The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Geraldine Ferraro, R.I.P.

Text Size

Geraldine Ferraro, R.I.P.

By Aaron Goldstein on 3.26.11 @ 1:21PM

Geraldine Ferraro passed away this morning of complications from multiple myeloma. She was 75.

Ferraro is, of course, best remembered for having been plucked from relative obscurity by Walter Mondale to be his running mate in the ill-fated 1984 Presidential election. Prior to her selection, Ferraro had been a three term Congresswoman from New York's 9th District. Despite the Mondale-Ferraro ticket winning only Mondale's home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia she nonetheless made American history as the first woman to appear on a presidential ticket. She also made history as the first (and only) American of Italian heritage to appear on a presidential ticket.

Ferraro later made two unsuccessful bids for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1992 and 1998. In between those attempts, President Clinton appointed her as Ambassador to the UN Commission on Human Rights.

Three years ago, Ferraro became the center of controversy when she said that Barack Obama would not be in the position to win the Democratic Party nomination if he were a white man or a woman of any color. Ferraro subsequently resigned from her position as a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton. For her part, Ferraro said the Obama campaign should have apologized to her for accusing her of racism.

Personally, I didn't agree with her observation. After all, Obama was able to generate a broader appeal than Jesse Jackson could never attain in his two bids for the White House. Nevertheless, I didn't believe her opinion was intended to be malicious.

Indeed, when I occasionally saw Ferraro on the Fox News Channel I found her take on things well grounded in reason and absent of animosity. While she clearly disagreed with conservatives her criticisms were generally constructive. She wasn't disrespectful towards conservatives. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of her fellow liberals.

With that here are Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin appearing together for the only time at the Fox News election desk during the mid-term elections last November.

View all comments (37) | Leave a comment

J.C.Eaton| 3.26.11 @ 1:58PM

The woman was wrongo on most of her stances on virtually all topics political. She was however absolutely correct in her assessment of the soft treatment afforded Mr. Obama because of his hue. Your comparative insertion of Mr. Jackson is, to put it gently, off the wall. Mr. Jackson is known, even among his fellow blacks as a hustler and racist meretrix. The late Ms. Ferraro rightfully comes in for her share of political opprobrium, but not for her totally accurate[and frankly, a little gutsy] assessment of Beloved Leader's campaign treatment.

Oldefarte| 3.26.11 @ 3:13PM

I completely agree with her statement regarding Obama, only by replacing the word COULD with SHOULD. Her NY accented verbage was akin to one's fingernails being dragged across a blackboard, not to mention her ultra-liberalism. That said, she appeared to be an extremely honorable person and an astute politician. I am truly sorry to hear of her passing and extend my deepest sympathies over same!!!!!!!!

JmsA| 3.26.11 @ 3:41PM

Although I hardly concurred with any of her policy positions, I recalled thinking Ms. Ferraro to be the better half of the '84 democrat presidential ticket. May she Rest in Peace.

A Random Friar| 3.26.11 @ 4:00PM

I seem to get her acceptance speech for the nomination of vice president, not a Fox News show.

Aaron Goldstein| 3.26.11 @ 6:02PM

Thanks for alerting me. It's fixed.

Oldefarte| 3.27.11 @ 10:17AM

Hopefully you also 'get' her comments regarding Obama [which are also truth] when she was an advisor to Hillary's compaign!!!!!!

beebop| 3.26.11 @ 4:55PM

She took a lot of flack for saying outloud and in front of an audience what so many of us believed. Nothing has changed my mind that she spoke correctly. Thanks to her for her honesty. I trust her family finds comfort in the days to come.

Warrior| 3.26.11 @ 6:16PM

Giving her too much credit. She only spoke out about Obama because she was assisting with then candidate Hillary Clinton's bid for the democrat nomination. If Obama was already the nominee she would have never publicly spoke or said anything that could be perceived as negative towards a democrat selected to represent the party for an office. In other words, she was a political hack and ideologue through and through. Rest in peace Ms. Ferraro.

beebop| 3.27.11 @ 8:22AM

I am puzzled that you find it this important to quibble about the timing of her statement. It doesn't alter one whit the truthfulness of her assertion.

