Posted on 02/13/2006 11:07:30 AM PST by areafiftyone
George Allen, the not-so-bright, tobacco-dipping, football-quoting Senator from Virginia, is quickly emerging as the right wing's potential answer to John McCain come 2008. Allen solidified his standing as an inside the Beltway rising star by winning the Conservative Political Action Conference's '08 straw poll on Saturday, besting McCain 22 to 20 percent. He also won the title of "America's Best Senator" from Muslims for Bush.
Since we're likely to be hearing Allen's name more and more in the coming months, let's take a look back at what he thinks of the pressing issues of the day, starting with the selection of Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. From the New York Times, January 31, 2006:
Here is what Senator George Allen of Virginia, who is considering a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, said when asked his opinion of the Bernanke nomination.
''For what?''
Told that Mr. Bernanke was up for the Fed chairman's job, Mr. Allen hedged a little, said he had not been focused on it, and wondered aloud when the hearings would be. Told that the Senate Banking Committee hearings had concluded in November, the senator responded: ''You mean I missed them all? I paid no attention to them.''
The heir to Bush, only dumber.
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"Allen is 6'4" tall and played quarterback at U VA. That is exactly the kind of man we need"
That's great, if the president spends a lot of time scrimmaging (if that's the word). Otherwise, skills besides football might come in handy.
Katerina is the typical pompous liberal, whose own over-inflated ego outstrips her intelligence and self-awareness by miles.
This is the same pretentious twit that didn't even know who her congressman was, and yet she has the never to call other people "stupid."
She is such a repugnant, vile creature that she almost makes me dislike Dutch people, which is pretty hard to do.
Not true.
Give me a little while and I'll find the link. Rudy polls astonishingly well with social conservatives. I like Rudy but I did not think he would get the nod till I saw the #'s
I think we did already.
*Runs off to try to find poll....*
Well .. if they're already calling George "dumber than Bush" - they must be really worried about him running.
Did anyone notice the Nation is not calling McCain "dumber than Bush" ..?? Hmmmmm??
His teeth are brown, evidentally by chewing that brown stuff.
Allen has consistently held that position, as far as I know since he first entered politics. While I don't agree with it, it's at least an honest and consistent position that I can respect. For you to claim he's pandering to NARAL, well it looks like you're just making things up to be a Clymer.
The Nation, whose editor famously admitted on television, that she didn't know the name of her own Congressman.
In fact, I think the deep-seated animus of conservative "leaders"-such as Mike Long and David Keene-actually enhances his reputation among the Republican base.
You can bring up all the reservations you like, e.g. him living with a gay couple, his equivocation on abortion, his adultery, but the fact remains that he speaks our language, and that is why he polls so well among conservatives.
John McLame is the type of doofus that would send terrorist Lori Berenson a valentine, while Rudy is the type who would pull the switch on her.
It's just that simple.
The only major impediment to his nomation would be his position on gun control, which he needs to jettison ASAP.
I don't think it's a coincidence that as Allen gets more play the liberals and moderates (tkathy, areafiftyone, et al) will be out in force attacking him on whatever basis they can find or fabricate.
Howlin's been out of the closet a long time. With regard to, shall we say, openness to those of other political orientations, not her personal life.
[Did anyone notice the Nation is not calling McCain "dumber than Bush" ..?? Hmmmmm??]
You make a great point...but I for one am tired of being on the side of the one whom "intellectuals" get to slam at will, with the "victim" not caring to defend himself.
I remember reading a conservative Wall Street Journal account of how the President deliberately used the word "nucular" and other country talk in the 2004 campaign in order to talk down to many in his electorate who don't like intellectuals at all, even when those intellectuals really are smart and street-wise and vote Republican.
I cannot count the number of friends in California who peeled away from Bush in the final year before the election on account of his use of the word "nucular". They didn't see the humor. They didn't admire the apparent intent, which was to talk down to his own voters (not that he wasn't the best candidate for whom I crawled over broken glass to vote for).
It doesn't necessarily have to be Rudy, but I want somebody who would fly to the Sorbonne on a moment's notice to defend the honor of the US Republican Party in a debate with a leftist French professor who just crossed a line in one of his lectures yesterday...
I want to see French intellectuals daring to speak out in favor of leftism....prompting the American President to fly to Paris immediately to take him on in an intellectual duel that leaves the leftist curled up in the fetal position.
Reagan almost had this trait. The Bush Family absolutely does NOT have this trait. The world is ready for a conservative who DOES have this trait.
Liberals are so easy to make speechless. They are so easy to force into a corner where they will BEG to get out of the room...or convert to conservatism before your very eyes.
I am an expert converter of liberals to conservatism. I convert at least one person per week.
We need someone with the power to do that.
That says a lot.
[I don't think it's a coincidence that as Allen gets more play the liberals and moderates (tkathy, areafiftyone, et al) will be out in force attacking him on whatever basis they can find or fabricate.]
If Allen polls below 50% with the general public...he needs to forget about a candidacy. The Reps can easily put up someone who polls 70% going into a campaign.
"I cannot count the number of friends in California who peeled away from Bush in the final year before the election on account of his use of the word "nucular". They didn't see the humor. They didn't admire the apparent intent, which was to talk down to his own voters."
Then if it was to be humorous, why didn't he stop doing it after the election? He did it most recently in the State of the Union address. Was he just being funny, talking "down" to ALL of us?
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