I thought I’d take a moment to lay out for our readers how individual action in the context of a community CAN help change the status quo, particularly when it comes to political power and representation in the U.S. Here is step-by-step look at the BIG PICTURE.
1) First, let me take you back to July 31st (just two weeks ago) when Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. released its poll regarding the Virgina Senate race:
U.S. Sen. George Allen leads Jim Webb for re-election but may be threatened by voter distaste for the Iraq war and President Bush, according to The Times-Dispatch Poll.
Popular and well-known, the Republican senator is favored for a second term by 48 percent, while Democrat Webb, still struggling to get out his name and message, is backed by 32 per cent. Twenty percent are undecided.
That the support for Allen, the state’s dominant Republican for more than a decade, is under 50 percent suggests he is handicapped by anti-GOP sentiment, much of it attributed to uncertainty over Iraq…As an early snapshot of a race that could help decide control of the Senate, the poll suggests Allen is using the advantages of incumbency, including a huge edge in fundraising, to navigate potential hazards. [Link]
2) When that first domino fell, the Democratic leadership decided to strategically cut their losses and run. They wrote off both Webb and Virgina:
To hear national Democratic party leaders tell it, Democrat James Webb has a solid chance of ousting Republican Sen. George Allen this fall.
“You might find Cinderella in Virginia,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told Congressional Quarterly this spring. “Allen’s numbers are not very strong.”
But in the first major spending decision of the fall campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee – which Schumer heads – took a pass on Virginia.
The committee, which helps elect Democratic senators, has reserved a reported $25 million worth of television ads in states where Republican incumbents are considered vulnerable. Virginia is not one of them.
The spending plan, first reported by The Associated Press, came within days of a Mason-Dixon poll showing Allen leading Webb by 16 percentage points. [Link]
3) In the very same article Sen. George Allen is questioned about his seemingly easy path to victory in November and offers these ominously prophetic words:
Allen, a first-term senator seeking re-election as he contemplates a 2008 presidential run, tried to avoid a smile when told of the Democrats’ plan not to target his Senate seat for early advertising money.
“You put money where you think it can have an impact in close races,” said Allen, past chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “But from our perspective, we need to be prepared for an onslaught. We could be hit with an onslaught at any time…” [Link]
4) Allen directs an alleged racial slur at a young Indian American male at a campaign rally and backs it up with a “welcome to America.” This affects not only our community but all minority communities since Allen has a good shot at the Whitehouse. Indian Americans, both Democrats and Republicans together acted to call out hypocrisy within our own community and proceeded to lay out a plan of action for what we could do:
Subodh Chandra said:<
p>As a former candidate, I’d like to try to focus on what is what is needed. ACTION.
I ask you to do a few things in order of importance.
(1) Make a financial contribution to James Webb’s senate campaign right now: Never mind that Webb is a fantastic, distinguished candidate: war hero, best-selling novelist, former Secretary of the Navy, a former Republican who finally had enough. Because there are lots of great candidates. Webb is your best weapon for punishing Allen and sending a message right now to those like Allen that we “Macacas” are the “real America.” Whether it’s $25, $250, or $2,100 (the individual maximum), a lot of us doing what we can gives Webb the resources he needs to put a bully in his place. Webb needs resources. If you don’t take this simple step (every reader of this blog can afford SOMETHING–I just plunked down $200 and I’m broke after my own campaign), you are basically saying you don’t care if Allen wins. Seriously… [Link]
5) We acted:
Angry email sent! Truly a pile of steaming macaca.
Allen’s comments were unbelievable. Reminded me of being a “Jungle Bunny” in third grade.
By the way, did I mention t-shirts? Yes, my mother was right after all. I have no shame.
I made up some funny t-shirts and other stuff to celebrate the end of Allen’s campaign. Thought you might want to check it out.
I’m donating 30% of the profit to Allen’s competitor, Democratic candidate Jim Webb.
http://www.cafepress.com/macacashop [Link]
<
p>and we acted some more:
1. Email to sent to IARC. (hope they squirm after reading it)
2. $$ Donation(generous & a first time) to James Webb.
