Male African-American Express?

I've mostly avoided talking about America's bizarre presidential election process, because I feel that it drags on way too long and the coverage gets worse with each passing year.  But once in a while, somebody says something that's just too absurd to ignore. 

In this case, it's Geraldine Ferraro who has made an ass of herself.   It's not that what she said has no merit.  It's the way she said it that makes her sound like an idiot.

There's no question that Barack Obama's race has helped him at times during his campaign.  But to say that "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) 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" is just stupid. 

Why is Ferraro so off-base?  Because if Obama was white, he'd have already sewn up the nomination.  We wouldn't even be still talking about Hillary Clinton if Obama was the exact same way he is now, only white. 

You'd think that a democrat would know better, but apparently this one doesn't.  Even though it's 2008, being a black man doesn't really make life in America easier.  Particularly if you're running for office in an area that isn't majority black. 

I'd say "The United States of America" qualifies as such an area. 

If Obama had said the same thing about Hillary Clinton and said "she would never have gotten where is is today if she wasn't a woman," he'd be vilified.  And rightfully so.  Hillary Clinton didn't get where she is today because she is a woman.  She got there because she worked hard...and was married to the right ex-president. 

The sad pseudo-irony is that Geraldine Ferraro herself is very similar to Obama.  Her father died when she was young, and her mother was a seamstress.  She is an Italian Catholic, and she came up from nothing.  When she ran for Vice President on Mondale's ticket, people questioned her experience.  Sound familiar? 

This isn't about supporting one candidate or another.  This is about pointing out a wrong.  Ferraro's comments seem to indicate that her intra-Democratic partisanship has blinded her to the similar challenges faced by both blacks and women in America. 

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