Geraldine A. Ferraro, the savvy New York Democrat who was embraced as a symbol of women's equality in 1984 when she became the first woman nominated for vice president by a major party, died Saturday at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She was 75.The lightning rod status refers to her comments during the 2008 campaign in support of Clinton. She said Obama had an advantage because of his race, and said:Ferraro was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable form of blood cancer, in 1998. She did not disclose her illness publicly until 2001, when she went on NBC-TV's "Today" show and said she had beaten the cancer into remission with thalidomide, the once-banned drug that had proven effective with some end-stage cancers. The cancer recurred, but she again went into remission after therapy with a new drug.
Initially told that she had three to five years to live, she survived for more than 12 years, long enough to witness the historic candidacy of another woman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former first lady and current secretary of State.
"Sexism is a bigger problem" than racism in the United States, Ferraro told the Daily Breeze in the March 2008 story that made her a liability for the Clinton campaign. "It's OK to be sexist in some people's minds. It's not OK to be racist."In my personal experience only, dealing with race has been more difficult than sexism, though everyone's mileage may vary. The bottom line is that it's still a man's world, and down south a good old boys network that has to be navigated, so politics is still seen as a man's game to play.
Statement from the White House:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 26, 2011
Statement by the President on the Passing of Geraldine Ferraro
Michelle and I were saddened to learn about the passing of Geraldine Ferraro. Geraldine will forever be remembered as a trailblazer who broke down barriers for women, and Americans of all backgrounds and walks of life. Whether it was as a public school teacher, assistant district attorney, Member of Congress, or candidate for Vice President, Geraldine fought to uphold America's founding ideals of equality, justice, and opportunity for all. And as our Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission, she stood up for those ideals around the world. Sasha and Malia will grow up in a more equal America because of the life Geraldine Ferraro chose to live. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her husband, John Zaccaro, her children and grandchildren, and their entire family.