3. Letter to NY Times Editor – more coverage requested.
4. My yahoogroups contacts asked to Go To Step 1 and repeat!!… [Link]
<
p>By the way. The NY Times Editor heard you. But we weren’t done. USINPAC, which usually only gets involved in issues also affecting Indians in India (a habit that I have criticized in the past) made damn sure they weren’t going to risk your wrath (the way the IARC did) by sitting out of this one. I remain convinced that someone on the USINPAC committee has been following all of you comments on this blog and knew they would be in trouble with you all if they didn’t show some backbone.
<
p>6) We kept up the pressure. “Macaca” is the number one search word on Technorati (a blogosphere search engine) right now. In the past, this sort of thing would have been buried within one newscycle (if it had even made the light of day). Everyone is talking about this because you guys are letting everyone know that this is important to you. Another of our commenters offered this:
… i donated to webb’s campaign. nowhere near 200 bucks, but hey. hope it helps. [Link]
<
p>7) It did help, because your collective actions caused the Democrats to wake up and send in the Big Dog to help augment the momentum that you are building with your small donations. Virginia it seems is back in play and worth dedicating resources to all of a sudden, because all of you made it so. Clinton doesn’t particularly like Webb so it is pretty clear that the Democratic leadership is sending him in like a soldier, whereas before it wasn’t even on the table.
<
p>
Money, so far, has been Webb’s biggest hurdle that he has yet to clear. A visit from the Big Dog will not only rake in a significant dollar sum for Webb’s campaign, but it will also send the signal to national donors that Webb may well be worth the investment. Furthermore–and we saw this attempted by Joe Lieberman a few weeks ago–a Clinton visit will hopefully help boost Jim Webb’s appeal among African-Americans (a group that Webb’s primary opponent, Harris Miller, sought to carve away from his camp). Now that Sen. Allen is knee-deep in mucaca, you’ve got to believe that minority communities all across Virginia are shopping around for someone a bit more respectable. [Link]
Things might not work out how we hope for but at least we begin to see how our actions matter. In the immortal words of John “Hannibal” Smith, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Keep mutineering yo.
Don’t you think we’re being used by the dems too? Because they think of us as Macacas also? What about Webb’s stand on other issues? Should we may be worry about that? You know, some of us are throwing money at this guy? Should we be worried about this?
Whoa, nicely done, brother.
Bottom line: the bottom line. Give to Webb’s campaign and give him fuel.
Write or call every member of the mainstream media (T.V., newspapers, etc.) you can and tell them that news reports that do not include the information about Allen’s mother’s heritage, his fluency in French, and thus his likely familiarity with the term “macaca” are irresponsible journalism. Thus far, I have not seen a single news report containing this information. Even “Nightline” on Wednesday night. But it’s all out on the web. The information shatters Allen’s credibility (although he and his campaign staff have been doing a great job of that on their own with their shifting explanations).
Call every South Asian organization and ask them to condemn Allen’s actions in the strongest possible terms. This is not a time for people to make nice.
Call your member of Congress and Senator and ask them to condemn Allen’s actions–formally through congressional resolution. Tell them the apology that said “sorry if you felt hurt” is not an apology.
But if you do nothing else, put some money into Webb’s campaign. He’s the one who can send Allen to the unemployment line.
Maybe we should ask Sidarth if he thinks there’s a difference between Webb and Allen. Clearly he does and has made a choice. This kind of relativism is not productive. Webb has no public history of racism (Confederate flags, nooses on ficus trees in his office, opposing the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, etc.)
Absolutely. Regardless of who you give money to you should review their platform and their record to see if it is generally in line with your beliefs and that they are a clear alternative to the other candidate(s).
I know congratulations are in order for Congressman Jindal on his new little macaca. But does anyone know whether he has spoken out on this yet? You ought to contact his office as well. Hope he doesn’t sell us out like the IARC.
He been accussed of anti-semitism b/c of this ad. His opponent is Jewish, he depicts him w/ a hooked nose (i believe the guy actually has a hooked nose) and money grubbing (he’s a corporate lobbyist). Is this a sterotype of a jew, or legit criticism. I think he has plausible denial here but it’s worth a look.
