Anyone suggesting that Elizabeth Edwards is whining about the burden of being a white male hasn't paid any meaningful attention to the candidacy of Obama. But I would point Edwards to the candidacy of Carol Moseley Braun, who is black and a woman and so therefore should have run the table in 2004.
For the context of the Edwards remark, including the fact that she's challenged Clinton on her woman-cred before, you can go to the source.
I read the context, and it still sounds like whining, or more accurately creating a false set of comparisons. Is it true that Clinton and Obama get media attention simply because they're black/female?
And is it true that the Net made Howard Dean, the most deft user of the internet till now, into the Democratic nominee, despite his being a white male? If you think that, I have some sad memories of Iowa to sell you.
I'm afraid it still takes a lot more than Net skills to get actual votes.
Posted by: KathyF | August 09, 2007 at 04:44 AM
For me, the context made it clear that Edwards wasn't speaking in broad and absolute terms. Part of Obama's allure is that he is an Af-Am in striking distance of the presidency. It's not the only reason people like him but it's a big one - one, I'm sure, he's very proud and happy about. Here's my context, which is only meaningful for me: I have a ton of lovely, earnest liberal friends who have no idea at all (I mean not even the slightest idea) what Obama stands for policy-wise who support him anyway.
As for the Net, I don't think that she was saying that either. She was simply saying that using the Net has become important to all candidates.
Posted by: eRobin | August 09, 2007 at 09:18 AM