[Cross-posted at dailykos]ThereGs more of it. And like a mess of noxious, foul-smelling decayed matter that lay at the bottom of memory for years, more has already risen to the surface than weGve been told.
What if youGre someone who heard George Allen say those things? ItGs not the kind of thing you want to dredge up and talk about. And would anyone believe you? Why risk retaliation from a very powerful politician with a taste for violent rhetoric (GǣweGre going to knock their soft teeth down their whiny throatsGǥ) and violent symbols (a noose in his office), when no, you didnGt have a tape recorder when you heard him say it? Why risk what his supporters might do to you and your family?
But you canGt forget. It lies there, rotting, at the bottom of your memory, still exhaling its nauseous stench. And so when former Allen teammates come forward with their memories, and an anthropology professor does the same--something stirs in your memory, too; something foul and evil-smelling and too-long undisturbed. So you sit down at the keyboard and this is what you write:
I knew George well enough to be on a first name basis with him back in the early 90's when I was active in the Charlottesville Republican Committee. . . . In an adjoining conference room there were Mexican-Americans who were selling western ware. As I stood talking with George . . . the chairman suggested that George may want to look at some of the cowboy boots for sale in the other room as we knew of his affinity for the footwear. His response floored me. He looked at us both and said in a condescending tone that he would not buy anything from those "wetbacks."
ThatGs if youGre a courageous and principled man--a truly honorable Virginia Republican--named Forrest R. Cook.
Or this:
In two converstions I had with my College classmate George Allen on The Lawn in front of Newcombe Hall at The University of Virginia in early 1974 he used the N-word describing "Arabs" as "sandn*****s" at least a dozen times.
ThatGs if youGre a courageous and honorable UVA alum named Will Jones.
Or this:
I have a very specific memory of a conversation I had with George Allen when he was in law school at UVA, in which he used similar language -- much to my shock at the time. In my case, I can give time and place, as it occurred at a Ford-Carter election night party at the home of a mutual friend. I might add that I have told some people about this throughout the years -- most recently I talked to Tyler Whitley of the Richmond Times Dispatch about it a few weeks ago when he asked me why I was supporting Jim Webb in this campaign.
ThatGs if youGre a courageous Virginia homemaker named Ellen G. Hawkins--in which case you also tell your story to the New York Times.
Or maybe, if youGve seen a good friend of yours have the guts to come forward and get accused of lying about a memory of George Allen stuffing a deer head in a black familyGs mailbox, you say this:
I just think Kenny Shelton is a fine, upstanding person, and I know he is telling the truth. . . . Some time drinking a beer at U Heights, . . . Lanahan [the now-deceased other man with Allen during the deer-head episode] told me they went hunting and killed a deer. All I know is they cut off a deer head and stuck it in someone's mailbox. . . . He didn't say it was racial -- just said they stuck it in a mailbox as a prank.
ThatGs if youGre a courageous UVA alum and loyal friend named George Beam--and the fact that you donGt sensationalize your memory by claiming the racial angle adds credibility to both yourself and Dr. Shelton.
There will surely be others, but is this not enough? Enough that George Allen spewed filth years ago from his own vile throat and left it to rot and stink in othersG memories for years. Enough that what he said has polluted good and honorable peopleGs memories of him, of their experiences of college life, of their experience of service in local politics. Enough.
The scum is rising to the surface at last, more and more of it, leaving behind memories cleansed and a mirror as clear as pure water in which to take the measure of George AllenGs fitness to lead his commonwealth, his country, or the world.
I hope we see more people step forward and tell the truth. And I hope it's enough to put an end to George Allen's political career.
George Allen is a Bush II clone and a chickenhawk, in every aspect of his life.
I am waiting for the teammates who insisted on remaining anonymous when Shelton stepped forward to speak, and for Larry Sabato to persuade some of the sources he has found utterly credible to speak as well.
It's safe to say we haven't heard the last of this, nor should we.
