Ferraro upset to be lumped in with Obama's former pastor

Does anybody understand why Geraldine Ferraro won't go away? I mean, seriously. At this point she just sounds like a crotchety old lady that wants attention and will maker herself a news story to do it.

By the way, this is a wonderful example of the Clinton camp being the one to raise the race card, and then accusing Obama of playing the race card when he cries foul about it. Clearly, Ferraro's comments were offensive and whether they are correct or not (which can never be proven anyway), they are certainly not the kind of positive campaigning that Clinton supposedly supports.

I think Dan Payne's column in today's Globe is a pretty accurate portrayal of the way race has actually been introduced into this campaign:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/03/20/the_race_card_is_the_wild_card/

Many people keep saying that "every time someone criticizes Barack Obama he accuses them of being racist." I think it's much Clinton and her scum entourage of cutthroat cronies that are responsible.

I was wondering how soon Geralding Ferraro would respond to Obama equating her with Reverend Wright? When I heard mention in his speech, I said to myself, don't get her started again. However, what Ms. Ferraro said is not be compared with what Mr. Wright has preached. You know Obama had to pacify whites, by mentioning Ferraro, to make it look even on both sides. Why did Obama justify his sticking with Wright by saying "I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother?" Maybe deep down his grandmother had justification for using ethnic stereotypes because of how his African father who was a PHd student , and much older than his white mother chose to fool her into marrying him when he had other wives in Africa. Then he abandons him and his mother at the age of two. I can imagine his grandmother getting angry at the very thought of having to take on the responsibility of raising Barack. Grandma use stereotypes of black men because of the disadvantage one took of her daughter. How would your feel? Finally Barack did not choose his grandmother, but he can choose not to be Wright's associate. So I totally agree with Ms. Ferraro. Point taken.

ich bin ein white racist

Geraldine is spot on right. It was terrible of Obama to drag her name into this and equate what she said to that racist whom he and Michelle choose to admire (and subject his girls to this). And his poor white grandmother. Obama has revealed himself for what he is. Even liberal people I work with who voted for Obama now want their vote back.

He is an extremely arrogant man and he thinks he can hoodwink white America by invoking white guilt.

Enough said, let's rally around our only real chance - Mrs. Clinton

Whine, whine, whine. This Hussein Obama is actually worse than Hillary... can't believe I just said that... no wonder the democrats keep loosing and can't even beat an idiot like Bush... first Gore (sooo lame), then Kerry (dodgy), now a crook and a racist. Man, bring some character and integrity instead of all this whining and blaming everyone for everything. That said, I'm sure McCain is loving it.

Clearly Obama would be regarded as spineless had he put a friend (who objectively has done much good in the community) under the bus to satisfy Fox News. I don't agree with the politics of many of my friends. Some even voted for Bush. The priest that baptized my children is an alcoholic. Does that make me an alcoholic? Should I disassociate myself from those I disagree with? Or should I learn what I can from people, and find things we can agree about? Agreeing that it is an "advantage" for Obama to be black is ridiculous. If it was the world would look very different.

I think Ferraro didn't understand what he was saying. I think he was saying that Ferraro was dimissed as opposed to allowing her statements to be used in a dialogue. Instead of trying to understand where she was coming from, Ferraro was simply dismissed. I think the Obama doesn't want to dismiss Rev. Wright's comments as being that of a crack pot. I think he wants people to try to understand where some of that anger is coming from.

She was fire from the campaign so that her comments would go with her. Obama doesn't want Rev. Wright's comments to be swept away and i think he was saying that it was a mistake to sweep Ferraro's comments away.

Or maybe she did understand what he was saying and decided to twsit them to Hillary's advantage anyway.

I can hardly believed how the media and their editorial boards are swooned by Obama's speech. It is beautiful rhetoric, skillfully laid out to cover up his untruthfulness (not aware of Wright's hateful sermons), poor judgement (Rezco, Wright), and hypocrisy (so angry at Ferraro, Clinton, Rendell, etc. for their mild comments relating to race, while not saying a word about Wright's sermon for 20 years).