Interstingly, it is about outsourcing jobs. Now, in my book being oppossed to outsourcing does not make one anti-indian; but in the democtratic book, if the outcome of a policy hurts a minority then racism is a legit charge. So indians should demsnd an explanation from the dems. especially those that bemoan nativism and jingoism.
But, as a republican; i’m glad you’re putting an end to allen’s career.
I just read the ad again. I never noticed the “anti-christ” line before (nor did I hear it in the press). That puts it over the line for me. He must have known what he was doing.
Interstingly, it is about outsourcing jobs. Now, in my book being oppossed to outsourcing does not make one anti-indian; but in the democtratic book, if the outcome of a policy hurts a minority then racism is a legit charge. So indians should demsnd an explanation from the dems. especially those that bemoan nativism and jingoism
Good point. It’s also interesting to see how the highminded Indian democrats are politicizing this incident to subtly tarnish the entire Republican party.
Abhi,
The blogosphere received credit for providing steam to this story on NPR’s News and Notes in the August 16th show.
Incidentally, wouldn’t it be beneficial for the Dems (at the national, not Virginia level) to see Allen make a bid for Republican nomination inorder to air his plethora of dirty laundry for the nation to see? It would be an opportunity to smudge other GOP candidates as bigots with a broader brush and the guilty-by-association tactic. Frankly, I’d like to see the worst of the viable GOP candidates come forward for this very reason.
I know congratulations are in order for Congressman Jindal on his new little macaca.
George Allens of the world realize–you just don’t f*** with Macacas. to help Webb wipe the smirk off of Allen’s face, vindicate Macacahood, and end the curry train for the brown-nosing (pun and visual image intended) Indian American Republican Council.
tell them that news reports that do not include the information about Allen’s mother’s heritage, his fluency in French, and thus his likely familiarity with the term “macaca” are irresponsible journalism
Hope he doesn’t sell us out like the IARC
message right now to those like Allen that we “Macacas” are the “real America.” Let’s make sure the George Allens of the world and their patrons know that the macacas are coming and we’re here to stay
You seem to have an impressive resume, sir. But I think the above comments are more becoming of an incensed college age activist like me than that of a mature ex candidate for public office like you.
Jilted,
Finally man, you speak what’s on my mind. He sounds more like College Democrat who relishes hurting GOP candidates than an Indian who cares about a cultural stigma or something to that effect. That’s why I’ve been wary of this entire affair, Allen might be a typical jerk like the type you meet at Home Depot, but it seems to me that a few Dems are like that too. It really wasn’t the “macaca” comment that offended me, what got me was the patronizing “welcome to America” bit. That really bugs me because it doesn’t show racism (it could), it shows ignorance. In any case, I guess my point is, Subodh Chandra wants to make this a Republican vs. Democrat thing. I don’t.
Petty as it may be, the GOP laid a fertile foundation for this type of Beltway tripe the past 16 years. You reap what you sow.
Daycruz —
What’s your specific basis for this? Allen is a Republican, and Subodh says hold him accountable. That doesn’t establish the claim you make here. Lots — indeed, most — of what Subodh helpfully suggests does not require giving money to Allen’s opponent, although that is indeed one of his suggestions.
Although, what makes you think that Subodh wouldn’t be equally critical if there were a Democrat with a similar record as Allen on the subject of race? He did, after all, just run in a heated primary against another Democrat who he didn’t hesitate to criticize when appropriate. It sounds like someone might be trying to make this a Republican vs. Democrat issue, but I don’t think it’s Subodh. 😉
I think that if you look at Allen’s comment in context, it shows more than mere ignorance. As many have already noted, Allen has a pretty deep and problematic history on the subject of race — confederate flags, nooses hanging from ficus trees in his office, etc.
Maybe there are indeed Democratic political figures like that too, but your sweeping bid for equivalence between Democrats and Republicans isn’t really supportable unless you name some names and defend your claim — that way, the rest of us can actually evaluate whether the claim makes any sense, or whether it is purely hypothetical.
