In 1990 I worked for the Harvey Gantt for Senate campaign. I worked harder on that campaign than I have ever worked for any politician (and even worked well under my normal rates for such services). I thought we had a chance to change things back then (almost twenty years ago... boy am I getting old). The excitement many feel towards Barack Obama right now was no different than the anticipation all of us: paid staffers and volunteers, yard sign guys and coffee & tea gals, van drivers and policy wonks, had for Harvey. If Harvey Gantt was elected, and we had many, many, many reasons to think he would be, history would change.
But then there was the ad...
I never saw the commercial until the day after the election. Seriously!
I was too f-ing busy getting things done. People told me about it, and canvassers told me how it was impacting their results. But my feeling at the time was acute: it didn't matter, we had the momentum, we are going to win this thing on the ground by slugging it out one vote at a time.
But though I never saw it until afterwards, I can tell you this, that commercial is emblazoned in my memory like almost no other piece of television footage. For me, that commercial is a picture of all that I have fought against in my political life, my spiritual life, and my professional life. I can quote you that commercial from memory right now:
"You needed that job, and you were the best qualified, but they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota," says the baritone voiceover.
"Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is."
We called it the "White hand ad." And let me tell you this, Bill & Hillary Clinton know about that ad, intimately. It is considered by many political operatives to be one of the finest pieces of political craftsmanship in the modern era. It totally changed the outcome of what was going to be a tight race and a good chance for Harvey Gantt to win. Even Harvey said the ad was "political genius" though when he did I personally chastised him by letter... we can't glorify this stuff. We have to call it out.
What Ferraro is doing is bringing the 3am ad full circle. Clinton would never be stupid enough to do it herself, nor make the picture complete in one of her own commercials. But by letting this fester, she's making the subtext known.
Please consider this diary my official request (and I'll be sending a personal, non-anonymous letter to Senator Clinton herself) that Senator Clinton not merely "denounce" Ferraro's comment, but that she immediately withdraw her candidacy. She has played the White Hand Ad against a fellow Democrat, and in my book, she is disqualified from being our party's nominee.
Our party cannot go on like this. We are supposed to be the party of the people, not the party of tribal warlords promoting racial divisions. You can't keep power this way, you can only become corrupt by following this path.
Senator Clinton: please end your candidacy now. I once believed that a tough fight between you and Obama would be for the good. But you have chosen to take a path that will lead only to the shame and ruin of your legacy, your husband's legacy, and this party. You can no longer claim ignorance, claim bias, claim they are "ganging up" on you. You and I both know that what you have done is perfect the strategy of Jesse Helms. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Many of us worked hard to get your husband elected, and re-elected. But we can't support this sort of stuff from you any longer. Not now. Not ever.
And a small side note here for those political commentators on the liberal side of the fence that are "tired of all the whining" etc. I speaking to you here and now. We will remember how you poo-pooed this. We will remember how you said "it isn't THAT bad." We will remember and we won't forget. You should be ashamed of yourselves too. Just because someone doesn't explicitly say: "don't vote for the nigger" doesn't mean they aren't implicitly saying that. You all are the same people who said Helms' ad wasn't "over the top" but instead was "forceful." You give quarter to this stuff and we will no longer give quarter to you. Call it out, responsibly and ethically, or suffer the consequences later on.