George Allen Can't Live Up to the Standards He Set at Facebook Townhall

Despite the fact that there weren't very many people watching his Facebook town hall yesterday, it looks like the event is really coming back to haunt him. First of all, he complained about how having to communicate with voters was "uh, god, torturous" when he thought the cameras were off (they weren't, and the video of the remarks is now floating around the internet). But as if that weren't enough, it looks like the process of speaking to voters was sooooooo "torturous" that he can't even live up to what he said during the town hall.

I say this because during the town hall, Allen said that leaders should "say what you're for." Perhaps knowing that he won't have to be casting a vote on specific bills while on the campaign trail, he's been promoting this concept for awhile. This summer, for instance, he said that Members of Congress need "to get off their cushy seats and vote yes or no, don't slough it off and avoid accountability and responsibility." Apparently he doesn't believe that standard applies to former senators who are trying to get back to Congress because his campaign couldn't give his position on the payroll tax cut today. Instead, the campaign said they "could not say whether he would have voted for the bill."

Considering how this has been the main topic of discussion in the political world for at least the last week and has been debated off an on for months, you'd think Allen would be able to voters where he stands on the issue -- especially considering it impacts 4.3 million Virginians. But, nope, George Allen can't come up with an answer (perhaps he's still recovering from the "torturous" experience he had talking to voters).

Realizing that Allen can't even live up to his own standards, the Democratic Party of Virginia is going after him on the issue. In an email earlier today, for instance, DPVA spokesman Brian Coy said that "George Allen's dodging, waffling and fence sitting on the payroll tax cut impasse violates his own standard for how leaders should act."

Coy added that "Whether [Allen] stands with the bipartisan coalition of Senators who voted for the extension, or with the Tea Party fringe in the House who would rather damage our economy than give an inch, it's time for him to get off of his 'cushy seat' and tell Virginians how he would vote."