Last spring I struggled again with the difficult question: "What should I do this summer?" The year before, I had interned for a U.S. representative in Washington, D.C. But returning to the Beltway, and in particular to Congress, was an experience I really did not want to repeat. Giving Capitol tours and stuffing envelopes becomes dull quickly, and Washington's glamour tends to fade with time.
"But I think this would be a good time to intern for one of our senators-especially Allen, since he's going to run for president."
I was on the phone with a close relative, and he had a good point. At the time, Senator George Allen, R-Va., was a likely presidential nominee for the Republican Party in 2008, and it would be advantageous for a young conservative to work for him. So with my relative's advice I ended up applying for an internship in Allen's office.
A month or so later I received an envelope.
Rejected.
Apparently my qualifications-a solid GPA at a top school, tons of extracurricular activities, several nice recommendations, experience on the Hill and a Virginia residency-were not good enough to impress the brainiacs running the senator's office. (Either that, or I just couldn't compete with the children of major contributors.)
But I did not remain bitter for long. A few days later I received an offer for a much better internship-one that would provide me with far more than receptionist experience and stapling opportunities. On top of that, recent events have convinced me that getting rejected by Allen's office was actually a stroke of the best possible fortune.
Here's why:
"This fellow [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."
Allen uttered these now-familiar words at a campaign rally, attended by 100 or so reporters, at a University of Virginia undergraduate named S.R. Sidarth, a volunteer for Allen's opponent and the only person of color in the crowd.
It turns out that "macaca" is a type of Asian monkey and an obscure racial slur of colonial French origin. And although "Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia" has since been taken out of context (Allen was actually just criticizing his opponent for hailing from the Beltway), it sure sounded bad at the time.
Allen has since apologized for the comment, but he and his staffers were certainly not straightforward in explaining why he called Sidarth "Macaca." In the aftermath of the incident, they released contradictory stories that did not really make much sense. Pundits suggest that Allen actually learned "macaca" from his mother, who was born in Tunisia.
But the problems did not stop there. It also turns out that the Presbyterian senator's mother is Jewish. For some reason, when confronted with this at a public debate, Allen grew defensive, which made it appear as if he were ashamed. Many still wonder if he secretly is, but Allen has since publicly acknowledged his newly publicized Jewish heritage.
Recently, a former football teammate of Allen's at UVa. has claimed that the senator used the n-word frequently with his fellow white teammates and even placed a deer's severed head inside a black family's mailbox-an act apparently inspired by The Godfather. Allen denies these claims. But Larry Sabato, a respected political scientist at the UVa., has also claimed that Allen used the n-word when they attended college together, giving the accusation more credibility.
With all of the allegations of racism coming Allen's way, his campaign has entered a downward spiral. He and James Webb, his Democratic opponent who trailed Allen over the summer, are now pretty much even in the polls.
I did not really like the senator much before. A Californian dressing up like a cowboy but claiming Southern heritage seemed a bit off to me, and I only really applied for that internship because my relative told me to.
But now I have grounds to be happy about that thin envelope, and I also have a valid reason to dislike Virginia's junior senator. He lacks good judgment and is possibly racist, and if he still wins his election in November, it is clear that Republicans must keep him out of the White House.
Jamie Deal is a Trinity junior. His column runs every other Thursday.
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