Jeffrey Feldman: "George Allen used a white power word in his stump speech.  And he did it on purpose."

Video of Allen in action as soon as YouTube returns from wherever it has gone.

Comments

[Samuel Spagnola]

I would have to hear the audio, but Allen campaign says he was referring to the man's mullet haircut and was saying "mohawk". The man was from the Democratic senate candidates campaign and had been following Allen for a week, so they gave him a nickname. It doesn't make sense that Allen would use a racial epiphet used against blacks on a person from India. A macaque is a monkey, a fact Ed's link conveniently ignores. Further, the racially derogatory connotation only exists apparently in some European countries. This is not Europe.

You know, in some countries, the "walrus" is a symbol of death, thereby proving that Paul McCartney is in fact dead. (no you're not, said Little Nicola).

Of course, we could all walk into 7-11 to see all the Indians working there according to Joe Biden. Wait- he's a Democrat. In that case, it's okay. Anybody want to go to Hymietown? Wasn't that Jesse Jackson standing behind Ned Lamont last week?

[Kirk D.]

Sam,

Go listen to the audio. He did NOT say "Mohawk". I defy you to say that he did because he clearly did not. What other explanation do you have for this term?

[sean coon]

from the hotline:

A side note to the story: The Post writes that "In some European cultures, macaca is also considered a racial slur against African immigrants, according to several Web sites that track ethnic slurs." The Post doesn't mention that Allen's mother was Franco-Tunisian and Allen speaks French.

you're right sam, this is america. and some americans have foreign influences in their vocabulary.

[Jonathan Jones]

Have you listened to the audio yet Sam?

What he's saying doesn't sound like "Mohawk" to me. But I don't recognize whatever word it is he's using.

I'm not sure what to make of it all. Even if that's what Allen was trying to say, "Mohawk," then wouldn't it be inappropriate to call a Southeast Asian American by an American Indian name? Or at least wouldn't an experienced politician such as George Allen recognize the pitfalls in doing so?

I really wanted to comment more on this practice of having campaign workers from opposing campaigns follow candidates around with video cameras all the time. I remember thinking it was quite strange the first time I saw it up close -- during a gubernatorial campaign stop in rural Virginia by Jerry Kilgore last Spring.

A campaign worker from Tim Kaine's camp followed Kilgore around everywhere he went and two Kilgore workers were assigned to follow the camerman around. Their job was do their best at holding a piece of paper in front of the lens. It was one of the stranger things I've ever witnessed on a campaign trail. The Kaine worker wouldn't identify himself to me, but the Kilgore people knew who he was.

I understand it's been common practice in the national elections for a couple of cycles, although the Kilgore people said that was the first state-wide race in Virginia that they knew of it happening.

The tactic seemed more confrontational than practical. And maybe that's the point. After filming a candidate for weeks, they slip up and say something that can be used against them. In the age of YouTube, I could see that becoming a highly effective tactic to attack your opponent.

I just think it's a strange phenomenon, and I'm not sure it's one that advances the public discourse.

Then again, if you're running for office, I'm not sure you should be afraid of what you're saying ending up being recorded.

[Jim Caserta]

He saw the guy was recording him and says that in the video. If you could seriously mistake a mullet for a mohawk than you aren't really from the south.

I called Biden out when I heard what he said, but again, because someone else does it does not make it ok.

All Allen would have had to do would have been to ask the dude his name, then he could say, Sidarth over there, is filming us for my opponent who is shmoozing hollywood... Calling people names based on their race is insensitive. Voters should know what type of guy they're voting for.

[Samuel Spagnola]

Well, you know, if you listen to the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever", John Lennon says "I buried Paul." Wait a minute, he actually says "cranberry sauce", but if you are told he is saying "I buried Paul" in advance and then listen to it, damn if it doesn't sound like he IS saying "I buried Paul". Who knew the Beatles would contribute so much to this debate. I will try to listen to the Allen thing and see if he buried Paul or had cranberry sauce. I'll get back to you...

