Atlanta, Ga.: From an outsider's point of view, this whole thing with Allen seems totally overblown by the press. The "mecaca" comment was the razzing of an opponent's political operative who had been following him around and taping him trying to come up with some slip up or garbage and was in front of his own supporters. Who cares beyond the media and those who want him to lose?With regard to his family's Jewish heritage, again, who cares besides the media and the Democrats who want him to lose?
I don't live in Virginia, but follow politics very closely and this appears to be the media making something out of nothing and continuing to push a story for nothing more than to hurt his re-election bid.
Is this really just a "media" and Democrat story? Do the common folks even care?
Shailagh Murray: Yes, they care. I can assure you that voters in Virginia are right now following this story a lot more closely than whatever Webb and Allen are saying about...anything else.
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
I don't understand what happened to the "polished and seasoned" campaigner, the "regular guy", or the "down-home persona who relates well to Virginians".....
Where did he go?
I'm an Independent and haven't yet made up my mind. From what I've seen in the media, however, I'm voting for NONE OF THE ABOVE.
By the way, interesting to note that this is only your second comment at RaisingKaine. Very suspicious how we got all of these new users putting out pro-Allen spin the past few days.
Most blog readers are sophisticated enough to understand the sock puppet concept...
In two medium bowls, separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff. In the bowl with the egg yolks, add the chicken fat and the salt and stir well. Add the 6 tablespoons of chicken soup and blend completely. Very slowly stir in the Matzah meal (if you add a large quantity of the Matzah meal too quickly, it will congeal into a clump which will be difficult to loosen up) and blend in the egg whites.
It is very important to let this mixture stay in the refrigerator for at least an hour to permit the meal to absorb the liquids.
In a 6-quart pot with a lid (a wide-mouthed pot), bring 4 quarts of salted water (1 teaspoon per quart) to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Or preferably, have available a large pot of chicken soup in which the Matzah balls can be cooked.
Try to handle the Matzah-ball mixture as quickly and gently as possible. One-by-one, drop balls (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) into the simmering pot. Cover the pot.
Two important instructions: 1) If you want perfect and really light Matzah balls, simmering them for at least an hour and sometimes even 10 or 15 minutes longer is an absolute necessity. (Otherwise, the centers are grainy and not thoroughly cooked.) Also, use self-control and try not to lift the lid on the pot during the cooking period. Remember, you will have to adjust the heat a little bit from time to time, since you want the liquid to be simmering, not boiling.
If you cook the Matzah balls in water, rather than in chicken soup, when they are thoroughly cooked, put them into the chicken-soup pot and simmer for a little while longer, so that they absorb the flavor of the soup.