(CNN) — Barack Obama’s chief strategist said Tuesday that a comment by one of Hillary Clinton’s top fundraisers that Barack Obama would not be a major presidential contender if he were not black – coupled with Clinton’s “own inexplicable unwillingness" to deny that he was a Muslim during a recent interview – indicated “an insidious pattern that needs to be addressed."
David Axelrod called on the New York senator to drop former New York Rep. Geraldine Ferraro from her finance committee. "When you wink and nod at offensive statements you're really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes," said Axelrod.
Ferraro, the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee in 1984, told the (Torrance, California) Daily Breeze that "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Ferraro said the New York senator had suffered because the press "has been uniquely hard on her. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign."
"I was reading an article that said young Republicans are out there campaigning for Obama because they believe he's going to be able to put an end to partisanship,” she added. “Dear God! Anyone that has worked in the Congress knows that for over 200 years this country has had partisanship - that's the way our country is."
Ferraro could not be reached for comment, but Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson has said the campaign disagrees with her remarks.
Earlier, Obama senior adviser Susan Rice called on Hillary Clinton to “repudiate” a comment by one of her top fundraisers that Barack Obama would not be a major presidential contender if he were not black.
“I think if Sen. Clinton is serious about putting an end to statements that have racial implications,” Rice told MSNBC Tuesday, “…then she ought to repudiate this comment.”
The former congresswoman is the latest Clinton surrogate to launch a firestorm this cycle with comments that related to Obama’s heritage or ethnicity. Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, drew sharp criticism from black leaders for a series of comments he made in advance of the South Carolina primary.
Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, a major Clinton backer, referred several times to the benefit that could come from electing Obama because of his Muslim roots. (The Obama campaign has spent the campaign battling false e-mail rumors that the Illinois senator is a Muslim. Obama is a Christian.)
And shortly before the Texas primary, 84-year-old Clinton supporter and surrogate Adelfa Callejo told CBS 11 news in Dallas that Obama would have trouble attracting Latino support because he was African-American.
"When blacks had the numbers, they didn't do anything to support us," said Callejo. "They always used our numbers to fulfill their goals and objectives, but they never really supported us, and there's a lot of hard feelings about that. I don't think we're going to get over it anytime soon."
Even Clinton herself has gotten caught in the rhetorical minefield over race, drawing fire over comments about the civil rights legacies of Martin Luther King and President Lyndon Johnson. Last month, when asked if she would reject and denounce Callejo’s remarks, she said that "this is a free country."
An interviewer from Texas affiliate KTVT asked her to explain why, in light of that sentiment, she had pressed Obama to denounce Louis Farrakhan, who had expressed support for his presidential bid, but was not connected to his campaign.
"People get to express their opinions,” said Clinton. “A lot of folks have said really unpleasant things about me over the course of this campaign. You can't take any of that as anything other than an individual opinion."
Later, her campaign released a statement saying that she had been unaware of the substance of the remarks during that interview, and both denounced and rejected them.
Obama has faced his own surrogate headaches. Foreign policy adviser Samantha Power ended her connection with his campaign last week after telling a Scottish interviewer that Clinton was a “monster.”
Power also made remarks about Obama’s Iraq war policy that were used by the Clinton campaign in recent attacks. Another Obama foreign policy adviser, Susan Rice, stumbled last week when she said, in response to a Clinton campaign ad, that neither Democratic candidate is ready to answer a 3 a.m. emergency call – a comment quickly highlighted by the campaigns of both primary rival Hillary Clinton and potential fall opponent John McCain.
McCain has also found himself regularly called upon to respond to controversial comments made by supporters. Republican Rep. Steve King, who is not part of his campaign, said terrorists would celebrate if Obama wins election – sparking calls for McCain to condemn the comments by his fellow GOP legislator; backer John Hagee has a history of headline-grabbing statements about Catholics, Muslims and other groups; and Cincinnati talk-show host Bill Cunningham, speaking at a McCain event attended by the candidate himself, repeatedly invoked Obama's Muslim middle name, "Hussein" during a speech that was sharply criticized by the Arizona senator.
