Ferraro Must Go

Last week we saw an adivsor to Senator Obama resign after calling Senator Clinton a "monster."

I blogged on it here.

Recently former Vice-Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro was quoted as saying:

"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."

Then defended herself later with this, in a follow up interview:

But far from backing off from her initial remark, Ferraro defended it and elaborated on it.

"Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up," Ferraro said. "Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?"

Does the phrase, "you're not helping" have any meaning here? For the record, Senator Clinton said she "regrets" the comment. But as of this writing, Geraldine Ferraro is still working for the Clinton. campaign.

But it looks like the Clinton Campaign (if Howard Fineman is right) has larger issues to deal with. Take a look at about 4:50:

Here's the transcript:

Keith: Time now to bring in our own Howard Fineman, Senior Washington correspondent for Newsweek Magazine. Howard, good evening.

Howard: Good evening Keith.

Keith: Why did Geraldine Ferraro say what she said? How did she not get fired instantly? Why did she follow-up the way she did? Why did she not get fired instantly after that?

Howard: Well because the Clinton campaign doesn't want to change the tone. They just made the kitchen sink bigger and put more things in it. And that's the way this campaign is headed. I've been e-mailing and talking to the Clinton campaign people, listening to the dueling conference calls and looking at the e-mails. It's clear to me the Clinton people aren't going to back down. As you saw, they sent Maggie Williams out with a statement defending Geraldine Ferraro who was defending herself. This is the fight the Clintons want the way they want to fight it.

Keith: So the Senator wants a clearly racist, clearly "equal opportunity is not a good thing. That's the only reason he's here" kind of statement interjected into the campaign? It's not just somebody not judging a negative reaction do some thing? This right now, this reaction right now is intentional?

Howard: Well I don't know. I doubt they sent Gerry Ferraro out to say what she said.

Keith: Indeed.

Howard: And Gerry Ferraro I've covered for a long time and the ironies are piled on ironies. This is a woman who broke the ceiling over her own in '84 and here she is saying this. But based on the way the Clinton campaign has reacted in the last few hours, as you pointed out. And based on my own conversations with them, they're defending her, they're defending this. This, therefore, is their strategy.

Keith: I'm sorry to sound speechless. It seems remarkable to me that a campaign being run in the 21st Century or even in the 2nd half of the 20th century would allow itself to be associated in any kind of way not step back. If it was two African-Americans running against each other and one of them had somebody say on behalf of their candidate the other guy is only in there because he's equal opportunity or that there's some sort of quota system or because he's a black man. Does it not have disaster written all over it? Or are we living in South Africa?

Howard: Well I would think so, in part because it was just a dumb remark. I mean all of us, I'm sure - and let me say in advance I'm being facetious here - have long observed all the advantages that African-American men have in American society.

You can listen to the rest yourself.

If calling Senator Clinton a "monster" is grounds for resignation, then surely what Ferraro said merits the same outcome.

Why hasn't that happened?