Talk about gaffes. McCain’s adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer told viewers that McCain had a good chance of taking Virginia because of his support in ‘Real Virginia,’ rather than Northern Virginia. MSNBC host Kevin Cork gave her every chance to get off the ledge. The lady blew her chance.
You just have to see this one. A picture is worth a thousand words:
ABC news for entire story
Dear God! You know, I have lived in Northern Virginia all my life. My mother is a life-long resident of Northern Virginia, as were her parents. My father spent his life all around the state of Virginia, and moved to Northern Virginia in his teens. His parents were life-long Virginians as well. My family has deep roots in this state, and I am really offended that this lady would somehow suggest that Northern Virginians are less legitimate.
Sure, this is a highly transient area. However, to dismiss us as people who have moved from DC is wrong. We are a legitimate and important part of this state, just as much as any other region. Hell, historical battles were fought on our land. Our proximity to DC is a definite factor in making us who we are, but it is not everything. Big mistake, Nancy! Guess this is more of the “Real America” language which Palin has been talking recently…
Diversity Gal,
I’ve lived my entire life in PWC and my mom’s family in Fauquier & Loudoun counties before moving to Manassas sixty years ago. Some of my dad’s family is from Central Virginia. I MOST certainly do not feel my relatives are any more of a “real Virginian” than I do myself.
Off topic, but I know you are a fellow SNL fan. Did you catch tonight’s episode? It was great. Excellent job done by ALL in this evening’s opening. Alec Baldwin is an all time favorite host of mine along with Christopher Walken.
I’ve lived in PWC my whole life but I have to say, the people in the rural areas are much friendlier,Culturally Conservative and Pro-American.
PWC,
Rural areas are usually friendlier largely in part due to the pace of life at which they live. You can see a difference just by visiting stores as close as Warrenton. However, do you really think they are more American than you or I as PW natives?
Chris, Sarah Palin came on again during the Weekend Update just now. But once again she didn’t do anything funny. I’m really disappointed. Why did she go on SNL if she wasn’t going to do anything funny?
Anyway, about the “Real Virginia” thing. I know exactly what she was trying to say. Because of Washington DC, Northern Virginia is now polluted with people of color. Where ever this happens, the white people realize we’re not so bad after all, and it’s a lot harder to convince them to hate us.
I am curious as to what PWC means by Pro-American?
Chris is right, just going to Warrenton is an entirely different world. Their court system is like Mayberry, which I mean in a good way. You dressed appropriately or you didn’t go in and you kept your mouth shut once you got in there.
I have spent the evening trying to think of how else the woman could have said what she meant without saying ‘real Virginia?’ Anyone have any ideas?
NotGL,
Yes, I saw Weekend Update Sarah Palin did absolutely nothing funny there. However, Amy Poehller was funny. Now, can you really see Sarah Palin doing that rap?
I do believe No.VA is not like the majority of the state. However, the rest of Virginia sure enjoys the “almighty tax dollar” from No.VA. I didn’t care for the way she said liberals from DC had to moved No.VA.
It’s too bad people do not realize what a toll hate takes on one.
Yeah, the rap was great! I doubt Sarah Palin could have pulled it off. I don’t even know if Tina Fey could have done that. I wonder if Tina Fey rehearsed it and decided it was too difficult. I wonder if they even asked Palin to do it. There is a real story behind this. They probably negotiated back and forth over the writing. I’ll bet it was not what Palin wanted, and not what the SNL writers wanted. There is no way that what we saw tonight was the first choice of anyone. Sarah Palin did NOTHING funny. So what was the point? I’d rather have seen more of Tina Fey. There is another story here waiting to get out.
NotGL,
I’m sure Sarah Palin “picked & choose” what she would and wouldn’t do. There’s more to this than meets the eye. I did think she was funny when she said Steven was her favorite Baldwin brother.
The point couldn’t be anymore than free air time & publicity for the Republican ticket.
