Macaca 4

I have until now laid off the story about Senator George Allen.

But, as a Virginian (and, though you might take the Virginian out of Virginia, you cannot take Virginia out of the Virginian), I must say, it’s been difficult.

When he was governor, he came close to bankrupting the Commonwealth by following his Republican “cut taxes and spend” philosophy.

As a Virginian who grew up under Jim Crow, one whose roots are three centuries in Virginia, I have lots of experience with bigots.

I have found that most bigots don’t think of themselves as bigots.

I do not charge Mr. Allen with bigotry. I do not know him, nor, frankly, would I care to.

True Virginians don’t care for folks who pretend to a heritage that is not theirs.

Now comes someone with first hand memories of Allen’s behavior while he was already in political life. Doug Thompson reports:

In 1984, I worked as a contract field consultant for the National Republican Congressional Committee and also as a writer for the Voices for Victory Program in the Reagan-Bush Presidential campaign.

During that time, I attended a meeting of GOP political operatives in Richmond, Virginia. Among those present was a young delegate, George Allen, son of the legendary Washington Redskins coach.

At a cocktail party that followed our meeting, Allen huddled with some other Virginia politicos and GOP operatives and discussed the upcoming Presidential election as well as a field of Democratic candidates that, at the time, featured civil rights activist Jesse Jackson.

“You mark my words,” Allen said. “Jesse Jackson can’t win in Virginia. Hell, he’s so far-out that even the niggers won’t vote for him.”

Follow the link. There’s more. And it’s scarier. For it tells how little some folks have learned over the past half decade, if not about what to believe, at least about how to behave in public.