Each testimonial is a brick in the wall that Allen must climb to retain his credibility, eventually it is overwhelming and cannot be scaled...
There is a cathartic element to all this--and, one hopes, for Virginia too, on Election Day!
Case closed.
Who was it that said "we make your own reality......"???? I think it was your guy W.....before that it was every other autocrat in world history.
But in this case, the entire meltdown began with Allen himself and his macaca remark which was verified by a video. George Allen's basic bullying tactics suddenly struck a cord with people. And first one then another hero stepped forward and shared their own experiences with Mr. Allen, and the corroborating evidence and testimonials keep pouring in, of their own accord. Of course, George is flailing about trying to blame his opponent, trying to deny the truth, trying to smear and kill the many messengers. But the preponderance of evidence is mounting. How much longer can you yourself close your eyes and ears and defend the indefensible? How much longer will you degrade your own character and integrity by defending this hollow man who is named George Allen?
Many Republicans/Conservatives have a hard time accepting reality and the truth. When confronted with an unpleasant truth, they lash out. When they can't disprove the message, they try to attack the messenger.
What sad behavior.
The people of Virginia are coming to see clearly what George Allen's true character is, and that is driving George Allen's supporters absolutely crazy.
WASHINGTON - Until recently, Virginian Senator George Allen planned to run with the Republican party for the US presidency. But in the past two weeks, he ran into a “problem”: He discovered his Jewish roots – and then turned his back on them. Now, it is not at all clear whether he will even manage to be reelected and keep his senate seat, nevermind running for president.Etty Lumbroso’s sad story ends here, and her son George’s sad political story starts. Last week Allen appeared for an interview with Channel 9 TV in Washington. When the reporter asked about his mother’s Jewish background, he answered irately, “She was raised Christian.” When the reporter insisted on digging deeper, he turned away the questions aggressively: “That’s it, that’s it,” he said.
His attempt to evade the issue was pathetic, and even Allen was aware of that. The next day, he clarified that he didn’t know of his 83-year-old mother’s Jewish background until she herself approached him after the television interview and revealed her secret. After he recovered from the press attention and his instinctive reaction, Allen issued an official response to the media, stating his pride in every aspect of his varied background, especially the Jewish heritage of the Lumbroso family.
Newsweek reported that that very day, Allen provided an interview for a local Richmond paper, in which he said the story of his Judaism isn’t but “an interesting nuance to my background." He added, "I still had a ham sandwich for lunch. And my mother made great pork chops."
Allen made the comments in conservative Virginia, as if he wanted to assure his voters that he was the same George Allen that they knew before, son of a famous football coach who became governor, and then senator. He desperately tried to signal to them that nothing had really changed, expect that little fact about his mother’s past.
That was a mistake. Since then, everyone is busying themselves not with Allen’s Jewish past – but with his response to the expose. He even tried to mend the damages, but for naught.***
Allen is now trying to deal with his new reality. Political analysts assess that his behavior lately ruined any chance he had of entering the White House, and in his campaign for senate, Allen is leading with only 3 to 7 percent ahead of his Democratic rival.
Overnight, Allen went from a rising star in the Grand Old Party, to a man who looked like he was running for Grand Wizard. First, he referred to a young Indian-American as "macaca" a few weeks ago. Now, he is accused by two acquaintances of using the N-word in the 1970's and 1980's.
Allen strenuously denies the allegations and has trotted out character witnesses to say he is the second coming of Malcolm X. But, his defense might seem more plausible if he had spent his adolescence collecting baseball cards, instead of confederate flags and nooses. He was also nicknamed “neck” during college – as in “redneck,” which certainly isn’t going to earn him any “trust me” points from the NAACP.
I don’t expect this controversy will help Allen win reelection over Democratic Senatorial candidate James Webb. These days, even racists are expected to use code words instead of the N-word, and unlike Allen, at least Mel Gibson can claim he was drunk when he made his offensive remarks against Jews.