It's all men, every one of 'em. And pale, way too pale.

They have earned their gritty, broken and battered fingers through hard work, unlike Allen's gang of thieves.

Let's also not forget that Webb's crew doesn't seem spoiled or excessively rich by any objective standard.  It doesn't matter what a person looks like when he or she is poor, lacks good healthcare and medicine, can't find affordable housing and a decent job.  The poor, be it in rural Virginia or in an urban housing project, have a lot more in common with each other than they have with the snobs in Allen's circle.  Don't let superficial images divide us - don't take the bait.

-Matt Harris

I'm not questioning that this is a great bunch. There are simple folk, there are war heroes, there are popular writers, there are lots of other good guys.

But there's the problem, for this election, that Jim Webb cannot win with the white male vote: Allen will get these by a wide margin. (White men represent the largest Republican constituency.) Webb needs to do well with everybody else, which is why he must work like the very devil these next <5 weeks to appeal to women and minorities.

WE ALL need to work with all groups of people.  In fact, it's such a basic attribute of what it means to be an American that it's never enough to just act in an inclusive manner during the election season. We all need to reach out across our own identities since we are all in the same sinking boat.

Unlike Allen, Webb seems more likely to appreciate the content of one's character rather than the color of one's skin.  Though I am thankfully too young to have been in Vietnam, something tells me that in the horrors of war, one's skin color is irrelevant.

I trust Webb on issues of race and completely don't trust Allen.

Here:
Women For Webb

I don't think that's fair.  It's 1965-1968(? I don't know the tour time), and to me this is a very strong statement.

They are fighting a new war and that is getting these corporate sponsored corrupt politicians out of Washington and
that is a very hard battle indeed.

These guys are clearly sacrificing similar to what they did in Vietnam.

Focusing in a "diverse" crowd when were talking about war buddies is ridiculous, especially considering the time frame and their backgrounds.

I'm impressed that a man who has acheived so much keeps friends from all walks of life, rather than kissing up to power brokers and wealthy people.

Jim Webb has friends of various ethnicities, races, and both genders. I hope that another article will feature them.

is not pale

I think it's clear that Jim Webb is the rare sort of person who is able to talk to and identify with people across many cultural, intellectual, economic and social lines. This comes from his ability to look at people as individuals unafraid of artificial distinctions. You'll find highly educated "wonks", military officers, soldiers, politicians and a broad slice of the "rest of us" among Jim Webb's supporters and friends. Jim Webb isn't called a "populist democrat" without reason. I think this is the sort of person we can all appreciate in what is supposed to be a system of representative government.

Jim Webb isn't some kind of "slicky boy" like many/most politicians. I even find it hard to consider him a politician because he is so unlike what we've seen in American politics for decades.

George Allen was hanging around with 13-16 year old boys, destroying people's mailboxes, beating up on people, living in a male-dominated household where in his sister's words:

"My world had clearly defined functions: girls fold jockstraps, serve dinner, clear the table.  Boys wear jockstraps, eat dinner, leave the table."  P. 133

"

I guess I don't need to repeat his sister's Niagara Falls and dragging upstairs by the hair story.

But here's a brief recap on another item:

These are all George Allen stories about how he treats women and.

The first appeared in a Media General publication, the Smyth County News & Messenger on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006, Page A4, below the fold, under the headline, "Different ways for different people.”
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"He stopped and looked straight at me. He had to look down at me, because he stood so tall in those cowboy boots. I thought I spotted a twinkle in his eye, and for a moment, I suspected he might give a humorous, light-hearted answer. Then he leaned forward and looked all the way down at the pavement. I figured he was planning a perfectly crafted answer to my question. I put pen to paper, ready to take it down. His lips puckered as if he might speak.

Then, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia gathered up a glob of tobacco-laced saliva. He used his lips to squirt it out, as if he had practiced. The spit landed just at the tip of my shoe. He grinned, but didn't say a word. Then he walked into the building.

"
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From the Ryan Lizza article in the New Republic:

"From his back pocket, he removes a tin of Copenhagen *** Allen turns away and spits a long brown streak of saliva into the dirt, just missing one of his constituents, a carefully put-together, blonde, ponytailed woman approaching the senator for an autograph. She stops in her tracks and stares with disgust at the bubbly tobacco juice that almost landed on her feet. Without missing a beat, Allen's communications director, John Reid, reassures her: "That's just authenticity!

""http://www.tnr.com/d...

From a story reprinted at: www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/1/54827/9172

"I was not surprised by Sen. Allen’s crude remarks aimed at a Democratic campaign worker. Several years ago, while I was engaged in research at the Dickenson County courthouse, I heard that then-Gov. Allen was on his way to a groundbreaking for the new Red Onion prison. A friend and I drove up to the site, not realizing until we arrived that it was a Republican-only event.
Allen was escorted by a politician who, noting our presence made some comment to him and pointed at us. We stood with a small semi-circle of onlookers waiting to shake Allen’s hand, but he deliberately skipped the two of us and continued shaking hands with others in the line. He made a few remarks to the crowd and then stood with his back to us, turning once to aim a jet of tobacco spit directly at our feet. Although he had never met us before, he made us well aware of his sentiments. A small incident, yes, but very revealing of his attitude. He did not intend to treat Democrats with the slightest common courtesy.
Following this recent incident, he did not immediately apologize for his comments – he only regretted (or so he says) that the young man was embarrassed by them. George Allen is hardly a representative for all the people.

Kathy Shearer
Emory, Va.

"
From Dr. Shelton, who made the n-word and deer head accusations:http://www.dailypres...

""I never really understood George," Shelton said. "He has a disregard for a lot of people. "He chewed tobacco and would walk down the hall in Newcombe Hall without a cup, spitting on the floor and on the walls because he knew somebody would be there to clean it up - black janitors. It was disgusting."

"

From Jimmy Carter’s granddaughter:  http://www.dailykos....

"“My husband’s family lives in Virginia.  Several years ago, his little sister went with a friend to a parade where George Allen was making an appearance, and her friend’s Mom got a chance to speak to Allen.  While they were talking, he was chewing tobacco.  He spit on the ground and a fleck of brown spittle landed on my sister-in-law’s shoe.  She was horrified.
So now you know: George Allen spits on little girls.”

by Sarah R Carter on Mon Jul 31, 2006 at 09:06:56 AM PDT

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Another question for the peeps.  What's the gender and racial composition of Allen's top ten campaign staffers?  Anyone know?