Will Sen. Allen's Cowboy Boots Fit Virginia Voters?
Detractors Call Cowboy Image a Shtick
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 8, 2006; Page C11
Sen. George Allen (R) rides his horse Bubba along the Labor Day parade route last month in Buena Vista, Va. (By Josh Meltzer-Roanoke Times Associated Press)
....Last night, at a supporter's home near this city of the Old South (Richmond), (Senator George Allen, R., Virginia) held a Western-themed fundraiser called a "hoedown." Those who gave $50 were dubbed "Ranch Hands." Those who gave more than $1,000 earned titles such as "Buckaroo," "Cow Boss" or "Ranch Boss." Those who gave $10,000 or more to the Republican cause earned the title "El Ranchero Grande." In Allen's worldview, there is no greater compliment.
Critics say the would-be cowboy hasn't quite earned his spurs. They call it the tired political shtick of a 54-year-old Republican senator whose reelection is in jeopardy....
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On Nov. 7, Allen will follow his custom and wear cowboy boots when he goes to the polls to vote. This time, he is in a tight race against a candidate who has his own meaningful footwear. Democratic nominee James Webb, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, wears combat boots in recognition of his son's deployment to Iraq with the Marines and to symbolize his own opposition to the war there.
Allen's detractors mock the cowboy image as an act dreamed up by an ambitious surfer boy from California to appeal to rural voters in Virginia. To them, it screams phony.
"With all due respect, I know cowboys," said Steve Jarding, who was raised in South Dakota and is now a senior Webb adviser. "I grew up with cowboys. I have nephews who bull ride. I'm sorry, George, you're not a cowboy."
To Jarding, Allen's penchant for cowboy boots and a wad of snuff is as contrived as Billy Crystal's character in the faux-cowboy movie "City Slickers."...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/07/AR2006100700908.html