George Allen's Race Problem

From Political Wire:

"Political Wire received an advance copy of a New Republic profile of Sen. George Allen in which author Ryan Lizza finds many of Allen's high school classmates surprised that he's considering running for president because of the racist tendencies he displayed as a teenager. They say he "plastered the school with confederate flags" and drove a red Mustang with a confederate flag on the front."

Comments

[jason]

And that was HOW long ago? It won't stick and it's digging awfully deep.

[republitarian550]

The more I Find out about George Allen the more I like him.

Please tell me he's a big Hank, Jr. fan.....that would just make my day

[Not Jack Herrity]

I hate to start a firestorm, but as much as I despise the imagery of the Confederate flag, the display of said flag alone, without something more, does not automatically make one racist. Remember the stink over the confederate flag during his gubernatorial campaign?

NJH

[Not Harry F. Byrd, Sr.]

That ain't diggin deep. When confronted about having a confederate battle flag:

"It was never flying," he said. "It was nailed to a wall."

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1223-04.htm

Sure you can make it stick. Give me two pictures: one from high school and one from the shad planking; both with flags.

:30 spots --

"Enlightenment"

"Can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"Didn't get the memo"

A field day for a any creative group.

[Senator Allen]

Yes, republitarian550, I am a huge Hank, Jr. fan. In fact, I've got "Dixie On My Mind" right now.

Please keep those Jeffersonian principles I hold dear and remember to vote for me in November!

[Not Impressed]

I still can't get past his "soft yellow teeth down their whiny throats" comment from years back...but this fits the profile. An arrogant SOB.

[Not Harry F. Byrd, Sr.]

Hey, this reminds me of something:

Just the good ol' boys
Never meanin no harm
Beats all you never saw
Been in trouble with the law Since the day they was born...

[republitarian's wife]

Not HFBSr.,
That was my first thought too.

Where is Libertas when you need him?

[James Young]

This is the same kind of idiocy which equates support for law and order with racism. Only far Left moonbats find merit in it.

[A Voters]

'far left moonbats'... I love it!

Very well said, James.

[Shaun Kenney]

Something's got to beat Tailhook...

James Webb's handlers are going to have to do much better than that, but it's a good strategy -- the only way he is going to beat Miller at this point is to beat on Allen...

[Not Larry Sabato]

Does anyone know if the story of George Allen apologizing over his high school loudspeaker for painting a conferedate flag on a rival school is true or urban legend?

[Libertas]

You know, on this one, I am torn. I certainly understand the cultural signifigance of the confederate flag to the African American community and some of the things they believe it stands for.

I also know from first hand experience what it means to the folks who grew up here in the Blue Ridge. I know what the flag means because my ancestors followed that hat on a sword at Gettysburg and participated in that charge.

There are no mint juleps in that picture either.

I don't fly a confederate flag. The south lost the war and thank goodness for that. But I also know that this sort of cultural smugness is what drove white males from the Democratic Party in the first place.

It has nothing to do with bemoaning the demise of slavery, it was and is a horrid institution contrary to everything that is right and good about this country.

To Bubba, that flag means we ain't gonna be pushed around. It means short of killing me, you can't break me.

While I don't doubt for a second that George Allen is racist, hence the noose, I don't think a confederate flag makes him that way.

In fact the only thing the flag says about ol' California George, is that he is an even worse student of history than he is of geography.

[Kilo]

Jim Webb-Speech at The Confederate Memorial
“And so I am here, with you today, to remember. And to honor an army that rose like a sudden wind out of the little towns and scattered farms of a yet unconquered wilderness. That drew 750,000 soldiers from a population base of only five million-less than the current population of Virginia alone.”

[Right Wing, Left Coast]

Is there a Virginian in the house that isn't tired of the utterly subjective Confederate flag debate?

[Riley, Not O'Reilly]

Where is the outrage over Bo and Luke Duke? Uncle Jesse? Come on.

Heck, Cooter used to fix the General Lee all the time and he's endorsed Webb in this race.

If anyone in this race is associated with the Confederate flag in a present day sense, it is Webb.

[Matt]

SK,
The only way Webb beats Miller is to beat on Allen? Are you joking? Have you seen Miller's rallies? Have you seen Webb's? Might this say something about their support more than one tracking poll?

As for the Allen thing, its really a dead issue. Only God and the Senator know if he has a racist heart and anyone trying to paint him as one is lacking in substance. Robb got desperate and tried to use it but its really got no traction. Webb has a lot of better issues to run on.

[UVA08]

You know I would be tempted to buy Allen's heritage argument if the man was actually born in the South. I have a hard time believing that the reason a California native would wave a confederate flag is to tout some heritage to which he has no connection to.

[Virginia Centrist]

I don't think the Confederate Flag is racist...

I don't think this issue will hurt Allen in 2006.

But 2008?!??! Yes, yes, and yes.

For the record - if Allen runs for president, don't be surprised if a former teammate of Allen's at UVA comes forward with this:

"I've never in my life heard anybody use more racial slurs than George Allen"

[Virginia Centrist]

Where did George Allen go to high school though? California?

If he was plastering Confederate flags on the walls at a California high school in he is a R-A-C-I-S-T, big time.

[jason]

VC - Sorry, but in '08 any attempt to paint Allen as a racist will merely be viewed by the general public as an anti-southern bias by his opponent. Backfire.

[UVA08]

VC - from what I have read he went to high school and attended UCLA in California and moved with his family to Virginia later on. I too think regardless of how much Virginia has "changed" that his racist past will do little to hurt him and maybe help in some parts of the state. Swing states like Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania

[UVA08]

sorry to continue.... the swing states I mentioned may have a problem voting for someone with a racist past.

[NSLF]

Iowa was in the Confederacy?