MISSED ONE

It looks like George Allen may have slipped one more racially insensitive comment past us. 

I've got a call into my source at the Allen campaign to get their take- but when I realized what he was saying- this one is pretty bad also...

DEVELOPING...

UPDATE:  Youtube is down- but Republitarian has a transcript of the Allen video.  Check this out:

Allen in Video:  "So it’s good for you to see what it’s like out here in the real world. Rather than living inside the beltway."

For those of you who don't know Northern Virginia- "inside the beltway" are the neighborhoods filled with minority voters...

It's basically the equivalent of having an all white event in Chesterfield County and pointing out the only black person as "living in Eastern Richmond" or being at an all white event in Williamsburg and pointing out the only black person as "living in Petersburg". 

Did Allen know what this meant?  Watch the video when it comes back up- when he says that, it is the only time he stops himself mid sentence and changes topic.

Then in his WaPo apology- he does it again!

Allen in apology:  "Allen said that by the comment welcoming him to America, he meant: "Just to the real world. Get outside the Beltway and get to the real world."

Almost half of Northern Virginia is inside the beltway!  That's about 15% of the entire population of Virginia.  Why aren't our Virginia neighborhoods "the real world"?  Does the real world need to have a lighter skin tone Senator? 

Oh, and by the way Senator Allen, Sidarth lives in Dunn Loring which is outside the beltway.  Too bad you took one look at him and assumed otherwise.

So what do you think? Did Allen say he lived "inside the beltway" to insult Sidarth- or was the comment not race based- in which case he was insulting the 1 million Virginians who live there?

UPDATE:  Download nls.wmv

Comments

[Matt in VA]

Geez... when will it end... this is really depressing, I've known Allen had a history for a while but hearing it all from different sources just gives it so much more depth.

[phriendlyjaime]

Allen is the most racist Californian in the country, huh?

[Matt]

Hmm...

I would've thought his handlers would've gone into full damage control clampdown by now.

YEESH!

[Matt]

Hmm...

I would've thought his handlers would've gone into full damage control clampdown by now.

YEESH!

[Matt in VA]

Yeah, really, if Wadhams is Rove 2.0 as everybody claims, he's certainly not nearly as effective at subverting freedom of the press.

Which is a great thing, by the way. We could use fewer Roves in the world.

[Not Don Rumsfeld]

I think you'd have a dickens of a time finding anything that George has said that's insensitive. Stop all this henny penny bloggy talk and get back to pushing intervideos of kittens being cute through the intertubes.

[Matt]

No...no more kittens...
now see what you've gone and done, we have to send lottery balls down the tubes because they're darn clogged with kittens, although the tubes are most definitely not a truck.

[PM]

You mean Hollywood moguls? Yes, it can be code for Jewish liberal.

Here's a book on the subject . . .An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood (Paperback)
by Neal Gabler. It's on Amazon. One review says:

"From Library Journal
Gabler has written a thoroughly researched history of the early Hollywood film industry and the men who ran it. Coming from similar humble Eastern European and Jewish backgrounds, Fox, Laemmle, Meyer, Zukor, and the Warner brothers shared an overwhelming desire to achieve wealth and status in their new country. Finding barriers to success through traditional means, they gravitated to the fledging film industry where they "could simply create a new countryan empire of their own, so to speakone where they would not only be admitted, but would govern as well."

[Not Don Rumsfeld]

Look in a free society kittens are going to get stuck in tubes. Is that ok? No. Can we do anything about it? No. Can I ask myself questions all day? Yes. If the tubes start to leak, we can seal them with actual baby seals. It's back breaking work, but someone has to do it.

Now please, whatever you do, stop this kerfluffle before I.Publiclyeatcheetos, Charles and the rest of my fighting 101st keyboarders get upset and have to take extra medicine. They have other liberal agitators to fight on other fronts and I do believe they've had enough of this toupee flipping madness.

[pm]

Hollywood and Anti-Semitism: A Cultural History up to World War II. By Steven Alan Carr. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 336 pp.

Despite its title's protestations, Carr's book is not a cultural history of the complex and multifaceted topic of Hollywood and antisemitism. Instead, the book limits its focus to antisemitic responses to the Jewish presence in the film industry and particularly to the Jewish Hollywood moguls, which Carr argues can be used to trace American anti-Jewish attitudes from the 1880s to World War II. The strength of Carr's presentation is his comprehensive documentation of what I would call "antisemitica" relating to Jewish Hollywood, including newspapers, magazines, ephemeral materials, memoirs, novels, posters, plays, and congressional reports...

