November 28, 2006Ed GillespieEd Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, looks like he's going to head up the party in Virginia. We'll be recounting some of the campaign low-lights under his watch, e.g., Swift Boat Captains, as illustrative of what the commonwealth can look forward to. |
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November 28, 2006
Ed Gillespie
Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, looks like he's going to head up the party in Virginia. We'll be recounting some of the campaign low-lights under his watch, e.g., Swift Boat Captains, as illustrative of what the commonwealth can look forward to.
Comments
[November 28, 2006 11:42 AM]
JoshIt's pretty funny when the Roanoke Times complains of "low-lights" in Virginia politics after the hatchet job you participated in on George Allen, trying your best to paint him as a racist just because of some nebulous name he used at a rally in a nonstory you kept alive for weeks.
There was nothing fair about that accusation and you know it.
[November 28, 2006 12:01 PM]
C. TrejbalActually, Josh, pointing out the soon-to-be-former senator's use of racist prejoratives was perfectly fair. It spoke volumes about Allen's character.
Speaking of Allen, thanks for the reminder that Gillespie was advising the Allen campaign. And now we have an FBI investigation into efforts to keep voters away from the polls here.
[November 28, 2006 12:04 PM]
Dan RadmacherNope, nothing fair at all. Just because Allen singled out one of the few nonwhite folks there, called him "macaca," which just happens to be a racial slur in his mother's home nation of Tunisia, and "welcomed" the native-born Virginian to America ... nope, nothing racist about any of that.
How come we couldn't see that it was all just an innocent slip?
And the fascination with the Confederate flag by Allen, a Southern Californian, certainly couldn't be seen as a sign of racism.
Or the noose he hung from a tree in his office.
All perfectly innocent.
[November 28, 2006 12:30 PM]
JoshThe guy was singled out because he was one of Webb's people. The word 'macaca' also means 'monkey'. How many people know Tunisian words? What a ridiculous stretch to say this makes him a racist.
Much more serious was Webb's writings demeaning women living in coed dorms and deriding their ability to lead. Nothing nebulous about these writings. Webb said them and meant them. Odd the Roanoke Times wasn't offended by that.
Again, where is the fairness?
[November 28, 2006 12:41 PM]
C. TrejbalHere's the thing, Josh. This editorial isn't about Allen or the racist tendencies you so vehemently argue he does not have. Frankly, Allen lost, and this debate is stale. If he decides to run for governor or something, then it will be time to rehash his views toward non-whites.
Rather, this editorial looks at what Ed Gillespie's arrival could mean for Virginia politics. If the past is any indication, the forecast is gloomy.
[November 28, 2006 12:43 PM]
Dan RadmacherHow many people know Tunisian words? How about someone raised by a Tunisian mother?
And, actually, we did criticize Webb for his remarks.
[November 28, 2006 2:21 PM]
JoshChristian,
And I find your accusations against Gillespie amusingly ironic. That's why I brought up the Times' coverage of Allen.
[November 28, 2006 2:36 PM]
JoshDan,
Calling someone a racist based on their interest in the confederate flag means you are saying all the Civil War buffs are racist.
And a noose in an office? Why would you imply a noose has to be around a black man's neck? Maybe you people are the racists. How does having a generic item make someone racist?
Maybe you made one mention of Webb's sexist writings, I don't know. But you didn't pound them the way you did with Allen. The thing about Webb's writings is they are blatant, there is nothing circumstantial about them. No stretch is needed. Furthermore, Webb never retracted or disavowed them. Webb is openly sexist. If you were trying to be remotely fair, your coverage of Webb's bigotry and Allen's non-event would have been exactly reversed. Webb is the one who should have been questioned, hammered, and forced to apologize and backtrack.
Trying to piece together some kind of racial allegation against Allen based on the flimsy stuff you are using is not just bad journalism, but dishonest as well.