Thoughts on the Democratic Primary, Part Two

Identity Politics

Much has been made of race, gender, and age in this primary. More than in most.

One of the most controversial statements uttered by a Clinton supporter was the following by Geraldine Ferraro:

"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."

She may have received a lot of flak for that statement, but she was actually right. Barack Obama would not be the next Democratic Presidential Nominee if he was not black.

He would not be there if he was not a good speaker, she also could have added.

But why stop there?

He would also not be there if he was not straight. He would not be there if he was not college educated. He would also not be there if he was 20 years older than he is. He would also not be there if he was not a Christian. He would also not be there if he was transgendered. He would also not be there if he was deaf. He would not be there if he didn't have all of his teeth.

It's actually kind of a fun game to play. What characteristics are mandatory for the job of the presidency and which ones are (currently) forbidden?

The point of all of this is that this is really a stupid thing to say. Barack Obama is lucky to be who he is not only because of the color of his skin, but also because of his intelligence, political aptitude, speaking ability, strategic planning, good advisers, and everything else that it takes to get to where he is.

Nature, nurture, and a fair share of luck or chance or whatever you want to call it.

I don't really think it's fair to call Ferraro's statement "racist", which is a very loaded term. Why she's wrong, and why it's a stupid statement is because  it implies that Obama is nothing more than the color of his skin and his supporters nothing more than guilty whites and proud blacks.

No black person has ever been a nominee for the American presidency and not just any black person could pull it off. Love or hate Obama, you have to give him this: He put together the right biography with the right message at the right time with the right strategy with the right voice.  That's foresight, hard work, and more than a little bit of luck. It is not skin color.