I had received an email from a dear friend prior to the election, but thought I would hold off reporting what she told me until I wouldn’t be blamed for spreading “rumor”.
As per her email (I changed the names of her friends):
“One person I really want to lose is George Allen of Virginia. About 28 years ago or so, I was out on a double date with my boyfriend at the time, his best friend, John (not real name) and his then-girlfriend (soon-to-be wife and now ex-wife), Mary (not real name). Mary had grown up in Palos Verdes and had gone to high school with George Allen, Jr. (now senator of VA.). She told us a story about how, when their high school was playing a predominantly black high school in football, good ol’ George ran onto the field waving a Confederate flag. So when all this “Macaca” stuff came up, and his class and teammates remembrances of him using the “N” word came up, I remembered what Mary told us all those years ago. And he, of course, denies it all.”
Take the story for what it is worth - my friend doesn’t fabricate rumors, so I personally have no doubt as to what she remembers. Whether “Mary” was telling the whole story is up for debate, but then again, this all happened 28 years ago and there was no need for “Mary” to start an unfounded rumor at that time.
Just thought this might be of interest as a footnote, now that it is all over and Allen conceded today anyway.
Even if he had won this week’s Senate race, everything that came out about his assorted (alleged) past behavior and statements essentially killed his prospects for a POTUS run. The fact that there were a variety of people coming forward, and that such claims seemed all too credible in his case (especially with the “macaca” incident), meant he would’ve never been able to escape the shadow of racism hanging over him.
The guy also allegedly had a Confederate flag and a noose hanging on a wall in his office. I know these guys always try to claim the stars and bars as part of their “heritage” (a heritage of *what? Slavery and secession?) but I have no idea what his explanation is for a freaking noose.
Also, he accused a reporter who asked him about his Jewish ancestry of “casting aspersions” on his family. Since when is being Jewish an "aspersion?
I’m glad this asshole lost.
When you’re a racist in the land of the Klan. And you hope to get all the votes of the anti-semites from back in them thar hills, and don’t want them to know your mother was jewish.
This story came out a while ago (I think in his sister’s book) but your details are not correct. Allen apparently spraypainted slurs against white people around the school so that people would think the students from the other school had done it.
During a football game, Allen would have been in uniform and on the field, at quarterback.
Fascinating story, especially since Allen was quarterback of his high school football team and thus would have been on the field in uniform.
But I’m sure Mary can account for that, as well as why the shenanigans of George Allen were of such interest 28 years ago to make the original story worth telling.
I see nothing in the story that says he wasn’t in uniform, just that he ran onto the field with a Confederate flag. Hypthetically he could have been waving it when he ran onto the field with the team.
And where does it say the story was of interest 28 years ago? Why can’t a person tell an anecdote about someone they knew long ago in high school?
Especially one who was not only quarterback of the football team, but the son of a successful NFL coach. My cousin Laura went to high school with the son of a U.S. Representative. When I had occasion to get together with her, she’d always have a story about what young Ron had done lately, and I’m sure she could still relate one or two of the anecdotes.