Geraldine Ferraro Claims a White Barack Obama Would Fail

Being a black man (who happens to have a Muslim-sounding name) is the path to privilege in U.S. politics, at least according to former Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. Ferraro has made the allegation that if Barack Obama was white or female, his campaign would fall far short of its current success.

The following quote by Ferraro was reported by Reuters: "If Obama was 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 who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

Obama responded that being an "African American man named Barack Obama" does not provide a fast track to the presidency. Obama added, "Anybody who knows the history of this country I think would not take too seriously the notion that this has been a huge advantage, but I don't think it's disadvantaged either."

Ferraro's statement comes on the heels of comments by Bill Clinton that have injected race into the center of the Democratic presidential primary. Clinton earlier inferred that Obama's victory in South Carolina was due to his race by referencing Jesse Jackson's victories there in 1984 and 1988 and Jackson's inability to get the nomination. Many black voters were angered that Bill Clinton used race to dismiss Obama's abilities as a serious presidential contender. Though different in context, Clinton's remarks shared the same theme of "black advantage" with Ferraro's.

Additional verbal jabs by Bill Clinton, though not specifically directed at race, have resulted in a backlash from Democrats, including supporters of Hillary Clinton. Bill infamously referred to Obama's opposition to the Iraq war as a "fairy tale". He then made the observation that putting Obama in the White House would be a "role of the dice". The lack of respect in Bill's dismissive rhetoric moved the debate beyond differences of opinion, and Hillary's camp reined him in shortly thereafter.

Turning back the clocks to Ferraro's campaign for vice president, it was Barbara Bush who made a statement that she later regretted. Referring to Geraldine Ferraro, Bush stated "I can't say it, but it rhymes with rich." The New York Times publicized the quote and Bush later apologized for referring to Ferraro as a "witch", still ducking the b-word. Nonetheless, both derogatory terms are discriminative in that they can only be used with the female gender.

In her own campaign, Ferraro positioned herself as the daughter of Italian immigrants who loved America. Aside from the office sought, her situation had many parallels to Barack Obama's. Her comments were meant to highlight how far a woman and first generation American could aspire, and they draw a stark contrast to her claim that Obama somehow has an unfair advantage or has simply inherited success. Have the times changed that much or does Ferraro have a salty foot?

Donna Smith, "Geraldine Ferraro defends remarks about Obama", Reuters
New York Times, October 15, 1984