Allen blames himself for his loss

By: Terry85
Published On: 12/7/2006 11:34:54 PM

George AllenIn an article which will appear in tomorrow's today's Richmond Times Dispatch, George Allen takes blame for his loss to Jim Webb. No doubt Conservatives will tout how great he is for "accepting defeat," while the rest of us sane folk realized long ago that Allen had no one to blame but himself.
His re-election campaign didn't focus enough on issues and his record, unlike his bids for governor in 1993 and for the Senate in 2000, the Virginia Republican said yesterday.

Well, yeah? Instead of actually focusing on ANYTHING that remotely mattered to ANYONE, the campaign focused on attacking fictional books Jim Webb wrote, and attacking "trackers" hired by the Webb campaign. They even sponsored a news conference where about five women ATTACKED JIM WEBB and something he wrote 20 years ago.
I think we would have done better if it was focused on those things that really do matter to people in Virginia," he added. "I take responsibility for the fact that we came up short."
I think however, myself and other Dems can appreciate this next part of the article the most:
He was interviewed in his Senate office, where the handsome wooden bookshelves stood empty. Packing cartons were stacked in the hallway. Walls in an Allen reception area, formerly adorned with photos of a political rising star, were bare and cold.
Probably carrying that inane football in one hand, like LINUS with a blanket, Allen said:
I'm not going to brood over every single one of those plays in the first quarter, or in the second quarter. Suffice it to say that in the event that this [campaign] was more focused, and I had done a better job, and our team had done a better job -- I'm the quarterback or coach, it's my name on the ballot -- if the A-team, and me in particular, had done better, the team would have done better.
So George Allen actually took the time (again) to acknowledge that his own stupidity, attacks on fictional novels, and volunteers and his bigoted remarks lost the election. Now let's await Conservatives who will no doubt, as I said, tout this as some great moral thing Allen has done.

Comments



Again, Allen '09 (drmontoya - 12/7/2006 11:39:27 PM)
He's so running for Governor in 2009.


What an idiot (DukieDem - 12/8/2006 12:02:30 AM)
This guy does absolutley nothing that makes me think he has an IQ over 45.

Here's a hint of why you may have lost George: those of us older than 12 don't think every situation relates to football. Stop riding Daddy's coattails.



I'm guessing (JPTERP - 12/8/2006 12:42:40 AM)
Allen conducted a phone poll to determine which course of action was the smartest politically.  "Grovel and accept full responsibility" beat out the other options.


He lost, in part, because he did nothing in 6 years (PM - 12/8/2006 10:22:34 AM)
What was he thinking?  His name was on nothing.  Why didn't he contact the Senate leadership and say, "Hey, fellas, I need some issues to run with -- what can I do?  I'll carry the ball on the issue."  Was he that lazy?
[excuse the sports metaphor -- they just pop out]

Maybe he was just playing it safe, hoping to run as a "moderate."  But his voting record betrayed him.

From watching sports events, we know how playing safe can cost you.  (I hate the "safe" defense used at the ends of football games, which essentially cedes half the field.)

If he's smart he'll stay out a couple of cycles and wait for an easy-pickins' election.



He's absolutely correct (Silver Fox - 12/8/2006 10:28:53 AM)
George Allen is correct.  It was his own fault he lost.  He let his attack dogs run rabidly amok, snapping, snarling and spraying slime while he urged them on.  Of course, I do believe that if he had focussed on the "issues" he STILL would have lost because Jim Webb could run rings around him on any substantive debate on issues, any issue.

And I also agree, enough with the football metaphors, George.  I am not feeling friendly toward football just at the moment, the Redskins and Dan Snyder especially, since they are going to kill my beloved classical station WGMS just so they can broadcast their yawn-making games.  Talk about the dumbing down of the airwaves...



Allen fades to Grey (Hoss - 12/8/2006 2:15:16 PM)
teammates:

Its time to let go of your hate for George Allen (the King is dead).  Time to move on to initiate the changes we elected Jim Webb to make (Long live the King).