I can't care less what Wright says, there are plenty of nuts out of there. But Obama's dishonesty is laid bare by this episode. I wanted to believe that Obama has some substance beyond his speeches. What a disappointment.

I think that Obama used Ferraro's name, and Rev. Wrights name to show how race has come up in the campaigns. SERIOUSLY PEOPLE!!!! if there wasn't STILL RACISM in this country, the race card would have never been played. it's because of the tension that arises by comments from people like Ferraro and Wright that remind us that racism is still strong in this country.

I find it offensive that Obama would lump an American hero like Ferraro in with his racist, hateful minister. He's proved once again that his background is virtually unknown and full of dark pockets like this Wright character; his entire candidacy is based upon BS. Let's all hope for a miracle so Hillary can be our nominee in the Fall.

I think Ferraro is again correct, and she totally got what Obama is doing. There is a huge difference between Ferraro's observation (which btw is right on), Obama's grandmother's unease, and Rev Wright's diatribe. If Obama doesn't get the difference, that's his problem. As an aside, I know that Obama tried to equate Ferraro to Rev Wright to make Rev Wright more acceptable, but even if he did not like Ferraro, I can't imagine equating his grandmother to Rev Wright. Many may like his speeches, but Obama became a little man to me.

Why won't Ferraro shut up already? What is it she's trying to win with these ridiculous statements? A date with David Duke? We get it, Geradline. You're a racist and apparently have poor listening comprehension skills.

You folks who think he "compared Ferraro to Wright" are completely missing the point, as is Ms Ferraro herself. Reread the speech! The only thing they have in common is that they're both contributing to a system that is vastly oversimplifying the issue of race in this country. And by focusing on their statements instead of the issues we SHOULD be focusing on in this campaign, we're making the same dumb mistake that they made.

Obama's whole point is that Ferraro is entitled to her opinion but the best thing for our country's future is to ignore her and start talking about the issues that matter.

I find it offensive that anyone could call a hateful lunatic like Ferraro a "hero."

She had an indistinguished career in Congress, got picked by Mondale because he felt he needed a woman as a novelty item and she didn't have any strong negatives in her polling numbers, got mixed up in covering up for her crooked husband, got her butt handed to her in two Senate elections and sits on the board of a petroleum company.

If that's all the Democrats can come with to apply the "hero" tag, it shows just how shallow their pool is. Other than her money and connections as a lobbyist, I can't imagine why anyone in the party would listen to a word she says.

Obama's words, for those that didn't bother to actually read them:

"Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America – to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality."

At no point does he "compare" Ferraro to Wright, except to say that both of them have been distorted by the media and portrayed as something that they are not. As he says, the real lesson to be taken away from all of this is that race is a complex issue in this country and it deserves an informed and intelligent discussion.

Ferraro's reaction falls sadly short of this, and it is a shame.

Obama is running laps around Ferraro here. She reads him so simplistically. Suspiciously so considering since the most remarkable thing about his speech was its depth and detail. He wasn't equating Ferraro to Wright. He was equating the treatment of the comments that those two people made. He went in depth to describe with great clarity why people like Ferraro or Wright say what they say. He equated her animosity with that of whites who oppose affirmative action. She's right about one thing. She has, "No clue." Some of you should go listen to that speech again. Or better yet, read the transcript!

I think Obama is trying to pull the wool over the American people.His Pastor hates American White People and I now think Obama does too.I was going to vote for him,now I will cast my vote to Clinton.Obama is not what he appears to be. I have never ever heard that kind of hate coming out of a Pastors mouth.WOW and he calls himself a Christian, I think not. JESUS taught us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER ! ! I am 61 and I have never heard that kind of Racist remarks ! I mean never. If this is what they believe in that Church, that Obama has gone to for 20 years,I think he has a real problem with White People. My Ancestor's died for the Black race in the Civil War,has anyone of the Black race said Thank you for standing up for us? or hiding your Ancestor's from harm. I have never heard of it but would like to .The Tribal Leaders from Africa sold their own people into Slavery,and yes the White people bought them. They were all wrong dead wrong. and are by the way still DEAD DEAD DEAD all of them., I am not going to pay for what someone whom we all have never met in today's world did a hundred and forty years ago.

