- comment
Spank That Donkey - body
- Good Post, but the only rules that apply here are that only Conservative candidates need abide by the rules of campaign civility.
Only Republicans like Trent Lott resign from important posts, over any incident involving "race".
- comment James Young
- body
- Good post, Shaun. But I still think the reaction and contrived outrage is silly. ;-)
What I wonder is how George even came up with this word. I think it's far more likely that --- given the mispronunciation (wouldn't Mrs. Allen the Elder have pronounced it correctly?) --- it might be the name that this young man gave to the campaign. Who knows? It might even have come from a more sophisticated/worldly-wise staffer who KNEW it (pronounced correctly) was a racial slur, thought he or she had made a self-satisfying "funny" that no one recognized, and it simply grew legs (if so, and I were George, I'd fire the person). No proof, mind you. But I have a sneaking suspicion that this could have been a huge setup, and George was simply a little foolish --- nay, "silly" --- for taking the bait.
That's the tactical analysis, anyway.
- comment Jason Kenney
- body
- I think George Allen's apology is good, even if unwarranted. It's a stretch to say that Allen must surely have known what he was saying because his mother must have been a racist French colonist and used the term enough for her son to pick it up. But just the same, if the Webb staffer was offended, then apologize for his offense and move on. Making this bigger than what it is is crazy.
All that said, you're right, at least Allen was the bigger man and apologized for the offense. Webb dodged it. So what do you want for a Senator? One man enough to apologize when he makes a mistake or one who simply tries to refocus the blame?
- comment Charles
- body
- I think Allen should have apologized for not knowing the guy's name and getting it wrong.
The fact that a particular 3 syllables happens to be the proper name for a genus of monkey (not even a black monkey has some have said), and that the 2-syllable common name for a member of that genus was appropriated by the french as a racial slur (and apparently, from Shaun, also an ARAB-language slur) is highly likely to have been simple coincidence, notwithstanding that Allen's mother spoke french.
By all reports the man was NOT offended until after the Webb camp reviewed the tape to find something they could use against him and came up with this. His offense was therefore contrived, after-the-fact, and given he was a campaign operative for the opponent was a crass political ploy that normally would be ignored by the media, but in this case was made into a 2-day story.
Here's something that was a bit racist about the whole thing. We all know the guy is a "person of color". But the democrats felt it was VERY IMPORTANT to explain that the guy was ALSO a really smart guy who might even be going to law school -- as if that would surprise people, or makes the supposed offense even worse because he wasn't a "typical black", whatever that means to democrats who were pointing out how great this particular kid was.
Of course, that's just a minor quibble, like all of this is -- it shows how easy it is to "find offense" if you are looking for it. That's why you only get these charges against republicans, because people are very easily offended but only the democrats are allowed to use it as a political ploy.
- comment Charles
- body
- And to defend my linked blog, nowhere in that entry, or any blog entry I've made, did I endorse or even accept the notion that "mohawk" became "macaca".
My referenced post was just about how, as part of this contrived controversy, the democrats were lying about the guy having a mohawk in order to call Wadhams a liar for saying the guy had a mohawk.
When the people raising a controversy are caught in lies and silly statements like "inside the beltway is a racial slur", it puts a more rational light on thier claims of supposed "offense" at Allen not knowing the guy's name and making up something that turned out to be inappropriate.
Everything the democrats have said proves they are hyper-sensitive, looking for any offense they can find to be upset about. The complaints about "real america" were just another case, as were the rediculous "Allen singled him out because he was the only non-white guy in the crowd" stuff.
It was statements like THAT that drove us Allen supporters to his defense. If the Webb team had complained about Allen making fun of the guy's name, we would have been right there, as we were in that regard calling for an apology.
Which Webb still owes Allen for making fun of HIS name, but like Ted Kennedy said to Mary Jo, I wouldn't hold your breath.
- comment Dvt guy
- body
- You're right. Webb hasn't apologized for a cartoon that he didn't draw (errr...actually, he did apologize...and the staff member who wrote it was canned...)
And also, Joe Biden said something racist. And also, Byrd said something racist.
As long as these people continue to inhabit the earth and are not forcibly placed in a rocket ship and sent into the sun by a hoard of liberals, George Allen can do anything he wants.
- comment ....
- body
- Virginia Centrist is right. Webb appologized even though he didnt draw it. Allen calling a kid a N***** and then giving a superficial apology is very differant.
