Posted on 08/22/2006 5:44:40 AM PDT by areafiftyone
Republican Sen. George Allen, running for re-election in Virginia, can't wriggle out of this one with a Mel Gibson excuse.
The conservative lawmaker was cold sober when he deliberately insulted a young man of Indian descent with a racial slur. The man, S.R. Sidarth, was filming video of Allen's appearance at a public Republican rally in Breaks, Va., near the Kentucky border, as part of his work as a campaign volunteer for Allen's Democratic challenger, James Webb. Candidates of both parties commonly film their opponents' public appearances looking for gaffes and other campaign material.
Sidarth, 20, was apparently the only person of color in the small crowd.
This incident has especially dangerous implications for Allen's future political prospects because it revives his long history of racial insensitivity, which is unfortunate for a guy with presidential ambitions.
Allen, in the course of his remarks, singled out Sidarth and referred to him as "Macaca," adding that he welcomed him to America "and the real world of Virginia." The expression "macaca" was new to many of us, not a familiar word that trips easily from the tongue.
But it turns out the word is a common racist slur favored by French Tunisians; Allen's mother is of French Tunisian descent. The senator professed not to know what the word meant despite his mother's background.
Few people are buying that, including Sidarth and Webb. The Democratic candidate, a former Navy secretary, said bluntly that he thinks Allen "knew what he was saying."
Sidarth was even harsher. "He was doing it because he could and I was the only person of color there and it was useful for him in inciting his audience," he said. Indeed, the audience laughed at Allen's crude sally.
The Allen campaign, trying to stomp out the furor, explained defensively that the candidate had merely mangled the word Mohawk, a nickname he said his staff had given Sidarth to reflect the shaved sides of his unusual haircut.
Coiffure experts, however, said that excuse didn't work either. His haircut is a molette, a modified mohawk, but not properly defined as one.
To make matters worse for Allen's defense, Sidarth isn't a foreigner who needs to be introduced to Virginia. He grew up in Fairfax County and attended schools there and the University of Virginia. His father is a big Democratic contributor.
Ironically, it is Allen who did not spend his youth in Virginia. He was born in California, detoured to Chicago for eight years and moved back to California as a teenager, as the family followed his famous dad's football coaching career.
It was not until 1971, when his father was named to coach the Washington Redskins, that Allen became a genuine son of Virginia. But he had always been attracted to the notion of the Old Confederacy, driving around in high school in California with a Confederate-flag plate on the front of his car. He posed for his high school yearbook wearing a Confederate pin on his collar.
In his five years as senator, Allen has been a reliable part of the conservative Bush machine; party officials regard him as a logical presidential alternative if Sen. John McCain stumbles in 2008. Of course such a scenario assumes that he first wins re-election to the Senate.
But the sour GOP mood everywhere, even in Virginia, has made it necessary for Allen to concentrate on home base, skipping such early presidential sightings as the Iowa state fair, where several potential rivals were on display last week.
As governor of Virginia, Allen leaned heavily toward the old Strom Thurmond state's rights days. In his 1994 inaugural address as governor, he promised to "fight the beast of tyranny and oppression that our federal government has become." After his election, however, he took down the Confederate flag he had displayed in his living room, disingenuously saying it was merely part of a flag collection.
Allen semi-apologized for the "macaca" remark, saying he was sorry if the young Webb volunteer was offended. But he didn't say he was sorry he said it. There's a huge difference in the sincerity level involved here.
Consider how deliberately Allen used a word unfamiliar to most of us who do not have family roots in Tunisia. "This fellow over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca or whatever his name is, he's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere." Allen said. "Let's give a welcome to Macaca here."
The video clip shows Allen smiling and enjoying ridiculing the young man. It also shows a man unworthy of becoming president. He's just a bully.
Well personally I never thought he was qualified to run for president. I think he's a good Senator and hope he retains that seat for a long time. But this does not help him at all because of his background problems.
---In the colloquial Ladino dialect of Tunisian Sephardic Jews it means "someone who harasses, who annoys" ---
Looks like I'll have to go with your definition since in the whole article the author did not see fit to posit a definition, Very curious that.
"The Allen campaign, trying to stomp out the furor, explained defensively that the candidate had merely mangled the word Mohawk, a nickname he said his staff had given Sidarth to reflect the shaved sides of his unusual haircut..."
This could be one of the most moronic responses from any campaign, republican or democrat.... I mean give me a friggin' break...
I didn't know the audience consisted only of French Tunisians - after all, as the writer says, only those of French Tunisian ancestry would know what "macaca" is.
They always do! Yet another example of the piercing double standard on race used by liberals. I swear they live to sniff out any statement of racial contention to use to bludgeon a Republican with. At the same time, guys like Sen. Bryd are referred to as "the conscience of the Senate". Balderdash!
I'm originally from Albany and the Times Union is a bigger liberal rag than the Washington Post. In fact, they basically take all their articles from the WashPo and reprint them.
There aren't enough words or time.
I suspect you're cheering this evil and dishonest cheapest of cheap shots on a fine conservative.
perhaps we should say all newspapers have "kaa kaa" brains.
I really wish we could find a way to ge to the advertisers of these local papers.
Advertisers need to learn that supporting such left wing absurdity COSTS them business because we the consumers spread the word that advertiser X supports a left wing paper.
Ah, that was a Marianne Means op-ed. She's a moron.
Big suprise.
DU troll.
Go back and review this troll's posting history.
As of Jan 1, 2007 all spoken and written words are hereby banned because every word is derogatory in some obscure language nobody has ever heard of, except the three people who speak it on an atoll in the pacific, or deep in the amazon jungle, and somebody may take offense or have their feelings hurt - directly or indirectly, now and/or in the future. As such, mankind shall henceforth communicate by shrugs and grunts ONLY!An aside, I'm pretty sure "macaca" means 'sh*t for brains' in Bhutanese.
Did you see me cheer? Don't accuse me unless you know for sure. My reaction was not one of cheer. I said we need him to keep his Senate Seat. Just because you don't like what the paper wrote don't take it out on me.
He said it twice.
Ah, but yesterday you stated you had nothing against Allen. Seems you do, after all.
YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A TROUBLE MAKER. GO BACK AND REVIEW THE POSTS ON ALLEN'S SLUR. I DID NOT POST THEM ALL. GET A LIFE!
I'd put money on the fact that no one, no one at the rally, Sidarth included knew that the word was a French slur.
I must have missed the Times Union editorial on Sen. Robert Byrd (D-KKK), and his use of the N-word.
I don't have anything against him and I stated time and again that if he wins the nomination for president he has my vote hands down.
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