Warrior| 3.27.11 @ 9:15AM

Never said it was important, just making an observation. Her statement was the truth. Just as Hillary's and Joe Biden's statements when pointing towards Obama's complete lack of experience and his obfuscations of the issues being discussed publicly during the campaigns for the nomination. They are also ideologues. Once there was a nominee, they all jumped on the party ship and worked to get him elected even though everyone in the political circles knew he was totally unprepared and completely unqualified. Why be puzzled?

Oldefarte| 3.27.11 @ 10:23AM

As you stated, her words were TRUTH concerning him, even though as a loyal Democrat, she [and others] would LIE thereafter. This TRUTH however should have been expanded and thoroughly disseminated throughout the voting public, so that the horrible mistake of 11/2/08 would not have been allowed to happen!!!!!!

beebop| 3.27.11 @ 10:24AM

Do you think that maybe there is a lesson here? All of the republicans who said that McCain wasn't "republican" enough? How'd that work out? I am not a Romney fan -- he's the used car salesman prototype as far as I am concerned -- he strikes me as swarmy and lacking the real centered character of a Reagan -- but if that is the candidate the party puts up against the boob, then I will cast my vote albeit reluctantly.

Warrior| 3.27.11 @ 1:13PM

Respectfully disagree beebop. The lesson is that both parties are corrupted and neither is looking our for our best interest. McCain would have been worse than Obama. If McCain had been elected he would have dragged the RINOs into the health care debate and made it bipartisan and easier for democrats to have made the bill even worse (yes, it could have been worse), he would have reached across the aisle to ensure illegal aliens received amnesty and that cap n' trade would now be throttling the economy quicker than the EPA can do it without legislation.

There was a few posters on this board that are quick to eviscerate Ron Paul, even call him anti-American. Yet some of these voices speak about a hard core leftist like Geraldine Ferraro in glowing terms. Sorry she passed on, but please don't let people move her record to show she was even had a moderate bone in her body.

Occam's Tool| 3.27.11 @ 4:22PM

I despise that vicious antisemite Ron Paul. May Ms. Ferraro rest in peace, but she did nothing good for America. Satisfactory, Warrrior?

( By the way, this Jew has a better feel for who wants me dead than you do. Paul is a StormFront Pal.)

Occam's Tool| 3.27.11 @ 4:24PM

Oh, yeah, I can't stand O. And not just because of his antisemitism or Obamacare. The man is a traitor.

Clint| 3.27.11 @ 4:39PM

Ad infinitum The Fanatic Israel Firster Tool Job attempts to Play The Anti-Semite Card on Our Tea Party Co-Favorite with Sarah Palin,Dr.Ron Paul.

"Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country."
-Ronald Reagan

Sam| 3.28.11 @ 9:57PM

How old is that Reagan quote? After a while they're irrelevant you know. Besides, why do you think it's necessary to shroud your hero in Reagan's mantle?

Warrior| 3.27.11 @ 6:25PM

Taking it a bit personal tool? I could care less about your feelings for her and/or Ron Paul. Just posting an opinion. Have you become such a liberal that you are not willing to let others have a differing opinion?

David T| 3.26.11 @ 6:42PM

Mrs. Ferraro was one of the few Democrat politicians I actually respected. I didn't often agree with her, of course, but she was right about Obama.

Scrapette Jones| 3.26.11 @ 7:35PM

Dear Mr. Goldstein,
Regarding your paragraph, to wit: "Personally, I didn't agree with her observation. After all, Obama was able to generate a broader appeal than Jesse Jackson could never attain in his two bids for the White House. Nevertheless, I didn't believe her opinion was intended to be malicious."

As an aside, I would have used "ever" instead of "never". But more importantly, I completely disagree with your logic concerning Ferrarro's Obama comment. Exactly how does O generating more appeal than another black man who ran disprove Ferrarro's assertion? Apples and oranges, sir. And by the way, as someone who voted for Jackson both times in primaries AND for Ferrarro in 1984 (and not for Obama in 2008), I tell you with all due respect that you apparently lack the sensitivity to even see her point. She was spot on, and will always be. Her implied message was that someone so inexperienced and untested would have only gotten that far because his ethnicity was helping him. Isn't that the GOP's implied message to this day? I happen to think Obama continues to prove Ferrarro right every single day.

Oldefarte| 3.27.11 @ 10:25AM

Your last statement is entirely accurate!!!!

Warrior| 3.27.11 @ 1:14PM

No disagreement here either.