Oh, Geraldine Ferraro. You never were relevant to the debate, even when you were Mondale's nominee for VEEP and didn't have a snowflake's chance in Hell against "Morning in America". I don't know what dark corner Hilary Clinton dredged her out of, but I guess it was in a vain attempt to appeal to older voters. Ferraro once again exhibits all the hallmarks of poor judgement necessary to be part of the Hilary '08 campaign.

Speaking as both a conservative and a foreigner, in my time living in the US I've noticed that race relations are totally different than those of my home country (Canada), and discussions of racial issues here are frequently marked by resentment and ill will. They are also, customarily, focussed solely on "race relations" as an issue between blacks and whites, neglecting the fact that there are more people with something to say and more places at the table than only two.

Obama's speech was in fact quite nuanced and profound, and has found support from people across the political spectrum, because instead of retreating to old tropes and biases, it actually exhorts Americans to live up to the promises of their Constitution, and to resist the simple-minded prejudices that so often poison the discussion.

His mention of Ferraro was mostly tangential, as a means to give his speech relevance to a broader audience, and if you read his sentence carefully, he urges people not to conclude that Ferraro's remarks are the product of bias or racial prejudice (which I don't believe they were), and to get over it and move on.

The whole uproar over her initial remarks was quite ridiculous; much worse has been said so far in this election, so the choice to pillory her as a racist was quite uncalled for; her remarks were stupid, yes, but to me, more indicative of poor judgement than racism. Let's just move on, so Ms. Ferraro can return once more to well-deserved political obscurity.

Uhhh....Did Geraldine fight for her country on a field of combat? The racist minister did. Who's the hero? Yes. Wright's speech was inflammatory but his anger from the point of view of watching what has happened to his community was valid. Did you actually listen to what he said or just wrap yourself up in a flag and plug your ears when you heard the Lord's name taken in vain? His anger is valid. His expression of it degrades all of us, however.
Ferarro's comments however, from my point of view, are far more incendiary. It's the pat on the head for the Black kid in the honors class because Affirmative Action says he has to be there so, whether he's earned the spot or not, his every accomplishment has been stripped down to, "well, Blacks get a free ride."

There is often a fine line between political correctness, incorrectness and racism;
........ and in this case it seems apparent that racism is being used politically. Obama is half Negroid and half Caucasian. God Bless him....truely.
However, when did he become the "race" police and the authority on everyone's racial thoughts, feelings, and resentments?
What qualifies him to be keeper of free speech? Now that HE gave a speech on the topic of "race" it's permitted to be discussd? He is using and monitoring the race topic for his own political leverage. He and his campaign accuse or imply racism about anyone who speaks to his objection; yet HE can call his Grandmother just a" typical white woman" ? And HE can have a friend and spiritual mentor who speaks so horribly anti American and anti white?....Obama is a good preacher, a good speech giver, but listen closely and you'll hear a lot more than just words. Speaking of 'Obama' speeches, I don't ever remember hearing any other presidential candidate (except Obama), or President refer to the White House as "...My White House..."
His "race" speech was written and delivered beautifully.
This is however a PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

Ferraro's comments are very racially divisive and are perhaps damaging Hillary every possible way.

Senator Obama has once again spoken the honest truth in a very sincere and positive manner. It is now time for the American people to look for racial unity and harmony.