And whether it actually manifests in policy issues affecting South Asians. That last question is a fair one to ask about Allen too, of course — it is possible that his record on issues affecting South Asians belies his stupid comments, although the extent of his record of racial insensitivity — a noose hanging in his office, for goodness sakes, and lame efforts to defend it as “more of a lasso” — is sufficiently extreme to raise red flags all by itself.
I got something to say here. Bear with me, please:
You guys, this Allen business is a big deal. The guy really has ugly views, always has, and clearly still does. The Confederate battle flag and noose stuff should have sunk him a long time ago, and yet it didn’t, not for any lack of African-American outrage, but because people in Virginia let it happen. He’s gotten away with a lot and clearly he has developed (and probably had all along) the “I’m doing this because I can and fuck you if you don’t like it” mentality. The macaca incident comes along and in the scale of things, it’s not as big a deal as the Confederate flag and noose stuff, but it confirms the pattern. It also comes at a time when he’s in the national eye in a way he wasn’t before. Now that he’s in the national eye, so are those of us who choose to respond. As we respond, we’re not just responding to “macaca;” we’re also responding to his prior outrages that he got away with until now.
On Democrat vs. Republican: I believe most (though not all) of us at the Mutiny would describe ourselves as leaning Democratic, leaving our Canadian sista out of it of course; our readers are all over the map, and our lurkers are surely more scattered too (as well as geographically, beyond the US). So, big deal. What we are not is a partisan blog. We get involved in US politics the same way we get involved with literature or movies or celebrity gossip — because there’s a desi angle. Not long ago we gave what some people called a platform to a Republican candidate for office, Raj Bhakta, including a link to the contribution page on his site.
Now we’re giving you an argument to contribute to the campaign of the direct opponent of a bigot who just dissed us. You can feel free to do so, or not; we’re making a suggestion, and I certainly won’t think anything less of you if you don’t. Hell, I haven’t contributed anything myself, other than the thinking and time that goes into these comments. (Then again, my freelance ass is broke.)
Now, will there be Democrats who “use this event for political gain”? Will there be Republicans who “use the response to this event for political gain”? Hell yes! It’s a political event, for fuck’s sake! Will some of the more outrageous attempts to reframe the event find their way onto this site? Of course they will. Do you have to agree with them? Of course not. Abhi called out the IARC — your fellow desis — for immediately reframing the incident as Webb having exploited the volunteer in order to frame Allen. When you think about outrageous spin, remember that.
People: EYES ON THE PRIZE. Meta-conversations about the conversation taking place in this comment thread are typical of what always happens on blogs, but they’re also useless, especially now.
Finally, a personal note: No free passes from this informed citizen. I think that any reprobation Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton received for their disparaging and reductive statements about desis was well deserved. They were damn stupid things to say and they should have known better. And if any Democratic candidate starts slinging racist and xenophobic slurs (not to mention Rebel flags and fucking NOOSES FROM TREES) you can bet your MACACA ass that I’ll be out there calling them out. NO ONE with a vocation to earn the public’s trust and spend the public’s tax money should get away with this sort of behavior.
Bottom line: Don’t wanna give to Webb? No problem. Want to give Allen a free pass on this one? That’s on you. But remember, please, that this isn’t about one Senate race in one state. This is about racism and xenophobia in American public life — how much of it is allowable by the leaders we look to as examples, whom we allow to spend our money, and in whom we place our trust for security and well-being. You can chooser to fight on this particular front, or on another, or none at all. All I ask is that you pay attention.
the brother speaks the truth.
Interstingly, it is about outsourcing jobs. Now, in my book being oppossed to outsourcing does not make one anti-indian; but in the democtratic book, if the outcome of a policy hurts a minority then racism is a legit charge. So indians should demsnd an explanation from the dems. especially those that bemoan nativism and jingoism. Well put. I have often thought that John Kerry’s “fair trade” position is monkey economics, but I don’t think of it as racism. However, from the Democrat’s own policy book, it would qualify as extreme bias, if not racism.
But, as a republican; i’m glad you’re putting an end to allen’s career. Word. As another Republican, I can’t wait to see the back of Allen.
Here’s where this post takes off and ranks amongst the best:
“In the immortal words of John “Hannibal” Smith, “I love it when a plan comes together.””
