Sabato didn’t hear Allen say the n-word

Local, National, Politics, Virginia 2 Minutes

One of the posters in this thread made the following comment:

I personally found LS’s statement to be reckless and without merit simply because he refused to answer the obvious yes/no question. I’ve met LS, and he has a huge ego. He likes to talk about himself, and he likes to be the center of attention. He’s ivory tower. But when cornered he slithers past his weakness as though he is still in the right.

So when LS goes on national television and comments that a sitting US Senator has used the n-word without providing details and only a “take my word for it” attitude, that kind of opinion will just not work. LS and GA have never liked each other, and LS has often jumped at the chance to publicly critique GA. This could be viewed as a personal attack and not a rational statement—especially since LS has known GA for 35 years and LS has had an undisputed national platform and reputation for over 15 years in which to discuss this issue. So why did LS not come forward in 1993 or even in 2000?

Backing up this poster is an article in today’s Pilot. In it, Larry Sabato doesn’t quite admit that he never witnessed Allen using the term; instead he says his sources “are former classmates who came to me with stories that matched up.”

When Larry Sabato goes on national TV and makes a statement that he cannot or will not back up, then his credibility on this matter is, in my opinion, nonexistent. Why inject yourself into the debate when other sources are giving first hand accounts of it? You’re getting second-hand, at best, information and using your position as a political guru in an attempt to lend credibility. It ain’t working for me, Mr. Sabato. And I am disappointed that you would do so. Did your ego get in the way here?

There is enough noise in this campaign without you having to add to it. Please stick with what you do best – campaign analysis – and leave the rest to those who are not driven by personal gain to speak out.

UPDATE: In this AP article, Sabato says he never personally heard Allen use racial epithets.

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25 thoughts on “Sabato didn’t hear Allen say the n-word”

  5. Yesterday, I wrote a post about Goldwater and pointed out one thing about him: his consistency. Being consistent is a big thing with me. Yes, I sometimes slip up, just like every other human being. But I really try to stay true to the core principles that I believe in. So I’m not really standing up here, I’m just not remaining silent in the face of hypocrisy.

  6. Vivian, Sabato’s refusal to be specific about where and how he heard of Allen’s slur is puzzling, but I can’t fathom why he would risk his reputation without being secure in the statement he made.

  7. Did you notice the difference in the Webb interview where Chris Matthews asks Webb about “paid bloggers”, and Webb retorts that, “that issue was not discussed previously in regards to this interview”, and Matthews does not follow up… (hardball hardly)

    In the Sababto interview, Matthews asks LS about his sources on Allen use of the “N” word, LS sidesteps, Matthews presses, LS sidesteps, Matthews presses…

    Media bias towards Dem. candidates? You bet, Do you think that Matthews would let Allen off the hook in an interview, when he asks him a direct question, and Allen advises him “all questions, must be cleared in advance”? I doubt it!

  8. Bob – I really don’t know why Sabato went out on that limb. It makes no sense whatsoever.

    Spank – if you look long enough and hard enough, you can find evidence that the moon is made of green cheese 🙂

  9. Like one of your commenters on your other post on this subject said, “Sabato is working his way up the mountain.” He’ll slowly start releasing more information about his sources. He’s no dummy.

  10. Eileen:
    Sabato is working his way into the sewer you mean. Wasn’t is MLK who looked for a “color blind society”? Politics in VA will never be “color blind”, because a certain party constantly looks for any and all the “evidence” of racial prejudice in of course Pub candidates.

    Should there be a “witch hunt” of every Democrat candidate, and interviews of any and all acquaintences, (and of course enemies), to see if they have ever done anything racially insenstive?

  12. When I lived in Morocco I learned that the common gutter definition of “macaca” was “sand ni##er” and it was frequently used by the French. So, when that term is used, shouldn’t that count as using the “N” word???? Everybody seems to be using the word Macaca as if it were a mild slur concerning monkeys, BUT it isn’t. Perhaps it’s just me, but when I hear “Macaca”, I immediately translate it to “Sand Ni**er”, and that makes me angry when I hear it being used! Perhaps if others did the same they’d get angry also…

  13. Larry Sabato must now remove the word ‘nonpartisan’ from the name of his political center. I have no idea why he chose to ruin his reputation by passing on rumors, but he sure shot himself in the foot with this one. He’s lost ALL credibility. It’s a shame, his reputation is shot. What a fool.

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