Michael L. Hauschild| 3.26.11 @ 8:18PM

Say what you will but that lady had class!

Screener02| 3.27.11 @ 6:19AM

She was absolutely right about the current President , this man should never have been elected of this office and now the world at large knows what Geraldine Ferrarro was trying to warn us about.

Oldefarte| 3.27.11 @ 10:26AM

Yes, her and many others. People unfortionately bury their heads into the sand and only hear/see what they wish to conveniently!!!!!!!!

Truth to Power| 3.27.11 @ 12:51PM

The New York Times gets rid of their liberals but we are stuck with the very dense Aaron Goldstein. He can't understand Ferraro's obvious point about Obama and the media. Maybe the fact that he did better than Jackson is related to that. A little explanation about what a community organizer is, or what a gaggle of anti-American racists he associated with in his church for twenty years, or his obvious associations with clowns like Bill Ayers or the consequences of his leftest world outlook might have given the country a look at a guy that is just a little more discrete than Jackson. Instead they told the naive that he is a moderate with cheesy explanations explaining the rest of his spoiled life. Wow. The G-man is quite a "conservative" thinker. If there weren't so many anti-Semites in the left he wouldn't have to do so many mental gymnastics. He just goes to show we have an immigration problem with our northern border as well.

Oldefarte| 3.27.11 @ 4:56PM

In not being critical of Aaron, I'd partially agree with both of you. His apparently shallow point appeared to be correctly that the difference between Obama and Jackson was substantial should be a given [Obama graduated from Columbia University and also Harvard Law School, whereas most of us would be surprised if Jackson made it out of high school]. Your point rightly is that Ferrera's initial statements correctly signified Obama's EMPTY SUIT personae [without his teleprompter, he is at best an ordinary politician, and certainly not the WALK ON WATER god that the MSM protrays him to be]!!!!!

Truth to Power| 3.27.11 @ 5:28PM

I don't give Obama's education all that much credence. Affirmative action can conquer mountains. The grades are hidden for a reason. I think that his flavor of radicalism is acceptable to the white progressive hierarchy whereas Jesse Jackson is considered a useful idiot by the same group. They love a little polish and not all that rhyming. Frankly it is a matter of style over substance. There is something a bit more honest in Jackson's shakedowns compared the pretentious shakedowns of the Obama crowd. I think Aaron Goldstein is either not too bright or is just a conservative of convenience. I would bet the latter since he is only dimwitted about selective issues. He never suckers for media confusions regarding Israel. I wish he would return to Canada.

JR Wheatley| 3.28.11 @ 12:25AM

What short memories you have. After her nomination it was learned her husband was a mob fellow traveler and within the next few years her son was convicted of dealing drugs on his prestigious university campus. I thought then her nomination was an unparelleled disgrace to Americans of Italian descent and to America. Unfortunately, the Democrats showed with Clinton, Gore, Kerry and Obama they could do worse. I remember how it grated every time she would say "Frankly Speaking"--apparently nobody ever told this ignorant hack that it then became obvious she was being anything but truthful.

Sam| 3.28.11 @ 9:58PM

I agree. Talk about rewriting history.

Seek| 3.28.11 @ 12:15PM

Mrs. Ferraro was a beneficiary of the affirmative action mentality. The last thing we conservatvies should be doing is imitating the Democrats, ever and always clamoring for the presidential nomination of Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Bobby Jindal or some other candidate who isn't a white male.

Geraldine Ferraro, R.I.P.

Jonah| 3.29.11 @ 3:40PM

Too bad you liberals don't care about qualifications when you nomimnate your candidates--except for their color and gender that is.

lol wut?| 3.28.11 @ 2:12PM

"she nonetheless made American history as the first woman to appear on a presidential ticket. "

lol wut?

check your history dude, that honor goes to Communist Party Veep Candidate Angela Davis.

She was the CPUSA Veep Candiadate in 1980 and 1984.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis

that said, RIP Geraldine Ferraro, Eternal Democrat Voter.

Warrior| 3.28.11 @ 3:21PM

Victoria Woodhull ran for president in the late 1800's.

Seek| 3.28.11 @ 4:26PM

If I'm not mistaken, the VP candidate on the Socialist Workers Party ticket in 1972 was a woman -- Linda Jenness. Of course, there always have been fringe candidates. What Goldstein was referring to was the two major parties.