[Jeffrey Sykes]

Um, that's why Allen has no business being considered for the GOP nomination.

I clearly heard "Mah-ka-ka, or whatever his name is." Followed by some "welcome to America and the real world" bigotry.

What way is that for a senator to address someone while holding a microphone and addressing a crowd.

Like I've been saying, we need some policy makers and leaders running the government not red and blue foot soldiers.

I miss Bill and Newt and record surpluses and balanced budgets.

[Jeffrey Sykes]

Just read in the Hampton Roads paper online that the target of the "welcome to America" dig is a native-born Virginian, born and raised in Fairfax County and currently a senior at UVa.

Makes it worse that Allen was insulting and singling out one of his own constituents.

Is Allen the reason a red state like Virginia has elected back to back Democratic governors?

[Alan Cone Bulluck]

"Is Allen the reason a red state like Virginia has elected back to back Democratic governors?"

The NoVA and Tidewater regions of Virginia are the reason a "red state" like Virginia has elected back-to-back Democratic governors. Most of the people living in those areas hail from out of state, especially the NoVA crowd. Go anywhere in VA and the place is becoming more and more "blue."

[Ed Cone]

I would question the literal accuracy of the statement that "most" of the people in Tidewater or northern Virginia are from out of state, although it might hold true in some DC suburbs. In any case, there are plenty of transplants there.

The Dems elected have been centrists. Warner is a successful businessman who did quite well in many places outside of NoVa and Tidewater.

Kaine is personally opposed to abortion. He also showed some strength beyond those regions.

[Spag]

Jeff, Bill can't run anymore, but Newt can. I'm sure he would appreciate your vote.

[Jon Lowder]

First: the man definitely said something like "macaca."

Second: I'd never heard the term before this.

Third: I don't think the "welcome to America" was a slur based on nationality, I think it was a slur based on region, Northern Virginia (NoVa) which the rest of the state looks at as "yankee."

As for whether or not NoVa and Tidewater being blue resulted in getting democrats elected governor, I don't know about Tidewater, but the only hard-core blue areas in NoVa are Arlington County (smallest county in the state) and parts of Alexandria. The rest is pretty red, especially when you consider that there are several major military installations there (in the I-95 corridor you have Quantico, Ft. Belvoir and on I-395 the Pentagon) and many people who work in the defense support industry (i.e. contractors) skew Republican as well. I have to agree with Ed that Democrats putting forward centrist candidates helped get Warner and Kaine elected.

As for whether most NoVa citizens are native to the area I can tell you that in the counties within 30 miles of the Beltway in NoVa you'd be safe betting that most were transplants. I grew up in Fairfax County and I can tell you that no one came from there in the 70s and 80s: most of our parents had moved there to work for the government. Now most people seem to have moved there to work for government contractors. No way a place like NoVA can grow as quickly as it has without a massive influx of people from elsewhere.

One thing that all NoVa residents, no matter which party they came from, seem to agree on: if they don't get more state support for transportation they should consider seceding and see how the rest of the state does without their tax $$.

[Kirk D.]

So how about it Sam? Did you "get a chance" to listen to the Senator's audio yet? Still think he said "mohawk"? I can't wait to hear what you have to say and see if this one time you have the sensablity to agree that what he said was wrong. How about it?

[Jim Caserta]

I've got to disagree about the "welcome to America" comment. I have a good friend who when opening a savings account that had a $25 gift for opening it was told that the deposit would take place in a month or so, and "who knows if you'll even be in the country then." This is a US citizen of Indian descent who is a physician who is getting demeaned by some small branch bank manager! Needless to say I was fuming. There is a lot of anti-immigrant feeling, and even more soft-bigotry against immigrants or immigrant looking people. Allen was not being nice to the guy and poking fun at someone's citizenship status is just ignorant. Would he have said the same thing to a white person? Are all people who look Indian immigrants? Or maybe I'm just too sensitive about this because of all the Indian and Indian-American friends I have.

