Discussing Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s concern that women are voting for Hillary Clinton because she’s a woman and black voting for Barack Obama because he’s black, Whoopi Goldberg dismissed Hasselbeck’s concerns and proclaimed "that’s a very white way to look at it." Of course Whoopi said it "with a huge amount of love." Hasselbeck sarcastically responded "let me take off my white goggles." Sherri Shepherd and Whoopi Goldberg agreed Hasselbeck can not suggesting the white people will never understand.
Earlier in the discussion, Behar added that voting for someone with the same gender or race may be in a person’s interest. She hypothesized that a woman over 50 who may face age discrimination may vote for Hillary as a way to combat that. She also suggested that white men vote Republican because "the white male loves his tax cuts." In Behar’s world, only white men like tax cuts.
The entire transcript is below.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: We were talking about the other day about how women seem to be voting for Hillary because she’s a woman and how Barack seems to be getting the black vote because he’s black. And I know this aggravates the hell out of Elisabeth.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: Well, I just, you know, it just more than ag- it really concerns me I guess. Because I just believe that it would be ignorance say to vote for, to not vote for someone because they are a woman, or to not vote for someone because they’re black, right? I think that’s an ignorant thing to do. So I almost find it equally as ignorant to only vote for someone because they’re black or only vote for them because they’re a woman. And I hope that people, and, you know, that we as voters won’t be tempted to kind of do that. I think that we should be looking at the person who would be the president and what qualifies them and not vote for someone based on race or sex or gender or age. I just, I can’t deal with that.
JOY BEHAR: You’re talking about apples and apples in a certain way. Because Obama and Hillary both have the same platforms. Therefore if you are a black person, why not vote for the black person if they are the exact same platform?
HASSELBECK: If they are exactly the same. Do you believe they are?
BEHAR: Pretty much.
SHERRI SHEPHERD: Elisabeth, there have been-
BEHAR: Tweaking here or there maybe on healthcare.
SHEPHERD: There have been other black candidates who have run. If that was the case, that black people voted for black people just because they were black, then we would have seen them-
HASSELBECK: Elected?
SHEPHERD: -went further than Obama. Obama is black and he is qualified.
HASSELBECK: Absolutely.
SHEPHERD: So we are voting for because- you know, there are some that are voting for him because he’s black. I really believe that we’re going for him because he’s qualified and also too-
HASSELBECK: I would hope so.
SHEPHERD: Please do not take away the fact that this is a- we’ve never seen a man with this many qualifications who’s in this place of power. It makes- I’m a black woman, I’m so proud of this man.
HASSELBECK: Yes and I would never take that away from you. I would never take that away, but our conversation the other day-
SHEPHERD: He’s so- he’s qualified. It’s not that he’s just because he’s black. He’s qualified.
HASSELBECK: But, we, this came off of our conversation the other day where it said yeah we kind of were talking lightly about the fact that, yeah, you know black people, of course we’re going to want a black person to be president, so that came right out of our show. So I just wanted clarity on that because I would hope they were looking at more. I hope the women voting for Hillary weren’t just saying, "you know what? I want a woman in there." I want-
GOLDBERG: Here, here’s the clarity. People of certain age, if you’re a woman, the fact that Hillary could be president, knocks the poop out of you. It knocks you out. Wait, wait, wait. Let me finish. Let me finish.
HASSELBECK: Go ahead.
GOLDBERG: And, and so it is very very tempting. You’re going to look at everything and make sure that she’s the person you want to, to hire for the job. But you are looking at her specifically as a woman because this was never possible before. If you’re black, the idea that you could have a black president in the United States of America where they used to hang us from trees, knocks us out.
HASSELBECK: Sure.
GOLDBERG: So a lot of folks are going to say "you know what? I’m going to get, take this opportunity to change history and make a black person president." Both of these things have never happened before and I know what you’re saying, but in the realistic world, people are voting for something they’ve never seen before that is close to their heart or their grandmother’s heart or their great grandmother’s heart. And that’s what it is right now.
HASSELBECK: I, I would love that as well. I would love to change history.
BEHAR: People also vote in their own interests. You know, women over 50 have a lot of trouble getting a job because of ageism in the industry. And Hillary presents an alternative to that. So that’s people’s interest. If you’re a black person, you might figure "well, a black president might be working in my interests." It’s just like the white male loves his tax cuts, so they vote for a lot of them vote for Republicans. It’s in their interests. See my point?
HASSELBECK: All I’m saying is this, look. All I’m saying is that I hope that you would say I think people want whoever their candidate is to succeed if you identify with that. Absolutely. But I would hope that it would go deep than the things that have- I would hope that it would go deeper than the things that have prevented those people from being in office as well. That’s all I’m saying.
GOLDBERG: When it happens three times, that would probably be more the case. But right now, I think a lot of people are voting their, their dreams. The dreams that, that American promised and didn’t deliver.
HASSELBECK: Fulfill, I hope they can fulfill that.
GOLDBERG: For, for- well, but you know, white guys haven’t done it either. Nobody’s been able to fulfill the dream that we have.
HASSELBECK: No, guess what, I would love a black- I would love a black man to be president. I would love a woman to be president.
BEHAR: One at a time!
SHEPHERD: But you’ve seen, you know, your entire lifetime you’ve seen people in positions of power that look like you. I, I am- the first time in my life, I am seeing a man that’s running who looks like me.
HASSELBECK: I’ve never seen a president that looks like me.
[laughter]
SHEPHERD: They look like you. They are white and they look like you. I want to be able- it shows young black men that they can have a voice in politics. It shows my son Jeffrey that he can do the same thing too.
HASSELBECK: I’m not against the idea. I just- I’m against the idea of not just looking beyond the things which have prevented them from being in office. We need to step away from that a little bit and look at the entire picture. That’s all I’m saying.
GOLDBERG: It’s a very- and I say this with a huge amount of love. It’s a very white way to look at it.
HASSELBECK: What do you mean?
GOLDBERG: And I, I’m saying this with love, so I understand, because it’s never.
HASSELBECK: Let me take off my "white" goggles.
SHEPHERD: You can’t. I wish you could. You can’t.
GOLDBERG: But you can’t. That’s what I’m trying to explain. This, for us, is totally- it’s not an experience I can explain to you. I can’t explain why black folks are saying "oh my God."
HASSELBECK: Look at the woman factor then.
GOLDBERG: I was going to get to that because it becomes a cross groove for me because black and a woman. You know, I’m just like "put them both in." The hell with it. But the, but the idea that this is a very specific kind of thing. Now, you are not old enough to remember when women decided that the best thing that they can do is burn their bra in public and that was a huge deal. But for women to say "I’m taking it off and I’m actually going to get a job." The idea that there is a woman that could be in charge is so insanely huge.
