One of the reasons I live where I do is because I do so love the excitement and weirdness of electoral politics. Thank God I live in Virginia, because we have a Senate race that has become bizarre.
Mostly, it involves our football-lovin', cowboy boot wearin', Confederate flag flyin', Presidential aspirin', faux good ole boy, incumbent Republican, George Felix Allen. It goes like this:
1. About a month ago, Forward magazine, investigating the source of Allen's use of the word "macaca," reveals that the Senator is secretly Jewish, as his French-Tunisian mother is actually a memeber of the "august Sephardic Jewish Lumbroso family."
2. Two weeks ago, in answer to growing concerns that he is a racist, Sen. Allen holds what he called an "Ethnic Rally" (no joke, that was what the event was called) where he learned to say hello and pander shamelessly in several different languages.
3. Two days ago, in a debate, Sen. Allen was asked whether he was Jewish (I admit, a pointless and silly question) and he freaked the fuck out and accused the questioner of "casting aspersions."
4. Yesterday, Sen. Allen admitted to this mysterious heritage, claiming that he never knew about this himself until about a month ago when his poor, aging mother confessed it to him, begging him to keep it secret, keep it safe. Also, he added that he continues to eat lots of pork products.
Reportedly "Allen asked her directly about his Jewish heritage when he was in Los Angeles for a fundraiser. 'We sat across the table and he said, 'Mom, there's a rumor that Pop-pop and Mom-mom were Jewish and so were you.' "
"I didn't want my children to have to go through that fear all the time. When I told Georgie, I said, 'Now you don't love me anymore.
This stuff reads like a 19th century novel, secret family histories and whatnot. Of course, these questions about Sen. Allen's background go back at least six years.
Personally, I could care less about Senator Macaca's "ethnic" (his word, not mine)background. I seriously doubt that many people do. However, I do find it strange that the Senator who has spent so much time defending the "heritage" of the South would go so long with so little clue about his own.
