The Daily Background
| [Satire] Outgoing Senator George Allen brushes with controversy one last time
by Arlen Parsa
Virginia’s Republican Senator George Allen, narrowly defeated by Democratic war hero Jim Webb, had one last brush with controversy today. After Allen’s fellow member of Congress Virginia Representative Virgil Goode had recently created controversy by criticizing newly-elected Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison for wanting to use the Koran in an unofficial swearing-in ceremony, the outgoing Senator couldn’t help but jump in the fray.
Allen had earlier this year had quite the gaffe himself when he was caught on video calling a Democratic campaign volunteer “macaca.”
Representative Goode, Allen’s fellow Virginia Republican, insinuated that Democratic Representative-elect Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to Congress, was an immigrant, and suggested that changing immigration law to allow less Muslims into the country would be good for America. Ellison however was born in the United States however, and can trace his family’s history in the United States back to the 18th century.
Earlier this year, Senator had Allen erroneously “welcomed” the young Democrat he referred to as “macaca” to the United States. S.R. Sidarth, the Democratic campaign volunteer who was insulted by Allen’s use of the slur, was a US citizen and has lived in the United States all his life.
Sidarth is of Indian heritage, and Ellison is an African American. Today, Allen continued his streak of mislabelling non-white people as immigrants, creating what some fear may become a tradition in Virginia politics.
“I just want to say on behalf of all Americans,” Senator Allen said, “that we welcome all people of all faiths to the United States. I hope that Representative-elect will come to embrace American values in time, and assimilate into American society.”
When informed of his mistake, Allen reportedly hit his forehead with the palm of his hand, saying “Oops, I did it again.”
