...but I thought Father Pheleger was making stuff up?

Posted by confused in chicago | June 1, 2008 12:54 AM

Hillary moved to New York to become an NY senator, she's far from a new yorker.

Also, when did white people become 2nd class citizens?

White supremacy is a powerful drug.

Posted by Kai of Rebelology | June 1, 2008 3:23 PM

I don't think she meant to say that she was a second class citizen because she is white; I suspect she meant that she was a second class citizen because she is a woman. The "inadequate black male" language seems to emphasize that the party prefers any male to a female presidential candidate.

Posted by Dennis Tuchler | June 1, 2008 4:26 PM

If she just meant "male," as D. Tuchler suggests, why didn't she just say "male?"

Posted by confused in chicago | June 1, 2008 4:44 PM

this woman is from new york. her vote was counted.

Posted by s(he) | June 1, 2008 9:39 PM

Everbody seems like the wanna be a victim these days. Old white women. Conservatives. Even people who not only historically have not felt the wrath of discrimination but put constructs in place to enforce their prejudice. But what do I know? I'm just a young black male with a platinum race card that gets me into every VIP, gets me any loan I want and job that I want.

Posted by Groove | June 2, 2008 1:18 AM

From another "inadequate black male", God bless this poor woman who has clearly taken recent leave of her senses or been dispossessed of them for some time. Senator Obama, should our country be wise enough to elect him, will be her president as well. Yes we can overcome bigotry and yes we can (hopefully) get that woman the psychological help she so clearly needs.

Posted by FasterThanASpeedingSwiftBoat | June 2, 2008 1:55 AM

Gee, she sure makes me proud to be a white guy (sigh). I suppose it's good that this campaign has finally allowed many to voice their long-repressed(?) bigotry; it's probably way past time for this stuff to crawl out from under its rock, but man, it makes me sad. Now that it's out in the sun, can it just wither & die? May we evolve now, please?

Posted by editorbob | June 2, 2008 7:16 AM

I am not so sure, she may not be the bigot she seems. I just read James Fallows - he asserts the Clinton supporters strongly believe that Obama has no chance against McCain and the Democrats are voting for a loser, again. This woman is angry because she believes that Obama supporters are going to put McCain in the White House, perhaps partly out of sexism.

BTW I am an Obama supporter and I believe McSame doesn't have a chance this November - he is like Rudy, the more he talks the more we learn and the worse he does. McCain is still fighting the Vietnam war.

Posted by Maineiac | June 2, 2008 7:54 AM

That's pretty ugly. I think it's meant to offend, to get in people's faces. People from NY are like that. People from NY also maintain homes in FL, and sometimes they vote there. So that could have been what she was referring to as well.

Full disclosure, I'm a Hillary supporter, which I came to via Edwards. I'm also over 50 and white. I don't make public displays like that, I think that woman is a very poor spokesman. Yes, I worry that Obama will get thrashed by McCain on "war" issues. I worry that in trying to be "manly" enough to compete with McCain, he will adopt misogynistic language and frames. You know, "girly-men", "having the balls to...", etc. I worry that he hasn't got the animus to take whatever they throw at him, smile, and get right back in there faces twice as hard. He's looked a bit unsteady to me in debates.

I worry less about it than I did three months ago, but I still worry about it.

I don't question the use of "inadequate" in that phrase so much as "black". I worry that Obama may not be up to the political job he has in front of him. "Inadequate" covers that, but it also strikes other notes that are inappropriate, so I wouldn't use it. Blackness is irrelevant to the issue of his fitness for office.

Whether or not he's my first choice, he's going to be the nominee, so I'm hoping that I'm wrong about him. I've been wrong before.

The woman pictured reminds me a little of my stepmother, who is closing in on 80. She was in Arizona for spring training a few years back, and got on a bus that turned out to have lots of black people on it. In her unique style, she said, quite loudly, "I remember when you folks had to go to the back of the bus."

I think everyone on that bus held their breath for a moment. Then an older black man sat down in the seat next to her and engaged her in a long conversation, which both sides seemed to enjoy. My stepmother isn't racist so much as she's clueless and insular. Unevolved. Frankly, I think she is probably racist in the strict sense, but it doesn't stop there. She's petty, vindictive and mean. To all of us. But she's also capable of better things.

Posted by Doctor Jay | June 2, 2008 2:37 PM