Kos and C&L via Tbogg, now, also apparently Fark, have linked my post on the WaPo's misrepresentation of Allen's remarks. So, I'm taking a ration of crap for being everything from Hitler to a racist. But love the traffic, guys!
Below is the text of Allen's remarks. Keeping in mind that I have never said anything about the infamous macaca reference and whatever explanations for it are flowing from the Allen camp, I took the position that the WaPo distorted part of Allen's remarks dealing with America and Virginia.
In my opinion, anyone with an objective view can conclude that from the text below, or at least acknowledge that it is incredibly far from clear those remarks had anything to do with the cameraman's presumed country of origin. And certainly too ambiguous to presume he was speaking to the man as an alien or immigrant, unless you are prepared to make a presumption purely for political gain. At one point, Allen even says "He probably lives inside the Beltway."
Allen repeatedly misspoke referring to the cameraman's boss (Webb) as the cameraman's opponent. In my opinion, the welcome to America comment had more to do with a welcome to the (none Beltway, non-Hollywood) heartland of America, as opposed to being a comment on the individual's possibly presumed country of origin. Read it yourself.
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. And it's just great, we're going to places all over Virginia. And he's having it on film and it's great. (directed at cameraman) And you show it to your opponent because he's never been there and probably will never come. So it's good for you (inaudible) good for you to see how (inaudible) people in the real world. He's probably living inside the Beltway, or ... his opponent right now is with a bunch of Hollywood Movie Moguls. We care about fact, not fiction. So, welcome, let's give a welcome to macaca here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.
Damn that liberal media. *shakes fist*
Clearly the WaPo was completely out of line with its yellow-ragtime journalism. My eyes have been opened.
Macaca.
Posted by: Zifnab | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 12:00 AM
Allen graduated from Palos Verdes High School, where he was a member of the falconry club and the car club. He was also quarterback of the varsity football team. He was once suspended for painting graffiti on school walls. Classmates and a school administrator told The New Republic magazine that the graffitti was racist and was intended to fuel racial animosity toward a rival school.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Felix_Allen
Posted by: coconuttree | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 04:59 AM
I took the time to look up Allen's voting record. He has an average 30/100 rating on "Civil Rights" issues which isn't good but isn't racist. Went to Selma with Conyers presumably to assauge his racist guilt. John Birch Society loves him. Did someone mention xenophobia earlier? Funny, being apologetic worked for Byrd and Wallace, but they dont have that 'R' behind thier names. Then there is the nasty business of the noose/lariat, whichever and hanging a Confederate flag outside his office. A bit sophmoric and circumstantial but using words that HE knows are insults, racist or xenophobic or even regional is unacceptable, especially for politicians.
Posted by: Rick | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 09:05 AM
Considering his background, Allen's use of the word "macaque" stands to reason.
His mother, after all, was a refugee from the losing side of a race war, i.e., the destruction of French white settler society in North Africa when those countries became independent. Over a million white settlers lived in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco and when those countries became independent they lost everything. Allen was born in 1952.
In his childhood the Algerian War raged in all its viciousness. It is no reach to suspect that George grew up in an "Algerie Francaise !" household where his mother had plenty to say about "macaques". He grew up in a household where his mother was bitterly watching the destruction of her ancestral way of life.
Posted by: Charles Warren | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 12:39 PM
I really don't get this.
It seems to be an open and shut case.
Macaca is a racial slur that comes from the culture of Allen's mother. Fact.
Allen used "macaca" when refering to an individual of the race/ethnicity for which the term macaca refers.
It seems that everything else about Confederate flags and being from CA is beside the point.
Posted by: xxx | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 12:39 PM
"It seems that everything else about Confederate flags and being from CA is beside the point.
Posted by: xxx"
By George 'X' mark this date on the calendar as the day we actually agree on something!!!
AmeroBloviator: Tis you missed the point as the comparison had to do with (the late) Wallace & Byrd seeking forgiveness for thier racist pasts. T'was not a comparison of Lott and Allen as they are equally wrong and I agree that this is not the face the R's want to present to the voters. Maybe if we took the "IhateGWforeverythingsinceWWII" blinders off, you may find we are not nearly in as much disagreeance as you want to believe. BTW, your hate mongering is boring on this thread too.
Posted by: Rick | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 01:31 PM
"It seems that everything else about Confederate flags and being from CA is beside the point.
Posted by: xxx"
By George 'X' mark this date on the calendar as the day we actually agree on something!!!
