It was almost as if the clock had been turned back to a different time, a more civil time in our political life.
There stood George Allen, soon to be ex-Senator from Virginia, his Presidential hopes in tatters, his political career probably ended. With measured tones and quiet voice, he showed everyone, in what almost certainly was the most disappointing moment of his life, the right way to lose:
Allen said the “owners of government have spoken and I respect their decision.’’“The Bible teaches us there is a time and place for everything, and today I called and congratulated Jim Webb,’’ he said.
Webb, a former Republican and Navy secretary under President Reagan, claimed victory early Wednesday after election returns showed him with a narrow lead of about 7,200 votes out of 2.37 million ballots cast.
Allen chose not to demand a recount after initial canvassing of the results failed to significantly alter Webb’s lead.
“I do not wish to cause more litigation that would not alter the results,’’ Allen said, adding that he saw “no good purpose being served by continuously and needlessly expending money and causing any more personal animosity.’‘
Not a word about rigged voting machines or Diebold. No conspiracy mongering. Simple, elegant, and heartfelt.
I remember when politics was like this. Even the worst negative campaigns would end with the loser, the microphones, the tears, but the acknowledgement that the people had spoken and their decision was final.
Sure he had little or no hope that a recount was going to alter the result. But under Virginia law, he was entitled to one. And given the chicanery that lawyers are capable of, challenge after challenge could have kept Virginia without a Senator for months next year.
Contrast Allen’s words and spirit with those of Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats before the election where they all but said a Republican victory would mean that the GOP cheated, that they hacked the voting machines or barred people from voting. Funny that there isn’t much concern about hackers now that the Democrats have won. Our democracy has been “restored”. The “people have spoken.”
And given how close the dozens of House races and several Senate races were (most of them lost by Republicans), I hope this finally gives the lie and buries forever the notion that the Republicans stole any election by hacking voting machines. Not one shred of evidence was ever presented anywhere that even hinted at GOP operatives changing vote totals in electronic machines. Not. One. Shred. Of evidence. All the Democrats accomplished by their whining, their caterwauling, the cavalier way in which they announced to the world that elections were stolen was to denigrate American democracy abroad and cause people to lose faith in it at home.
I hope they’re satisfied. Because Allen showed them all what grace under fire is all about. Let the difference between Allen and the Democrats be the glory of American democracy.
UPDATE
Allah has the video. He says the football was a “bit much” and I agree. But a fine speech, nonetheless.
4:59 pm
Bipartisanship and cooperation is important to our future. Senator Allen was gracious indeed. There are a thousand reasons Democrats are prickly about Republican operations. Do you remember Lee Atwater, Donald Segretti, Karl Rove and their ilk’s political hardball?
Here is some material from a Lee Atwater interview in Alexander Lamis’s book, “Two-Party South”, discussing the Republican Southern strategy circa the Reagan era:
Atwater: As to the whole Southern strategy that Harry Dent and others put together in 1968, opposition to the Voting Rights Act would have been a central part of keeping the South. Now [the new Southern Strategy of Ronald Reagan] doesn’t have to do that. All you have to do to keep the South is for Reagan to run in place on the issues he’s campaigned on since 1964… and that’s fiscal conservatism, balancing the budget, cut taxes, you know, the whole cluster…
Questioner: But the fact is, isn’t it, that Reagan does get to the Wallace voter and to the racist side of the Wallace voter by doing away with legal services, by cutting down on food stamps…?
Atwater: You start out in 1954 by saying, ‘Nigger, nigger, nigger.’ By 1968 you can’t say ‘nigger’ – that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites.
And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me – because obviously sitting around saying, ‘We want to cut this,’ is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than ‘Nigger, nigger.’
Multiply this dirtiness a thousand fold in Republican political behavior since then and you too will be suspicious and angry. I hope in your new born-again conservatism, you will have the honesty to admit that politics is a dirty game and Republicans are just as dirty as Democrats have ever been. Surely the macaca’s will appreciate Allen’s grace under fire and how much better he is than any Democrat.
8:05 pm
Rick,
It’s already being batted about that the other Senator from Virginia, John Warren, is turning 80 and may not run in 2008. Leaving the field open for Allen.
9:22 pm
Super-secret transcript from NSA Surveillance
You can’t breathe a word of this to anyone, but we’ve gotten our hands on another transcript from the NSA terrorist surveillance program. Shhhhhh… let’s listen in…
9:47 pm
Well, I was disappointed that Allen conceded, it means the Dems have control over Congress, which will make things exceptionally difficult for Bush. But you’re right, at least he didn’t drag it out like he could have, he bowed out when he knew that the people had spoken.
I wish that Liberman wouldn’t caucus with the Democrats, after all they did throw him out like a wet sponge because he was pro-war, why would he want to caucus with them after that?
9:52 pm
Chucky was being whiny, basicaly demanding that allen should concede when there was still a possibility that the votes could mean he might win.
Which is it chuck? make all votes count? or stop counting as soon as you get a lead?
1:48 am
i think the reason the dems were concerned about rigged elections were because most rational people knew the electorate was leaning heavily against the republicans… also, given the history of the last two presidential elections, especially the one where Gore won the majority of the votes, it is also understandable some may not trust the republicans to win fairly… lets face it, the recent republican mindset has been nastier and more unethical than any previous administration and ruling party… and that’s pretty nasty! So, the reason there is no mention of rigged elections is because everyone knows they were fair, but people don’t have the same trust when republicans win because their reputation succeeds them.
Finally, the only ones who have lost faith in anything are the right wing extremists, who in their manipulation and corruption and especially in their hypocracy, have swung the tide of mainstream america against them… finally the lie of the right is doing itself in, one scandal at a time…
I hope the crimes committed by the Bush administration are exposed and the democrats don’t wimp out due to pity for the pathetic man behind the curtain… but i wont be surprised if the ‘liberals’ (ie. mainstream america who voted against Bush) show compassion and let the poor man slip away into obscurity as the worst president ever…
Somehow i doubt the right will ever get as far as it did in the last 6 years, the damage will take decades to repair, and the issues must be addressed, else immediate negative repercussions will result…
It’s funny you end your comment speaking of American Democracy… as if it’s expression and recent flexing of it’s muscle was upsetting to you… I have never been prouder to be an American, and for the first time in years feel hope once again for truth and the power of the people…
6:41 am
OFF TOPIC COMMENT
To all the men that have worn the Globe and Anchor, all the men who will so do in the future and most importantly to those giving their lives for freedom
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
“…First to fight for right and freedom…â€
Gung Ho!
An old exJarhead
8:44 am
I would like to contrast Allen’s concession speech with his campaign’s attempt trying to portray Jim Webb as a pedophile based on his novels, one of which is required reading for all Marine officers.
11:52 am
Memo to Conservative Lawyers: Hold Off on Recounts, Lawsuits
This is just a “stop gap” memo to all Conservative lawyers, who have no doubt fanned out across the nation to instigate a firestorm of recounts in close state races, recalls, and lawsuits regarding any “disenfranchisement” of traditionally Republic…