Carol Moseley Braun: Perspectives on race and gender in a presidential contest

[Iceburg]

Very interesting interview with Carol Moseley Braun on her experience running as the only female candidate, and one of two black candidates in the 2000 Dem presidential primary.

Rather than cherry pick a few paragraphs, I encourage you to read the whole article.
http://www.buyingofthepresident.org/index.php/interviews/carol_moseley_braun/

For the keeners see also
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7678293
http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Carol_Moseley-Braun.htm (check out her voting record -- wow!!!!)

[jasmine621]

1. So, Edwards was the one who brought up getting rid of the minor candidates?

That was the most interesting part of this interview to me. I love Carol Moseley Braun. She had what it takes and her views on Obama and Hillary are right on target. Women will always have it more difficult.

[Iceburg]

2. Well we don't know with any certainty that the minor candidates

were the topic of conversation ...as they say in the courts: "objection--hearsay".

I thought this paragraph said it all:

Interviewer: You mentioned that The New York Times wouldn’t interview you. Can you elaborate a little on your sense of the role the media plays in this election process?

Braun: Well, again, as part of the political class, they do their own weeding. I had all of the credentials in the world. And again, I don’t take this personally. I mean I took it as a reflection of how The New York Times viewed black people. And women, for that matter. I was the only woman in the race, and the editorial board of The New York Times, our newspaper of record, did not have time to talk to me. I mean, of the two black candidates, myself and Al Sharpton, here is somebody who is a high-school dropout and everybody knows to be charlatan, versus someone who had been in the United States Senate and a U.S. attorney. And they chose the charlatan who was a high-school dropout. I mean it’s just shocking.

[flordehinojos]

3. i still need to go back and read the full article but in this ¶ CMB is absolutely 100% correct!

[MagickMuffin]

4. Thank you for posting this Iceburg, I was disappointed when she left the race

She never had a chance. It was unfortunate that she couldn't get anyone to take her seriously. I was excited when she entered the race. The first African American Woman to run in my lifetime. I thought that was soooooo kewl.

I'll have to read this later, but I wanted to give this thread a K&R

[Bongo Prophet]

5. Maybe the first in your *political* lifetime - we just missed Shirly Chisolm.

On January 23, 1972, she became the first major party African American candidate for President of the United States. She won 162 delegates. Other women who ran for President of the United States in 1972 include Linda Jenness and Evelyn Reed.

;)

[Iceburg]

6. I too was very sad when she dropped out of the race ...she was the one

raising the issues of importance to my family.

Here's a terrific video ... http://youtube.com/watch?v=pe1jhARvjTc ...Carol is one of eight leading American political dissidents speaking out against the destructive policies of the Bush Administration.

Others: Robert Redford, Robert Kennedy Jr.,. Madeleine Albright, Andrea Cabral, Carol Mosely Braun, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean