Geraldine Ferraro is Not a Racist

"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."

Geraldine Ferraro is the latest victim to be thrown to the lions of political correctness. Her statement isn’t racist; it’s logical. A similar argument could be made for how she and Clinton have achieved what they have achieved. In fact, she stated that if her name were "Gerard" instead of "Geraldine," she would never have been chosen to be Walter Mondale’s VP--which is absolutely the case.

In causation, there is the concept of necessary and sufficent conditions. Obama being black is a necessary condition for his (perhaps) winning the Democratic nomination over Clinton, but it isn’t a sufficient one. In other words, if Obama weren’t black, he wouldn’t be on the verge of defeating Clinton, but he isn’t on the verge just because he’s black. A white senator two years out of the Illinois state senate, with little legislative experience at the national level, wouldn’t be taken very seriously if he/she decided to run for president. Also, if Obama were black, but didn’t have the intelligence, education, work ethic, confidence, assertiveness, attractiveness, and exemplary oratory skills that he has, he definitely wouldn’t be where he is today. Take race out of the equation and he’s still a talented politician who in another few years might very well be ready to run for president--just not right now, and not against Hillary Clinton.

It is because Obama is black and has so many other appealing qualities that he has captured the public’s imagination--would a white person have the same clout in promoting a post-racial and more integrated and worldly society?

Although Ferraro made her statement to defend Clinton and I’m using it to defend Obama, in no way should she be declared a racist. This also means I disagree with the Obama campaign making it an issue. Obama is being disingenuous when he states that her comments are "patently absurd." Although it’s not good politics to admit it, he’s smart enough to know that he wouldn’t be where he is were it not for his race. It would have been better to ignore Ferraro. By engaging her, he’s politicizing and drawing more attention to the race issue, and considering the inflammatory statements of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, this is something he doesn’t want to do.