Well said Siddharta. If we can’t unite on racism and xenophobia, we ain’t uniting on anything.
C’mon give USINPAC its due !!! You should have watched yesterday’s Nightline. USINPAC was the only high profile Desi organization that made Sen. Allen apologize. Much respect to Mr. Sajay Puri of USINPAC who in a following interview said that “The Indian American community was deeply hurt and insulted by this. We expect better from our leaders”.
Rather than dissing USINPAC on partisan (or perceived partisan) basis, all desis must thank them for taking the lead on this issue and putting this extremely important issue on the national media. As Siddhartha points out this is more than who will raise my taxes and who wont and some little local Virginia issue, this is much bigger than that.
I agree with RC on USINPAC. Yes, USINPAC has Indian nationalists, but they KNOW that the future here is about here. We just have to keep reminding them.
http://bsdetector.blogspot.com/2006/08/george-allen-stepped-in-macaca.html –worth a gander,me thinks.
Bad stereotype.
While I am all for the demise of Allen’s political career, I am afraid that all of these efforts to shame him will have one unintended consequence – the birth of a slur. Be honest – none of us knew off the top of our heads what a macaca was. And considering Allen was fumbling around for days to simply confirm what the word was, it only added to the confusion. But be repeating this over and over, we may have added a word to America’s rich lexicon of racial epithets. Granted, it is unlikely to carry the weight of “nigger”, “kike”, or “jigaboo” – but it’s a pathetic legacy of Allen that he will be most remembered for adding a new insult to the language. “Dothead” and “Towelhead” always seemed juvenile to me, and anyone who actually tried to use such a word intending to hurt would look pathetic. But macaca may have staying power.
Biden and Clinton, although I do not agree with their politics, do not have Allen’s track record when it comes to dealing with Indian-Americans or other racial minorities. John McCain managed to survive despite using the term “gook” – for him it was a term not towards Asians in general, but directed at the prison guards that tortured him as a POW in Vietnam. You can say that nothing in the rest of his career suggests racial animus. He even became enraged in 2000 when members of the Bush campaign tried to make his adopted Bangladeshi daughter an issue in the race.
Is there a risk of turning this into a Democrat versus Republican issue? Yes, but the bigger risk is letting Allen get re-elected. There are plenty of Republicans in other states that do not engage in Allen’s antics. If he loses, the lesson will hopefully be (to paraphrase from the disappointing film Munich), “Don’t fuck with the Indians.”
sr sidarths grandparents reply to the washington post… bob?
Don’t some of you want to read up on Webb before you start donating to his campaign willy-nilly? Some of you progressives might find that a few of his views are jarring to you, but, whatever, you are adults and can make up your own minds. Look, I respect his past service to this country but I don’t agree with him on certain issues and will not support him with cash donations.
Anyway, this Republican will not cast a vote for Allen, ever, for anything.
And, although I am disappointed with the statements from the Indian American Republican Council, and would have made a very different statement were I a spokesman (or even a member) Dr. Vijay has got involved. I mean, he started the group in 2002 from what I’ve been reading about the group, and is trying to start a grassroots network of Indians with conservative political views, and, well, isn’t that action mutineering? Dr. Vijay, or other IARC types reading: this is a good time to understand that you have real political power and clout and you can work within the system and still remain independent. You can support Republican candidates without excusing unexcusable behavior. It’s not that hard.
*Won’t the Indian papers pick this story up? Good job undoing some of the recent American charm offensive toward India, Senator Allen. Nice going.
*A bipartisan statement from Indian American groups on both the right and left would be interesting…..
I actually don’t think Biden’s comments were mean spirited. On the other hand Allen clearly is a bigot. I have no problem with commenters chewing him out on this site. However for an adult who ran for public office ( not a trivial one ) to make the comments Mr Chandra has, makes him come across as either very juvenile or a political extremist. An Indian Sharpton may be. I mean if No Von Mises or Pied Piper ( or some other commenter ) taunted Jindal’s newborn in the fashion Chandra has, it’s understandable. Or maybe he just got carried away, which is again not a good sign. Just read his comments again. There’s a divisive undertone.
though i suspect that i’m a republican in name only at this point because of my foreign policy disagreemants with the ‘mainstream’ Right, i too think that the context matters for allen. i do not totally disagree with the general sentiment of daycruz’s assertion, and do think a double standard exists for republicans (manish & i corresponded a bit in the fall of 2003 about how bobby jindal was treated by the media, not for his views, but his ‘dark skin’ and ‘black hair,’ etc.). but allen is the sort of republican who needs to go.
