Allen (R-Macaca) Makes Questionably Anti-Semitic Remark

Click here to check out George Allen's latest stupid quip.

It comes on the heels of an Aug. 25 article in the Jewish Daily Forward. Allen and campaign manager Dick Wadhams confirmed Tuesday that the article was correct, and that Allen's maternal grandfather, Felix Lumbroso, an Italian businessman jailed by the Nazis in North Africa, was Jewish.

Sure, it is an obvious attempt to make it clear he does not adhere to the jewish faith.

But anti-semitic to say you eat pork?

he was..by saying he had a ham sandwich for lunch..and his mom cooked pork chops...Sorry..it was about how VERY UN Jewish he was...that to me is an unabashed declaration of how much he abhors being considered Jewish.

it's an anti-jewish joke.

if he had found out he was a quarter black and said, "I still don't eat watermelon."

if he had found out he was a quarter Irish and said, "I still don't eat potatoes."

etc.

it's playing off a stereotype.

Whereas the keeping of kosher is part of the jewish faith.

It may have been in poor taste, it was obviously meant to convey a message to his base, but I can not see anti-semitism in it.

It just sounds like straight forward info to me. He does not keep kosher. Many a jew does not.

Mind you, I think the guy is a major jerk, but I just don't see anti-semitism here.

Here is his statement:

For Immediate Release
September 19, 2006
Contact: Bill Bozin
(703) 845-3689 (office)
(703) 350-6129 (cell)

Statement from Senator George Allen

ARLINGTON, VA – U.S. Senator George Allen released the following statement this afternoon:
“Yesterday, I found it especially reprehensible that a reporter would impugn the attitudes of my mother, as Ms. Fox did in her first question. My mother and father both taught me to abhor bigotry, and Ms. Fox’s suggestion to the contrary was deeply offensive.
“The notion peddled by the Webb campaign that I am somehow embarrassed by my heritage is equally offensive, and also absurd.
“I was raised as a Christian and my mother was raised as a Christian. And I embrace and take great pride in every aspect of my diverse heritage, including my Lumbroso family line’s Jewish heritage, which I learned about from a recent magazine article and my mother confirmed.
“On several occasions through the years, I have mentioned publicly that my mother's father was incarcerated by the Nazis. I have never known whether he was persecuted by the Nazis because of his nationality, his religious faith, his role as a community leader, or his part in the anti-Nazi resistance.
“What I do know is that my grandfather’s imprisonment by the Nazis had a profound impact on my mother. It was a subject she found painful to discuss and so we almost never discussed it.
“Some may find it odd that I have not probed deeply into the details of my family history, but it’s a fact. We in the Allen household were simply taught that what matters is a person’s character, integrity, effort, and performance – not race, gender, ethnicity or religion. And so whenever we would ask my mother through the years about our family background on her side, the answer always was, ‘Who cares about that?’


I'm Jewish and what I'm reading is so it's painful to have a Jewish background ("I found it especially reprehensible that a reporter would impugn the attitudes of my mother")? And please introduce me to the Jewish mother who refrained discussing her life history with anyone who would stand still for a micro second. I say bullshit. And how did this come from the Webb campaign??? How can Webb control a reporter's question?

it was in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a day after the debate.

:shrug:

DU has said that a blogger can post a link on separate message boards, as long as those posts are several hours apart. The two posts were made nearly eight hours apart, to point out this news to two audiences.

is old news by now. Yeah, Fake Cowboy Felix made a racial stereotypical comment. But he's a racist. That's what they do. That's one of the reasons he'll lose to Webb.

What's your excuse for "Why didn't he just make a joke about paying full price for that sandwich? Then he really could have completed the stereotype." Isn't that a racist stereotype?

not everyone knows about what Allen said. it was only news yesterday. the richmond story was released late last night. I felt I had an original take on it. If you disagree, feel free to say so.

Then people who are interested can check your blog out. There is no copyright restriction since it is YOUR writing. You can post it here if you want. Your constant posting a link to your blog is little more than drumming up business for your blog. At any rate, this is the last I'll say on the matter. I think we both agree that Allen is scum.

I'm following the rules as laid out to me by DU. I've been told:

-- Only post snippets from a post
-- Only post on one message board at a time -- make posts several hours apart or more.

That's all I've done. So it's not "constant posting," as you describe it.

as a Jew, I found Allen's quip to be insensitive. I was using a little hyperbole to show my anger. Sorry if that confused you.

That Maccaca didn't simply say: "My grandfather was Jewish, but my mother was raised Christian and raised me Christian. I did not think this was germane to my politics so I never mentioned it & would appreciate the media continuing to treat it as a private matter."
Simple, non-confrontational, dignified - everything the California Cowboy isn't.