Implying that Sen. George Allen a racist for this?
At a campaign rally in southwest Virginia on Friday, Allen repeatedly called a volunteer for Democrat James Webb "macaca." During the speech in Breaks, near the Kentucky border, Allen began by saying that he was "going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas" and then pointed at S.R. Sidarth in the crowd.
"This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great," Allen said, as his supporters began to laugh. After saying that Webb was raising money in California with a "bunch of Hollywood movie moguls," Allen said, "Let's give a welcome to macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." Allen then began talking about the "war on terror." (emphasis mine)
Taken in context - even with an excerpt from the Washington Post, which is hardly a friend of conservatives - Sen. Allen obviously misunderstood/misremembered/messed up Mr. Sidarth's name. He probably remembered that is was an Indian (as in India) name, but couldn't remember exactly, and improvised.
I watched the video embedded with the WaPo article, and my opinion hasn't changed. Sen. Allen didn't know Mr. Sidarth's name, exactly, and he came up with an off-the-cuff improvisation that sounded generally like what he thought it was. I personally have done that zillions of times!
For all the fuss about NotLarrySabato, the more I read, the less I am impressed. This is a manufactured tempest in a teacup.
Eirishis calls it "idiocy" saying
He used a word that sounds like a racial slur, yes, but that doesn't mean that he meant it that way. The video plays MUCH kinder to Allen than the transcript reads, and the footage makes the Senator look downright playful. He looks into the camera. Allen is many things, but he is not politically stupid, especially on the stump. If he knew the phrase he was using was an ethnic slur, there is no way he makes the comment when he knows he is on camera.
But then, he reminds Sen. Allen's supporters
...just because he didn't mean it in a racist manner doesn't mean that it's OK to yawn this off, or to blame the story on the left-wing bloggers who broke it or the media that ran with it once it broke. The fact of the matter is, he said something that could be interpreted as racist. [...]The end story - Allen said something that, in retrospect, can be interpreted as fairly offensive, though there is very little to suggest that it was intended that way. Democrats are overreacting. Republicans are underreacting. And the overall impact on the election will be pretty much nil.
John McIntyre, at Real Clear Politics, states:
It is pretty clear, at least to me, that Allen is good naturedly ribbing a guy who is following him around and harassing him. The reason for him being singled out is not because the Webb volunteer, is non-white, but rather because the guy is following Allen around, unwanted, trying to catch him on film in an embarrassing incident.
So, the Allen campaign should say, "Oh, sorry - Sen. Allen simply couldn't remember Mr. Sidarth's name. It was unfortunate, but certainly unintentional, that his improvisation was apparently an insulting name. We extend our apologies to Mr. Sidarth, and promise to get his name right the next time Sen. Allen mentions him."
UPDATE: Jon Henke offers some common sense, Sophrosyne weighs in, but Greg Tinti has the killer comment: "For someone that is typically derided as, er, not that worldly, Sen. George Allen is sure being given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his knowledge of really obscure ethnic slurs."
Greg also points to the YouTube Video, now also posted here:
And, for those of you Shocked! Shocked, I say! about the "Welcome to America" comment, Greg has this to say:
But again, if you watch the clip carefully, prior to making the "America" remark, Allen says that his opponent is "living inside the beltway" and thus seems to be implying by the "America" remark that the real America is found outside the beltway-coincidentally, exactly where Allen's event happens to be convening. It's not exactly an uncommon reference from politicians, after all.
Yup. Now, James Joyner adds on to Greg's post with some good points which are too long to summarize here. I strongly urge you to go on over to Outside the Beltway and read the whole post for yourself.
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