I do think it’s a chance for “real America” to see the candidates. 😉
I’ve always enjoyed the political figures willingness to be on the show. I did love Janet Reno busting through a wall as Will Farrell was portraying her, which he was great at.
I don’t know if it’s really “hate,” Chris. This McCain spokeswoman was just being flagrantly honest about her campaign’s strategy.
The nation is moving beyond the politics of hate and division. It’s happening everywhere, but much faster where there is ethnic diversity. This woman is hoping to find a few pockets where people still go for the politics of hate and division. She thinks there are some in Virginia, but not in Northern Virginia.
Honestly, I don’t know who should be more insulted by this admission. Northern Virginia for being not the “Real Virginia,” or the rest of Virginia for being so “Southern” that they might be fooled by the despicable robo calls telling them Barack Obama is a terrorist (which many Republicans are denouncing by the way).
Rather than insulting the entire Commonwealth, why doesn’t this “Real Virginia” lady come up with a campaign or a policy platform that includes the interests of all Americans; not just the super wealthy and those who are still uncomfortable with cultural and ethnic diversity.
That way, she wouldn’t have to seek out people who are still uncomfortable with cultural and ethnic diversity. They are a dying breed. She won’t find enough of them, so why try to lure them out with racially tinged slogans at campaign rallies???
In this election cycle, policies that benefit the super wealthy are not popular.
So, we are getting a double dose of the kinds of rhetoric that play to those who are still not comfortable with cultural and ethnic diversity.
The woman said it herself. They are playing to the rural areas of Ohio and Wisconsin and Virginia. They are writing off the “metro” areas. They know who their voters are. And they think they know where to find them.
Not in Virginia, lady.
Confession time. I have said ‘real Virginia’ myself a time or 2. I am from ‘real Virginia’ originally. The rest of the state is actually very different from Northern VA. However, it sounds real odd when someone from a campaign says it. I don’t think there was any racism involved in her comments, just a very poor choice of words.
Politically and culturally, we are different from the rest of the state. Chris is right. The rest of the state gets gets a bunch of $$ from our region. The differences in me saying ‘real Virginia’ and the spokewoman saying it are: 1. I don’t say it outside my house 2. I am not a spokewoman for any politial campaign.
She was given a chance to correct. She chose to not do so. Not good. I am still not sure what I would have self corrected to, were I that woman.
“real virginia, I take to be, the part of the state that is more southern in nature”
This is thinly veiled promotion of bigotry.
There was racism in her comments.
For blacks, hispanics, and arabs who have to travel through ‘real virignia’, and worry about the police in ‘real virginia’, I don’t think they have the luxury of assuming there is no racism in her comments.
Chris,
I did watch SNL last night. LOVED only some of it. Those MacGruber sketches are killin’ me. I think Alec Baldwin is one of the best hosts of all time. If you’ve never seen an early sketch of his called “The Breakfast” (back in the days of Jan Hooks), then you are missing out on one of his best. It is a pretty hard one to find, though.
MH,
I think I know what Nancy was trying to say, too. I think she could have said that she felt John McCain’s message spoke more to some central and southern parts of the state. There is no shame in saying there are differences between our regions, but the way she put it makes it seem as if we don’t belong, and that we can be dismissed. The gross part about it is that she is a resident of NoVa.
The thing is, the state beyond Northern Virginia is NOT all alike in its thinking or diversity. Certainly Richmond and the Hampton Roads areas have a great amount of diversity, and Chesapeake/Virginia Beach within Hampton Roads is such a booming area, that it starts to bear some resemblance to Northern Virginia in many ways. Furthermore, from what I’ve heard from a good friend (and I’ve just looked online to confirm it), Roanoke has a fairly sizeable gay community. Will McCain-Palin appeal to them?
Pfotenhauer’s comments allow no room for the evolution of areas within a state. Over time, all of our regions should be allowed to grow and develop identities of their own. The world doesn’t collapse if we can’t put Virginia into one tiny little labeled box. It is quite convenient to dismiss an entire area of the state, just because that area is showing signs that it may be leaning toward Obama. The “reality” of Virginia is that there is much diversity of thought and background in our regions. I choose to view that as a positive and something to appreciate, rather than Pfotenhauer’s view that only certain areas should be thought of as “real.”
