She was the first female U.S. Vice-Presidential nominee in history, inspiring countless women into public service and changing the face of politics forever.
Geraldine Ferraro, 75, died Saturday at Massachusetts General Hospital, after a 12 year battle with Multiple Myeloma, a rare blood cancer.
Ferraro became the first female Vice-Presidential candidate in 1984 when Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale asked her to join his ticket. She proclaimed at that year’s Democratic Convention: “America is the land where dreams can come true for all of us.” Although the Mondale-Ferraro ticket lost in a landslide to incumbents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Ferraro’s trailblazing place in history was forever cemented.
Walter Mondale is remembering his running mate Geraldine Ferraro as “a remarkable woman and a dear human being.” He says she “broke a lot of molds” and the country is better because of what she did.
George H.W. Bush, Ferraro’s Vice-Presidential rival, praised Ferraro for “the dignified and principled manner she blazed new trails for women in politics.”
And in reference to his two daughters, President Obama said: “Sasha and Malia will grow up in a more equal America because of the life Geraldine Ferraro chose to live.”
In addition to her years as a Congresswoman from the State of New York, Ferraro was also a U.N. Ambassador under President Clinton, and was a tireless supporter of health care reform. Speaking in reference to her own multiple year battle with blood cancer, Ferraro said “I want everyone to take the same medicine I take, to receive the care I receive, no matter what they can or can’t afford.”
Unfortunately, upon hearing of her passing the first thing that came to mind, for me, was her behavior/contraversial words during the 2008 Democratic Presidental nomination campaign. Ferraro was a HUGE supporter of Hillary Clinton and apparently, she became quite incensed that then candidate Sen. Obama was giving Hillary a real run for her money. In an interview with "The Daily Breeze" she stated:"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color), 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."Predictably, her *racist-sounding* comments set off a bit of a firestorm. But she didn't care. In fact, not only did she defend her initial remarks…she went even further: "Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in… Read more »