2 posts tagged “us elections”

It’s official: the last hope the Republicans have of retaining control of the Senate, incumbent Virginia Sen. George Allen, has conceded to the Democratic candidate Jim Webb.

With this development, the Democrats have completed a stunning sweep in the US midterm elections, grabbing control of both houses of Congress after 12 years in exile since the Republican landslide of 1994.

Allen, who was once considered a strong candidate for the US presidency in 2008, gained notoriety for his alleged racism, triggered by the infamous “macaca” incident. See this YouTube video of Allen calling a dark-skinned campaign volunteer of his opponent Webb, an American of Indian ethnicity named S.R. Sidarth, “macaca” and saying “Welcome to America.” Sidarth was filming Allen’s speech to an all-white audience of supporters, and the video circulated all over the Internet.

In the wake of the furor, Allen claimed he “made the word up” and didn’t know “macaca” was a racial slur. You be the judge.

Oh, and apparently Allen hadn’t been aware of his Jewish heritage — his mother has Jewish roots. Though why he would bristle and say the question isn’t relevant is puzzling — he wasn’t being asked about religion but about ancestry. It couldn’t be that he’s ashamed of his Jewish roots, is he? “Aspersions”? It reminds me of some Fil-Am or Fil-whatever celebrities who once denied they had Filipino blood.

Nevertheless, he’s since recognized his Jewish roots, and has been added as the “51st” in the Forward 50 list of most influential members of the American Jewish community.

So long, Senator Allen, and good riddance. Welcome to the real world. You know, the one where not everyone is a white boy or a Christian.

Sorry, George, but reality has finally caught up with the Republicans.

It’s about time Americans punished Dubya, and the fallout has certainly hurt the Republicans. I’m still hopeful that the Democrats will also capture the Senate, and that the Democrats will actually be able to chart a new course.

Let’s face it, the Democratic resurgence was less about the Democrats offering clear alternatives as it was about voter anger directed at Bush and the Republicans, but at least the first step toward change has been taken. It’s up to the Democrats not to waste the opportunity they’ve been given.

In the spirit of celebration, here are YouTube clips of the inimitable Stephen Colbert, one of the ballsiest guys in the world, satirizing Bush right to his face — and this was months ago during the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 29, when the idea of the Republicans suffering this kind of debacle was mostly just a Democratic fantasy.