After racially charged comments about Barack Obama set loose a firestorm within the political media, Clinton’s finance committee member, Geraldine Ferraro, has resigned her post.
But before you get any misconceptions of the resignation, this is not exactly a matter of class and grace.
For an example of resigning with grace, I think we need to turn to Obama’s former foreign policy advisor Samantha Power who called Hillary Clinton a “monster” when she thought she was off the record. This is her official resignation statement:
Some time has passed since then, and Samantha Power has had the occasion to comment further on what happened. Here’s more of her thoughts on the “monster” comment:
The two words that come to mind are humility and grace. Now, I have heard opinions from several people saying that ultimately Power’s interventionist approach to foreign policy would have ultimately made her a liability to Obama’s presidential bid, and his administration should he win in November, but that’s not the point. These statements are indicative of, well, a decent human being who realized she went too far.
She screwed up and apologized with utmost grace.
Now let’s look at Ferraro’s resignation letter:
The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won’t let that happen.
Even in resignation, Ferraro seems incapable of any kind of grace. Instead of humility, what we get is martyrdom and paranoia and an utter inability to admit culpability in crossing the line of decency.
What’s worse, in no uncertain terms does the former Vice Presidential candidate make it clear that she intends to end her racially charged comments. And why wouldn’t she? According to her, it’s all the Obama camp’s fault even though she’s the one that says he’s only gotten this far because he’s black.
I am reminded of my warning to the Clintonistas that they should be particularly careful of what kind of attacks they decide to launch. In this instance, do they really want to have people start thinking about the only reasons Hillary Clinton has made it this far?
The answers they are likely to get won’t necessarily be pleasant. I’m not saying I would necessarily agree with them but this is treacherous ground for the Clinton camp to tread.
it took her long enough LOL
Shit man, she still ain’t apologized, that’s what I’m waiting for; a damn apology.
Much more concerned about the Obama remarks about Ferraro that she should not be in the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party doesn’t need people like her.
Who is Obama to tell the Democratic Party who it needs, or doesn’t?
Sadly, it reflects the kind of President it is feared he would make, one who is severely judgemental from his own subjective view.
Americans have never had an election like this that on both sides required voter suppression in order to win. It is a bad omen.
I’m sorry Pat, if that’s what Obama said, I kinda have to agree with him. One of the core principles behind my being a Democrat is the fact that we don’t stand for behavior like this.
I saw an interview with Ferraro in which she lamented that she had been taken out of context. But he explanation of what she was trying to to say…something about the historic nature of the Obama campaign…simply did not ring true. That was definitrly not what the tone of her remark had implied.
I have admired much about Hillary Clinton. So to see the “throw everything at him and hope it sticks” campaign she has been waging recently has been very disappointing. And remarks such as this from her spokesperson, Ms. Ferraro, only reinforce the impression of a campaign desperately trying to pull itself up from a losing position.
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