Latest "defense" from Allen aides - he was calling him a "shithead."

[yellowcanine]

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/08...

What does Macaca really mean? Three Virginia Republicans confirmed to the Hotline that several Allen campaign aides and advisers are telling allies that the word was a made-up, off-the-cuff neologism that these aides occasionally used to refer to tracker S.R. Sidarth well before last Saturday's videotaped encounter.

According to two Republicans who heard the word used, "macaca" was a mash-up of "Mohawk," referring to Sidarth's distinctive hair, and "caca," Spanish slang for excrement, or "shit."

Said one Republican close to the campaign: "In other words, he was a shit-head, an annoyance." Allen, according to Republicans, heard members of his traveling entourage and Virginia Republicans use the phrase and picked it up.
It was the first word that came to his mind when he spied Sidarth at the weekend's event, according to Republicans who have been briefed on Allen's version of the event.


Well I am glad they cleared that up. I am sure Sidarth much prefers being called a shithead to being called a monkey. You really can't make this shit up.

On edit: This one I might actually believe. It makes some sense but it sure doesn't help George, imo.

P.S. The epithet "shithead" also has racist connotations. John Howard Griffith ("Black Like Me"), the white guy who had himself made up to look black and then traveled around the South in the 50's, reported being called "shithead" by racist whites, probably because of his shaved black head.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. The only shit involved here is the shit they're throwing against the wall

to see what sticks. When they find it, that'll be the official story.

[calimary]

24. ...besides what they're repeatedly stepping in!

GO FOR IT! Bring it ON, allen! You stupid putz! Keep talkin'! You're talking yourself straight out of a snowball's chance in HELL for a respectable White House run.

YESSSSSSSSS!!!

I love the smell of republi-CONS self-immolating in the morning!


:headbang:

[Kutjara]

2. But what about all the "welcome to America" crap?

Clearly, Allen was of the opinion that Sidarth was 'foreign,' or he wouldn't have 'welcomed' him. This accords much better with the racist interpretation of macaca than some conflation of hairdo and poo.

Still, it's amusing to watch these Repug wankers dance.

[yellowcanine]

11. That was just salt in the wound. "Shithead" , by the way, is also a

racist term that was used in the South against black men, so as I said, this in no way helps Allen out of the hole he and his aides keep digging.

In other words, Allen was saying, "Welcome to America, foreign shithead."

That's not any better than "Welcome to America, African monkey," in my opinion.

[shain from kane]

3. I heard from "shit for brains" that it stood for shithead. n/t

[EST]

4. And they're stickin' to it.

Load of BS. Pretending that his racist remarks were some sort of veiled "insider" nome de happenstance just won't fly.

We know about his racist leanings and the fact that his French Tunisian mother's words did show up in his own language, with "macaca" being the "M" word for dark skinned French Tunisians.
Dirty fugger can't even lie convincingly.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. They really ought to let this thing go now.

They must think this is really damaging to be going through this much effort.

[underpants]

14. But but wait they can explain it no really they can

uh...

You know it doesn't help them any that their candidate is once step removed from being a cardboard cutout. No one believes that Allen was able to make this up on the fly. No one.

When asked at the first (nontelevised) debate how it was that he voted with/for Bush 97% Allen said (I am NOT making this up) "I only voted for him when he was right"

[The_Casual_Observer]

16. What's next? "Well at least he didn't call him a sand ni***er like

Webb would have!!!"

[underpants]

18. *spittake*

:spray:

[yellowcanine]

15. They can't. It has a life of its own now. The Allen camp messed up

royally on this. They should have had Allen call Sidarth the next day and apologize, with no "if you were offended" bullcrap. THEN they should have issued a public statement along the same lines. That would probably have killed it right there. As it is, the new "explanations" are as bad or worse than the possibility that it was a racist word from Allen's past that came out at an inopportune moment. The more news cycles it dominates, the more his "soft" support will erode away.

[itzamirakul]

6. Tell Allen to look in the mirror...

There he will see the only shithead macaca he will ever know.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

7. They Only Need To Satisfy A Few Percent Of Idiots

They could come out and admit to racism, and would still get their 30-40% of the vote. All they need to do is placate another few percent into believing their phony apology, and there's no harm done. It's not like he cares of needs any votes from ethnic groups in order to win.

[ChiciB1]

9. Looks Like You Think Allen Still WINS!

Dana Milbank, at least I think it's Milbank... too many Dana journalists, said last night on Keith's show that he didn't think it would hurt Allen. He also said this London Terror thing will probably help The Royal Idiot! But I don't like this Dana all that much because he parses his words too much. Then again, I can't understand WHY Keith has him on SO MUCH!

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

13. Dana Milbank Is A repub Sympathizer

He tries to act funny and like he's open-minded and liberal, but the truth is that he's just faking it to suck up to Countdown's viewers.

I think it has more to do with the "spinmeisters" Keith and/or MSNBC chooses to appear on the show. Keith tends to have the same people week after week, and unfortunately Dana is a regular contributor.

I have begun to tune out what he says, and try to notice when he's favoring the repub point of view, which is on a regular basis.

[ChiciB1]

23. THAT Is What I Have Noticed.... I Do Know Keith Does Say

sometimes, my Producers are making me cover, but Milbank?? I really never felt he was very "middle-of-the-road" and he turns me off too!

[acmejack]

8. Bullsh*t! He thought he was being "Oh so clever!"

Well George, Guess that you're just not all that clever now are you?

[hashibabba]

10. Why would he have called a visitor from another country

a shithead? Doesn't make any sense. Allen should kiss his ass.

[ashling]

12. Must have been "shithead"

Monkeys are way higher than Allen on the evolutionary scale.

[frylock]

17. dude was not sporting a mohawk..

what a BS excuse.

[underpants]

19. You be the judge

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=183x4217

[frylock]

20. its not even a fauxhawk or quasi-mohawk, or whatever the hell..

they're called. I'm sure people will buy their sorry-ass story, though.

[wicket]

21. Looks like a fade but certainly not a mohawk

n/t

[yellowcanine]

22. Doesn't matter. They still may have called him "mohawk" and then

substituted "caca" for "hawk", later to make a fratboy rendition of "shithead." This I believe could have happened. But it is not any less offensive or racist the way Allen used it so it hardly matters. What does matter in the long term is the shifting explanations and the apparent unwillingness of Allen to quickly apologize directly to the young man. Every day this is "news" hurts Allen more, imo.