AmeroBloviator: Tis you missed the point as the comparison had to do with (the late) Wallace & Byrd seeking forgiveness for thier racist pasts. T'was not a comparison of Lott and Allen as they are equally wrong and I agree that this is not the face the R's want to present to the voters. Maybe if we took the "IhateGWforeverythingsinceWWII" blinders off, you may find we are not nearly in as much disagreeance as you want to believe. BTW, your hate mongering is boring on this thread too.
Posted by: Rick | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 01:36 PM
"It seems that everything else about Confederate flags and being from CA is beside the point.
Posted by: xxx"
By George 'X' mark this date on the calendar as the day we actually agree on something!!!
AmeroBloviator: Tis you missed the point as the comparison had to do with (the late) Wallace & Byrd seeking forgiveness for thier racist pasts. T'was not a comparison of Lott and Allen as they are equally wrong and I agree that this is not the face the R's want to present to the voters. Though I agree that all four are guilty of trying to cover thier tracks and doubt the sincerity of each. Maybe if we took the "IhateGWforeverythingsinceWWII" blinders off, you may find we are not nearly in as much disagreeance as you want to believe. BTW, your hate mongering is boring on this thread too.
Posted by: Rick | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 01:38 PM
Well, the donk operative has dark black stand up hair. Shaved into a Mohawk.
As to Allen's remarks, I gotta tell ya, I'm no fan of conversative values. So my agenda doesn't include a right wing clown as a choice for the GOP nomination in 2008.
Still, we're a long way off.
And, of all things GOOD, Allen now has gotten himself ABOVE the usual noise. Even if this is the issue. It's more funny than serious. And, if Allen keeps running he has 2 more years to grow a better set of racing legs. We're just in the preliminaries. And, as blunders go, I just don't see it.
Wesley Clark would give and arm and a leg for this recognition, now.
All Allen has ahead of him, outside the "usual GOP suspects," are McCain and Guiliani. Also running. But still no one's near the field where this will make any difference.
Like visiting Iowa. So what?
Posted by: Carol Herman | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 02:01 PM
mssr riehl,
you watched the video, where allen turns and gets the crowd to stare at the kid and then uses a funny soundin' name to refer to the funny lookin' foreign kid and says "welcome to america" and yet you think it was addressed to jim webb?
ha, that's a good one.
tbh, i dont think allen is dumb enough to use a word he knows is a slur in public, but, to any objective observer, he was clearly clowning the ethnic kid for the white audience's amusement. this is not the behavior that is befitting a senator or president, or anyone with a real job for that matter.
Posted by: Nathan | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 02:06 PM
ya know amerobloviator, You're quick to call other people stupid yet all you seem able to do is to talk around issues and argue semantics. All the attributes of a bully. When wrong, you are totally unable to admit it. Your not knowing the difference between the "Stars and Bars" and the Naval Ensign for one. You're pretty much a loud mouth, bigoted, reactionary who must always be right. Please, take a few moments to cut and paste one, just one time where I attempted to excuse Mr. Allen's behavior. Come on, surely you can find one, even if you have to make it up........You arrogant punk
Posted by: Rick | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 03:37 PM
Hmmm. Plenty of time. Guess you couldn't find anything. Go pretend to research or beat the wife, which ever makes you feel 'right' bozo.
Posted by: Rick | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 03:52 PM
The Confederate flag is not a de facto symbol of racism, however much some people believe it to be so. It is a fact that while the civil war was a long time ago, that the South is full of battlefields and statues and other memorials of the civil war dead. I don't think anyone would debate the idea that Robert E. Lee was a 'war hero' a great military tactician and a decent and honorable man. Similarly, whatever you, me or the world of today believes the Rebs were "really" fighting for, state's rights, slavery [course most of them them never saw a day in their life when they owned slaves, but that's another argument], it is a fact that many of them fought bravely and died. It is a further fact that many of those civil war dead have living ancestors who are proud of their sacrifice, even if they do not agree with all of the reasons for it.
Again, I say 'macaca' stands alone, there is no other evidence needed to interpret or understand what he meant when he said it.
Posted by: xxx | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 05:09 PM
Oh cripes, Allen has shown himself to be (a) stupid (b) arrogant (c) racist, he is a perfect Bush Co. Republican candidate, are you kidding me?
I mean, honestly, what kind of a total moron uses a racial slur when he sees the camera is running and knows that the person he is slurring works for his opponent. Yet he still lacks the self control to keep from slurring the guy. If this is how he acts on camera in front of his detractors, imagine what he must be like behind closed doors.
Same kind of doofus that would follow George right over the cliff.
Posted by: xxx | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 05:58 PM
If it weren't for racist assholes, Republicans would lose every election. But they have the 'tard vote locked up, so they do OK.
Posted by: Nicky Rooney | Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 08:46 PM