Still Making Them Talk!

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Added: Wed. Mar 12, 2008 10:33am
Posted in: Politics

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Any doubt that the political race is heating up?  Forget heating up -- a lot of big names are already burned by moves they've made in recent months.

The latest person to get caught up in controversy is Geraldine Ferraro, the 72-year-old political trailblazer who became the first woman on the major presidential party ticket in 1984.  She and Walter Mondale didn't win their campaign, but they broke new ground.  And for years, Ferraro has represented the possibilities for working women (gee -- can you see why I might be interested?)

This week, she made a comment that has sparked international debate over race relations, politics and popularity in the United States.

(Note: I am *not necessarily looking for a political debate here -- although all comments are welcome.  I am not pushing an agenda; just looking for a healthy, spirited conversation about free speech, feminism and Ferraro's relevance in today's political world.)

Here's what she 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. And the country is caught up in the concept."

You can read the entire story from the Daily Breeze newspaper here.

As you can imagine, it only took moments for both parties to react to the comments, and for both Democratic presidential candidates to speak out.

There's a good wrap-up here.

But I'm more interested in what Ms. Ferraro had to say after the original comments -- in her public relations blitz through the 24-hour cable networks and morning talk shows.

Here's her explanation of the controversial statement on Fox News:



As the proud recipient of a Broadcast Journalism degree, an outspoken woman, and a political participant, I am keenly interested in the impact the First Amendment -- and free speech -- has on our country.  So what do you think?  In the coming days and weeks, she will no doubt find herself forced into a difficult choice: stand by her statements, possibly alienating political and personal allies, or take them back and risk being branded a flip-flopper.  I worry that either choice will set back the state of free speech in this country, and I question the impact of 24-hour cable networks and blogs.  15 years ago, the only way we would have known about her statements would have been by reading the newspaper.  And with a paper, you read an article -- and it's done.  Maybe you comment to your spouse or friend.  But today, if you read the article online, it only takes one click of the mouse to forward the story to someone else, to submit it to one of the feed burners, or to leave a (snarky) comment.

From a Growing Bolder standpoint, whether you agree with Ms. Ferraro or not, the fact that she is still feisty, relevant and active in her mid-70s is inspirational.  If she didn't have influence, do you really think everyone would be scrambling to spin her comments?  I don't.