[Dannyboy]

It can't be as good as the last one. There was a video and everything. A story, no matter how telling, can't beat physical, tangible evidence.

[The Frugal Revolutionary]

KKKarl Rove must not be answering his phone today. As soon as he does they'll come out swinging. Or should I say "flinging"?

[Virginia Centrist]

Hmmm. I hope the new slur isn't related to "Hollywood moguls". That'll be a huge disappointment.

Now this one is hilarious. If you think "inside the beltway" is a racially insensitive statement then you've completely sold your soul to Webb. Heck, Webb himself has said that one of his strengths is that he hasn't spent his entire life "inside the beltway."

The macaca statement was bad but you're completely demeaning its significance by playing up "inside the beltway."

I expect to see the full story in this post. . . .tomorrow

NLS has officially JUMPED THE SHARK when the phrase "inside the beltway" gets a multiple toupee alert.

[Virginia Centrist]

Oh, sweet, nevermind. Yeah, that's good stuff.

NLS has officially JUMPED THE SHARK when the phrase "inside the beltway" gets a multiple toupee alert.

NLS has officially JUMPED THE SHARK when the phrase "inside the beltway" gets a multiple toupee alert.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Allen was directing the inside the beltway to Siddarth as an individual. That's a totally different statement than saying you haven't spent your life working inside the beltway.

[Matt]

Listen NDR, you and I both know that kittens will get stuck in tubes, but you publicly proposing more kittens in tubes is something I will not stand for, I believe we must come to a compromise, and puppies in tubes will be acceptable.

Also, I don't believe using baby seals to seal the tubes is ethical at all. Actual babies on the other hand..now we're talking

[Roanoker]

Ben, you're losing credibility here.

[Sean]

Dude, this one is absurd. I'm with you on the Macaca thing (though for slightly different reasons than you've latched on to), but criticizing someone for being inside-the-beltway as somehow racial code is preposterous. That is standard campaign fare when someone is campaigning outside of NoVa, and I believe you'd probably be the first person to make a racial link there.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Roanoker- you don't understand what the "inside the beltway" neighborhoods look like.

Ben- Inside the beltway has nothing to do with racial issues. You had a good day yesterday, but you've really stretched it here.

[Roanoker]

NLS - Actually I lived "inside the beltway" for 4 years in college and I guarantee you I'm a lot "darker skinned" than you. And this is simply hilarious. The macaca line was garbage but this is laughable. I pray for the sake of the campaign that the Webb folks do not make a big deal out of this.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Roanoker/Southsider-

6 of the comments attacking me in this thread are yours and only 2 have your name on it. Attach your name to your comments or cut it out.

[Roanoker/Southsider]

NLS - Sorry for the triple post above. You spam screen freaked my computer out. My intention is to always post as Roanoker or Southsider (used to be in Southside after college, now in Roanoke) but sometimes I forget to log in. Sorry.

[brimur]

I agree, I don't think inside the beltway qualifies as a racial remark. But I think Ben makes a great point that this is still bad for Allen because he is dismissing 15% of the Virginia electorate.

The raw political effect of the story is already going to be felt most in NoVA, the beltway remark adds insult to injury.

[Not Don Rumsfeld]

Matt- Hyping the whole use of seals is just the sort of henny penny attitude that will get nothing done. Freedom can only march if you break some eggs and make some sort of omlette like breakfast. And I don't think I sent too few lottery balls down the tubes to clear them out. Some schools of thought might say it was too few, but that's just all a guessing game. We could use fancy calculations taking into account very esoteric subjects such as pressure, velocity, volume and who knows what else, but do they really paint any sort of accurate picture on the ground? I doubt it.

I would like to go on about this all day, and could, but I have just been informed by the joint chiefs that my office is no longer located in the United States of America and we are preparing to evacuate and levitate the Pentagon to Galax.

[Sean]

Also, having actually read the transcript over at Republitarian, I think he's addressing his opponent for living outside the beltway and going to hollywood, not to the breaks. I think its a stretch to say the comment was directed at Siddarth.

I agree with NLS. I grew up in West Springfield, and "inside the beltway" was the place a lot of us were not allowed to go. Wrong side of the tracks, so to speak.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Sean, look at the WaPo apology and tell me that wasnt directed at Sidarth.

NLS-
This one is a stretch.