[sean coon]

jim, we both know he wouldn't have called you or me "macaca," even if we had a red, punk rock mohawk. and there's no way he would've said "welcome to america" to the most northern looking white guy (think tony soprano) in the country. he was speaking from a position of power, vibing off the crowd. that kid should've popped him in the jaw.

[meblogin]

Virgina needs another candidate..if not for this caca then...

From Washington Post.com

"Allen has been accused of racial insensitivity before. He wore a Confederate flag pin in his high school yearbook photo, used to keep a Confederate flag in his living room, a noose in his law office and a picture of Confederate troops in his governor's office, but has said he has grown since then."

Who does one become after this type history?

[Samuel Spagnola]

He did say MA-KA-KA. I don't know what he meant, because my understanding is that the racial slur is pronounced "MA-KOK", whereas the way Allen pronounced it three times was MA-KA-KA, which is a monkey. I'm not sure what it means, it probably isn't good either way, but I don't know if the facts support only the conclusion that it was racial considering the inconsistencies between the pronunciation, the fact that the racial slur is directed towards blacks, and the man was of Indian descent. Even if he meant monkey, it still isn't good for him in the limited context in which it was presented. I could see where in the proper context, monkey would make more sense. For example, the guy was sent by the Democrats to follow him around for a week- akin to a trained monkey- and macaques are the most common monkey used for animal testing. Of course, Allen claims he didn't really know the meaning of the word, so he can't use my monkey theory as a defense. Who the hell knows. I think on this one, people will believe what they want to believe and we will never know the truth. Maybe he just isn't that smart, which also doesn't bode well for him. Regardless, its a lose-lose for Allen whether he had ill-intent or not.

Some people believe Paul is dead after they played Revolution 9 backwards, but McCartney swears he is alive and well. Lennon was ambivalent on the subject: "Those freaks were right when they said you was dead" - J.L. (How Do You Sleep, 1971), but we know the "walrus was Paul" (Glass Onion, 1968).

[greendog]

"I could see where in the proper context, monkey would make more sense. For example, the guy was sent by the Democrats to follow him around for a week- akin to a trained monkey- and macaques are the most common monkey used for animal testing."

[speaking of someone else]"Maybe he just isn't that smart."

-- Sam

Hii-larious! Has anyone closed Sean's open tag yet? If not, allow me. Although, I do like the comments in bold. Easier to read.

[Samuel Spagnola]

Greendog, that type of monkey is also widely used in circuses because they are easily trained and will do what you tell them. Maybe I am misunderstanding you, but if you can't see how such a reference could make sense if referring to someone sent or "trained" to follow you around, I don't know how to help you. Think of a "lapdog" analogy, where the dog does whatever you tell him. Of course, Allen never made this argument and I don't superimpose it on him. I only suggest that it would be a viable explanation that would make at least as much sense as the racial theory. As it stands, I have no idea what he meant.

[Ed Cone]

Maybe he was just upset about the war in Lebanon, the excuse Sam was so quick to offer for Mel Gibson.

[Samuel Spagnola]

Another smart ass falsehood by Ed. I never said that WAS Mel Gibson's excuse, only that it was a possibility. Unfortunately, discussing possibilities requires an open mind, and as such, does not register with Ed, so he claims that I said it WAS Gibson's excuse. It is also noteworthy that many other national commentators suggested the same or very similar possible explanation for what Gibson said based on the timing of his comments and all the events in Lebanon and Israel. Of course, at first Ed said there could be no other explanation other than Mel Gibson hates Jews. Two days later, he changed his opinion, and suggested that perhaps it was worthy of discussing why Gibson said what he did and the role alcohol may have played in his thinking. This of course, is what I suggested initially and he criticized so heavily.

