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Ferraro Trap, Sprung

By wt

When Geraldine Ferraro suggested that Obama is lucky because he's a black man, and that his followers are being caught up in that, she caught a lot of flack.

But everyone else is proving her theory true. It's just that they're Obama supporters. From John Kerry:

The Massachusetts senator said Obama has an ability to perhaps even empower moderate Islam "to be able to stand up against the racial misinterpretation of a legitimate religion."

Asked by a reporter what gave Obama the credibility to do so, Kerry said, "Because he's African American. Because he's a black man, who has come from a place of oppression and repression through the years in our own country.

I can't say it better than Mickey Kaus on Slate for this one:

I don't think Kerry's argument is crazy at all. I just don't think the Obama campaign can then sneer at Geraldine Ferraro for saying the same thing--i.e., that Obama is where he is because voters are "caught up" in the Kerry argument.

Obama's camp can't have it both ways--arguing we should vote for him "[b]ecause he's a black man" and then arguing it's racist to say being black has helped his candidacy.

ARG. EXACTLY. Andrew Sullivan, praising Obama's blackness.

Full post as published by Expressio Unius on March 23, 2008 (boomark / email).