I completely agree with Brimur - this isn't a racial issue. Inside the beltway is filled with many races and socio-economic strata so it simply doesn't make sense to tie that region to racism. But the disdain for NOVA could also hurt him - he is throwing out a significant voting block in hopes of winning over others.

[Sean]

NLS, your post refers to the video transcript, and I think its pretty clear even through the mangled syntax that he's talking about that it is good that Siddarth is there videotaping, because his opponent (Webb) won't see the rest of Virginia.

But even if you are right, the idea that "inside-the-beltway" is some type of racial code is a real stretch. You've got at least a double lined up here, why erode your credibility by swinging for the fences and ending up with a strikeout?

[Southsider]

People living inside the beltway don't view themselves as some type of protected class taking offense to the use of the phrase. EVERYBODY knows what it means. They know Allen isn't saying I hate people inside the beltway. They know he's saying politicians who hangout inside the beltway have a warped perspective on the world.

That said, Allen using "inside the beltway" is the height of irony since he's been there for 5 years and wants to stay forever. But it ain't racial.

[Not Larry Sabato]

You guys are both taking the video only.

How about in the WaPo when Allen says:

"Allen said that by the comment welcoming him to America, he meant: "Just to the real world. Get outside the Beltway and get to the real world."

[Not Larry Sabato]

The WaPo comment is clearly directed to Sidarth- not Jim Webb, right? What did it mean?

This is so STUPID!!!!!

Rural Virginia and Northern Virginia and worlds apart!!!!!! He was playing to the crowd. This is so idiotic.

Worlds apart in terms of lifestyle, not race. Slower and laid back in rural Virginia. You making something out of nothing

[Bubby]

George Allen is a Divider, not a Uniter. This is just one more example.

[Sean]

In the apology (referring to a different section of the "speech," the controversial "welcome to america" commnet), he is clearly addressing Siddarth. But that still leaves the bigger point, which is that it a real stretch to suggest that Allen was making a racial statement here.

[Southsider]

Ben - Who cares if he was talking to Webb or his proxy? He's using standard political "outsider" rhetoric that has nothing to do with race. You'd have to be new to VA politics (which I know you're not) to read something into that. Since you're not new to VA politics, I'll just have to assume something else is going on. Also, it's hard to buy your "source inside the Allen" campaign. I hope and know you won't divulge your source to support your comments but it's very hard to believe you have a source inside a campaign that consists of about 10 paid staffers.

NLS does not have a source inside the Allen campaign. He just does not.

[DukieDem]

This is not a scandal along the lines of the 'Macaca' comment. It does show how far Allen is trying to run away from the GOP scandals and ineffectiveness when his party controls every branch of government yet he criticizes the Beltway.

The beltway comment was not racially based. It is nonsense outsider jargon that Allen uses because he's terrified people will find out what he's done in Washington; which is to say, nothing.

[Virginia Liberal]

There is an bigger scandal that you missed. Allen also said that Webb was from inside the beltway calling him non-white...lets get him on this one.
I usually think you are right on on most things but this is a stretch for anyone. The first comment is not good for the Senator, but the beltway comment is not.

[Bubby]

I'm ready to vote:
Weenie: Senator George Felix Allen, for proving that racism is alive and well in Virginia - with full U.S. Senate representation.

Warner: S.R. Sidarth, Indian-American, for being called a "black monkey" by a U.S.Senator and not capping his ass. Discipline.

Many of the white, Republican lawyers, lobbyists, pundits and politicians who work in DC but live in VA happen to live "inside the beltway" (Tucker Carlson, Fred Barnes et al.)

They send their kids to fancy private schools "inside the beltway" (St. Stephens St Agnes, Episcopal boarding school, Bishop Ireton etc.)

As a life-long resident of Alexandria, I am accustomed to hearing the phrase as a derogatory term to insult the Washington establishment, but not once have I heard it used to make reference to ethnic diversity. Why would it???

NLS--with all due respect, this claim makes no sense. If it seemed that you just didn't know, that would be one thing. But you are well-informed, and therefore you look like little more than a paid partisan.

So let me get this straight ...

Macaca means "North African".
Inside Beltway means "poor black".
And Hollywood means "Hebrew".

Got it! Now I know the secret code words.

What does "Oil Company" mean? "White Texan"?

What is this stuff? Voter suppression tactics? Disgusting.

[Bwana]

Gosh, I log in from vacation and see all hellaciousness has broken out.

