Here’s what Allen told reporters and customers in a Charlottesville, VA barbershop last week, according to the local Daily Progress:
“While I’m here in Charlottesville, at Staples Barber Shop, he’s up in Chicago with President Obama’s big money bundlers, in Chicago, and I’d rather be here at Staples Barber Shop … and in touch with the folks here.”
Like clockwork, Allen’s campaign kicked out a release slamming Kaine for missing Obama’s jobs speech to raise money in Chicago. It’s was a classic move.
But then, so was this from the Washington Post a day later:
Allen, the GOP frontrunner in the race to replace retiring Sen. James Webb (D), will head to Newport Beach Thursday to speak at the September luncheon of the Newport Harbor Republican Women. After the luncheon Allen will be signing copies of his book, “What Washington Can Learn From the World of Sports.”
Democrats took one look at that, and pounced today.
“George Allen wants to have his cake and stuff his face with it,” DSCC spokesperson Matt Canter told TPM in a statement.
“It’s bad enough that George Allen felt it was necessary to launch such a lame attack, but the fact that he did it knowing full well that he was going to raise money out of state just days later takes the cake,” Canter said. “The fact is, Allen will say whatever, whenever, to whomever, as long as it serves his own political interests. Clearly, George Allen has nothing to offer Virginians but pathetic attacks and empty rhetoric.”
Update: Allen campaign spokesperson Bill Riggs offered this response to Canter’s statement:
“After more than 30 consecutive months of unemployment above 8%, it took zero jobs created in August for Chairman Kaine to finally realize and say in his words, ‘we need a job creation strategy.’ So what did he do? He went to Chicago to raise campaign cash with President Obama’s big money bundlers. That’s everything you need to know about where Chairman Kaine’s priorities are. And with no plan of his own, the real question is whether Chairman Kaine will continue to stand with President Obama and support more job-crushing tax hikes to pay for another nearly $450 billion stimulus.”
