I talk about race and racism quite often, both in this space and in my everyday life. I recall only too well the Willie Horton ads and other blatant appeals by politicians to pander to the racists among us. I can now answer the question I put forth three months ago: yes, George Allen is a racist.
The Washington Post has an article about this as well. “Welcome to America” was what Allen told the young man, S.R. Sidarth, a 4th year student at the University of Virginia, who was born in America of Indian parents. And the Allen campaign is trying to do damage control over what Allen meant when he called the guy “Macaca.”
[Allen campaign manager Dick] Wadhams said Allen campaign staffers had begun calling Sidarth “mohawk” because of a haircut Wadhams said the Webb staffer has. “Macaca was just a variation of that,” Wadhams said.
[…]
If spelled M-a-c-a-c-a, the term refers to a species of monkeys in the Eastern Hemisphere.
[…]
The word M-a-k-a-k-a refers to a town in South Africa.
I am disappointed that someone would display this behavior. If he would do it in front of a camera, what does this guy say in private?
Allen opened his mouth among his friends and supporters and inserted his foot. Can you ever take racism out of a racist?
h/t to NLS
UPDATE: It appears that the term Allen used may have been “macaque,” which is the equvalent of the “N'” word in the US. It is a racial slur used in Tunisia. Allen’s mother is from Tunisia. Seems to me that Allen may have been using a racial slur that he figured no one would know. Ah, but then there is the internet! Check out this thread over at NLS for more details.
UPDATE #2: the above linked Washington Post story has been updated and includes an apology from Allen.
UPDATE #3: If you see a blank space above, it is because YouTube is down. Check back later.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Allen is and always has been a racist through and through. From the confederate obsession in high school to the noose hanging in his law office (what an extreme racist) it continues to rear it’s ugly head time and time again.
I’m white….and I have no tolerance for racism. I haven’t since high school. It’s important that we stand up and label Allen what he is.a racist.
BTW, what does Allen have against “Hollywood types.” Ronald Reagan must be rolling over in his grave.
An important point about the Confederate flag obsession is that it was before Allen moved to Virginia, when he was in California. I’m willing to cut Southerners a small amount of slack on Confederate flags when they claim it’s about heritage rather than racism. But a Californian? No way. A Confederate flag affected by a non-Southerner means racism — what other explanation is there?
Good point KC.
It now looks like Allen may have used the term thinking no one would know what he was saying. But in this day and age, that’s impossible. Allen should apologize – now.
You guys are so easily led. Webb’s gotta be laughing, shaking his head, and saying “you’re right. this stuff works.”
Insider — yup.
JPTERP — demography is destiny, agreed. Time will tell.
The video isn’t coming up anymore. I watched it last night and now it’s just a blank space on the page. ???
YouTube is down. That’s why the blank space. I checked some other sites that had linked to it and they have the same problem.
The Washington Post has a copy of it on their site.
People of color know the difference between a “joke” and racism. Too bad neo-fascists and chicken little republicants do not. Is there any behavior they won’t defend? Guess not.
I’m a Republican that will vote for George Allen.(Voting for Jim Webb would be stupider than calling someone “macaca”.) However, I have to be wondering what was on his mind when he made the brain-dead comment.
Furthermore, it has me second-guessing on whether or not he’s Presidential timber.
You know what’s really pathetic? Not the fact that Allen would make such a comment (I always assumed that this sort of thing goes on at closed-door Republican gatherings all the time, just like when Trent Lott extolled the virtues of Strom Thurmond’s presidential campaign), but that he would make such a comment knowing full well that the target of his remarks was videotaping him FOR THE VERY PURPOSE of showing the tape to his political opponent. That’s what marks Allen as much too stupid to be President. Please, folks, Republican or Democrat, we *really* need our next president to have an IQ that reaches the triple digits. And who won’t run around the Middle East and Pakistan addressing people as “macaca.”
George Allen in that video comes off looking like a bully and not Presidential at all. However, he is not racist. He obviously had no ill intent toward the man, expect to make fun of him because he was from the Webb campaign, not because of his race. To say that comment was racist is stretching. That will not stop lefty bloggers and the left media from saying so, but Allen has apologized and this will not impact his Senate or Presidential runs.
Expect this story to continue through Monday, after the Sunday shows talk about it. Then it will die. It will be a side issue for the rest of the campaign, but nothing more. Webb will not win because of this.
Allen is not a racist. He probably regrets calling out a Webb staffer, and it was not the smartest move in the world, but it does not make Allen a racist.
Let’s put an end to this “Politically Correct” era. Majority of the public knows that Congress is full of bigots. Neither side is better than the other. Believe me when I say that minorities are not as stupid as these WASP’s think we are. Behind closed doors, most whites think all brown skinned people inferior. White people just won’t admit it. The only people shocked by Allen’s words, are whites. The rest of us are used to it. We would much rather deal with a devil that says he’s a devil, than a devil that pretends to be a friend. The sooner whites stop lying…to themselves, the better off this world will be. Everywhere they go, they bring death & despair!
God Bless America! (and the white people too)