Typical Ed. Distort the truth, despite all the written evidence to the contrary, then accuse the other side of something they did not do. Once again on the Allen thing, any possible explanation that does not comport to Ed's preformulated and unwavering opinion is automatically assigned to those he disagrees with and is not even worthy of discussion. I guess I will have to say it for the third or fourth time for those in the cheaper seats who didn't get it the first few times- I DON'T KNOW WHAT ALLEN MEANT. IT COULD HAVE BEEN RACIAL, BUT THAT IS NOT THE ONLY POSSIBLE EXPLANATION. If you can twist that into an excuse, Ed, go for it. Mel Gibson all over again.

[Jim Caserta]

Sam, did you read Sean's comment? Allen would not have called a white person macaca, or used the "welcome to America" jab. Cmon, calling someone a monkey is ok? Are you serious?

Besides this (and party affiliation), is there any basis to vote for Allen over Webb?

[Jim Caserta]

Who we should be talking about:
http://www.webbforsenate.com/biography/

[Ed Cone]

Sam, I never changed my statement on Gibson.

Your compulsion to rationalize or minimize hateful remarks made by public figures -- without any evidence for doing so, and in Allen's case without even waiting to hear the actual remarks -- speaks for itself.

[Samuel Spagnola]

Jim, without defending what Allen said or meant, because I must now say for a FIFTH time I don't know what he meant, it must be pointed out that the reason the Indian guy was pointed out in a sea of white people was not because he looked Indian. It was because he had been following the campaign around for a week at the behest of the Democratic candidate, the Allen campaign knew this, so they singled him out. NOT because of his race, but because of his Democratic affiliation. Nobody is denying that he was sent there to follow the Allen campaign. If you can name one other white person who was sent to that rally by the Democrats and had followed the campaign for a week, you might have a point. It just happens they sent this guy. It is this sort of distortion of the evidence that makes the truth out of lies.

I also pointed out that even if Allen's comments weren't racial, it wasn't good for him. This was his Howard Dean scream moment, and Allen's presidential campaign I believe is over.

If it was racial, campaign is over.

If it wasn't racial, but derogatory none the less, such as referring to an Italian looking person as Guido, or a Jew as Weinstein, or a middle eastern person as Abdul, based on looks alone, campaign is probably over.

If he said it and thought he was being cute without knowing ANY of the possible meanings of the word, then he looks stupid, and the campaign is over.

Now I'm sure Ed will take all of this criticism of Allen and analysis of his statement as a defense of Allen, because it does not comport 100% with what Little Eddie believes. Such a special child, that Eddie. He's going places, you know.

Ed, "Your compulsion to rationalize or minimize hateful remarks made by public figures" except when made by liberals "speaks for itself". You clearly can't read or have selective memory. I didn't form any opinion of the Allen remarks until after I heard them. I only quoted what the Allen campaign said and what others were saying and specifically said I would withhold judgment until after I heard it. And even after hearing them, I haven't formed an opinion and I think I've said that three times or more. I have suggested it could be a number of things, none of which bode well for Allen for various reasons. Of course, in your small minded world, you must find a way to pin one theory on me and conveniently ignore the rest, just like you did on Mel Gibson.

In this case, because Little Eddie thinks the only possible way to interpret Allen's remarks is that he is a racist, anyone who suggests other alternatives is racist and is defending Allen. Classic narrow-minded, illogical Ed Cone thinking.

Another lie by Ed Cone because he can't win on the merits. But let's talk about the merits of what you just said:

1) I "rationalized or minimized" Allens remarks: Please document this Ed- and read very carefully what I have actually said, and don't cut and paste it out of context once you realize you are wrong. Also remember that there is a big difference between suggesting a possible explanation for something and excusing it. We went over this before on the Gibson thing. Look up the words in the dictionary if you need some help, Eddie.

2) Without any evidence: This is probably true because there is no evidence that I have rationalized or minimized Allen's remarks. Of course, it begs the question- what evidence do you have to support your opinion that Allen's remarks are racists, could only be racist, and there is no other possible interpretation of them except they are racist, oh wise, all knowing, smartass blogfather?

Oh, that Little Eddie keeps getting smarter everyday.

