George Allen to Swiftboat James Webb?
07 July 2006 9:34 am by Taylor Marsh
George Allen to Swiftboat James Webb?
![](\"/images2/screenshot_howell3.jpg\") |
| Who can ever forget? |
Here we go yet again.
Not only did George Allen just hire the swiftboat ad man, but he's the guy
also responsible for the Hitler ad. You can view all the ads here.
It's really simple.
George Allen is going to swiftboat James
Webb, yet another Democratic veteran running in 2006. There are
quite a few Fighting Dems, dozens
more than Republicans can claim. There's a reason for that, too. All you have
to do is look at Iraq. But hiring the guy who swiftboated John Kerry and ruined
Max Cleland's Senate prospects?
Scott Howell is credited with being the mastermind of the happy, family-guy
political ads that helped John Thune unseat Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle
in 2004, but also is responsible for the so-called \”Hitler\” ads
that were a factor in the gubernatorial loss last year of death-penalty advocate
Jerry W. Kilgore.
Mr. Howell, president of Dallas-based Republican media firm Scott Howell and
Co., has been called one of the most impressive political consultants of this
decade. Democrats detest him for his role in the Swift Boat Veterans
for Truth campaign against presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts
in 2004, as well as for ads that helped defeat Sen. Max Cleland, Georgia Democrat,
in 2002.Sen. George Allen of Virginia and Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri, Republicans
who are facing re-election bids this fall, have chosen Mr. Howell's firm and
expect upbeat ads to dominate their campaigns. …
Scott Howell doesn't do \”upbeat.\” What Howell does is smear decorated
veterans, especially if they're Democrats. A local
paper said just that not too long ago.
George Allen has, yet again, shown his true colors. Racist, anti veteran, ready
to smear anyone to win, with absolutely no spine or character whatsoever. We
need to remember this when Mr. Allen runs for president, which he will if he wins back his Senate seat.
If you know people in Virginia, let them know what's going on with Allen and just as important, tell them about James Webb.
As regular readers know, I've been very tough on The New Republic for their coverage
lately, but Ryan Lizza, not exactly my favorite journalist, did a remarkable
piece on Allen that I highly recommend. It's one of the reasons I still subscribe
to that magazine. Lizza lays Allen out flat. Here's just one paragraph. The
whole article is a bombshell portrait of a man who is not fit for the Senate.
… But, while Allen may have genuflected in the direction of Gingrich, he
also showed a touch of Strom Thurmond. Campaigning for governor in 1993, he
admitted to prominently displaying a Confederate flag in his living room.
He said it was part of a flag collection–and had been removed at the start
of his gubernatorial bid. When it was learned that he kept a noose hanging
on a ficus tree in his law office, he said it was part of a Western memorabilia
collection. These explanations may be sincere. But, as a chief executive,
he also compiled a controversial record on race. In 1994, he said he would
accept an honorary membership at a Richmond social club with a well-known
history of discrimination–an invitation that the three previous governors
had refused. After an outcry, Allen rejected the offer. He replaced the only
black member of the University of Virginia (UVA) Board of Visitors with a
white one. He issued a proclamation drafted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans
declaring April Confederate History and Heritage Month. The text celebrated
Dixie's \”four-year struggle for independence and sovereign rights.\”
There was no mention of slavery. After some of the early flaps, a headline
in The Washington Post read, \”governor seen leading va. back in time.\”George
Allen's Race Problem, by Ryan Lizza
