From a reader:
Jonah,
I think the macaque controversy is a little overblown. Biden’s 7-11 comment was much “more offensive” if the media is going to keep score
Having said that:
I would like to state for the record that as a conservative Republican I don’t trust George Allen. He’s the GOP’s own Hee-Haw version of Howard Dean in terms of anger and flying off the handle. You could tell he really meant the slur and he was seconds from blowing his top. I’m an all out red-state conservative that prefers Bush’s Marlboro man act to John Kerry’s trendy, florescent, and sissy windsurfing. However, Allen’s NASCAR Joe act is very strange. He did grow up in a southern California wealthy neighborhood & high school, his dad was a big-time college football coach, and his mother is from French heritage. One could argue it sounds a lot like George W Bush’s pedigree. Yet, Allen comes across not with “cowboy charm” but as a redneck bully w/ dip between his teeth. I urge everyone to read the New Republic cover story that was published back in the early summer. This guy obviously has some weird fascinations with the south, the confederate flag, and pick-ups. He has a mean, high school jock, streak that’s evident in this short clip and the TNR cover story of his past. I’m not suggesting this disqualifies someone from the White House. I just don’t trust the guy. Even Allen’s sisters description of her brother seems to boil down to one thing, mean.