However, given that Virginia politicos and politicians across the country have used the term "inside the beltway" as a way to suggest liberalism and/or isolated from everyday folks and/or fed gov think, etc., I think it silly that suddenly folks are trying to suggest it as an anti-diversity and/or racist comment.

You want to bust on him for the original comment toward the Webb staffer, fine. But when you drive off the road in pursuit of silly drivel like this, the original and valid criticism loses its punch.

[Southsider]

Serious question. How do you spell this kid's name? I've seen it Siddarth, Sidharth, Sidarth, Sidhart and a few others. And those were all in posts made by Ben, Lowell and the MSM. With Ben's and Lowell's ties to Webb and the MSM getting its information from Webb, you'd think someone would show him the respect of getting his name right.

[Matt (AKA Not Ted Stevens)]

NDR..

By doing that you will be moving enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material, and that just won't be acceptable. Now instead of moving the pentagon, I suggest we meet in the intertubes and take them to galax, as soon as my office sends me the internet, I will be sure to send you the internet so that you may meet me at the intertubes, now can we agree that the tubes are definitely not a truck? Or am I going to have to resign the senate if I don't get my way.

[Real Roanoker]

I. Publius, or the other Allen clone who is using someone's else's name...You are beyond ridiculous. Get your own name, you silly tool. Another case of arrested development...just like Georgeie Felix Allen!

[Real Roanoker]

The fraud who wrote this must be afraid to admit who he really is:
"NLS - Actually I lived "inside the beltway" for 4 years in college and I guarantee you I'm a lot "darker skinned" than you. And this is simply hilarious. The macaca line was garbage but this is laughable. I pray for the sake of the campaign that the Webb folks do not make a big deal out of this."

Allen's little boys sure are whining about their boss and his oops-let-the-racism-slip moment!

[Southsider]

I wrote that. I'm Lebanese, went to college in DC, lived in Southside and now live in Roanoke. What else would you like to know?

[carl]

Allen is an idiot for saying it -- for someone of his political stature, to even let that slide (intentionally or unintentially) is completely inappropriate. But, at the end of the day, we can get all up in arms about it, but it's not going to effect the senate race. He was making trying to make the point (in a very, very, very poor way) that Webb is staying inside the Beltway and doesn't know the concerns of "real Virginia" -- of course this isn't true. It's much harder to attack him on this as it is for them to defend and spin. Lets focus on the issues where we all know he's most vulnerable. We can bring him down, but unfortunately because of politics today and the general lack of knowledge of most voters, this stupid and amatuer stunt on his part will go largely forgotten by next week and isn't going to do it.

[Sam]

OK, the slur he used about Sidarth is pretty transparent, but in this one he was pretty clearly trying to describe DC elites. This one isn't a raciual slur.

[Carrington]

Had me on Macaca. Lost me on 'inside the beltway' being a racial slur.

Silly. Retract, try again.

[Not Larry Sabato]

What you all seem to be missing is HOW IS SADARTH A DC POLITICAL ELITE?

[Hirons]

Are you kidding me? Living inside the Beltway is now a racial slur? My god what else are going to grasps onto as being a sliver of hope that this non-story will actually affect the senate race?

How ridiculous can you get? Just for posting that insanity should earn you a nomination for Weenie of the Week on your own blog.

If you have to ask why some would say living inside the beltway is not the "real world" then you've lived inside the beltway for way too long.

This has got to be the dumbest post you have ever made.

Does everyone know Hirons lost a heavy minority area in Prince William? Maybe its because he opens his (fat) mouth on issues like this but has nothing to say when Allen mocks a minority. Reading his comments make his crushing defeat all the sweeter.

[AC Slater]

Dude, you're out of your element here. "Inside the beltway" is IN NO WAY WHATSOEVER racial code.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_the_Beltway

[Not Larry Sabato]

Why won't anyone answer my question:

HOW DOES INSIDE THE BELTWAY APPLY TO SADARTH?

[Mark]

Now you are trying to go over the top and beginning to lose credibility. It's obvious what "inside the beltway" means. If you can figure it out, you need to get your head out of politics once in a while.

[AC Slater]

"HOW DOES INSIDE THE BELTWAY APPLY TO SADARTH?"

It doesn't. It's just another hackneyed throwaway line that politicians spit out every 30 seconds.

[Southsider]

The phrase had nothing to do with Siddarth. He was being referenced, both at the event and afterwards, as a proxy for Webb himself. He was the embodiment of the Webb campaign. It doesn't matter WHO Allen was talking to, he was talking ABOUT Webb. Again, it's a weak argument for someone as "establishment" as Allen to make but it was legitimate and normal political rhetoric. Certainly not worth what I believe was a record 11 toupees.

