Commentary, perspective, and point-of-view from the Globe's columnists and editorial-page editors and writers.
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August 17, 2006
A month ago, blogs and websites scolded Delaware’s Democratic Senator and presidential candidate Joe Biden for making racist remarks about Indians.
Apparently, Virginia’s Republican Senator George Allen, a possible presidential candidate, wasn’t paying attention.
On Monday, at a campaign rally in Virginia, Allen made derogatory comments to S.R. Sidarth, a 20-year-old college student of Indian decent and as a volunteer for James Webb, a Democrat running for senator against Allen.
“This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He’s with my opponent… Let’s give a welcome to macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.”
As a Washington Post Editorial pointed out, these remarks are clearly offensive. Allen’s supporters were quick to say that he meant nothing by ‘macaca,’ which can “refer to a monkey that inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere,” and is also “considered a racial slur against African immigrants” in some European cultures, according to the Post.
The remarks may not hurt Senator Allen’s election this fall, but may come up again if he runs for president.
Posted by Swati Gauri Sharma at 10:54 AM
August 16, 2006
The possibility of low voter turnout is an argument sometimes made against moving to a spring or summer primary. The idea is that voters simply won't be engaged enough to go to the polls.
But last week's primary in Connecticut, which featured a nationally watched contest between US Senator Joseph Lieberman and businessman Ned Lamont, his Democratic rival, certainly wasn't a low turnout event.
Despite occurring in the dog days of August, the hotly contested race drew a 43 percent turnout, the highest level of primary turnout in the state's history. By contrast, only about 26 percent of voters cast ballots in the 1998 and 2002 Massachusetts primaries.
August 14, 2006
A vote for Ned Lamont is a vote for Al Qaeda types? That seems to be what Vice President Dick Cheney had to say about last week's primary election in Connecticut. But people can read the interview and decided for themselves.
Another interpretation: Democracy is all about letting the voters speak, and at least in the United States that's a sign of strength. Power changes hands, but the union endures. As history shows, pulling this off is no simple trick.
Here's Senator Edward Kennedy in the Hartford Courant:
"What happened in Connecticut is in fact a model for democracies everywhere. The people of the state heard a vigorous debate between two competing visions of how to protect this country. Young citizens became deeply involved, and turnout was high. The primary reminded us of the miracle of our democracy, in which the nation is ruled by its people -- not by any entrenched set of leaders. There are few better messages we could send the world in these troubled times."
August 14, 2006
John Edwards’s public statement calling for immediate withdrawal of 40,000 troops is another reminder of how far Democrats are running away from a war they once supported.
While this latest trend is good news for the party’s progressive base, it is still seems that the growing anti-war sentiment is largely a byproduct of political necessity, and not the resurgence of courage and principle in a party that had been unforgivably weak and compliant in the face of Bush’s foreign policy since 2002.
Why didn't more Democrats speak up sooner? It is a question that will haunt many of them as they try to run on anti-war positions in 2006 and 2008.
Here are examples of the changing tune of the Democratic party's 2004 presidential ticket.
John Edwards
"I think Iraq is the most serious and imminent threat to our country."
February 24, 2002
"We know that he [Saddam Hussein] has chemical and biological weapons today … each day he inches closer to his longtime goal of nuclear capability -- a capability that could be less than a year away."
September 12, 2002
"We should take 40,000 combat troops out now … There is no chance other countries in the world will help Iraq as long as we are an occupying force."
August 4, 2006
John Kerry
"By standing with the President [in giving Bush authority to use force against Iraq], Congress would demonstrate our Nation is united in its determination to take away that arsenal, and we are affirming the President's right and responsibility to keep the American people safe."
October 9, 2002
"We must stay in Iraq until the job is finished."
February 27, 2004
"Iraqi politicians should be told that they have until May 15 to put together an effective unity government or we will immediately withdraw our military."
April 5, 2006
Posted by Michael Corcoran at 09:26 AM
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