March 13, 2008

I have been finding the controversy over Geraldine Ferraro's words very interesting. Not least because Obama is deftly making it impossible for anybody to discuss race at all, even a liberal Democrat.

That leaves the discussion of race to the racists, which is unfortunate.

Ferraro's comments are worth considering. How can she really have ignited such a shitstorm just because she pointed out that people are inspired by him because he is a black man who otherwise transcends all of the standard race categories? I thought that was part of his schtick--a black guy with a white midwestern accent.

Obama's response is so sleazy that it would make me want not to vote for him if I had already decided not to vote for him:

"Mr. Obama, at a news conference in Chicago, was asked whether he interpreted
Ms. Ferraro’s remarks to be racist.
“I’m always hesitant to throw
around words like ‘racist,’ ” he said. “I don’t think she intended them in
that way.”
He dismissed her suggestions that he or his advisers have
accused Mrs. Clinton’s supporters of being racist, saying, “I would defy anybody
to look through the record over the last year and a half, or the last year and
couple months, and find one instance in which I have said some criticism is
racially based.” "



But surely if Obama was just a white good orator with an appealing face, an inspiring life story, and a fluffy to non-existent Senate record and no executive experience he would not be considered the savior that he is in some quarters today, no? Isn't that what John Edwards is? Didn't Edwards at least serve a whole term? I find it uncovincing and even appalling that Obama is going to play the race card and then pretend all along that it isn't relevant. Where else does he draw his sancrosant inspiration from? His invisible record of accomplishments? His fancy pant Ivy Leabue education? Shee-it, kick over a rock and you can find an ambitious guy with a Harvard Law degree.

Ferrarto says in
today's NYTimes article:

"The same, she said, is true of the Obama candidacy. “Why is his candidacy
historic? Can you give me another reason why it is an historic campaign? Why are
we afraid to say this? I am absolutely stunned by this whole thing. I’m not
saying he isn’t qualified, never did I say that. He is very smart. He has
experience issues, but if George Bush can learn to run the country, so can this
guy.”


I just have one question: what do we do with the fact that the inexperienced Bush has, in fact, not learned how to run the country at all, save into the ground?

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