Virginia Senator George Allen

Here is a story from the August 15, Washington Post. I've been frantic getting kids off to their first days of school and hadn't had time to look a a newspaper.

And here is what my Junior Senator wrote to me today. Don't worry about the fundraising aspect, I'm just putting it out here for information. I don't know if the video will work with a straight copy from my mailbox but you can get the idea from her letter. (Update: I checked the video and link after I posted this. It works, at least here).

He has since apologized for the name calling. It isn't enough.

From Senator Barbara Boxer today:

Dear ann,

Watch the Video

Send George Allen a Message: Contribute to Jim Webb's Campaign Today!

By now you've probably heard about the remarks recently made by Senator George Allen at one of his campaign events, aimed at a young Democratic volunteer who was attending and videotaping the event.

Watch Senator Allen's stunning remarks here.

As you can see in the video, Senator Allen calls this young Webb campaign volunteer of Indian descent "macaca," which means monkey, and is a racial epithet used in some European cultures for people with dark skin. And he doesn't use this term once, but twice. On top of that, Senator Allen tells him, "Welcome to America" as if he's some kind of outsider.

Well, this young Webb campaign volunteer has a name, and it's S.R. Sidarth. Senator Allen should have known this because Mr. Sidarth introduced himself to the Senator before the event. Mr. Sidarth is a student at the University of Virginia, and he's an American, born and raised in Virginia.

This is just one more example -- a very visible and disturbing one -- of how out of touch Senator Allen is. So far he has only offered a half-hearted apology to Mr. Sidarth, claiming he had no idea "macaca" was a racially charged term. The facts belie this explanation.

This feeble attempt at an apology is simply not good enough.

Let's send Senator Allen a strong message from our PAC for a Change community that America deserves better. If George Allen can't appreciate the diversity of Virginia, then he simply doesn't understand that this is what makes America so strong.

Stand up and reject Senator Allen's divisive politics -- Please contribute to Virginia Democratic nominee Jim Webb's campaign for U.S. Senate today!

http://www.actblue.com/page/boxer4webb

As you know, Democrats have a great shot at taking back the Senate this year. And even before George Allen's recent gaffe, Virginia has already been a huge potential pick-up opportunity, thanks to Democratic nominee Jim Webb.

Jim Webb is a decorated Marine, winner of the Navy Cross and two Purple Hearts, and former Secretary of the Navy. As a soldier, Jim was a legendary fighter. As a citizen, Jim has been a principled and persuasive leader. An early and frequent critic of the Bush Administration's foreign policy, Webb opposed President Bush's invasion of Iraq from the very beginning, while Sen. Allen has been the chief cheerleader of this war.

Please contribute $50, $25, or even $10 to Jim Webb as he takes on Senator George Allen to win back the Senate seat in Virginia!

http://www.actblue.com/page/boxer4webb

If Jim Webb wins on November 7th, there's no stopping us! With your help, Democrats can -- and will -- take back the Senate this fall.

In Friendship,