George Allen

George Felix Allen was a Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 2001-2007. He was defeated in the 2006 congressional elections by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.). He has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2008.

Background
Allen was born March 8, 1952 in Whittier, California. His father George Herbert Allen was a legendary National Football League coach who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Allen received a B.A. degree with distinction in history and then a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia.

Allen served as the 67th Governor of Virginia from 1994-1998. According to his gubernatorial profile, George Allen served as a delegate and as Assistant Minority Leader in the Virginia General Assembly, and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, before being elected governor in 1993. "Governor Allen emphasized economic growth and encouraged new business in Virginia. He abolished the parole system and spearheaded reforms in the juvenile justice system. He also initiated statewide welfare reforms." 

While governor, Allen was criticized for alleged insensitivity to racial problems during his term. In 1997, he proclaimed April as Confederate History and Heritage Month and called the Civil War "a four-year struggle for independence and sovereign rights." 

Allen could not run for re-election because Virginia's constitution does not allow a governor to succeed himself; as of 2006 Virginia is the only state that has such a provision. 

Senate Career
Allen was elected to the Senate in 2000, defeating the Democratic incumbent, Chuck Robb, son-in-law of the late President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Allen was unanimously elected a member of the Senate Republican Leadership as Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002, and oversaw a net gain of four seats for the Republicans in the 2004 elections. His successor as NRSC chair is Senator Elizabeth Dole.

In June of 2005, Allen co-sponsored a resolution that had the Senate formally apologize for never passing federal legislation despite the lynching of nearly 5,000 people between 1882 and 1968. While spearheading this apology, Allen stood in the Senate and said, "I rise today to offer a formal and heartfelt apology to all the victims of lynching in our history, and for the failure of the United States Senate to take action when action was most needed."

Iraq War
Allen voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

Internet tax legislation
Allen coauthored the Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act, which was signed into law on December 3, 2004 by President George W. Bush. This bill worked to prevent taxation on internet access.

2006 election
Allen's term in the Senate expired in January 2007. He sought re-election in 2006 and ran against James Webb. Webb, who won the Democratic primary against life long Democrat Harris Miller, is a veteran and recent convert to the Democratic Party with little political experience. He was President Reagan's Navy Secretary and endorsed Allen during the 2000 election. 

Allen was initially the heavy favorite in the race, but after several notable blunders, it became extremely competitive. Ultimately, Webb defeated Allen 50%-49% to takeover the seat and tip the balance of power in the Senate to the Democrats. 

Presidential Bid
December 13, 2004: "In a sign that US Senator George Allen Jr. (R-VA) is planning a 2008 White House run, he just hired Dick Wadhams to be his new Chief of Staff. Wadhams, who ran the campaign that just ousted Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), is viewed as one of today's hottest GOP political strategists." 

In a survey of 175 Washington insiders conducted by National Journal's "The Hotline" and released April 29, 2005, Allen was the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the 2008 Presidential election. A few days later, Allen held fundraising events in New Hampshire, the state with the important first presidential primary, although his campaign manager said that the trip was solely to raise money for Allen's 2006 Senate re-election campaign. 

Allen has been mentioned by Rush Limbaugh on numerous occasions, and also on Hannity & Colmes, as being the Republican presidential hopeful most likely to follow in the conservative mantle of Ronald Reagan. 


 * See Also Road to the White House, C-SPAN, Address to the Greenville County, South Carolina, Republican Party Dinner rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/rwh/rwh071005.rm

Stem Cell flip-flop
Democrats have accused Allen of changing his positions on key issues to appeal to the Republican Party's conservative base, in preparation for the primaries in 2008. For example, although he had previously supported federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, he modified his stance on August 7, 2005 to confine the funding to research that did not destroy an embryo. 

Hate Crime Protection for Sexual Orientation
Allen came under harsh criticism from many conservatives when on June 15, 2004 he voted for an amendment to include sexual orientation as a protected category in federal hate crime legislation. This criticism was renewed in October 2005 when a conservative Christian organization alleged that Allen's vote broke a promise which he made in a letter written on October 27, 2000. He received more heat in December 2005 from the Family Policy Network and other conservtive groups for going back on his original position, saying he no longer supports sexual orientation as a protected category. 

Pat Robertson
Allen's prominence in the speculation about a 2008 presidential run has led to increased scrutiny of his decisions. On May 1, 2005, soon after the National Journal survey appeared, the Rev. Pat Robertson, appearing on ABC television, attacked an "out-of-control judiciary" as being a greater threat than Nazi Germany was or than Al Qaeda is today. Allen was subsequently criticized by the National Jewish Democratic Council and other Democrats for agreeing to speak at Robertson's Regent University in Virginia Beach. 

High school
Controversy has occasionally surrounded Allen on the issue of race. It has been reported by the Times-Dispatch (a highly circulated newspaper in the Richmond, Virginia area) and the New Republic (a highly circulated left-leaning magazine) that Allen has displayed the confederate flag throughout his life. . These sources claim that Allen wore a Confederate flag pin on his shirt in a high-school yearbook photo and displayed it on his car as a teenager. Allen’s staff and aides confirmed the story about his yearbook picture, but stated that they could not recall whether Allen displayed the Confederate flag on his Mustang. The newspaper and magazine also gave similar accounts of how a Democratic operative and former classmate stated that Allen had painted “anti-white” graffiti on his predominately-white high school walls before a basketball game against a predominately black, rival high school.

In response to the New Republic’s article, Allen responded with a letter saying that, "I generally bucked authority and the rebel flag was just a way to express that attitude. Life is a learning experience and I have learned quite a bit in the ensuing 36 years." Allen also said the graffiti incident had nothing to do with race and “was a stupid prank.”

