Ferraro Puts Second Foot In Mouth

Evidently it wasn't bad enough that Geraldine Ferraro clumsily tried to play the race card a few weeks ago. She said then that the only reason Obama has been successful is because he is black. It was a ridiculous statement and resulted in her being tossed out of the Clinton campaign.

Now she has inserted a second foot in her big mouth. She has said she believes Barack Obama has run a "terribly sexist" campaign. She went on to say that she may not vote for him if he becomes the party's nominee. Does that mean she would prefer to have McCain as president?

I used to have a lot of respect for this lady, but she has now destroyed that. I'm sorry now that I voted for her when she ran for vice-president. I had no idea how petty and vindictive she could be. She can't really think the women of America would be better off with McCain as president.

To Clinton's credit, her campaign was quick to distance her from Ferraro's remark. And I don't think Ferraro was speaking for the campaign. I think she is still smarting from the outrage over her last remark, and was just trying to strike back.

But she is not now helping Clinton or herself. The only thing she is doing is destroying her reputation as a loyal Democrat.

Ferraro Refuses To Admit Error - But Resigns

When she ran for vice-president years ago, I voted for Geraldine Ferraro. Since then, I have had a high regard for her as a leading progressive. I'm beginning to think I was wrong in my judgement of her character.

She made a serious mistake the other day by saying the only reason Obama is successful in his bid for the nomination is because he was black. To me, that statement smacked of racism. That old racist accusation that a black could not possibly be successful because of his natural talent and hard work -- it must have been given to him because he's black.

It was bad enough that a liberal would say such a thing in the first place -- especially since it's so obviously not true in Obama's case. The man is a great speaker and campaigner, and would be regardless of his color or ethnicity.

Then she made it worse. When many on the left criticized her for the racially-insensitive statement, she shot back that she was just being criticized because she was white. Good grief! That's the kind of reply I would expect from a white power advocate. Very disappointing.

Yesterday, she did the right thing by resigning from the Clinton campaign. But it looks like she still doesn't understand what she did wrong. She told Clinton that she was resigning because, "The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won't let that happen."

How ridiculous! She was being attacked because she made a stupid racist statement, and then tried to defend it instead of just apologizing. I still can't believe she is trying to blame others for her own failing.

It just goes to show that in America, there can be a bit of racism in even a liberal. Instead of blaming others, Ferraro needs to do some serious soul-searching. She owes both the Obama and Clinton campaigns (and all Democrats) an apology.

Clinton Should Cut Ties To Ferraro

As a former supporter of hers, I was shocked at Geraldine Ferraro's statement the other day. She said, "If Obama were a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be where he is. And the country is caught up in the conflict."

The statement was shocking for a couple of reasons. First is its racial insensitivity. This is not the first time the Clinton campaign has indulged in this kind of race-baiting. The last time was before the South Carolina primary, when Bill Clinton let his mouth overload him. Apologies were made, and I thought we'd gotten past this kind of campaigning.

But now it's back -- this time with Ferraro doing the dirty work. Clinton made a rather weak statement saying she didn't agree with it, but did not cut her ties to Ferraro. Now Ferraro has compounded the situation by saying her detractors are only attacking her because she is white!

What is wrong with this woman, and why is Clinton putting up with it? If she can't shut her up, she should cut all ties and apologize to Obama. I'm beginning to think the campaign is doing it on purpose to appeal to working-class whites in Pennsylvania. However, that could backfire. She may find these are better people than she gives them credit for.

The second reason this was a shocking statement is because both women are open to the same kind of statements about themselves (even though Obama is too honorable to say it). Wasn't Ferraro chosen as a vice-presidential candidate because she was a woman? Isn't Clinton where she is because she is the wife of Bill Clinton?

Clinton may think she can send surrogates down in the gutter to sling mud and then distance herself from it, but it doesn't work that way. Some of the mud will splash back on her.