Can you honestly say he would be in his position now if he weren't black? No, I don't think so. One glaring facet of this campaign that lot of Americans are turning a blind eye on is that on one corner, we have this amazing, experienced lady seeking to become the first woman President and on the other, a young, idealistic man who would become the first Black President. What's not to love? So why is that when we make comments that begin with "if she were a man" or "if he was white", people go ballistic?! Clearly a wave of change is about to happen (as Obama asserts quite so often), and there is no turning back from it. If both of them were white men, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be half as excited watching CNN as I am now.
I'm completely with Geraldine Ferraro when she said that the Obama camp had gone overboard by calling her racist JUST because she's on Clinton's finance team. He's really turning out to be big headed brat who doesn't hesitate to twist any truth to his advantage. Ferraro was merely pointing out the obvious. Obama's black, and the people love it. I would even go as far as saying that Oprah Winfrey went out on a limb for him because he is black. Would she do it if he was Caucasian? Not in a million years! Sure, he's qualified and all, but being qualified alone will not make Ms. Winfrey fall for anyone like she did for Obama.
My message to Obama is: Embrace your blackness. People are rooting for you because you are black and you represent change. I actually like you. Don't blow it!
you atheist!
ReplyDeleteWell said.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think Hilary has a harder time than Obama coz she has to ALWAYS know the right balance between being assertive and being soft. Plus she has to be careful of not saying or doing anything that may be considered as racist.
Obama, on the other hand, well... he just has to assert himself. He doesn't have anything going against him, aside from his lack of experience which a lot of people prefer to gloss over.
i'd have to disagree here. you put it better than ferrarro did. the former vp candidate's follow-up comments have become more & more of kilter. strange even. if there was basis to what she said, it was muddled in bitter partisanship & timing. it no longer was about the message but the intent. very carville-like.
ReplyDeleteshe even criticized barack's comment about his white grandmother's struggle to accept his ethnicity. ferrarro didn't believe it because he was talking about "her mother's generation"... as if that generation didn't have race issues. uh, nope.
i may be exposing myself a bit because i back obama. but i dug him way,way back & its not because of his race. it may be to some, but hillary just doesn't strike a cord to many (too distant & that stubbornness about the iraq vote).
i tried going for her, really. im a big bill fan (i read his book) but there is a thing about connecting to voters that barack does well & hillary struggles at. i kept gravitating to edwards or barack (like many others).
the experience factor is a product of the media. i've followed both backgrounds & the matchup is not one sided. barack may have entered the senate not long ago but hillary only beats him by 1 term.
his experience in chicago inner city issues trumps anything she's done during the same period (80's).
his age is comparable to bill clinton & jfk when they first took office.
notice i haven't said anything about race or gender when comparing.
im as liberal as can be but i like that he also appeals to non-libs. just don't see him as a black candidate. others do for sure, but i don't think it is as big an issue -- unless its the south or the bible belt where his ethnicity may be a negating factor.
end of essay. phew. sensya drew, you caught me at a talky moment.