Candidates, candidates, candidates, what was Political Nanny just telling you?!
When you or your proxies call names, it makes voters feel like hating you -- not the intended consequence, right? The latest transgression comes from Geraldine Ferraro (yes, that Geraldine Ferraro!) in an interview with a small Southern California newspaper.
In trying to decry what she sees as sexism against her BFF Hillary, Ferraro comes off as unhinged and a wee bit racist (or, at least, race-baiting) . And that hardly does any favors for the campaign she's working on.
From the Daily Breeze:
"I think what America feels about a woman
becoming president takes a very secondary place to Obama's campaign -
to a kind of campaign that it would be hard for anyone to run against,"
she said. "For one thing, you have the press, which has been uniquely
hard on her. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her.
The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign.
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position,"
she continued. "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."
Ferraro does not buy the notion of Obama as the great reconciler.
Now, Geraldine. Stick with the sexism. Talk media bias. Share your feelings. But don't start making his success solely about his race. That's so 1980s of you. Remember what conservatives used to say about affirmative action? Remember why you were selected to run as Walter Mondale's vice president? Remember?
So that's two minutes in the naughty chair, Gerry -- a bit of quiet time to go over talking points and to reflect on appropriate use of negativity in a campaign and inappropriate use. Because let's say Obama WERE a white guy and Hillary were winning. Would that be only because she's a woman?
via Daily Kos