- comment Jason Kenney
- body
- James, you don't seriously believe that Allen reached back into his mother's native tounge for a derrogatory insult for this kid, do you? Are you calling his mother racist? The whole trail of how this story has developed gets crazier as it goes on. No, Allen got the kid's name wrong, and the kid wasn't insulted until the Webb campaign spun the hell out of it. And for that Allen has apologized.
- comment ....
- body
- Allen speaks French through his mother. That does not mean his mother taught him to use the N***** word, that comes from hard-core racism.
- comment Jason Kenney
- body
- James - So either he learned it when he learned French from his mother or he is so hardcore racist that he did the research himself? Are you even reading what you're typing? You guys are scraping to make this stick here!
lontlont - Apparent scrambling how?
Again, you all are making some grand assumptions and giant leaps of logic here.
- comment ....
- body
- My parents taught me english. They never used the n-word. I however know what the n-word means. So if i use the n-word, is my mother a racist? Your argument is hollow.
- comment Jason Kenney
- body
- James - You live in a society where the word is present and used. Is macaca heavily used in Michigan or California where Allen grew up? Or did Allen hang out in French gangs?
- comment ....
- body
- See how someone who really sees the horror of this word and isnt guessing about Mr. Allen's intentions: http://vaprogressive.com/?p=1176
13 Comments:
Only Republicans like Trent Lott resign from important posts, over any incident involving "race".
What I wonder is how George even came up with this word. I think it's far more likely that --- given the mispronunciation (wouldn't Mrs. Allen the Elder have pronounced it correctly?) --- it might be the name that this young man gave to the campaign. Who knows? It might even have come from a more sophisticated/worldly-wise staffer who KNEW it (pronounced correctly) was a racial slur, thought he or she had made a self-satisfying "funny" that no one recognized, and it simply grew legs (if so, and I were George, I'd fire the person). No proof, mind you. But I have a sneaking suspicion that this could have been a huge setup, and George was simply a little foolish --- nay, "silly" --- for taking the bait.
That's the tactical analysis, anyway.
All that said, you're right, at least Allen was the bigger man and apologized for the offense. Webb dodged it. So what do you want for a Senator? One man enough to apologize when he makes a mistake or one who simply tries to refocus the blame?
The fact that a particular 3 syllables happens to be the proper name for a genus of monkey (not even a black monkey has some have said), and that the 2-syllable common name for a member of that genus was appropriated by the french as a racial slur (and apparently, from Shaun, also an ARAB-language slur) is highly likely to have been simple coincidence, notwithstanding that Allen's mother spoke french.
By all reports the man was NOT offended until after the Webb camp reviewed the tape to find something they could use against him and came up with this. His offense was therefore contrived, after-the-fact, and given he was a campaign operative for the opponent was a crass political ploy that normally would be ignored by the media, but in this case was made into a 2-day story.
Here's something that was a bit racist about the whole thing. We all know the guy is a "person of color". But the democrats felt it was VERY IMPORTANT to explain that the guy was ALSO a really smart guy who might even be going to law school -- as if that would surprise people, or makes the supposed offense even worse because he wasn't a "typical black", whatever that means to democrats who were pointing out how great this particular kid was.
Of course, that's just a minor quibble, like all of this is -- it shows how easy it is to "find offense" if you are looking for it. That's why you only get these charges against republicans, because people are very easily offended but only the democrats are allowed to use it as a political ploy.
My referenced post was just about how, as part of this contrived controversy, the democrats were lying about the guy having a mohawk in order to call Wadhams a liar for saying the guy had a mohawk.
When the people raising a controversy are caught in lies and silly statements like "inside the beltway is a racial slur", it puts a more rational light on thier claims of supposed "offense" at Allen not knowing the guy's name and making up something that turned out to be inappropriate.
Everything the democrats have said proves they are hyper-sensitive, looking for any offense they can find to be upset about. The complaints about "real america" were just another case, as were the rediculous "Allen singled him out because he was the only non-white guy in the crowd" stuff.
It was statements like THAT that drove us Allen supporters to his defense. If the Webb team had complained about Allen making fun of the guy's name, we would have been right there, as we were in that regard calling for an apology.
Which Webb still owes Allen for making fun of HIS name, but like Ted Kennedy said to Mary Jo, I wouldn't hold your breath.
And also, Joe Biden said something racist. And also, Byrd said something racist.
As long as these people continue to inhabit the earth and are not forcibly placed in a rocket ship and sent into the sun by a hoard of liberals, George Allen can do anything he wants.
lontlont - Apparent scrambling how?
Again, you all are making some grand assumptions and giant leaps of logic here.
Post a Comment
Home