How can this woman expect McCain to win Virginia with insulting comments like that? Her comments were an affront to millions of N Virgnians, of whom many are self-described conservative Republicans. She should apologize and resign from the McCain campaign.
Do I still vote in Virginia?
Hey Starryflights – Welcome!! Have you been here before?
I am an expatriate Yankee, and I will tell you that I have been hearing for years, from many different quarters, that Northern Virginia is an extension of the Northeastern megalopolis and most assuredly not the South. And this is from many, many different quarters.
Colin Powell just endorsed Barack Obama for President.
I wonder how Ms. Pfotenhauer will explain this one?
A: Colin Powell is not the Real Virginia because he’s military
B: Colin Powell is not the Real Virginia because he is Black
C: Colin Powell is not the Real Virginia because he endorsed a Democrat
D: Colin Powell is not the Real Virginia because he lives near a city
Nancy Pfotenhauer probably wanted to distinguish between N. Virginia which she must view as – OMG- liberal and the rural rest of the state which generally holds more conservative views. As the east coast melds into one big megalopolis and the two coasts suck up most of the country’s population, that is a bad tactic to employ if one wants to appeal to the majority of the voters.
Fontbonne, you beat me to the concept of megalopolis. Haha.
Juturna,
We have our crap detectors up for Starryflights. I have serious reservations that this is the same as on bvbl but am continuing to allow them to post.
I, too, was offended by Ms. Pfotenhauer’s comments. I was born in Arlington Hospital the first year it opened. Lived in Arlington and attended school there. When my husband was in the Navy we were stationed in Norfolk. Last I checked both Arlington and Norfolk are in Virginia. Moved to Manassas 40 years ago. So I guess what she is saying is that I am not a “real” Virginian. Kiss my Aunt Nancy Ms. Pfotenhauer. BTW Ms. Pfotenhauer most of the taxes paid by No Va help to support the entire Commonwealth.
“Real Virginia” = southern Virginia = white Virginia
My father talks the same way. I get the coded way of speaking. Someone should put together White Language dictionary. Pro-America means white, gun-loving and born-again.
I just started volunteering for the Obama campaign and talked to this 17-year-old kid who shows me his NRA membership card and says he can’t vote yet but if he could he would vote for McCain because he likes guns.
Whether or not Northern Virginia is considered Southern in some people’s eyes is beside the point. Is it a legitimate, important, historical part of the state of Virginia…YES! If it is different in many ways, that is OK. If our state mixes the North and the South, that is OK, too. What is not OK is to say that we don’t count because we are different in some way.
ShellyB…what wonderful news this bright and shiny Sunday morning! Thanks for delivering the good stuff:)
I just watched the entire interview between Colin Powell and Tom Brokaw. It was jaw dropping. They showed Powell at the Republican National Convention enthusiastically embracing the Bush/Cheney ticket in 2000. It’s hard to believe he was the same man. His very cautious, painstakingly thought out transformation from a Bush Republican to a proud supporter of Barack Obama is symbollic, to me, of what millions of ordinary conservative, perhaps Republican, Americans have gone through over the past several years. I think this interview will go down in history as the single most coherent summation of the shifting tide and shifting spirit of America in the early 21st century. It was just an incredible interview. Please post the video as soon as it is available.
DG, you pretty much said how I feel.
Let me throw a wrench in things. People from central, tidewater,the valley and the appalachian areas of Virginia (geez…no wonder the woman shortened it) do see Northern Virginia as different. Much of this is because we throw our weight around the state and also throw elections our way. (evil grin) They do see us as a different region with different wants and needs. They conveniently forget to see our money going south.
Some of these same people who think this are also out stomping around all over the state for Obama. I am related to some of them. They have southern accents but I don’t think most people here would consider them rednecks. They are educated and have professional jobs.
