Andrew Sullivan (formatting mine):
The premise of this argument [that saying Allen is Jewish will cost him votes] is that many Southern voters are anti-Semitic. Is that Hugh Hewitt's belief, as well as his colleague, Dean Barnett's? ... Here's the video, where Allen regards asking about his Jewish inheritance is a way to cast "aspersions" on him.
From James Joyner:
While thereGs plenty of character assassination going on in this campaign (see my TCS piece from this morning for more on that) itGs unclear to me why asking about his motherGs religious heritage is an example. IGm sure thereGs still anti-Semitism out there but I wouldnGt think TysonGs Corner a hotbed.
Instead of these distractions, let's start focusing on the real issues: the unjustified invasion and occupation of Iraq, the failure to implement Homeland Security recommendations, the inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina, no increase in the minimum wage, tax cuts for the rich, the massive federal budget deficit, tax subsidies for oil companies while people are paying more at the pump, offshore drilling, reduced environmental protection, soaring health costs, no funding for stem cell research, the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole," and the planned privatization of Social Security. Most voters aren’t aware of the substantive differences between the two candidates yet.
Now Wonkette has caught him in something. http://www.wonkette....
Controlling the damage wrought each time Senator Shanda opens his mouth is not a job we’d wish on anyone, and by all accounts, Dick Wadhams (heh) is a decent sort. So, years after he was first asked and a month after the Internet learned about it, George Allen is willing to admit this much: His maternal grandfather was Jewish. This would be the one who was in a Concentration Camp for reasons that Senator Macaca, well, lied about (but it was a totally Spock kinda lie — Grampa Lumbroso was almost certainly an “Allied sympathizer,” as the Allies were the ones who didn’t want to gas him). But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. A couple more thoughts, and an excerpt from sister Jennifer Allen’s hilarious book, after the jump.The Post:
He insisted, through a press secretary, that his mother was raised a Christian.We don’t know if that’s true (she does appear to have gone to Catholic school, but Etty Lumbroso Allen was married by a justice of the peace at a “Jewish friend’s house,” because, for some reason, a Catholic ceremony wouldn’t work for her). Jennifer Allen’s memoir does have this anecdote, though:
I’d only been to church once. Throughout the service, Mom gave a continual play-by-play.
The procession of the priest: “Here comes the hypocrite.”
The collection plate: “Here come the vultures.”
The forgiveness of sins: “Here comes the guilt.”We kinda like Etty Allen.
The problem is that Allen has constructed a public facade of himself that's built on a house of cards. He was able to do this successfully before the internet because, hey, who was going to go nosing around dusty newspaper archives. (Something I shall be doing in a couple of days anyway -- heh)
At least this distracts from the noose story. For in Allen's case, no noose is good news.
"I still had a ham sandwich for lunch. And my mother made great pork chops."
I am Jewish and this is disgusting. Does George Allen have any self respect?
...in case you were wondering what we are up against.
Tariffs have been around since the earliest years of the republic -- they funded the government long before income taxes. In the 19th century, legislators began using them increasingly to protect domestic businesses from cheap imports.Tariff suspensions have a long history, too. Traditionally each suspension was introduced as a separate bill. Their popularity leapt 20 years ago when Congress decided to combine most of the unopposed suspension bills into one huge piece of legislation, to be passed quickly and unanimously at the end of each session. Today corporate lobbyists deliver a steady stream of proposed tariff suspensions to congressional aides, who use computer spreadsheets to track the avalanche of paperwork.
The last time Congress passed an omnibus bill, in 2004, budget analysts estimated that the waivers would result in at least $172 million in lost revenue. The next set of suspensions, slated for passage this fall, is looking much more costly.
Budget analysts estimate that the grab bag of tariff suspensions passed by the House in March, if approved by the Senate and signed into law, would cost taxpayers $278 million. Last month, in an unusual move, the Senate attached 262 of the suspensions to a pension bill. The rest, with an unknown number of the Senate's own proposals, are expected to be rolled into a miscellaneous tariff bill this month.
Ancestry is a very complex and very sticky can of worms. My advice is: stay away from it.