Jim Webb (D) has the momentum in the polls, the “naughty novel” strategy isn’t working, and Sen. George Allen (R) is struggling to get on track. This won’t help.
A first-year University of Virginia law student shouted a question at U.S. Sen. George Allen Tuesday at the conclusion of a rally at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel.
Allen declined to answer the question about whether he had ever spat at his first wife and the student, Mike Stark, was pushed away from Allen by a former Albemarle County GOP official.
That’s only part of it. Stark, whom many of you may know as the blogger behind Calling All Wingnuts, wasn’t just “pushed away” by a Republican activist; he was quite literally tackled by a series of Allen supporters, some of whom may have been Allen staffers. The video of the incident is already online.
The local news accounts have already mischaracterized what transpired. The NBC affiliate refers to him as a “protestor.” To be sure, Stark isn’t an Allen supporter, and he had a confrontational question for his senator, but the fact remains that he was a constituent at a public campaign event. Stark didn’t interrupt Allen’s remarks, he carried no signs, he was not disruptive — he simply asked a question about sealed records that Allen refuses to open. For that, he was manhandled by Allen-supporting thugs.
Similarly, a local paper said Stark “caused a ruckus.” It’s hard to see how that’s a fair description — the “ruckus” was caused when Allen’s heavies tackled him. The thud Stark made when he hit the floor may have been noticeable, but isn’t the tackler more responsible for that than the guy who was tackled?
Moreover, still other reporters are referring to the incident as a “fight.” Nonsense. When large men push around and eventually tackle a law-abiding constituent, that’s not a “fight,” it’s an “assault.”
A few questions:
* When George Allen said of the Democrats, “Let’s enjoy knocking their soft teeth down their whiny throats,” was this what he meant?
* Were any Allen staffers involved with today’s violence? Will any of them be fired?
* How soon will Allen apologize for the incident?
I suspect Allen supporters will argue that Stark was asking a rude question. Perhaps. But Allen’s a big boy and candidates for public office are confronted with rude questions all the time. It’s part of dealing with constituents, some of whom disagree with you. Candidates and office holders can respond to rude questions, ignore them, laugh them off, whatever suits his or her purposes.
But we can’t have a system whereby a candidates’ supporters and/or aides manhandle those with questions they disapprove of. The media has made this out to be Stark’s fault somehow, when, in fact, Allen should be embarrassed by how this was handled.
Stay tuned. Rumor has it there will be additional updates on this story today and tomorrow.