Good afternoon, kids.
In today's Cleveland Plain Dealer, a short LTTE was published regarding Ferraro's recent comments on Barack Obama's candidacy.
Geraldine Ferraro was just pointing out the obvious
Thursday, March 13, 2008
What's the big deal over Geraldine Ferraro's remarks? She's absolutely right. If Barack Obama were not a black man, but a white man with identical credentials, he would not be where he is today.
If Hillary Clinton were not Bill Clinton's wife, she would not be where she is, either.
If George W. Bush weren't the son of former President Bush, he would probably not have been elected.
Why can't people tell the truth without being labeled racists or sexists by idiots like Al Sharpton and Gloria Steinem?
Of course, this is similiar to the premise Geraldine is floating around in the media. But is it 'stating the obvious'? Are all 3 statements on the candidates above equal in meaning or fairness?
Let's leave the comment on Barack alone for a moment and start with Hillary.
If Hillary Clinton were not Bill Clinton's wife, she would not be where she is, either.
Is that a fair statement? Yes partly, but not necessarily absolutely true. Hillary has certainly benefited a great deal by being pulled along by the Clinton Brand through the years, so to say she has gotten to where she is now with the help of Bill is absolutely true. Still, had she chosen a different life path it does not mean she could not have ended up at the same place in politics she finds herself now.
and George?
If George W. Bush weren't the son of former President Bush, he would probably not have been elected.
Unlike Hillary, who choose her life partner and was certainly instrumental in Bill achieving the political success he did, GWB cannot claim any contribution to his fathers success. On this one, the letter writer is probably closer to truth. Given what we know now of GWB, it's hard to imagine he'd ever have had the opportunity, drive, or ambition to get to the White House had he not been born into the family he was.
But what about Barack?
If Barack Obama were not a black man, but a white man with identical credentials, he would not be where he is today.
This statement differs from the other two because it does not use Obama's marriage to politically powerful spouse or having been raised in a political power family. It dismisses him and his accomplishments solely on the color of his skin, grandly stating a "white man" with Baracks "credentials" could not be a contender for the Presidency.
Somehow, the author believes that it could not be Barack's skills, intellect, passion, personality, and resume that has got him here. No, it's because he is 'black'. (cause you know, being black puts you on the fast track for the Senate and White House in his country /snark).
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You may have noticed I did not link to the LTTE, and that was intentional. (of course, you can go find it yourself if you are so inclined) The reason I did not link and omitted the authors name is because I wanted to find out more about his demographic.
The author is a white male (yeah, you can figure that out from uncommon surnames) in his early 60s. He lives on the edge of a Cleveland burb where the rural meets the urban sprawl.
Now I know, I know, you can't stereotype people because not all 60 year old white guys are going to agree with the author of the letter, but it did not surprise me when I found where he fits.
There is a certain disconnect between younger and older voters. Many older (white) folk seem to be completely blind to how damaging it is to say someone is only successful because of their skin color.
I'm white, but I wasn't around for the civil rights marches and all that back in the 60s. The letter writer was. So was Ferraro. So were the Clintons. Could this attitude we are seeing in older white folks a carryover from that era? Some deeply buried resentment? "Hey, we gave them equal rights, what more do they want?"
I don't even see Obama as being black anymore. Hillary, and her supporters, have made the issue time and time again that 'change' would be the first woman President. How long would Obama's campaign survive if he came out and said, "Change will be electing the first black person to the Presidency."
Thing is, Obama isn't black. He's mixed-race/mixed-heritage (a mutt, no offense intended), just like most people in this country who have several generations of American ancestry. Some of my ancestors came from the former Soviet Union, so I guess that makes me a 'Godless Commie!' Thank goodness I have no plans to run for public office.
Maybe the racism issues won't go away until the present older generations are no longer with us and their ignorant beliefs go with them. I'm hopeful for the younger generations who seem to be ready to cast away those painful, destructive prejudices held by many of their elders.
We can Hope.
Yes, We Can!