On Tuesday, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell “expressed disappointment”[1]
over recently defeated U.S. Senate candidate, George Allen’s, farewell from political
life.
McDonnell stated, “We’re going to miss George Allen in
Virginia politics. For two decades he played a leading and pivotal role in
making Virginia such a great place to start a business, raise a family and call
home.”
Whether or not McDonnell actually believes this, or if he’s
searching for a political handout down the road, is beside the point.
Allen’s main claim to fame as a politician has been his
unrelenting support for Big Oil, a support that can only be called socialism
for Big Oil. For instance, in 2005, George Allen voted for the Bush energy bill
which gave away $6 billion in tax breaks for oil and gas companies[2].
But when it comes to America’s middle and working class, “you’re on your own.”
Allen also will leave behind a public history of racial
bigotry that clearly shows Allen to be a racist. Aside from the “macaca” slur[3]
during his U.S. Senate campaign against Jim Webb, Allen also supported a “racially
charged” state song, “Carry Me Back To Old Virginia,” in 1991.[4]
The song included references to “massa” (WTF?!) and “darkey.”[5]
Would anyone but a racist support such a song?
Or maybe Allen’s naivete will be his most memorable legacy
as a Virginian politician. In response to criticism surrounding his support of
the song, “Carry Me Back To Old Virginia,” Allen stated, “This song was written
years ago and it was not written to offend anymore.”
Regardless of the original intent of the song (which was
clearly to offend!), anyone with any kind of political astuteness would have
realized that this was a lightning rod for controversy. Virginia in particular
still has not completely surpassed the scars of hundreds of years of racial indifference
and bigotry. And as such, songs about “darkeys” tend to not go over too well
with some segments of Virginia’s population.
George Allen has, if nothing else, been a symbol of the past
that a majority of Virginians are attempting to move away from. A past haunted
by close-minded individuals whose greatest words were “state’s rights” in the
face of one of our country’s most trying problems, slavery.
Bob McDonnell may truly miss George Allen, but as for the
majority of Virginians who voted against him in this latest election, its goodbye
and hello to a brighter future.
No comments:
Post a Comment