You people are all kinds of crazy. Ferraro has repeatedly made racist comments since 88 when she made them on Jesse Jackson. Its ironic she says the only reason Obama is around is because he's black. The only reason she is relevant is because she was the first dem vp nominee. The only reason Clinton is in this is because her name is Clinton. I could go on. If you people think Ferraro's comments make Hillary more likely to be elected, you're nuts. If she were meant to be the nominee, she wouldn't be behind on every level.

And PS: Obama was trying to get people to go beyond this. She cant, neither can you apparently.

I find it totally offensive that Obama did not condem Wright for the remarks Wright made about Hillary Clinton during one of his sermons. By accusing Geraldine Ferraro of having a "deep seeded bias" I think that he must have paid attention to some of Wright's sermons. The sexual inferences he made toward Hillary
Clinton were deplorable. Also, I guess it has escaped the Rev Wright that while Obama is "black" he was raised by a single "white" mother (?)

I find it offensive that Obama would lump an american hero like his Pastor (a decorated Marine) in with a hateful racist like Ferraro. While his minister has never said anything racist, Ferraro has constantly injected racist commentary into this contest. She has constantly brought up Obama's skin color and tried to incite white distrust of black people. Nothing in the history of Reverend Wright's history ever suggested he's ever said anything about white people in general. He has railed against the instiutional racism that continues to exist in america, but never said anything remotely in the range of what Ferraro has said. Let's all hope that hillary and her insane supporters like Ferraro are gone soon and we can unite around Barack Obama in the fall.

Beautiful oratory by a Democrat vs. a very dull GOP candidate. It's 1896 all over again. I'm a Republican, btw.

Well, arguably Wright could just as easily be called an 'American Hero' - he did serve in the Marines, and has been working to improve life in his community for years. Summarizing his life and contributions as nothing but hate speech is disingenuous, and deliberately dishonest.

to Unkown (who apparently can't spell his own name):

I rarely use Caps Lock, but: OBAMA DIDN'T ACCUSE FERRARO OF HAVING A "DEEP SEATED BIAS"!!!! Right after suggesting that some have accused her of that, he goes on to talk about exactly why we SHOULD NOT take that approach.

For lack of a better explanation "Unkown," I think you might want to get tested for chronic stupidity.

I find it quite ironic that now we know the Clintons are also associated with Wright going back to the White House days. Shame shame on the Clintons for causing a major upheaval when they know who and what Wright stands for and have respected him enough to seek his guidance!!!!!!

Where do these people get off saying Ferraro's said racist remarks for decades...she's an ultra liberal, Duh!
She goes out of her way for minoirty causes and has never been accused of such things in the past .
What she said about Obama is absolutley true. I didn't vote for him because of his positions, their the exactly like Clinton's. I didn't vote for him for his Senate record, he barely has one. I voted for him because he presented himself as what I want society to be like, Fair, Non-racist, Reasonable, Multi-cultural. I thought a grand message of change would be stated if a black man could be President.
Now, I understand what the change represents ---MORE RACISM, MORE DIVISIVENESS, MORE CORRUPTION, MORE LIES.
We need a revote in Florida....Hillary is are only hope now.

BTW.... the only accociation with the Clintons and Wright was a photo op at the White House where Bill and Hillary posed with literal tens of thousands of indivuals throughout his two terms.
And the Clintons did break this Obama/ Wright story so NO shame shame on Hill or Bill

I have never been an Obama fan. I have felt him to be condescending and extremely arrogant. As everyone has stated his speech was beautifully written however I find that he is constantly caught in lies he then comes out with a great speech and the people are hypnotized again. Our country has been lead into a state of ciaos because of the Bush Administrations lies. Why would be want to go into another administration that is already being caught in lie after lie. I also have a hard time with his comparisons of his grandmother who help raise him and Geradine Ferraro to Wright. Also to state that his grandmother is a "typical white person"!!!!! I'm sorry Obama you have been a privileged man and almost every this you say is hypocritical .

Obama seems to have chosen a loud anti American hate blaring demagogue as his closest spiritual advisor for 20 years. What does that tell you about the presidential candidate's mind set?