WP: Virginia GOP Senator George Allen: Cowboy or surfer boy "City Slicker"

[DeepModem Mom]

Will Sen. Allen's Cowboy Boots Fit Virginia Voters?
Detractors Call Cowboy Image a Shtick
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 8, 2006; Page C11


Sen. George Allen (R) rides his horse Bubba along the Labor Day parade route last month in Buena Vista, Va. (By Josh Meltzer-Roanoke Times Associated Press)

....Last night, at a supporter's home near this city of the Old South (Richmond), (Senator George Allen, R., Virginia) held a Western-themed fundraiser called a "hoedown." Those who gave $50 were dubbed "Ranch Hands." Those who gave more than $1,000 earned titles such as "Buckaroo," "Cow Boss" or "Ranch Boss." Those who gave $10,000 or more to the Republican cause earned the title "El Ranchero Grande." In Allen's worldview, there is no greater compliment.

Critics say the would-be cowboy hasn't quite earned his spurs. They call it the tired political shtick of a 54-year-old Republican senator whose reelection is in jeopardy....

***

On Nov. 7, Allen will follow his custom and wear cowboy boots when he goes to the polls to vote. This time, he is in a tight race against a candidate who has his own meaningful footwear. Democratic nominee James Webb, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, wears combat boots in recognition of his son's deployment to Iraq with the Marines and to symbolize his own opposition to the war there.

Allen's detractors mock the cowboy image as an act dreamed up by an ambitious surfer boy from California to appeal to rural voters in Virginia. To them, it screams phony.

"With all due respect, I know cowboys," said Steve Jarding, who was raised in South Dakota and is now a senior Webb adviser. "I grew up with cowboys. I have nephews who bull ride. I'm sorry, George, you're not a cowboy."

To Jarding, Allen's penchant for cowboy boots and a wad of snuff is as contrived as Billy Crystal's character in the faux-cowboy movie "City Slickers."...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/07/AR2006100700908.html

[C_U_L8R]

1. orange county neo-nazi

who dresses up as a cowboy and a confederate.

It's clear he loves playing dress-up
and idolizes symbols of racism

[LiberalFighter]

2. El Ranchero Grande?

I thought we were in United States not Mexico or Spain.

That terminology can't be the norm in Virginia. There must be plenty of terminology he could had used that would had fit the Virginians. He probably could had used football terms since his dad was a pro football coach

[tularetom]

3. If you call yourself a "cowboy" you probably aren't one

I bred raised and sold cattle for thirty years and never once thought of myself as a cowboy. I have met however a lot of people who affect cowboy garb and drive bigass pickups who have never been any closer to a cow than the other end of their fork. I think Felix Macaca is one of these people.

For full disclosure I do own a cowboy hat which I wear mostly when I mow the lawn, go fishing or play golf. I've had several skin cancers removed and it's the most practical way to keep the sun off.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. Most Virginians who ride horses don't wear "shit-kickers".

They tend to wear English-style equestrian clothing, and ride in the same manner.

Remember, a lot of the northern part of Virgnia is equestrian country, and the talk around the weekends gravitates to social events like a horse-jumping show or a classic English foxhunt.

Heck, the schools in the area reflect this passion - the private schools like Madeira and Foxcroft offer horseback riding programs, and SweetBriar College allegedly has one of the best equestrian programs in the country. A number of folks from this region are world-and-Olympic-class caliber equestrians.

George Allen, to them, is a NOCD (Not Our Class Dear) kind of fellow.

:evilfrown: