I feel that Geraldine Ferraro may well have something to say, but her comments today in the Boston Globe seemed (perhaps due to judicious editing, the vestigial remains of a liberal conscience, or just the thought of Nancy Pelosi personally kicking her ass) somehow unclear. So I've taken the liberty of making a bigot to English translation.
LAST YEAR at the beginning of the presidential primary season, Democrats were giddy with excitement. Not only did we have an embarrassment of riches in our candidates but we had two historic candidacies to enjoy. Once and for all our country would show that racism and sexism were not part of our 21st-century DNA.
At the time we thought it was very nice of us to let the black man run because we knew Hillary was inevitable.
Here we are at the end of the primary season, and the effects of racism and sexism on the campaign have resulted in a split within the Democratic Party that will not be easy to heal before election day. Perhaps it's because neither the Barack Obama campaign nor the media seem to understand what is at the heart of the anger on the part of women who feel that Hillary Clinton was treated unfairly because she is a woman or what is fueling the concern of Reagan Democrats for whom sexism isn't an issue, but reverse racism is.
The Clinton campaign has successfully used racism and sexism to cynically drive wedges in the Democratic party, but the rest of the campaign was ineffective and couldn't stop Obama from winning the nomination. Now we are offended that no one else shares our sense of entitlement.
The reaction to the questions being raised has been not to listen to the message and try to find out how to deal with the problem, but rather to denigrate the messenger. Sore loser, petty, silly, vengeful are words that have dominated the headlines. But scolding and name calling don't resolve disputes. The truth is that tens of thousands of women have watched how Clinton has been treated and are not happy. We feel that if society can allow sexism to impact a woman's candidacy to deny her the presidency, it sends a direct signal that sexism is OK in all of society.
It was not Hillary's poorly managed campaign, mounting debt, lack of appeal to party elites, or outrageous claims of victory in the face of sure defeat that undermined her candidacy; it was the Hillary Nutcracker and Chris Matthews.
In response, a group of women - from corporate executives to academics to members of the media - have requested that the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University and others conduct a study, which we will pay for if necessary, to determine three things.
First, whether either the Clinton or Obama campaign engaged in sexism and racism; second, whether the media treated Clinton fairly or unfairly; and third whether certain members of the media crossed an ethical line when they changed the definition of journalist from reporter and commentator to strategist and promoter of a candidate. And if they did to suggest ethical guidelines which the industry might adopt.
While talking reasonably about studies on bigotry by Harvard, I'm implying that Hillary got treated unfairly for her sex, but the media never mentioned a man named Jeremiah Wright, or questioned whether Obama's race might be a factor in the election. You know, he's only popular because he's black.
That sexism impacted Clinton's campaign, I have no doubt. Did she lose a close election because of sexism? I don't know. But I do know that it will never happen again as long as women are willing to stand up and make sure that it is just a one-time bad experience.
I am willing to simultaneously maintain that I don't know if it happened, but we can't let it happen again, thereby indicating that you should ignore that second sentence while I ignore the fact that many women voted for Obama.
As for Reagan Democrats, how Clinton was treated is not their issue. They are more concerned with how they have been treated. Since March, when I was accused of being racist for a statement I made about the influence of blacks on Obama's historic campaign, people have been stopping me to express a common sentiment: If you're white you can't open your mouth without being accused of being racist. They see Obama's playing the race card throughout the campaign and no one calling him for it as frightening. They're not upset with Obama because he's black; they're upset because they don't expect to be treated fairly because they're white. It's not racism that is driving them, it's racial resentment. And that is enforced because they don't believe he understands them and their problems. That when he said in South Carolina after his victory "Our Time Has Come" they believe he is telling them that their time has passed.
Here in Bizarro-World, I ran as a Reagan Democrat against Reagan, and we're all racists who know that the blacks are taking over!
Whom he chooses for his vice president makes no difference to them. That he is pro-choice means little. Learning more about his bio doesn't do it. They don't identify with someone who has gone to Columbia and Harvard Law School and is married to a Princeton-Harvard Law graduate. His experience with an educated single mother and being raised by middle class grandparents is not something they can empathize with. They may lack a formal higher education, but they're not stupid. What they're waiting for is assurance that an Obama administration won't leave them behind.
Hillary is an educated elitist who is married to an educated elitist husband, but they're not black, so they're ok with us racists. So Obama needs to assure us racists that he's not black.
Hope, change, and inspiration don't do it. A speech on racism might persuade editorial boards, but to these voters it's "just words." Obama has less than six months to make the case.
We're White, We're Entitled, Get Used to It.