Sunday, October 01, 2006

Have you hugged your macaca today?

I think it’s interesting to see how quickly a political sure thing can implode. To think people were talking about George Allen as a potential presidential candidate. Now that may indeed happen but it seems less and less likely. Who knew that a politician could be such an idiot. I’m reminded of the Rodney Dangerfiled joke. I looked idiot up in the dictionary and there was a picture of George Allen. In his ads on TV he looks like a used car salesman.

I’m not all that bother with the use of the word "macaca" used to refer to S.R. Sidarth (a native bron Virginian as opposed to the Senator who's from California). What bothers me was what was said after “Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.” This was said to essentially an all white audience. Implying that the real America and the real Virginia are places where people like S.R. Sidarth aren’t. The Senator needs to get out a little more.

Senator Allen has a long history of such gaffes. Hanging the confederate flag, having a noose in his office, when he was Governor of Virginia proclaiming April Confederate heritage month (I’m curious what that heritage would be treating people like chattel and being traitors to their county. Why not Southern heritage month that I could understand). Then to go on Meet the Press and say in hindsight he wished he realized that these things might upset people. How would you not know that the Confederate flag might upset people?

Then of course there is the subject of his mother being Jewish and not knowing about it. I think it is very possible and understandable that after what her mother and parents went through, she might not volunteer that information. But the Senator’s reaction is, at least to me, trying to hind that fact. Then again he says something like this to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. His Jewish heritage is “just an interesting nuance to my background,” Allen said, adding: “I still had a ham sandwich for lunch. And my mother made great pork chops.” I don’t even know what to say about this one.

In the end he may well win. Jim Webb has had his share of idiotic statements too. The one that comes to mind the most is that being in a Naval Academy is a horny women’s dream.

Perhaps that saddest part of the whole thing is this that these are the two guys the people of Virginia get to choose from for Senator. I’m sure a great many would like another choice.

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