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Slur Shows Presidential Hopeful Unworthy
Times Union ^ | 8/22/06

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.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: allen2006; georgeallen; giulianiagitprop; mediafrenzy
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To: areafiftyone
I'm just a bit shocked by the harshness of it that's all.

You must be new here then

61 posted on 08/22/2006 6:16:27 AM PDT by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
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To: Jedi Master Pikachu
Except Mr. Allen is French-descended, according to wikipedia (yes, wikipedia could be very inaccurate).

ohfercryinoutloud...

Do you honestly think that a 20+ year veteran of public office, who has been under attack for years with the RATS trying to label him as a racist would stare into a flippin' camera and use a term he "knew" to be a racial slur???

c'mon, use that gray matter between your ears.

62 posted on 08/22/2006 6:16:45 AM PDT by Corin Stormhands (HHD: Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/)
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To: onyx

Believe me if Allen wins I will be rooting for him. I'll root for anyone who wins. The only one I will have to hold my nose for is McCain if he wins. But I'll still vote for him. I don't want a Dem in the White House.


63 posted on 08/22/2006 6:17:35 AM PDT by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers - Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason)
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To: areafiftyone

---It is a Racial Slur for Arabs. It means the "N" word.---

If you go to Wikipedia, which is the only place I can find macaca listed as a racial slur, and hit the history tab, you'll see that the definition of macaca as a racial slur only starts on 17Aug06. That's the way it appears anyway.

Is this just a convenient invention of the left?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaca_%28slur%29


64 posted on 08/22/2006 6:17:40 AM PDT by claudiustg (Iran delenda est.)
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To: wideawake
Again, "macaca" is not a racial slur. In the colloquial Ladino dialect of Tunisian Sephardic Jews it means "someone who harasses, who annoys"



"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."
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

I love this comment and I have a new interest and respect for Allen. His purpose for the comment was not only to ridicule the infiltrator, but to show his lack of concern for his opponents tactics. He knew he was being taped, and rather than have the man removed from the audience he "performed" for the camera in a "take that", fearless fashion.
The media is playing this like Allen was exposed as a racist by unwittingly making a racist comment. He did nothing of the sort. He exposed his opponent as a trivial, sneaky, dirty trickster trying to stifle Allen's message by selectively airing taped cuts of one of his speeches. thanks for the definition of macaca, I've added it to my vocabulary and use it when my grown children try to hit me up for some cash. As in "not a chance macaca." (smile)
65 posted on 08/22/2006 6:17:46 AM PDT by photodawg
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To: areafiftyone

It's odd. There can be sudden bouts of rudeness over one topic, when the same topic on another thread does not bring out that rudeness.


66 posted on 08/22/2006 6:17:49 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( http://www.answersingenesis.org)
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To: Constitution Day

Yup, and interestingly you only see the quote from her playful little "Ghandi" speech on FR... Hmm, I wonder why that is? I mean the MSM is so unbiased, right? / sarcasm


"During an event here for Senate candidate Nancy Farmer, Clinton introduced a quote from Gandhi by saying, "He ran a gas station down in St. Louis..."


67 posted on 08/22/2006 6:18:37 AM PDT by Hand em their arse
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To: areafiftyone

I bumped his one comment because your posting of this hit piece after the thread yesterday appeared to me like you were fanning the flames. I like you personally.


68 posted on 08/22/2006 6:19:06 AM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- "if" only 10% are radical, that's 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: areafiftyone


I believe you. Thanks.


69 posted on 08/22/2006 6:20:02 AM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- "if" only 10% are radical, that's 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: claudiustg
If you go to Wikipedia, which is the only place I can find macaca listed as a racial slur, and hit the history tab, you'll see that the definition of macaca as a racial slur only starts on 17Aug06. That's the way it appears anyway.

Is this just a convenient invention of the left?

That's very interesting...
70 posted on 08/22/2006 6:20:15 AM PDT by firewalk
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To: AppyPappy
Rather ironic that Hillary made the same type of slur.

More than once.

Did the paper say the same thing about her...?

71 posted on 08/22/2006 6:21:01 AM PDT by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: Corin Stormhands

It is improbable that he considered himself to be using a racial slur, but there is a chance that he could have, or it could have been a Freudian slip. French Tunisian is in his family, and he can apparently use French.


72 posted on 08/22/2006 6:21:13 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( http://www.answersingenesis.org)
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To: areafiftyone
Can't be cussed about illegal aliens. Anyway, it goes on the show George Allen is just another racist, fascist, nativist, sexist and homophobic extreme right wing Repuklican. He's dead, Jim.

( No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)

73 posted on 08/22/2006 6:21:40 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: areafiftyone

They are clearing the way for Hillary, just as I predicted.


74 posted on 08/22/2006 6:21:57 AM PDT by doug from upland (Stopping Hillary should be a FreeRepublic Manhattan Project)
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To: Jedi Master Pikachu

*whatever*


75 posted on 08/22/2006 6:22:04 AM PDT by Corin Stormhands (HHD: Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/)
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To: claudiustg

August 17, 2006 -- new racial slur is born.
Got it.


76 posted on 08/22/2006 6:24:55 AM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- "if" only 10% are radical, that's 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: craig_eddy

Insulting people is bad, but assaulting women is perfectly OK for a future president.


77 posted on 08/22/2006 6:25:11 AM PDT by WV Mountain Mama (I seem to have lost my easy button.)
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To: areafiftyone; Corin Stormhands

You're being sort of hypocritical. You rush to stop rudeness toward areafiftyone, but are then rude yourself (granted, you aren't smearing the troll label all over).


78 posted on 08/22/2006 6:25:42 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( http://www.answersingenesis.org)
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To: areafiftyone

He should of told him to go F himself.


79 posted on 08/22/2006 6:26:35 AM PDT by steveyp
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To: areafiftyone
Let's see, NOT metrosexual enough to know that His haircut is a molette, a modified mohawk, but not properly defined as one.

But worldly enough to use an obscure (for most of us) maybe degrading term correctly. That alone sounds like a good start.

As for His father is a big Democratic contributor., it sounds as if he is able to identify the opposition as well.

I have reached the point where I do not give a diddley damn what the pantywaist liberals think--let 'em whine.

The sooner the rest of us get to that point, the better.

We will have to take the same attitude with the WOT and the world in general before it is over, or we will likely not survive.

80 posted on 08/22/2006 6:26:51 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly.)
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