(Update at 2:15 with Obama campaign comments, context)
– CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
David Axelrod called on the New York senator to drop former New York Rep. Geraldine Ferraro from her finance committee. "When you wink and nod at offensive statements you're really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes," said Axelrod.
Ferraro, the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee in 1984, told the (Torrance, California) Daily Breeze that "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Ferraro said the New York senator had suffered because the press "has been uniquely hard on her. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign."
"I was reading an article that said young Republicans are out there campaigning for Obama because they believe he's going to be able to put an end to partisanship,” she added. “Dear God! Anyone that has worked in the Congress knows that for over 200 years this country has had partisanship - that's the way our country is."
Ferraro could not be reached for comment, but Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson has said the campaign disagrees with her remarks.
Earlier, Obama senior adviser Susan Rice called on Hillary Clinton to “repudiate” a comment by one of her top fundraisers that Barack Obama would not be a major presidential contender if he were not black.
“I think if Sen. Clinton is serious about putting an end to statements that have racial implications,” Rice told MSNBC Tuesday, “…then she ought to repudiate this comment.”
The former congresswoman is the latest Clinton surrogate to launch a firestorm this cycle with comments that related to Obama’s heritage or ethnicity. Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, drew sharp criticism from black leaders for a series of comments he made in advance of the South Carolina primary.
Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, a major Clinton backer, referred several times to the benefit that could come from electing Obama because of his Muslim roots. (The Obama campaign has spent the campaign battling false e-mail rumors that the Illinois senator is a Muslim. Obama is a Christian.)
And shortly before the Texas primary, 84-year-old Clinton supporter and surrogate Adelfa Callejo told CBS 11 news in Dallas that Obama would have trouble attracting Latino support because he was African-American.
"When blacks had the numbers, they didn't do anything to support us," said Callejo. "They always used our numbers to fulfill their goals and objectives, but they never really supported us, and there's a lot of hard feelings about that. I don't think we're going to get over it anytime soon."
Even Clinton herself has gotten caught in the rhetorical minefield over race, drawing fire over comments about the civil rights legacies of Martin Luther King and President Lyndon Johnson. Last month, when asked if she would reject and denounce Callejo’s remarks, she said that "this is a free country."
An interviewer from Texas affiliate KTVT asked her to explain why, in light of that sentiment, she had pressed Obama to denounce Louis Farrakhan, who had expressed support for his presidential bid, but was not connected to his campaign.
"People get to express their opinions,” said Clinton. “A lot of folks have said really unpleasant things about me over the course of this campaign. You can't take any of that as anything other than an individual opinion."
Later, her campaign released a statement saying that she had been unaware of the substance of the remarks during that interview, and both denounced and rejected them.
Obama has faced his own surrogate headaches. Foreign policy adviser Samantha Power ended her connection with his campaign last week after telling a Scottish interviewer that Clinton was a “monster.”
Power also made remarks about Obama’s Iraq war policy that were used by the Clinton campaign in recent attacks. Another Obama foreign policy adviser, Susan Rice, stumbled last week when she said, in response to a Clinton campaign ad, that neither Democratic candidate is ready to answer a 3 a.m. emergency call – a comment quickly highlighted by the campaigns of both primary rival Hillary Clinton and potential fall opponent John McCain.
McCain has also found himself regularly called upon to respond to controversial comments made by supporters. Republican Rep. Steve King, who is not part of his campaign, said terrorists would celebrate if Obama wins election – sparking calls for McCain to condemn the comments by his fellow GOP legislator; backer John Hagee has a history of headline-grabbing statements about Catholics, Muslims and other groups; and Cincinnati talk-show host Bill Cunningham, speaking at a McCain event attended by the candidate himself, repeatedly invoked Obama's Muslim middle name, "Hussein" during a speech that was sharply criticized by the Arizona senator.
(Update at 2:15 with Obama campaign comments, context)
– CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand
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