Will slur cost GOP hopeful the White House?
POSTED BY: FellowTraveler
UPDATED: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 17:38
VIEWED: 7583
PAGE 1 of 6
I don't know if this is getting any play outside VA, but Senator George Allen(R-VA) was caught on camera last week referring to an opponent's campaign worker as "macaca".
Video at:
"This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great," Allen said, as his supporters began to laugh. After saying that Webb was raising money in California with a "bunch of Hollywood movie moguls," Allen said, "Let's give a welcome to macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006
081400589.html
The Senator maintains that he meant no offense by the comment and he was referencing the man's mohawk like hair cut.
"In no way was it meant to demean him, and I'm sorry if he was offended," Allen said in a telephone interview.
On Monday, Allen spokesman Dick Wadhams said the name "Macaca" was a variation of "Mohawk," the nickname Allen campaign staffers gave Sidarth for his partially cropped haircut.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/15/AR2006
081500833.html
Evidence, however, seems to indicate the contrary.
Macaca (also written as macaque) is a dismissive epithet used by Francophone colonials in Africa for native populations of North and Subsaharan Africans. It is derived from the name of the genus comprised of the macaque primates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaca
Allen's mother immigrated from French Tunisia and is of French descent. Allen speaks French and obtained excellent grades in French as an undergraduate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Felix_Allen
And this isn't the first time the Senator had has trouble with "racial" issues.
and the May 15, 2006 issues of The New Republic reported extensively on Allen's long association with the Confederate flag. The magazine reported that "according to his colleagues, classmates, and published reports, Allen has either displayed the Confederate flag--on himself, his car, inside his home--or expressed his enthusiastic approval of the emblem from approximately 1967 to 2000." Allen wore a Confederate flag pin for his high school senior class photo. In high school, college, and law school, Allen adorned his vehicle with a Confederate flag. In college he displayed a Confederate flag in his room. He displayed a Confederate flag in his family's living room until 1992. In 1993, Allen's first statewide TV campaign ad for governor included a Confederate flag. In 2000, when a voter told Allen, "Long live the Confederate flag!" Allen replied, "You got it!"
African-American voters in Virginia criticized Governor Allen for his policies and his embrace of the Confederate flag, which the NAACP condemned as a symbol of racism and hate. As a lawyer, Allen also had a noose hanging from a ficus tree in his office, a decoration critics have charged was racially insensitive, but which Allen has explained as a symbol of his tough stance on law-and-order issues. Allen also staunchly opposed a state holiday in honor of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
In 1995, 1996, and 1997, Allen proclaimed April as Confederate History and Heritage Month and called the Civil War "a four-year struggle for independence and sovereign rights." The proclamation did not mention slavery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Felix_Allen
This guy is thought to be a frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination. While McCain and Giuliani are currently polling higher, most experts doubt they have the Jesus credentials to make it through the primaries.
So, what do you think? Has this gaffe cost Allen his run at the White House? Do you buy the mohawk bit? Does it even matter if a Republican candidate pisses off minority voters?
And while it would be easy to chalk this up to the guy being a dumb redneck, he isn't (although one could argue his constituents are). The Senator gr
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Allen is a little weird as a guy, and not my favorite politician, but this kind of spin is shameful when either side does it. The whole thing against Lott internal to the GOP was absurd. If you want to oppose someone, do it on their policies, or don't do it at all. Unless you have an actual criminal allegation, such as embezzelement or murdering your law partner. Stealing from the indians, that sort of thing. But in general, stick to the policies. It's hard to credit the democrats, who once had woodrow wilson on their ticket (who thought all blacks were monkeys and should be exported to africa,) and who still has Robert Byrd (who refused to apologize for his membership in the KKK) as a senator - are sooo offended by what might be a slip of the lip.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Nope. No-one cares. Bush has been caught on tape saying a lot worse.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Yeah, I heard about this Thurs. What on Earth was Senator Allen thinking? If he was intentionally butchering this guys name, I'd buy his explanation. But this isn't even close. I GUESS he'd figure he'd be funny and try to call this guy something cute.....and then got caught looking for a funny sounding word that wasn't offensive. This wasn't it. Not even close. One explanation I heard is that macaca is another word for 'clown'. But if that's the case, why not come out and simply say so ? (Unless you're more worried about losing the clown vote ? )
The stuff about the rebel flag is simply Liberal journalism, more than anything. Just an attempt to pile onto the story where there isn't anything more. Both Allen and his opponent have made comments which support the rebel flag. The rebel flag isn't that big a deal , but for the flaming P.C. nazis who try to make it one.
And it's funny that this obscrue gaff by Allen makes major news, but the very next day, Andrew Young ( who is black ) makes the comment about " Jew, Korean and now Muslim " store owners , barely makes a ripple. Sure, Allen is more of a current story, running for President as he is, but Andrew Young is a former US Ambassador to the UN. Also, campaign workers for Cynthia McKinney were caught on tape making all manner of comments. Calling fellow Democrat and run-off winner Hank Johnson an 'uncle tom '. Hank Johnson is black. The McKinney camp also made references ( once again ) that the white reporters there were 'crackers'and made such comments as " this ain't Israel! ". One staffer for McKinney said he was fired from her campaign because he is Jewish and had to take a day off for a religious holiday.
I guess if the one making the comments is GOP, that makes it a story. Otherwise.....turn the page.
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by USBrowncoat:
Nope. No-one cares. Bush has been caught on tape saying a lot worse.
Such as ?
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
And it's funny that this obscrue gaff by Allen makes major news, but the very next day, Andrew Young ( who is black ) makes the comment about " Jew, Korean and now Muslim " store owners , barely makes a ripple. Sure, Allen is more of a current story, running for President as he is, but Andrew Young is a former US Ambassador to the UN.
Well, I heard about it over in the UK so it was something of a story though it was more tied to him being the new equality spokesman for WalMart.
That company really can't catch a break.
And whatever the etymology of the word used by the Senator, it's clearly a mark of disrespect, though I don't think many black Americans would have been voting for him anyway so I doubt he'll see any major political harm.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
And whatever the etymology of the word used by the Senator, it's clearly a mark of disrespect, though I don't think many black Americans would have been voting for him anyway so I doubt he'll see any major political harm.
My other point was that Sen. Allen knew this guy was recording these events, therefore he KNEW what ever he said to this guy would be recorded as well. That's what makes it all the more surreal that Allen would go out of his way to i.d. this man and then call attention to him calling him 'mecaca'.
Any way ya look at it, it's a bone headed move.
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:Quote:
Originally posted by USBrowncoat:
Nope. No-one cares. Bush has been caught on tape saying a lot worse.
Such as ?
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss
" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "
"This guy over there, he's a real asshole"
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I think Bush's asshole remark was a shot at the New York Times, not really a gaffe in conservative circles.
As to opposing Allen for his positions, he's pretty much a rubber stamp for the White House. If you like Bush's policies, you should like Allen.
I was pointing out the Confederate flag stuff as subtext, not taking a cheap shot. Senator Allen's affinity for the symbol is well known here in VA, but I didn't know if that knowledge extended to the rest of the world.
And I'm not claiming Jim Webb (the Democrat running against Allen) is any better. He seems about as genuine as Allen's southern accent.
Webb's campaign also put out a cartoon during the Democratic primary portraying his Jewish opponent with a large hook nose and money spilling from his pockets.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/062006/06082006/197593
So, being a racist doesn't really hurt your chances at being elected, for either party, here in the Old Dominion...
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I can see where thats true.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME