This, from Hillary Clinton's statementyesterday:

I am running for all those women in their 90s who've told me they were born before women could vote, and they want to live to see a woman in the White House. For all the women who are energized for the first time, and voting for the first time. For the little girls - and little boys - whose parents lift them onto their shoulders at our rallies, and whisper in their ears, "See, you can be anything you want to be." As the first female candidate in this position, I believe I have a responsibility to finish this race.

Not the most lilting acronym (CSCT), but it's a new group started by female Clinton supporters who plan to campaign against Obama in the fall.  It was discussed in a front page article in today's New York Times:

Gender Issue Lives On as Clinton's Hopes DIm

(The article was referenced by Delaware Dem this morning: Spiteful Ferraro May Not Vote for Obama but I wanted to expand on a different part of the article than Delaware Dem focused on.)

I’ve never liked the term ‘Black’. It’s a color, a descriptor that works for Crayola, but not for people.  Having been ‘Negro’, ‘Afro-American’, and then ‘Black’, I embraced the ‘African-American’ wave with a passion.  It gave me a sense of belonging and connection to the world, one I’d never really had before.  The ‘family tree’ classroom activities always filled with a sense awe, and dread, when others could trace their family roots for several generations in the U.S. and back in their families’ homelands, as well.

It angered me when ‘Irish-Americans’, and ‘Italian-Americans’ and other hyphenated Americans showed an incredible lack of sensitivity and lack of historical and cultural understanding when they told me that my identity as an ‘African-American’ was divisive and threatening to America’s standing as a united nation.  They, I was not-so-tactfully reminded, KNEW where their families immigrated from. I, obviously, did not - so how could I call myself an African-American?  

From Bill Clinton in an CNN interview on South Carolina:

No one in our campaign played any race card, that we had some played against us, but we didn't play any.

To be fair, Bill claimed that Charlie Rangel said this, but he clearly had no problem repeating it. Also, I have not been able to find an actual quote from Rangel on this, but I would love to see it. What troubles me more is that this suggestion that the Clinton campaign has not used racism and to suggest otherwise is in fact racist seems to be a pattern emerging from the Clinton campaign. In case any has forgotten the words of former Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro:

Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up. Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?

Forget Eliot Spitzer, the entire Democrat Party is melting down before the nation's very eyes.

Last week, America was both introduced to the electoral cure for white guilt in the form of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and reminded by Geraldine Ferraro why Walter Mondale lost 49 states.

The Democrat Party and its two competing Presidential candidates have been hoist by their own petard of race- and gender-identity politics.

The purpose of holding primaries and caucuses is for candidates to introduce themselves to the voters, explain their positions and policies, and let people see them in action so that people can form an opinion and cast a knowledgeable vote. The fundamental idea is for each candidate to attract as many supporters as possible.

Sometimes, though, this effort goes awry, and a candidate winds up alienating voters. It seems that one campaign (I won't mention which one because I'm trying to be fair here) has tried a number of tactics that have had this kind blowback. Here's a chance for you to vote for the Most Alienating Tactic of this campaign.

I am a registered Democrat, but I really consider myself an independent. I have, in the past, been registered as a Republican (blasphemy, I know, but I wanted to vote in the NJ Gubernatorial primary a decade or so back because they had a more interesting field of candidates.).

I try to keep an open mind and I try to pick the best person for the job regardless of party.  Since the Republicans have turned to the Dark Side, I can no longer consider any of them.

After the whole Geraldine Ferraro mess, I wrote the following letter to send to my Senators (Lautenberg and Menendez) and my Congressional Rep. (Steve Rothman).  I thought I'd share it here.

I am outraged about todays developments within the Obama campaign.  I can't stomach the thought of this church promoting African American unity.  I am outraged that Senator Obama actually listened to the garbage for 20 years.  Im am outraged that more people aren't outraged at this GARBAGE!

