The Happy - and Dangerous - Conservative
Back in October, I posted my belief that Senator George Allen of Virginia is as likely as anyone to be the Republican nominee for president despite having no more cerebral heft than George W. Bush. As DCCC Chair Rahm Emanuel said at a lunch event my wife and I attended a few weeks ago, the country likes a “happy conservative” and, Emanuel said, Allen fits the description. (When asked who he saw as the Democratic nominee, Emanuel made it abundantly clear he’s a Hillary Clinton person.)
Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times reports on Allen’s efforts to introduce himself to the country as presidential material while running for reelection to the U.S. Senate:
Political analysts say Mr. Allen’s likability is his biggest strength. Even Democrats say he passes the beer test, as in he seems like the kind of guy with whom one would want to drink beer. Stuart Rothenberg, the editor of a nonpartisan political newsletter, has said that if Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush were put into a blender, you would come out with George Allen.
“Their strength is not their intellectual gravitas,” Mr. Rothenberg said. “Their strength is their commitment to principles and their personal outlook on life and politics.”
It annoys me to no end when Democrats get suckered by some seemingly positive trait in otherwise rock-solid Republicans. My favorite example has always been Senator John McCain. For years now, I’ve been hearing liberal, issue-oriented Democrats say McCain is the kind of Republican for whom they could vote. In my mind, they’re totally buying into his persona instead of looking at his policies, where McCain’s stands are as conservative as nearly any senator’s.
In 2000, Bush’s personal traits snookered swing voters into thinking they were supporting the kind of president that could work with both parties. Allen’s personality may have the same effect. Stolberg reports on why that kind of thinking is dangerous:
Perhaps to demonstrate commitment, Mr. Allen recently became a co-sponsor of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. He also opposes legislation classifying crimes against gay men and lesbians as hate crimes. When South Dakota passed a restrictive new abortion law, Mr. Allen said abortion should be left to the states — a view tantamount to calling for Roe v. Wade to be overturned.
March 27th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
But can he “clear brush?”
We know by his big hat that he drives a big truck, but
his ability to “clear some brush” on a farm somewhere,
will be the deciding factor when Americans
head to the polls.
It is an incredible fact to ponder: that so many of the
people in this country will cast a vote for someone
they perceive to be “like them,” (scary thought, given
the fact that so many find reality tv shows to be the height
American culture…) without questioning anything
beyond that aspect of a political candidate.
If you are correct about this good old boy, Andre,
would you mind directing me to a nice
plot of land in Costa Rica?
I’ve had just about enough.
Annie
PS: Although I found your blog researching
the new high school, may I say I keep returning
to read your other topics because I truly enjoy
your thoughts.
March 27th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
Oh my, you may be right Andre-
this guy sounds just “right” for the
party of conservatitive compassionates(?).
Found a transcript of an interview with him:
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/cox/060107
Excerpt:
“Q-
Tell us a little about your background, and how being a southerner has shaped your political and social views.
A:
Sen. George Allen: I grew up in a football family, and I always say that the four “Fs” that were important were — faith, family, freedom and football. You learn a lot of things from football: teamwork, motivation, preparation to win, and that all the players are important. You also learn from mistakes. If you get knocked down, you get back up and keep fighting. Another thing about football is that it is a meritocracy — you don’t care about race or ethnicity. In a football family, you move around the country a lot — the only things that are constant are faith and family. Those values of faith and family shaped who I am, and continue to guide me.”
Snip to:
“NCC: What are your views on illegal immigration?
Sen. Allen: This issue must finally be addressed — it is undermining our security and the rule of law. First and foremost, we must secure our borders. Finally, this is being done. We need more personnel and more detention centers. Catch and release doesn’t work. We need to invest in technology, heat sensors and a virtual fence, unmanned drones that can patrol the border and use infra-red sensors to detect people crossing at night.
We should not reward illegal behavior through amnesty. This will only beget more criminal behavior.
We must reform legal immigration. We need a guest worker program to fill the needs of employers. The guest workers must be checked out and have background checks, so we know they aren’t terrorists or criminals. We also need to expand seasonal visas for people who come just to work and not to live here. We also need to make it easier for people who come here legally to become citizens.”
Note the call for more “Detention centers?”
Shall we review the latest Halliburton award
to do that very thing?
Also of note:
Allen’s wife recently retired from the board
of Dominion Resources.
http://www.dom.com/about/governance/directors.jsp
As you see by their net link, the remaining
members read like a roll call of energy, banking
and defense contractor’s Who’s Who list,
including a CACI International character.
For those unfamiliar with CACI, perhaps a refresher
read concerning their connection with the Abu Ghraib torture
scandal is in order?
http://www.rotten.com/library/crime/corporate/caci_internatonal/
If you are right Andre, we should certainly pray
that if elected, pResident Allen doesn’t intend to
award no bid contracts to his friends at
Dominion to staff his Halliburton built
detention centers to house those pesky
illegal immigrants.
I’d say “dangerous” is putting it mildly.
Annie