He could have rained on the Democrats’ parade by demanding a recount, which would’ve kept the Senate balance in question for at least another month. But he didn’t. So while I’m very happy that Bush is handcuffed for the next 2 years, I think that Allen’s concession deserves praise. He may be a racist (or not, like you knew what the heck is ‘macaca’ was), but at least he’s not a clog in a system full of them.
Self interest here, I think. He’s not going to be able to revive his politicall career if he spends a few months earning a reputation as an ineffectual crybaby.
I was feeling a trace of the OP’s sentiment but then I heard that George Allen had been rather vocal about how Al Gore ought to STFU and step aside in 2000 instead of waiting out the Florida recount.
If that’s true, well, he sure would look stupid demanding a full recount while pundits are replaying things he said when Gore was doing it.
The margin in Virginia was much wider than the one in Florida, and it was obvious from the initial canvassing that Allen wasn’t getting any closer. (In fact, he lost ground.) It was pretty obvious that he didn’t have a chance.
No, I didn’t know what “macaca” was, but George Allen sure the hell did.
Besides, as Frank Rich wrote yesterday, it didn’t stop at macaca.
More on Allen.
I don’t think he deserves any credit for doing what he should have done anyway.
If we could say that the bank robber deserves credit for not taking hostages after the police surrounded the bank, we might similarly say that Allen deserves credit for not asking for a recount given a complete lack of any good-faith belief that there were problems or circumstances that caused inaccurate vote totals. Sure, the numbers were close – less than four-tenths of a percent. But they were solid. There was no reason to believe that recounting would change anything.
IIRC, the margin was over 7000 votes, and no recount in Virginia had ever made a difference of more than a few hundred. Allen’s chance of success was minimal.
Based on the citations in this thread, it certainly appears that Allen has had, at the very least, a history of racial insensitivity. But most of the cites are from individuals that recall comments from decades ago. I can’t help but think of how John Kerry was “remembered” by the Swift Boat Vets. So I’m willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to Mr. Allen. If people are forever punished for comments and actions of decades past, they will never have an incentive to improve themselves. It seems that Mr. Allen has backed all sorts of racially-uniting legislation recently. Whether that’s self-serving or not isn’t my call. Think about how the right wing always suggested that everything Clinton did was self-serving.
George Allen has already paid the price for the “macaca” comment and the subsequent remark. Losing the election probably completely destroyed any chance at higher office. My point was that he could’ve held onto his last few hours in the spotlight (as Virginia law allows for recounts in that close of a vote), but he did the right thing and conceded.
I agree with you. I was surprised and impressed when he conceded.
Damn. And I thought this was going to be thread about the Washington Redskins and the L.A. Rams.
I was moderately impressed, but then I considered the political situation. The Gore recount was for much higher stakes, the election for the President of the freakin’ United States. By the time Allen could have started a recount battle, the states were much lower. The Democrats already had the House, and had achieved a divided government. Getting the Senate as well would just be icing on the cake – either way, the Democrats in the House could block any legislation whatsoever. So I’m sure Allen’s decision was a practical one. What would winning under such conditions get him or his party? Not much at all. And losing would destroy his political career and the remaining credibility the Republican party has in the eyes of voters.
Seeking approval of the voters is plenty incentive to clean up your act, at least on the surface. When people go into personality “lockdown mode” when they start to jockey for higher office, previous comments and actions are often all that remain for people to examine for possible insight into the actual character of that person.
Outside of that, we can only hope that a moment of genuineness bubbles to the surface and shows us what that person is really about. For example, when a guy sneeringly calls a dark-skinned guy in a white crowd a “macaca”.
That would have depended on who was doing the recounting, as experience shows, no?
pseudotriton has it - it’s about his career prospects, which depend on showing he’s grown and learned.