McCain ‘Tries’ to Rally Veterans for Allen and Allen Slips in the Polls
by Pamela LeaveyWednesday night John McCain was stumping for George Allen in Virginia and this report of the event notes it was a flop. Jim Hodges of the DailyPress.com reports on McCain’s monkey gaffe that helped to bury Allen deeper in his own mire:
First, Sen. George Allen, R-Va., wound up a few dozen veterans with a “we win, they lose, there’s no substitute victory” strategy for Iraq, then McCain followed with a joke about a monkey flying an airplane.
McCain, R-Ariz., was in town Wednesday night to lure some votes for his Republican colleague, Allen, who has heard enough monkey jokes lately. Especially since a report was unearthed that he used “macaca” in reference to S.R. Sidarth, a worker of Indian descendent for the campaign of Allen’s Democratic opponent, Jim Webb.
Macaca is a genus of monkey. As he has for days, Allen spent part of the time after the 50-minute rally apologizing for the gaffe. “I was hoping that (Sidarth) would be here tonight,” Allen said.
Where’s the veterans? It seems turn-out was low, with only a few attendees…
The evening was billed as a “veterans for Allen” rally, but the hotel’s conference room was less than half-filled, even after a phone push for a larger turnout. Veterans came from as far away as Colonial Heights, but their numbers were little greater than the reporters and camera people who were there.
As it was, the rally started 10 minutes late and finished more than 20 minute early, according to a campaign worker’s schedule.
Topping off the event that was a flop, the latest poll from Rasmussen Reports shows that Allen’s Lead is shrinking after his controversial “macaca” remark. And, the WaPo reports that Allen’s flap may give a boost to Jim Webb.
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I said it before, when I first came to The Dem Daily, McCain is not liked by the Vets. Even with the idiot he tried to stump for,it was a disaster. Even before the swiftboating, that even he did not deserve, Vets did not like him. McCain is poison to his party. Kinda like a man named Joe that we know.
I know there are a lot of GOP vets who are struggling with what the elephant has done to them. They have reason to believe the Dems will turn this around, especially with almost 50 vets running for Congress – few are GOP.
No matter how much this incarnation of the SBVT tries to smear Murtha, Murphy, Kerry and others, they are seeing through it in the wards and halls of the VA. The funding and budgets of this administration.
Unbelievable that McCain could think of using that joke – or that his staff wouldn’t know to stop him. Our luck.