I think we sell ourselves short when we try to make everything about racism. When we do that incessantly, it really makes us as bad as the many of those we do ideological battle with. There are probably more minorities living outside NOVA as inside it.
I expect that woman has been muzzled by the McCain campaign as the sun set in the west yesterday.
Just my 2 cents worth…..
Good for Gen. Powell. The website never shows the complete interview, only ships. I’ll be watching MSNBC tonight. I think it’s at 1 AM or maybe 2 AM.
I have to say Gen. Powell broke my heart in 2003 when he spoke before the U.N. saying there were WMD’s in Iraq. But he is one of the most respected citizens in America today, I don’t even know who ranks up there with him. Can you think of anyone? Anyway, this is really big. Hard to ignore this man.
To Pfotenhauer, “real” is defined as any region where voters are “very responsive to Senator McCain’s message” (I quote her own words). She further infers that “not real” means metro areas.
So where does that leave Richmond, which is undeniably in southern Virginia and whose populous has voted consistently pro-Democrat for decades (even in 1984 Reagan only got 43% of the Richmond vote, compared to 55% for Mondale).
Or what of Charlottesville in Albermarle County, also very southern Virginian? That city’s populous, like Richmond’s, has also voted consistently pro-Democrat for decades.
Pfotenhauer’s comment was obviously not well thought-out, though I doubt there was any racist intent behind it. Pfotenhauer is an avowed Republican partisan (and not the brightest; her occasional appearances on evening political talk shows are, at best, entertaining) and her comment did nothing more than advance her partisan notions. And the simple formula is: real= Republican, not real = Democrat.
The last two weeks of any campaign (whether local, county, state, or national) always promise to be the most heated. Either due to fatigue, desperation, or both, the stupidest and craziest things erupt out of people’s mouths, and all at once. And from both political persuasions. It’s the nuttiness of “final stretch syndrome”, and I just sit back and enjoy what is, for me, hilarious entertainment.
NotGL,
My reference of hate was in regards to “Where ever this happens, the white people realize we’re not so bad after all, and it’s a lot harder to convince them to hate us.” I don’t think Nancy there was speaking of hate exactly. My point it is too many people on both sides have this “hate” for the other party(extremists). I would like to think hate didn’t exist, but that simply isn’t true. I think it’s improved some, and I think people have gotten better at hiding their hate in ways.
All,
I would think ALL Virginians would be taken back by this “real Virginia” crap she’s spouting of at the mouth with.
“Fontbonne, you beat me to the concept of megalopolis. Haha.”
Ha! Me and my crystal ball.
“Whether or not Northern Virginia is considered Southern in some people’s eyes is beside the point. Is it a legitimate, important, historical part of the state of Virginia…YES!”
Of course. My comment was to illustrate that this woman did not express an original concept.
JustinT,
Yes, I feel the same way. Except you can easily find this bigotry in northern virginia as well. All you need to do is go to a place where the beer is flowing and do something to provoke a reaction…like say…speak spanish. When people’s inhibitions drop, you will find what they really think.
If this kind of bigotry is easy to find in nova, I shudder when I think about traveling through the rural parts of Virginia. Virgil Goode’s district comes to mind.
And that kid who said he’s voting for McCain because he likes guns…obviously he doesn’t know that McCain is no friend of the second amendment.
ShellyB
Here is the link to the interview I believe you were speaking of.
http://www.mlive.com/elections/index.ssf/2008/10/colin_powell_endorses_barack_o.html
“Pro-American”? What the heck does that mean? I hope it doesn’t mean anti-other-cultures.
Wow, PWConservative, did you really say “pro-America” as it relates to areas outside northern VA? Are you saying that the pentagon is located in an area this an “anti american”?
PWConservative, 19. October 2008, 0:19
Well I can’t comment. I post as Pinko 🙂
We’re all a bunch of communists anyway, according to GL, so what difference does it make?
Elena, you know those FBI freaks in Manassas…..they must be anti-American too. Maybe we should let them know?
LOLOLOL Pinko!!!