Way to go Abhi on a clear post that shows how a mutineering can have such a big cause and effect in the political stream. I’m very impressed to see the community come out and take a stand on this- and the organized efforts it’s taken.
Macaca is number one on the search engines? Impressive.
btw, i was more offended by ‘welcome to america’ assertion that ‘macaca.’ i mean, ‘macaca’ seems to be at the ‘yakoo’ level of slur.
The welcome to America is probably the most condescending, I thought republicans are usually told by the mothership to keep their mouth shut, lest they may be “Trent Lott’ed”
Ouch. I was all set to flame you when my wife said you had a point. 🙂
You are right, I am incensed. We all should be. And it’s the college-age activist still in me that wants everyone to stand up and act here and not just philosophize. I want to see our community to display some courage, not just in the blogosphere, but by speaking truth directly to power and holding them accountable. This is an opportunity for us to find out who are friends are.
Find me a Democrat that has Allen’s history and said the kind of things he has said and I’ll be just as incensed. (Biden’s comments were downright idiotic and Senator Clinton’s “joke” about Gandhi was ill sonsidered and she didn’t make any excuses and apologized immediately; I don’t think they reach the Allen stratosphere and neither has Allen’s history.)
This isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans. This is about right versus wrong and people of all political persuasions being able to find common purpose in drawing some lines as to what kind of people they want leading them.
Having said that, I do think this incident ought to raise for South-Asian-American Republicans some self examination about the takeover of the Republican party by the extreme religious right and jingoistic forces. When President Johnson finally got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed (with the help of liberal Democrats and moderate Republicans), he famously said “There goes the South for a generation” for the Democratic Party. And since then, Republican stategists have accommodated. Nixon had a Southern strategy filled with code language. Reagan went to Philadelphia, Mississippi, where civil-rights activists were murdered, and talked about “state’s rights.” In 2004, George W. Bush used people’s prejudices to bring out Ohio voters who could be led to believe that gay people were a bigger threat to them than the unemployment they were suffering. And the extremists on the religious right want public schools to discard science and teach “intelligent design,” post the (Judeo-Christian) Ten Commandments everywhere, organized school prayer, etc.
I have a lot of admiration for the principled Republican political leaders of the past: Lowell Weicker, Warren Rudman, John Gardner; even Barry Goldwater who was a fairly principled libertarian. I like some of the principled stands that John McCain takes although I am dismayed by his recent flirting with Jerry Falwell, etc. I believe firmly in a strong criminal-justice system, the fiscal conservatism that the Republican Party used to stand for, and vigilant national security. Although I could not personally stomach being around the Republican operatives who play these “divide-and-conquer” strategies, nor around the George Allens of the world, I am glad that there are South-Asian-Americans who are in the Republican Party. But only if they are willing to stand up and hold the party accountable, internally, and if necessary publicly.
The fact is, the Republican Party in Ohio and nationally has been milking the big brown cow (oops, there goes the college-age activist in me) for campaign money for over a decade now. And if certain political leaders have learned nothing from their eating-somosas-at-fundraisers exposure, and are still harboring these feelings, then that ought to cause at least some self examination by South-Asian-American Republicans. That is not to say that its easy to change underlying principled philosophies and “become Democrats.” But it ought to make some wonder whether the Republicans are offering a true-big-tent home right now or whether it’s all window dressing.
Regardless, as I said above, we ought to examine very carefully who are friends are and not assume that party labels make the determination.
