Allen’s Not Alone: 2008 and the Indian Vote
George Allen’s not the only 2008 contender, of course, to have made insensitive remarks to America’s Asian Indian population.
There’s Delaware Democrat Joe Biden, who was also recently caught on YouTube, marvelling at the explosion of Indian immigration and bragging about his “great relationship” with the community by saying: “You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent… I’m not joking!”
And then there was Hillary Clinton who tried to warm up an audience at a Missouri fundraiser and also set up a quote from India’s most famous pacifist by saying of Gandhi: “He ran a gas station down in St. Louis.”
It’s a wonder Allen didn’t just call his unauthorized videographer “Apu.” He probably could have gotten away with that one.