Alex Massie Alex Massie

Remember the definition of a Washington “Gaffe”?

Mike Kinsley famously defined a “gaffe” in Washington as an accidental, inadvertent moment of truth-telling. Well by that standard Geraldine Ferraro, Mondale’s 1984 Vice-Presidential pick who is supporting Hillary Clinton, has committed a gaffe. She seems to have caused a minor-rumpus with these comments:

“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.”

Dana Goldstein despairs, while Toby Harnden is merely incredulous:

What? So being black, with the middle name Hussein and a Muslim-born father is just a walk in the park compared to the sexism faced by a white, upper-middle-class woman who just happens to be married to a former president and can claim every accomplishment of his as her own (apart from the inconvenient ones)? The bitter – perhaps racist – comments got lost in the media avalanche following Eliot Spitzer’s shenanigans but they may well have legs tomorrow. Er, Obama’s “very lucky to be” a black man? All you black guys out there take note – you’re so fortunate to be able to have an inbuilt advantage that’ll guarantee you kid-glove treatment throughout your life.

Well, hang on a minute. Ferraro’s comments may have been unwise but that doesn’t make them untrue. You doubt this? ask ourself if you think of any other circumstances in which a first-term Senator would have been in a position to  challenge Hillary Clinton seriously, let alone defeat her. Or, to put it another way, look at the number of white men she defeated. Then recall how easily she defeated them.

A white Obama might be as intelligent and as eloquent as the real BHO is, but he’d be deprived of Obama’s greatest advantage: his being black trumps her being female.

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