After 9/11, a certain Democratic elected official had a Town Hall meeting with the South Asian American community here in Northeast Ohio to hear our concerns. A Sikh gurudwara had already been firebombed. People were getting threatened and beaten up. (My wife and I experienced some rather shocking derogatory comments at a bookstore.) A member of Congress (Louisiana Republican, John Cooksey) made a comment about towelheads. After the Democratic elected official spoke nicely about how much the official cared, I asked the official to please publicly condemn the Republican’s comments. The official declined, mumbling something about it not being the official’s “style.”
Remember, that was our moment of need, when we were all at risk. And at that moment I knew. This has little to do with Democrats versus Republicans. This has to do with character, courage, and self help. We have to have our own representation and not rely on others to stand up and do what is right for us at every turn. And we have to be willing to stand up for others as well.
When I ran statewide for Ohio attorney general, I was embraced by countless people who did not look like me. It was amazing. But I could also tell, occasionally, when people reacted negatively to me based on my race, ethnicity, and name. I could usually turn those people around. But there were still incidents in which people walked away rather than shake my hand. And there were some “leaders” who did not want me to be the nominee out of cynical assumptions about how the public at large would react to me. They were willing to put a ceiling on my opportunity based on race and ethnicity. And this was in a DEMOCRATIC primary.
Neither party has a corner on virtue.
But turning back to the subject at hand, I hope we can all start to agree that George Allen lacks virtue. And if that’s true, the best opportunity to hold him accountable is to try to deprive him of his job and a political future.
My dear Jilted_Manhood (great name),
I apologize. I am the father of triplet two-year olds who did not come into this world easily and celebrate the new life that Rep. Jindal and his wife brought into this world under difficult and heroic circumstances. I adopted the term in the same ironic sense that other Sepia Mutiny writers (including our t-shirt-designing-friend Osman did).
Indian Sharpton? OUCH!!! 🙂
from one of the letters (not from sidarth’s grandparents) that chick pea linked to:
“It also seems worth mentioning that Mr. Allen’s mother is a speaker of French and Arabic who came to this country from Tunisia. “Macaca” is a derogatory slur used by speakers of French in reference to blacks, Arabs and dark-skinned people. Mr. Allen had reason to have knowledge of that particular slur based on his family background and his own knowledge of French. I don’t understand how reporting the news can avoid mention of these facts.”
i’m glad this reader pointed this out to the WP. again, it’s incredible that ordinary readers can ferret out this information, but entire editorials and articles written by trained reporters (with the exception of a few) fail to mention this and say stuff like “although it’s unclear what allen meant, clearly it has derogatory implications” or something to that effect. during that nightline piece, allen said something like “those who think i know the meaning of macaca ascribe to me an intelligence i don’t have” or something like that. and he wasn’t even challenged on it.
Find me a Democrat that has Allen’s history and said the kind of things he has said and I’ll be just as incensed
robert byrd.
You’ve got a point, Subodh. I’m certainly not going to be a democrat anytime soon (although the latest antics of some of the Republicans make being a registered independent or libertarian pretty appealing sometimes) but we Indian Americans of any political stripe ought to stand up and say what we mean. Be unafraid, in either party. As for the rest of your discussion, well, I agree, there are racists on both sides and they both royally suck.
razib – I didn’t like the welcome to america bit at all. At all. Who you welcoming to America, bub, me? Thanks. This is my country, I’m proud of it, I love it, and, well, maybe I should welcome you to America. Except, I don’t want to, really……
md,
seems more galling to me knowing that his mother was an immigrant.
Subodh,
Thanks for taking the time to clear things up. As I said earlier, you do seem to have an impressive background. I don’t doubt your commitment to fair public service. I think you got a little carried away when you made those statements. I mean as an ambitious man you must be looking beyond just the desi vote. So for example when a mainstream American moderate in Ohio reads a comment like the following; eorge Allens of the world realize–you just don’t f*** with Macacas.
It might unsettle him/her. The comment comes across as a tad militant. That’s why the Sharpton reference. It might be interpreted by some ( most likely the Republican spin machine ) that you are saying “hey White people listen up we Brown people are soon gonna overwhelm you whether you like it or not.”
In any event, I guess I was looking out for your ( and other desi ) candidates’ interest!
Good luck with public life and say hello to your discerning wife.
