Posted on 05/24/2008 7:08:00 PM PDT by neverdem
Geraldine Ferraro, the only woman to run on a major party presidential ticket and a supporter of Hillary Clinton, has accused Barack Obama of conducting a "terribly sexist" campaign.
Miss Ferraro, the losing Democratic candidate for vice-president in 1984, said that she might abandon her lifelong party loyalties and vote for the Republican John McCain if Mr Obama is confirmed as the nominee.
"Should I ratify how the Obama campaign has been run by voting for him? I am going to have to think very hard about that," she said.
Some other partisan female Clinton supporters have already insisted that they will either vote for Mr McCain or write the former First Lady's name on the ballot in November, in retaliation for her allegedly sexist treatment by the media and fellow Democrats.
With just three primaries to come in early June, Mr Obama has in effect sewn up the Democratic nomination after the long, close and often bitter battle with Mrs Clinton. But to beat Mr McCain he must now win back legions of disappointed Clinton supporters.
Mr Obama has built his success on strong backing from blacks, urban liberals and the young, but he has struggled to win the support of female, white working-class and rural voters. If he cannot woo those crucial voting blocs, he faces defeat in key swing states that will determine the presidency.
Mrs Clinton's husband, Bill, is reported to be among prominent supporters now pushing for her to be Mr Obama's running mate on a "unity ticket". But that seems less likely this weekend after she was forced to apologise for raising the assassination of Robert Kennedy in June 1968 as a reason she should continue her campaign beyond May.
The remark provoked controversy as it seemed to highlight fears about the safety of her rival, who has faced death threats in his campaign to become the first black president. Mrs Clinton insisted that she meant no offence and was merely trying to illustrate how electoral contests change, but the comment has created another rift between the camps.
Some of Mrs Clinton's female supporters, many of whom were convinced that she was going to be the first female president, have emerged as the most vocal Democratic dissenters. Although several female commentators last week rejected the suggestion that sexism had played a role in her defeat, that view is taking hold in some circles.
"I've been flooded with calls from women saying they'll vote for McCain rather than Obama," said Miss Ferraro, 72, a New York lawyer who has made a number of controversial comments during the campaign. "I think this is a problem for Obama."
One new group is recruiting female Clinton supporters in swing states to campaign against Mr Obama in the autumn. Another, WomenCount, raised more than $200,000 (£100,000) in four days to buy full-page newspaper advertisements entitled "Not so fast" – a blast at the widespread media assertion that the contest is over.
As the controversy grew, Mrs Clinton also claimed for the first time last week that she had encountered "sexist" treatment during the campaign, and her husband spoke of "gender bias".
Mrs Clinton blamed the media rather than the Obama campaign, saying: "It's been deeply offensive to millions of women."
She rejected allegations that her campaign had played the race card, arguing: "The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable…There should be equal rejection of the sexism and the racism. It seems as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by the comments from people who are nothing but misogynists."
When The Sunday Telegraph interviewed Miss Ferraro last year, she pledged her readiness to go into battle for her friend Mrs Clinton against Republican "dirty tricks". But now she's leading the backlash by women infuriated by the allegedly sexist treatment of their heroine.
She goes much further than most in singling out Mr Obama for blame, listing examples which she believes back up her claim that he was "terribly sexist":
Miss Ferraro saved her greatest ire for the media, however, where male pundits have regularly attacked Mrs Clinton.
One compared her to the obsessive Glenn Close character in Fatal Attraction.
"Obama wouldn't have been successful in pursuing the sexist line if the media had not picked it up," she said. "The fact that she's been so brutally handled by the media has driven me nuts. People try and dismiss this as sour grapes from sore losers, but that's nonsense."
Miss Ferraro provoked outrage earlier this year when she said in a interview that Mr Obama "would not be in this position" if he were white.
The Obama campaign accused her of racism, while Miss Ferraro countered by saying that her critics were playing the "race card".
Mr Obama's aides have dismissed accusations of sexism by the campaign, and several women media commentators have responded to the "sexist" allegations by insisting that Mrs Clinton's downfall is due to a badly-run campaign.
Some argued that sexist remarks about her had helped her win votes and donations from women. Most notably, Mrs Clinton won the New Hampshire primary – a result that kept her candidacy alive – following a surge of female support after the "likeable enough" comment and after she cried during a meeting with women in a coffee shop.
That’s right Geraldine, Play that sexist card.
Hey lighten up Sweetie. At least he isn’t dropping his pants and telling women to kiss it. It save that for the boys in the limo.
There’s a race card? Why hasn’t the media ever mentioned it in earlier scampaigns?
It is wonderful to watch the ‘Rat Socialist party eat itself with identity politics. Saint Hussein is using racism as a shield and sexism as a spear, while Her Royal Heinous is using sexism as a shield and racism as a spear. Pass the popcorn, please.
Now, racist? Yeah, I see tons of evidence that the guy is a total racist. But sexist? I don't see it.
I pity the fool!
Poor baby.
Oops
Put another log on the fire.
Cook me up some bacon and some beans.
And go out to the car and change the tyre.
Wash my socks and sew my old blue jeans.
Come on, baby, you can fill my pipe,
And then go fetch my slippers.
And boil me up another pot of tea.
Then put another log on the fire, babe,
And come and tell me why you’re leaving me.
Now don’t I let you wash the car on Sunday?
Don’t I warn you when you’re gettin fat?
Ain’t I a-gonna take you fishin’ with me someday?
Well, a man can’t love a woman more than that.
Ain’t I always nice to your kid sister?
Don’t I take her driving every night?
So, sit here at my feet ‘cos I like you when you’re sweet,
And you know it ain’t feminine to fight.
So, put another log on the fire.
Cook me up some bacon and some beans.
Go out to the car and lift it up and change the tyre.
Wash my socks and sew my old blue jeans.
Come on, baby, you can fill my pipe,
And then go fetch my slippers.
And boil me up another pot of tea.
Then put another log on the fire, babe,
And come and tell me why you’re leaving me.
Those that live by sword...might just perish by it come November.
Is this a joke?
That list of “sexist” trangressions by Hussein is laughably trivial.
Speaking of women and obama, I’m still wonderin’ when the mistresses are going to start coming forward...
in november all the “sweeties” will have to vote for Hussein
"Race Card", "Gender Card", "Homeless Card", "Green Card" ... blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda ... it all gets so confusing in this PC (and I don't mean computer) world ... mainly, that the ones making the most noise are those who are least competent and most parochial in their public statements. Also the most damaging to society and culture. How come so many of them call themselves "liberal", I will never understand, nor would I want to ........
Because only Democrats may play it, and then only against a Republican (unless it benefits the media's agenda).
Otherwise, they save it for late in the general election, or when their guy (always a Dem) is in trouble.
Mr Obama “would not be in this position” if ........... the rev. Wright’s tapes had not been suppressed for so long by the media.
Hillary should be pizzed. If every vote counted, she’d be leading with the popular vote. Obama’s thugs pulled ahead with their strong-arm tactics at the cacuses.
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