Posted by
Andrews on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 6:56:49 PM
I find myself in the strange position of defending Geraldine Ferraro, or at least half-defending her.
First, just so we are clear, here is what she said:
If Obama was [sic] a white man, he would not be in this position. And if
he was a woman of any color, he would not be this position. He happens
to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in this
concept.
I will not make myself sound snotty by pointing out her poor grasp of the subjunctive (but will sound even snottier by pointing out that this statement is a praeteritio), but I will say that, despite the comments of critics, this is in no way a racist statement.
Now, the second sentence is feminist boilerplate, and, I think, quite wrong. Were Obama a woman, she would definitely not have the fawning, fainting college girl fans, but she would be such a darling of the Democrats she would not need them.
On the other hand, I do agree with Ferraro's first statement. And it is not racism to say so. Obama may not play up his race, but he doesn't need to. Everyone else mentions his race for him. He can pretend he is above playing on race as he has enough allies to mention it already.
Just think about this question: Were he Barry O'Bama, born of Irish and Jewish parents, with milk-colored skin and red hair, but with the same rhetoric, would Oprah be endorsing him over Hillary? In fact, would he have made it this far in the primaries? Would he even have held his office in Illinois?
No. Of course not. Part of Obama's appeal to those who like him is his race. He is a harmless black man, one who promises racial healing without cost. He is not asking whites to feel guilty, like Sharpton and Jackson, nor does he seem threatening like Farrakhan or even Ellison. (And he doesn't ask them to abandon their liberal dogmas, the way Keyes would.) He doesn't even mention his race. But that is precisely why his race matters to much. He lets liberal whites feel good for their enlightened support of a black man, without demanding anything else of them. They get to revel in their own goodness without actually having to do anything. It is the goal of almost all liberals. Just like voting for welfare funded by other people's taxes, except without all the messy politics. All they have to do is pull a lever for Obama and they can tell themselves the entire history of slavery and racism in the US has been erased, or, at least, they are no longer to be blamed for it.
Of course Obama's race has played a role in getting him where he is. In fact, as he has taken no stand except for being "for change" and pro-hope, what else but his race, looks and glib tongue has propelled him to his current position?
And so I find myself in the odd position of agreeing, at least in part, with Geraldine Ferraro.