Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Nice Pants, Emperor

Here's what Geraldine Ferraro said:

"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."

She went on to even more controversial pronouncements, claiming that gravity makes things move downward, and that next winter's snow may, in fact, be white.

How can anyone seriously question the truth of her statement? Without the issue of ethnicity (I agree with Ken Ham in not liking the term "race" in this context), Obama would never have been a serious contender. Maybe someday, but certainly not with his current level (read: lack) of experience. He's Dan Quayle circa 1987, with more pigmentation. OK, and better spelling, I'll grant that.

CNN's Quickvote poll question today is, "Should Geraldine Ferraro apologize for her comments about Barack Obama and race?"

Obviously not. What she said was not racist, meanspirited, or dishonest. She expressed a reasonable opinion.

The voting is currently 46% for Yes. You know, if I ever start losing my faith in the Christian principles of original sin and human depravity (Christianity is, to my knowledge, the only major religion which includes cynicism as a foundational teaching), a couple of minutes of reading opinion polls will set me back on track. This culture is doomed.

Now CNN has a breaking news report that Ferraro is "leaving" the Clinton campaign due to this "controversy". An adulterous sexual relationship with an intern (followed by perjury), leaving your date to die in a river and waiting several hours to contact the police, having the FBI and IRS investigate your political opponents - these things could be considered controversies. Making a blatantly obvious remark about an unqualified presidential candidate who's coasting on a special blend of identity politics and cult of personality - not so much.


Enough rambling. Here's a picture of something red.

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