None the less, Allen’s past still upset the NAACP. In response to these claims, King Salim Khalfani, executive director of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP, stated in reference to Allen's teenage years that his actions were "troubling to us because it just shows a long-held belief in the virtues of the Confederacy." 

Virginia legislative carreer
After moving to Virginia, Allen continued to display symbols associated with the Confederacy. Allen displayed the Confederate flag in his home, which was shown in his first campaign ad in 1993. In addition, Allen displayed a hanging noose in his law office. Allen, a flag collector, stated that he no longer displays the Confederate flag, and that the noose was part of an Old-West motif.

Allen’s record while in the Virginia House of Delegates and as Governor of Virginia has also been controversial. In 1984, Allen was one of 27 legislators who voted against a Martin Luther King Holiday for the state of Virginia. He also co-sponsored a resolution for the late Congressman and Governor of Virginia, William "Bob" M. Tuck, who voted against many Civil Rights bills. In addition to this resolution, the Washington Times reported that Allen issued a proclamation drafted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans declaring April to be Confederate History and Heritage Month. The proclamation's text acknowledged the South’s "four-year struggle for independence and sovereign rights." 

In 1996, while governor, Allen personally initiated an association with the Council of Conservative Citizens, the successor organization to the segregationist White Citizens Council and one the largest white supremacist groups in the United States. After speaking with CCC founder Gordon Lee Baum and two of his assistants, Allen suggested that they pose for a photograph with NRA spokesman Charlton Heston. The photo appeared in the Summer 1996 issue of the Citizens Informer. 

Senate career
Since being elected to the Senate in 2000, Allen has shown sensitivity to race. In 2005, he joined with Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in co-sponsoring Senate Resolution S.Res. 39, which publicly apologized on behalf of the U.S. Senate to the victims and relatives of lynchings. In reference to sponsoring this act, Allen stated that, "One goes through life learning, and when one sees things that are wrong in the past and folks come to request my assistance, I wanted to help them." 

Remark to Webb staffer
On August 11, 2006, Allen made a comment concerning a staffer for his 2006 opponent, James Webb, which spurred controversy.

S.R. Sidarth, a twenty-year-old volunteer for Webb, had been traveling with Allen to videotape his speeches for the campaign, a practice common to American political races.

During a campaign speech in Breaks, Virginia, Allen addressed Sidarth. He said, “This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great. We're going to places all over Virginia, and he's having it on film and it’s great to have you here and you show it to your opponent because he's never been there and probably will never come.”

In an interview, Sidarth said he suspects Allen singled him out because he was the only non-white face in the audience, which he said included roughly one-hundred Republican supporters. If spelled M-a-c-a-c-a, the term refers to a species of monkeys found in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Allen’s campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, said the Webb campaign's complaints are baseless and that Allen had "nothing to apologize for" to the young man. Rather, he argued that Allen campaign staffers had begun referring to Sidarth by the name, "mohawk," because of his haircut. Manaca, therefore, was simply of variation of this name. 

On August 23, after the remark had led to a national controversy, Allen called Sidarth and apologized. 

Improper reporting of stock options
In October 2006, the Associated Press reported that Allen had failed to disclose stock options he had been granted for serving as a director of two technology companies during the years between his service as Virginia governor and a member of the U.S. Senate. Senate rules require the declaration of all deferred compensation packages. Allen had reported the options in question in an amendment to a 2000 ethics report, but omitted them from annual disclosure reports once he became a member of the Senate. Both companies, Xybernaut and Commonwealth Biotech, serve as contractors to the federal government. Allen claimed that he believed he did not have to report the options as they were trading below the option price and were thus essentially worthless at the time. 

Another election?
On March 15, 2007, Allen hosted a private dinner to discuss whether or not to run for John Warner's Senate seat in 2008 or Virginia governor in 2009. 

Committees in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
 * Subcommittee on Aviation
 * Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs Product Safety and Insurance - Chair
 * Subcommittee on Science and Space
 * Subcommittee on Technology Innovation and Competitiveness
 * Subcommittee on Trade Tourism and Economic Development
 * Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine
 * Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
 * Subcommittee on Energy
 * Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
 * Subcommittee on National Parks
 * Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
 * Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism
 * Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 * Subcommittee on European Affairs - Chair
 * Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs
 * Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Chairman, High Tech Task Force

Affiliations

 * Director, Lee Technologies
 * Governor's Honorary Advisory Council, Council for America's First Freedom

More Background Data

 * 2006 Virginia Senate Candidate List from VIS

External resources

 * Official website.
 * Campaign website.
 * Technorati Search: George Allen.
 * Google News Search: George Allen.
 * Yahoo! News Search: George Allen.
 * Power Trsip: How much did George Allen travel?
 * GovTrack Statistics: George Allen.
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database
 * Differences on the issues between George Allen and James Webb - whereIstand.com
 * ‘Macaca’ to rise again? - thinkprogress.org

Profiles

 * Politics1 - P2008: George Allen.
 * Official Biography: Senator George Allen.
 * Official Profile: Governor George Allen.
 * George Allen On The Issues, issues2000.org, accessed August 18, 2005.
 * George Allen, removerepublicans.com.
 * Sen. George Allen - 2008 Presidential Wire.
 * George Allen on the Issues.

George Allen blogs and messageboards

 * George Allen 2008 blogspot (unofficial campaign website).
 * Yahoo! Groups: George Allen for President.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * George Allen for Prez.com a.k.a. The Fudge Report. Scroll down to link on righthand side of front page.
 * GeorgesJourneys.com.
 * Snakes on a Senate, a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee website.
 * Richmond Democrat
 * Act Blue