Find me a Democrat that has Allen’s history and said the kind of things he has said and I’ll be just as incensed.
Cynthia McKinney – former Georgia Congresswomen was is stridently anti-Indian. Upon losing in 2002, warned others that “They are coming after you.”
Fritz Hollings – South Carolina senator referred to visiting African dignitaries as cannibals
Gus Savage – Chicago congressman who blamed his loss in the 1990s on Jews
Al Sharpton – protested outside a Harlem storefront, supposedly run by Jews, which led to one of the protestors to go in and shoot the place up, killing several employees and customers. Plus his performance in the Crown Heights riots and boycotting Korean grocers.
These examples should not excuse Allen’s behavior, but the sloppy attempt to portray Republicans with horns and Democrats with angels and halos will earn you few points. It makes the outrage directed at Allen to be partisan posturing, which has not been the case so far.
Must be something in the air..
Tramm Hudson running for Katherine Harris’ seat
Please fellow conservatives, do not make asses of yourselves jumping to conclusions and scream race-baiting, on this one either..
Southern Dems are of a different variety. The dixiecrat, they don’t represent the mainstay of the Dem party I think. Al Sharpton example is pushing it at best, he can’t be held responsible for some nutbag with a gun.
The dixiecrat, they don’t represent the mainstay of the Dem party I think
i’ll keep the importance of being a ‘mainstay’ in mind the next time a republican says something stupid.
Non-sequitor alert: what does IreneFingIrene mean? Have I embarrassed myself asking this question?
Southern Dems are of a different variety. The dixiecrat, they don’t represent the mainstay of the Dem party I think. Al Sharpton example is pushing it at best, he can’t be held responsible for some nutbag with a gun.
But the NAACP said Bush was responsible for the lynching of James Byrd.
And last I checked, Sharpton was not from the south, so the dixicrat label can’t apply.
IMO the Dems are equally guilty
i don’t think this is fair. i think there are more racist bubbas in the republican party now. but, i do think it is germane that democrats who are racially “insensitive” tend to get a relative pass. sure, byrd filibustering the civil rights act in ’64 is a long time ago, but wtf is up with him using the word n*gger in public in the 21st century? (i saw some apologia for byrd on dem sites, how he had ‘made up’ for his past. whatever)
What do you mean we should?? There is already USINPAC. Only high profile Indian American group that had the kind of clout to ask for an apology from Allen and be on national media. But a lot of people are hating USINPAC because of their focus on India related policies (as if AIPAC is not working towards Israel issues).
So looks like that even having a PAC that lobbies for the right place of the brown folks is not enough for us. Also it is unthinkable that a bi-partisan Desi group coming togather to stand up against xenophobic attacks such as Allen’s.
I myself dont like the fiscal policies of the Dem side, but other than that I am totally on the Dem side of US political spectrum.
Also, I loved Mr. Subodh Chandra’s respose. I think Mr. Chandra come out as a person genuinely interested in public service and represent the best of politicians. All the best to him from me.
It’s from the scene in Black Hawk Down where that mission to capture Aided’s aides started.
jilted_manhood —
when did i taunt Jindal’s newborn? i haven’t done anything of the sort, so why would it be understandable?
Now her New Black Panther supporters blame the Jews for her latest loss. There is a clip of their ravings on youtube.com
thank god SHE DIDN’T WIN! crazy woman.. i was seriously considering registering here in ‘gasp’ georgia to vote against her… but thankfully didn’t have to…and she still lost.
The Virginian-Pilot, a local newspaper covered the issue with a picture of a couple of desi protesters at last night’s “Veterans for Allen” event at Norfolk, Virginia. There was a separate group of veterans who protested as well on the basis of Allen’s voting records.
MD, Non-sequitor alert: what does IreneFingIrene mean? Have I embarrassed myself asking this question?
No, you have not. The same question occurred to me. I just watched the video. It has do with comments about the ostensible inability of African-Americans to swim. I think this is a totally different issue at both the macro and micro level .
From the Virginian-Pilot link in #49
Not to hijack this thread, but it is amusing to see that name… isn’t that Kal Penn’s character’s name in “The Namesake” ?