Nobody EVER wants to admit that she or he is wrong.  Whereas, cognitively almost everybody can admit to themselves that they have been wrong,  if not often, at least occasionally.  (Even the most pathological narcissistic of individuals, who have little capacity for self-examination and evaluation, aren’t completely deficient in the ability to recognize that they aren’t always right.  The evidence for that is that they work hard to hide their errors and shortcomings from others, and the more successful they are at that, the better able they are to delude themselves which is positive reinforcement for their narcissism.)  Our ability to spontaneously recognize an error, or consider the possibility of error, and to admit it to ourselves and others is a measure of maturity and how much practice we’ve had in learning and exhibiting this skill.

Sorry for not providing more of my personal input into this diary. But I will let "The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve" speak:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com...

Here are SOME excerpts of this long article.

So she said 'if he was not a black....'

Everybody's been concentrating on the egregiousness of Ferraro's racism.

Mind, I'm right along with that 'take' on her comments.

Two huge editorials in the Seattle Times today.

The first is offically the Times.  They're demanding an apology from Geraldine Ferraro.

The second is from a guest columnist.  He's a former Clinton supporter who believes she and her campaign have crossed the line.  He wants her to get out now.

More below the fold.

How is it that we have gone from a primary of so much excitement and promise running up to Super Tuesday to an primary that threatens to tear the democratic party in two?  It is too simplistic to say it is purely due to an overly ambitious power-hungry, entitled Senator from New York.  There is much more at work here psychologically and generationally and while I don't pretend to have the answers, there are certainly a number of thoughts that come to mind.  Follow me over the flip.

Rasmussen's latest polling update in Pennsylvania finds something quite disturbing. I'll let whats under the fold speak for itself:

First Diary Attempt:

I suppose I should have realized sooner that just because someone is a Democrat it doesn't mean that they are not riddled with the traditional prejudices that are part of the fabric of this nation. But I guess I wanted to believe that anyone who clings to deep, uncontrolled bigotry would shun the Democratic party and be happily ensconced with the Republicans.

It's better to face the truth. If anything, that's what recent events have helped me to do. The reality is that the Democratic Party - the party I have aligned myself with for thirty years - is filled with deep pools of racism lurking just  beneath the surface.  

I'm an African American writing this from my view point. Every African America I know has been waiting for this moment. wWen race and sex becomes front in center. So in the last few days we had Geraldine Ferraro and Dr. Jermiah Wright bring America race and thrown it in our face.

So "Let's Get Real" and have a "Little Straight Talk" about race and sex in America.

Just a few years back, before the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, there was a strong possibility that both the Sox and Chicago Cubs would go to the World Series in the same year. This meant that one of them would finally break their bad streak and the other would be left fuming at yet another lost opportunity.

Fortunately, for the peace of the baseball world, this didn't happen. The Cubs didn't make it and the Sox, while they lost that year, did eventually go on to break the streak. The world-ending showdown to end all showdowns was avoided.

Would that the same thing had happened in the race for the presidency.

First time diarist and I just had to write this one down & share it.

This morning, I woke up with visions of the movie, Underworld (2003) flashing through my mind.
For those unfamiliar with the Sci-Fi Goth thriller, it is a tale of a war between Lycans (werewolves) and Vampires that chronicles Vampire Death Dealers who are sworn to hunt down and kill Lycans.  A Human protagonist named Michael Corvin emerges, with the personal legend of carrying the Corvinus Strain, a blood type capable of merging the DNA of both warring factions.  Michael is bitten at first by the Lycan Lucian and later by Vampire Selene.  He morphs into a hybrid, battles with Viktor (Vampire elder) and with the aid of Selene's swift blade, together they defeat him, thus lending Hope to the end of the war.  Synopsis here

Along with awakening to the flashing of movie images, two phrases echoed like neon subtitles:  "articulate" and "hybrid." They were accompanied by a catchy background soundtrack of "experience and depth," "the standards," "lucky," "Black Man," and "the concept."