[Not Larry Sabato]

So why did he include it in the apology?

[Not Larry Sabato]

The toupees are for the entire story, not for whatever story is on top.

[Southsider]

Ben - Thanks for the clarification regarding the toupees. Didn't realize you'd just left them up.

As for why he referenced it in the apology, he had to because he was asked why he said it. I can't for the life of me figure out where you're going with that. He was asked "why did you welcome him to America, to the real Virginia." He answered, he meant glad the Webb staff was venturing outside the beltway. I just fail to see the controversy (as does apparently everyone else on this thread...although it could be 2 guys with 20 aliases :) ).

[phriendlyjaime]

OK-from a different perspective...

I was born and raised in Northern NJ, 11 miles outisde of NYC. If someone running for senate in NJ tried to make the point that either central, southern, or northern NJ (which are comprised of TOTALLY different financial and racial backgrounds) were the REAL NJ, the rest of the state would feel slighted, and that the person running was out of touch with the other 2/3 of the state population.

I don't look at this as as much a RACIST issue, but that Allen is playing to one area as being real, and more important.

Plus, does anyone else think its strange that someone who has worked in DC for years claims that the people in the very area he works are out of touch? If so, why doesn't Allen just go run for a local position in SWVA? Oh wait...bc he actually wishes he lived in Iowa, or whatever state is next on his vote a racist for president tour.

I can't wait to see how you all react whe your Repub choice for 08 trashes Allen on the campaign trail for thses very issues. BC it WILL come back to bite him in the ass.

[Southsider]

Phriendly - I agree with most of what you said. However, I disagree that Allen saying "inside the beltway" line will have any relevance in 2008 since everyone running, McCain, Giuliani, Romney, Pataki, etc. will be using the same line. The irony is that they'll use it against Allen. Maybe you were just referencing "mukaka" and not this recent "NLS controversy."

Interesting that you seem to think Allen will be running in 2008. I assumed you thought Webb would win and end Allen's career.

[phriendlyjaime]

Nope, I do think Webb CAN win, but I don't expect Allen to give up bc he lost a Senate race. he'll blame libruls, and try to make the case that he decided to run anyway to take back America from eveil libruls who cost him the Senate seat.

[AC Slater]

As someone who is "defending" Allen's Beltway comments in this thread, I'd just like to clarify: I'm not a Republican or an Allen supporter.

As I said above, it's just a cheap political line. There's plenty of material in Allen's past to indicate his racism, but this line certainly isn't one of them.

[Southsider]

Phriendly - Rereading your post I think I misunderstood. I think you were asking "how will Allen fans respond when his 08 opponents hit him for being inside the beltway?" If that's it, interesting question. My guess, no one will call them racist for it. Everyone will simply acknowledge that 08, like 06, is race away from DC and every candidate, even the most "establishment" candidates (McCain, Allen, Clinton, Feingold) will run as outsiders.

[phriendlyjaime]

Here's the deal-I think the comment made to Siddarth was racist. I think the inside the beltway comment was not neccessarily racist, but insulting to beltway Virginians.

I don't know how much they will play with Virginians, but I DO think that both comments put to rest anyone actually thinking that George Allen is "in touch" with anyone besides his staff.

And really, let's face it-half of those people wouldn't be there if they weren't hoping to get a desk job in the white house.

[JMU Duke]

This is bad for Allen, no doubt. Stupid, poorly timed, and plain stupid. However, I do not think it's going to be bad enough to swing the election to Webb, although Allen may lose some votes. With regard to his presidential ambitions, and this ending them, the truth about that is, while this probably does hurt, he didn't really have a shot before this. I know that primary season is a long way off, but in my mind there is no way that Allen could ever beat McCain, Giuliani or Mitt Romney (who had an incident similar to this recently), so this is in some ways moot. That's like the JMU basektball team losing it's star player. They lose almost every game with him, a further detriment will not affect the outcome much.

[Sam]

Wow... imagine my surprise to start hearing this news and then discovering that Sidarth, the person Allen insulted, is actually the same Sidarth that has been a friend of mine since 6th grade...

Knowing Sidarth personally, the welcome to America comment is COMPLETELY out of place as Sidarth is about as American as you get, not to mention the whole ratial slur? Sidarth, if anything, is a very honest kid and if he says he introduced himself to Allen, he did, and Allen IS legendarily good with names. So... what's up with this? I'm insulted as a Virginian, but even more for my friend.

