with commitments to the right issues. It's not that his biological race is black, it's that he has something of the black perspective in how he see the world, that he has ties to African American culture. This is what moves people over.
But now attacks from the Clinton campaign are also moving people over. It's like she's drawing a line in the sand. My brother, sometimes black Republican, is so angry about these Ferraro comments, he's emailing me and saying "You see, the Democrats are just as bad, I told you all along!!" --I had convinced him to go Democrat this time-- since Bush didn't deliver the economic liberalism he was hoping for (he's sort of a libertarian and hates big government) -- but, now I think he's going to vote for McCain if Hillary is the Democratic candidate.
I will hold my nose and vote for Hillary. Early in this campaign I was excited about her and even came close to choosing her over Obama. But, now I'm not feeling so enthusiastic. I don't think she's done enough to distance herself from Ferraro. I think she's just making a calculated move to stir up the fears of white people with lingering traces of racism. That's not OK.