On Sunday Salon.com published a very provocative article about Sen. George Allen of “Macaca” fame (thanks for the tip Subodh and “Sparky“). To those people who have been defending him, including members of the Indian American Republican Council (IARC) and some Indian American business men in Virginia, I am sure this story will be of interest:
Three former college football teammates of Sen. George Allen say that the Virginia Republican repeatedly used an inflammatory racial epithet and demonstrated racist attitudes toward blacks during the early 1970s.
“Allen said he came to Virginia because he wanted to play football in a place where ‘blacks knew their place,'” said Dr. Ken Shelton, a white radiologist in North Carolina who played tight end for the University of Virginia football team when Allen was quarterback. “He used the N-word on a regular basis back then.”
A second white teammate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared retribution from the Allen campaign, separately claimed that Allen used the word “nigger” to describe blacks. “It was so common with George when he was among his white friends. This is the terminology he used,” the teammate said.
A third white teammate contacted separately, who also spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being attacked by the Virginia senator, said he too remembers Allen using the word “nigger,” though he said he could not recall a specific conversation in which Allen used the term. “My impression of him was that he was a racist,” the third teammate said. [Link]
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p>Here is one more tidbit:
Shelton said he also remembers a disturbing deer hunting trip with Allen on land that was owned by the family of Billy Lanahan, a wide receiver on the team. After they had killed a deer, Shelton said he remembers Allen asking Lanahan where the local black residents lived. Shelton said Allen then drove the three of them to that neighborhood with the severed head of the deer. “He proceeded to take the doe’s head and stuff it into a mailbox,” Shelton said. [Link]
I am interested of course in what these former teammates have to say about Allen as it has bearing on the whole “macaca” incident. However, I am equally blown away by how similar this is to when former Presidential candidate John Kerry got “swift-boated” during the 2004 campaign. At that time it was some of Kerry’s former Vietnam war comrades that cast aspersions on his character from their interaction with him decades before. Here it is Allen’s former teammates on the UVA Cavaliers. Are we about to see political karma played out before our eyes? Another Presidential hopeful’s ambitions thwarted? I am going to predict so. Many macacas are known for their belief in karma after all. 🙂
Um, MD, the guy who Subodh is talking about describes himself as an “operative”:
Operative and activist refer to different roles. An operative is one who is directly or indirectly employed by the party in question. Activist refers to a much broader and less precise group. The term operative is clumsy/inesthetic but standard in both parties.
This is persecution-complex vocabulary. And some of us don’t recognize ourselves as “lefties” and “righties” by the way. It’s not like there are two fixed-for-eternity packages of policies and views, and you have to pick one, exclusively and in full.
Abhi – “Because Indian business men/women and the IARC continue to support him.”
So? What is wrong with that? Are you implying that Indian/Americans support only Ram (of Ramayana mythology fame) like candidates ? If yes, who? Jim Webb?, the candidate who claimed – “the navy is a hornt woman’s dream come true”?
And, what if Allen has promised to suppport legislature, which will help India alleviate poverty?
I meant to quote – “the navy is a hornY woman’s dream come true”
MD “uncle”, Life is about being able to distinguish between right and wrong and not right and left!
Why is it that middle-aged desi doctors who make >700,000 a year never see any wrong in even the worst type of candidate? Are those tax handouts that important?
Any chance the Allen accusers could be lying. Nah, that is impossible. Politics and lies…I must be daft.
So you are advocating in explicit terms that we should be sell-outs. I’m through with this thread. That was a good place to end.
I think the Balkans are some of the most homophobic places in the Western world (judging solely by colleagues from those places) and I’d guess that’s why they use that word. In my case, I’m just trying to battle the inherent sexism of the term “motherf*r”. You know, equal opportunity and all that… Simply not using the term won’t do it.
I think the real question at hand is whether Allen can locate India on a map. What’s with this moral equivalency between Allen and his opponent? This is what the republicans are excellent at. Equating things that have no business in the same ball park, case in point, the 2004 election. Bush – AWOL, deserting his unit during war time, with no credible evidence to demonstrate otherwise, that too a prized position handed to him on a silver plate, Kerry – a small group of people hint that he may not have been deserving of the purple heart during Vietnam, and that some claims were exaggeratd.. See those two are just the same? It makes no sense to vote kerry!
Yes, I am explicitly stating that we ( those of us who give a shit about the millions of Indians who stuggle with back breaking poverty every day) should put India’s plight before the Sepia morality code. You, obviously, have no idea, what it means to be poor. And,btw, how do you think, this nation, your motherland became so great? By taking the high road? So great, as to attract immigrants to her shores for decades. Eduacated and talented Immigrants who came, despite being aware of her moral compromises. And, now they lecture us on morality.
What fucking hypocrisy?
I am sorry, I lost it there. It won’t happen again.
desidawg.. it’s auntie.. unless she wears a tshirt like this.
Can we please avoid both “uncle” and “auntie” here? They are both ageist. Play the ball, not the woman.
