MLK: I have a dream.......that GOPers will find away around racial slurs...............
GOP Rule No. 2: If you do use a racial slur...
RICHMOND, Va. -- George Allen's "macaca" moment has been enshrined in a political manual as an example of what not to do in a campaign.
Candidates should assume they are being filmed and taped at every public appearance, says a 39-page guide the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee has distributed to likely 2008 GOP candidates.
When a Republican office-seeker errs, the primer urges a rapid response by contacting "friendly" conservative blogs that "can ensure a center-right solidarity behind your defense."
While running for re-election to the U.S. Senate, Allen offered the "paradigmatic example" of breaking both rules, the manual said, during and after an August campaign rally in southwest Virginia.
During a speech, Allen called a Democratic campaign worker of Indian descent "macaca" and welcomed him "to the real world of Virginia." The volunteer was filming the event for Allen's opponent, Jim Webb.
Macaca is a breed of monkey in Asia and northern Africa. Allen's use of the term was widely interpreted as a racial slur and a key reason Allen lost his re-election bid to Webb.
Allen waited several days before issuing an apology, saying he had no idea what "macaca" meant. He struggled to explain the event for the rest of the campaign.
"Conservative blogs, who had been long lauding Sen. George Allen, were annoyed by shifting justifications and turned on Allen with a vengeance," the GOP manual said. "Sen. Allen was never fully able to gain his status with bloggers, many of whom, at the time, were still touting Allen for president."
The guide urged Republican campaigns to feed information to conservative blogs to create a "buzz" that could influence the way news is reported in the mainstream media.
Rebecca Fisher, spokeswoman for the national campaign committee, did not return phone calls.
seattletimes.nwsource.com |
