The Misadventures of a UVA Gunner
The Virginia Senate race between Republican incumbent George Allen and Democratic challenger Jim Webb has been one of the most bizarre and entertaining races in recent memory. To recap, here are some of the things we've been treated to in recent weeks:
-- the magnificent spectacle of "Macaca"-gate;
-- a Southerner's dramatic discovery of his long-lost Jewish heritage;
-- a campaign manager named Dick Wadhams (he's not gay!); and
-- a father placing his son's penis in his mouth (okay, in a work of fiction).
This is truly an embarrassment of riches. What more could one ask for?
Well, how about a law-related angle? From TJ's Double Play:
[W]e thought we weren't going to blog until our memo was done. Then 1L extraordinaire Mike Stark decided to pick a fight with Sen. George Allen and got his ass literally thrown out of a campaign event. Word is that Stark, who runs lefty blog Calling All Wingnuts, apparently began asking rude questions about Allen's wife (most likely having to do with divorce details and whether or not he spit on his wife) and then Allen's security tossed him out of the building.
Like any good law student, Stark is making a (federal?) case out of it. From NBC 29:
[O]ne Allen campaign staffer put Stark in a headlock and threw him to the ground. Stark was also removed from the building. Stark was not injured and is pressing charges.
But here's the best part:
Thanks to a reader for sending us the video, so you can see Stark get thrown to the ground and pinned against a wall. It's pretty awesome, especially because Stark is a pretty well-known gunner. We'll see if he's a little quieter this week. Or in class at all.
Well, at least Stark didn't get his ass arrested. Because federal judges don't look kindly upon clerkship applicants with criminal records.
You can read more about the whole incident at TJ's Double Play and Wonkette.
Macaca Mike vs. Anglo Allen [TJ's Double Play]
Allen Staffers Beat Up Blogger, Nation Celebrates [Wonkette]
Incident at Allen Campaign Stop in Charlottesville [NBC29]
(10) 
Maybe now Allen will win.
I hope someone from the Allen campaign remembers this in three years and brings up all the details to the character and fitness committee when Stark applies for bar membership.
Anon 12:15--What exactly did Stark do that you think would prevent him from being admitted to a state bar?
(I'm not Anon 12:15, so I'm not responding on his/her behalf.)
It doesn't sound like any charges (e.g., harassment, battery) will be brought against Stark for this. So it shouldn't affect his admission to a state bar.
But it is something that will come up whenever a prospective employer Googles or Lexis/Nexis-es him.
Re: Comment 2. I've never heard of anyone being disqualified from the bar because they were the victim of a crime. Or for asking a question of a politician at a political event. More interesting, will Senator Allen's role in an assault and battery affect his membership in the Virginia Bar?
Right. Stark didn't commit any crime.
There is a question on a lot of bar applications asking if you've ever been a party to a civil lawsuit, but this incident certainly wouldn't get him dq'ed from the bar.
He was rude to a politician and got his ass beat on the news. If rudeness was a disqualifier, there would be about 3 lawyers in this country.
It was an invitation-only event that Stark crashed. Is it possible he trespassed?
Stark is so clearly on the political track it probably doesn't matter at all whether he takes the bar. He's the one pressing charges and with a cause of action.
Plus, he probably now has a standing offer at left-leaning boutique firms. He was well known on Daily Kos.
Agreed with TJ. Stark can also probably land a clerkship with a top-ranked liberal judge somewhere - someone who would view his confrontation of George Allen as a badge of honor.
Where's the honor in making sleazy, irrelevant accusations in an inappropriate setting? There's nothing heroic about being a tool. I can't stand George Allen either, but if I were there, I would have given this loser the beat-down of his life. And the fact that he's suing for being pushed over is beneath contempt. Anyone who goes down that easy should hang his head in shame, not call attention to it.
The fact that a cheap publicity stunt by a whiny little attention whore passes for activism says a lot about our country, doesn't it.