[Lex]

Sam, you're defending the indefensible here. The odds that Allen was speaking from either conscious or unconscious racism are somewhere between "pretty damned high" and overwhelming. I grew up around here at a time of high racial tension, so I know what that damned dog whistle sounds like.

But I'll tell you what: Let's 1) assume that anyone can say something stupid on the spur of the moment and 2) assume, for the purposes of this discussion, that the comment wasn't racist.

Did what Allen say enhance or detract from your assessment of his qualifications to hold the world's most important job?

Did how Allen handled the ensuing publicity -- that is, how he carried out something that wasn't spur-of-the-moment, something that he and aides had time to think about and discuss -- enhance or detract from your assessment?

[Samuel Spagnola]

"Sam, you're defending the indefensible here." Lex, you are falling into the Ed Cone trap- I haven't defended Allen. This is the sixth and last time I am going to say it. Suggesting several explanations including race, is not defending Allen. Go figure that out, it's not hard.

[Samuel Spagnola]

Lex, I believe I previously stated that I believe the Allen for president campaign is over for some of the reasons you alluded to, and this early in the game I was not a supporter of his anyway. I suppose Ed will try to convince you that I am or was, but I hope you are smarter than that.

[Samuel Spagnola]

"The odds that Allen was speaking from either conscious or unconscious racism are somewhere between "pretty damned high" and overwhelming." The problem with this is he did not pronounce it in the racially derogatory way, and the way he did pronounce it means something else. This doesn't mean that he didn't intend to use it racially. It just adds to the confusion, and I don't find any explanation race or otherwise "overwhelming" because there are problems with every theory offered. The mohawk theory the campaign first advanced was downright stupid after hearing the audio.

That's all I'm going to say about this subject unless Ed gives me another excuse to attack him and call him names.

[Dave Dobson]

I don't think it's likely that Allen knows of this obscure slur, and thus was not using it either consciously or subconsciously. It's not anything I've ever, ever heard of, and speculating about his potential to know of it based on a French mother and reasonable grades in French is not really fair without any other evidence. The "Mohawk" excuse is pretty pathetic, however.

So, let's give him the benefit of the doubt, reasonable here, and say that he was just making up some foreign-sounding name for a non-white guy who was annoying him. That makes him an ass, regardless.

This is compounded by the "Welcome to America" business, directed at a native-born U.S. citizen of color, which is pretty darned offensive. It was pretty clearly an unscripted throw-away line, which doesn't lessen its offensiveness, but is some small degree better than if it were not thoughtlessly made in the moment.

The fact that he's a Confederacy fan with a history of racial insensitivity doesn't prove that "Macaca" was a slur, either, but it confirms he's an ass.

So, even with the benefit of the doubt, he's an ass, twice over. This deserves the news coverage, just as Hymietown and the other statements did, and got.

To Sam: It's not relevant what Democrats have said in the past; some of them are also asses. It is mind-bogglingly not relevant what some people hear in Beatles lyrics.

[Brian R.]

Ed,
I blogged about this story and put a link to the video on Digg.com. Lets see how much farther this meme spreads. Props to you and folks at DailyKos for telling us.

[Lex]

Sam, when you say "that's not the only possible explanation," that might be technically true, but anyone who grew up around here and is of a certain age is gonna be thinking, "Aw, Sam, COME ON."

That said, I didn't necessarily think, and therefore didn't mean to imply, that you were supporting his campaign.

Dave: I don't think it's likely that Allen knows of this obscure slur ...

Dave, it's an insult used by Caucasian French in reference to darker-skinned people from France's former North African colonies. It might perhaps best be understood as the French equivalent to the N-bomb. And given that Allen's mother is of French-Tunisian extraction, I think it's going out on a limb a bit to suggest that Allen didn't know of the slur.

[Samuel Spagnola]

Andrew Young hates Jews, Asians and Arabs:

""Those are the people who have been overcharging us, selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs; very few black people own these stores,"

C'mon guys, now is the time to prove you're not hypocrites...