NLS--In response to your capitalized, defensive questions in which you are either patronizing us or frantically hoping for some support: "inside the beltway", like the reference to Mr. Webb being in Hollywood raising money,
is where Mr. Webb spends his time. Hence why Sen. Allen thanks the tracker for coming and taping America and the real world of Virginia.

Your commments concerning macaca are valid discourse: press on! But this is nonsense. Stop being stubborn. You should be more concerned with trying to be right than making yourself look that way.

[Jon Dodson]

Look. His comments were nasty enough without making stuff up. "Inside the beltway" is meant to disparage Washington insiders, i.e. career politicians, bureaucrats, lobbyists, etc. Not that I don't think we should milk this for all its worth, but anyone who knows politics knows that "inside the beltway" is not a reference to the inner-city underclass. If he had said "Anacostia" or "Southeast DC," it would be a different story.

[Fan of Integrity]

Racism is nonsense? Since when?

[NOVA Scout]

I lived "inside the Beltway" for about ten years and then moved a mile down the road to "outside the beltway." Haven't noticed much difference. "Inside the Beltway" is a fair game way for politicians to knock Washington insiders. It has absolutely no racial component. Young Sidarth lives "outside the Beltway," by the way, but, like me, not by much.

I'm a Democrat, I support Webb and the "inside the beltway argument made by Ben is ludicrous.

It is his attempt at keeping the story going. Just as he bashed the Hurst campaign at their poor efforts to keep the Davis corruption story so we should bash his attempt at trying to keep this story going.

If Ben did this in a campaign, the papers would ignore it - as they will tomorrow.

The original story - Allen messed up and the story deserves to be discussed. the "beltway" thing. Terrible. I hope Ben is not advising anyone to really push this angle.

Holy crap -

NLS you have now reached pathetic.

"Inside the beltway" is now considered RACIST?????

Oh, for christ's sake.

I am inching closer and closer to voting for Allen because of the boobs with the Webb campaign.

Let's see if you can even get me to vote for Thelma Drake.

[nick]

I spent all day yesterday helping the macaca slur get the attention it deserves--Virginia voters need to know that George Allen is a scumbag.

But the "beltway" thing is nowhere. It's typical pol-speak.

[FortyFour]

Hey, I think we've all missed something else Allen said that was obviously racist. He welcomed the young man to Virginia in the soundbite. Virginia was the home of the Confederacy - a symbol of racist oppression, right? Therefore, by welcoming a member of a minority race to America, and ultimately Virginia, Allen obviously fanned the flames of Virginia's racist past!

[charles]

I think this claim pretty much proves that the entire incident is made up.

"inside the beltway" is, as many have pointed out, a commonly used term that has a clear meaning.

That webb supporters feel the need to try to re-write it's definition proves that they aren't really serious about any of this.

We already knew that because they all have said "macaca" so many times that it is clear they don't find it offensive -- they are even selling a t-shirt with the word on it, something they wouldn't do with a word that was REALLY offensive.

So they've made three claims, and the absurdity of the last two make the third look week as well.

1) That Allen said the guy was foreign, when it is clear he was saying Webb was out of touch with the real america.
2) that "inside the beltway" meant "poor black neighborhoods" (I hope someone also noted that there are some VERY HIGH-PRICED neighborhoods inside the beltway)
3) That Allen meant to use a foreign racial slur to appeal to his southwest virginia base (who all of course speak fluent french).

[charles]

And I think, NLS, that it has already been answered, but the answer to your question is that Allen was NEVER really addressing the guy with the videocamera, he was ALWAYS talking to Webb -- when he made the friday reference to "america",and in the WP "inside the beltway" comment.

This was never about some webb staff stalker, it was about Webb not understanding virginia -- a common campaign tactic.

I presume you are smart enough to know this, so I presume you are trying to gin up the controversy, which also shows you could equally be ginning up the previous controversy, as supported by the fact that the webb supporters aren't treating the word "macaca" as a racial slur, even though they claim it is (accept when they admit that "macaca" just is a genus of monkey, and has nothing to do with blacks or racial slurs, that being an entirely DIFFERENT word Allen didn't actually say).

[charles]

And then there is the "Sidharth doesn't even HAVE a Mohawk" claims, which have now been proven equally ludicrous by actual pictoral evidence which the Webb supporters are ignoring.