“I’m just trying to battle the inherent sexism of the term “motherf*r”. You know, equal opportunity and all that… Simply not using the term won’t do it.” I hear you. Good idea. Amazing where these threads lead.
you might be surprised…
Thanks for noticing, tourette. I listened to some samples clips from the Peaches after seeing the link from siddhartha. Graphic lyrics, most outstandingly graphic. The singer seems to use it as a pretty strong word, though, not as casually as most people might say MF.
“you might be surprised…” link to Teaches of Peaches recordings.
…thanks Sidd (may I call you Sidd?). Miss Peaches sounds most creative. Nice to round out this discussion with a little culture.
“The singer seems to use it as a pretty strong word, though, not as casually as most people might say MF.” all things in their time Kurma. all things in their time.
IARC should stand for Indian American Rebpublican Chaprasis. That’s exactly what they are. Homeboys got it all twisted yo! These are the same mother#ckers who turn the other cheek whenever someone uses the word “paki” in front of them. Or get invovled in the convo and say some sh!t like “oh yes, they are from the villages they are pretty backwards.” They suck on goras lund just like what their grandfathers did during the british raj. I hate desis like this with a passion. I bet these fools hide all the ‘steel plates and glasses’ whenever their gora company arrives. I can’t belive that they would sit there and defend that Macaca saying dude.
bah i hate politics.
“These are the same mother#ckers who turn the other cheek whenever someone uses the word “paki” in front of them.” and no doubt the same father#ers. good night all.
Finally, Chris Matthews on Hardball conducts an effective cross examination (click on “Video: Is George Allen racist?”) of Ed Gillespie, George Allen’s Treasurer, on Allen’s French-Tunisian connection and use of the term macaca.
Cross post this link everywhere you can!
Subodh, I was thinking of you earlier this evening while watching “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” — a really effective David Shuster taped piece which covered all the bases (French-Tunisian mother, etc) that you have rightly noted that the media keeps neglecting. Keith is almost always on top of this kind of thing anyway, but looks like someone at MSNBC finally got your memo.
Now on to the Virginia media!
Here’s the George Allen insult generator. It’s fun. Try it.
I wasted an hour on this in the afternoon! It is fun. 🙂
And on it goes. Another person surfaces: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/us/politics/27allen.html
Subodh, This Turkey is well and truly cooked!
BomboclotIndian, What a hilarious post. I was laughing for ten minutes straight. MD if you’re around, I would recommend you read post #171. It’s exactly what the doctor recommended.
Subodh, The insult generator was awesome.
The New Republic has found a second source to corroborate the “dear head in the mail box” story but the source doesn’t know about the racist angle.
Dear-head story also corroborated in Salon.
Okay. Someone please give me a dope slap. This story actually almost makes me feel sorry for Allen. The guy can’t catch a break. Now the Confederate flag lovers are after him.
I think Allen is toast, now. This whole thing has just gotten a life of its own and its not going to go away easily. Swift boated indeed !!! That Karma is a bitch.
Check out the byline on this article.
Allen is actually very much alive, RC. In the latest poll, he’s ahead by 5%. For him to anger Confederate flag lovers is akin to when Hillary angers antiwar groups or gay righs activists in that these groups have no one else to vote for; they’re votes already in his back pocket, and now his goal is to recapture the center by positioning himself as less of a racist than the facts convey. Unless something drastically changes (such as Allen calling Rep. John Lewis a n*gger), I think Allen will win.
Part of the problem, which is I think a problem that many Democrats share, is that Webb isn’t inspiring Virginia nor realy getting his views out. All of the negative publicity is keeping the focus on Allen, giving him lots of face time in the media, and allowing him to turn questions about his racist past into opportunities for him to talk about his values (e.g., “I come from a football culture where the color of one’s skin doesn’t matter”). Meanwhile, Webb can’t get his message out because the focus is on Allen.
Albeit, the thrust is something negative about Allen, but by this point, after Macacagate and the stories of the noose, etc., the people who’ll decide their vote on the parameter of racism have been moved, which accounts for the increase i Webb’s poll nmber by 15 points. Additional revelations of Allen’s racism are unlikely to sway the stalwarts who’re sticking by Allen unless the revelation is stark and current (e.g., Allen calling Rep. John Lewis a n*gger).
To me, it really says a lot about Virginia voters and about Allen’s spin that he’s still 5% ahead in the polls.
BTW, I read a conservative blog today to see how the other side thinks. I’d recommend this.
I really need to spellcheck. Sorry, y’all!
And here’s yet another witness to George Allen using the n-word. You can hear her story first hand on video.
Apparently, Webb has probably used the N-word a few times himself. He says: “I don’t think that there’s anyone who grew up around the South that hasn’t had the word pass through their lips at one time in their life,” which I take the same way I take Allen’s claim that he “doesn’t remember.”
With a deer’s head, confed flag and all, allen is probably worse though webb probably treats women worse. Is it a tu quoque fallacy to bring this up in the context of a choice between the two men? or is this fair and balanced? I report, you decide.
Manju, I don’t think this is a shocker to anyone given that they were both Republicans for most of their lives.
they can’t all be saints like W.