[Ed Cone]

Blogged about it more than five hours ago...

[Roch101]

Yes, you did, Ed, but where is Sam's theoretical examination of the possible excuses for Young's statements?

[Samuel Spagnola]

I tried that Roch, but you guys all decided that "theoretical examinations" weren't valid. Instead, we are only allowed to consider exactly what it said and immediately label it. That is the better question- where is your outrage and rush to judgment so apparent with Allen and Gibson?

[Roch101]

Sam, can you link to or quote from my "outrage and rush to judgment so apparent with Allen and Gibson?"

[Sanuel Spagnola]

Roch, you weren't in on that blogathon, but apparently you found the need adopt Ed's position and to comment on it now. Why appeal to the arguments made by Ed if you don't agree with him?

[Roch101]

I adopted Ed's position? I asked where was your "theoretical" defense of Young as you had offered for Allen and Gibson -- you know, pointing out the very incosistencey that you accuse others of (me included, mistakenly -- although an apololgy is apparently beneath you.)

[Samuel Spagnola]

Why mention Ed then?? I can apologize. I'm sorry I included you in the same bunch. I assume then, you disagree with them. I can give a theoretical defense if you want one, because I believe there is one. But first, I'm waiting for the unwavering outrage from Ed and the rest of his cronies.

[Roch101]

Ed was mentioned simply to acknowledge that he had written about Young hours before you asked why he hadn't.

I didn't comment on Gibson because it seemed inconsequential to me and didn't completely agree with anybody. Sometimes people say things they don't really mean when they are durunk, sometimes their true feelings show. Delving into it didn't interest me.

Allen's and Young's words speak for them. They didn't inspire any thought in me, only a heavy sigh.

[Sam Spagnola]

"Sometimes people say things they don't really mean when they are durunk, sometimes their true feelings show." When I suggested that possibility, not excuse, but possibility, I was lambasted here. I'm glad someone on the other side agrees it is a possibility, even though none of can say for sure whether that was the case with Gibson. He could hate Jews, Allen could be a racist, and Young could be a bigot...or not. I just don't like people seizing on something and labelling it automatically and then getting upset and pissy when someone decides to analyze it.

As far as mentioning Ed, what you said I can understand, but I can't understand the use of Ed's argument against me in the same sentence unless you agreed with him, which would then make my initial response applicable to you as well. C'mon you know you were latching on to that argument even if you never posted on it. Anyway, it's not that big of a deal. All of this is rather amusing actually.

[Ed Cone]

Everyone knows that drunks can say dumb things.

But Mel Gibson's remarks came after years of speculation about his alleged anti-Semitism. He didn't blurt out an epithet to the surprise of a world that supposed him free of prejudice, he launched a straight-from-The Protocols of the Elders of Zion rant after a long-running national debate about his views on Jews, during which we had learned that he was raised by a Holocaust denier and has trod that line himself in published interviews.

Suggesting in that context that he was just drunk or maybe upset about the war in Lebanon makes about as much sense as, well, citing the Allen camp's ridiculous "mohawk" defense without listening to the audio first.

It's been nearly three weeks, Sam, since your flippant comment about Gibson drew a routine smartass rebuttal, triggering your apparently ongoing mania for confrontation and self-justification. Maybe it's time to move on?

[Roch101]

"I'm glad someone on the other side agrees it is a possibility" -- Sam

And that may be a clue, Sam, that the "sides" you see do not reflect reality.

[christian unruh]

I keep reading Samuel's "arguments: and each is funnier than the last. Kind of like all the excuses people are offering up for Allen, some his campaign didn't even dream up. But I can't tell if Sam is serious or just trying to wind you people up. The funniest one is . . "Further, the racially derogatory connotation only exists apparently in some European countries. This is not Europe." So if I was to say "puta madre" to someone who looks like they might be Latin, it's okay because I'm not in Mexico? I can tell from Sam's writing style he is educated so I can only assume he is grinning to himself while defending the indefensible.