Governor Bob McDonnell issued a proclamation earlier this week declaring April “Confederate History Month.” In doing so, the governor failed to explicitly acknowledge that a part of our history is not so nice: that part being slavery. After incurring the wrath of many, including those in the national media, the governor amended his proclamation, calling it a “major omission.”
Part of me wants to believe him. Part of me wants to think that whoever drew up the proclamation, in the hustle and bustle of getting things done, simply overlooked the whole slavery issue.
But the other part of me says nope – no way, no how could anyone look at that proclamation and not realize the glaring omission of a mention of slavery. There’s only one way that such an omission could occur and not be detected: no one black looked at the proclamation before it was issued.
Methinks the governor needs some people of color around him.
Of course, had McDonnell issued a proclamation about the Civil War, instead of the Confederacy, we may not have been having this conversation. After all, that is what he referenced in his mea culpa Wednesday:
During the commemoration of the Civil War over the next four years, I intend to lead an effort to promote greater understanding and harmony in our state among our citizens.
And it is what I’ve seen proposed in a couple of places (1,2) across the blogosphere. I think that is a reasonable compromise.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
We already have Delegates, like Jennifer McClellan (aka Verizon’s Delegate) who claims to not have enough time to read the bills before voting on them. Now, the Governor’s staff is claiming that they too are too busy to issue proclamations that say what they really meant.
We would be better off if we eliminated the issuance of all of these feel good, do nothing, proclamations.
We shouldn’t celebrate Confederate History/Heritage one month per year, nor should we celebrate “Black History” one month per year. Those sorts of efforts are divisive and serve to exacerbate differences among our citizens.
All throughout the year, Americans should celebrate the valor and perseverance exemplified by the Confederate soldier. We should also see examples of exemplary acts of character by the various other segments of our society throughout history.
After all, we all have always been here together on Earth, trying to survive and prosper. We can all learn from the lessons of history. Citing the bravery of a Confederate soldier does not diminish the accomplishments of other individuals or groups, during that period, before or afterward.
Here in the Twenty-first Century, most of those who identify as “African-American” from the South can trace part of their lineage to someone who fought on the side of the Confederacy. Not only were there Black Confederates, but Indian and Latino Confederates and through generations of inter-racial marriage, many of our citizens can truthfully claim a Confederate soldier ancestor, including White soldiers.
Just like those who protested the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but still honored the bravery and sacrifice of our soldiers, everyone can honor the Confederate Veteran, both those from your own family, and those among the families of your neighbors.
People of all backgrounds can rightfully take up the Battle flag and sing Dixie, in honor of the Confederate Veterans. Our citizens who want to celebrate their Confederate heritage should be encouraged to do so, while those who would prefer to just forget the past, or who are indifferent, have no basis to seek to eliminate or censor celebrations on behalf of the Confederate Veteran.
Here in this century, we need not limit such celebrations or confine observances to a single month. Instead, we should exploit our historic past to achieve all possible economic advantages for all of the citizens of today. We can add a billion dollars in tourist revenue to Virginia tourism by promoting Confederate history/heritage programs. Plenty of our “people of color” could make millions by selling Battle Flags, Confederate era reproduction clothing and regalia, as well as by organizing and providing tours of historic sites.
First of all, “we” lost the Civil War. Since when, do you keep celebrating wars that you lost (and the generals who were defeated)? I think that every Lee/Jackson Day. And I am born and bred in Virginia and never lived anywhere else (and not Northern Va either, but real Virginia).
Here’s the shorter and more correct answer, Tyler:
“The Confederacy was based upon protecting an awful evil against fellow human beings, and it is wrong to celebrate it.”
I mean, if you’re really all about celebrating the braveness of people, why not cite Iraqi insurgents and Taliban fighters, too? All brave young men protecting their homeland, no?
And please, enough with the myth of the Black Confederate.
Since the only thing about the Confederacy worth commemorating is its end, let’s chuck Confederate History Month AND Lee/Jackson Day and replace them with a holiday celebrating the day Virginia re-joined the Union. That’s a great day in History to remember, not the shamefull episode that preceded it.
Here we have a website that advocates and celebrates more and bigger government complaining about a mere government proclamation. It is okay to have government run our health care, but it is wrong for government to suggest we reflect upon an ugly episode in our nation’s history. LOL!
If a mere proclamation is all it takes to get you riled, why can’t you be more understanding when others suggest we already have far more government than we need? If just the absence of a reference to slavery disturbs you, why don’t you sympathize with those who don’t like half of their paycheck going to taxes?
What is wrong with the proclamation? We don’t need it; we don’t need McDonnell or any government official telling us which month remember some time in history. Too much government is divisive. Too much government made slavery possible. Too much government just forces people to participate in something they want nothing to do with.
We need government to protect our rights. We do not need government to tell us what to think or give us something. In a free society, citizens run the government, not government the citizens. Government does not and cannot give us anything. That includes our rights.
Protecting our rights involves keeping us from infringing upon each others rights. When government tries to give us our “rights,” government has to rob Peter to pay Paul. That is, government infringes on somebody else’s rights to give another person their “rights.”
For those of you who think McDonnell was just trying to “exploit” our history, The Washington Post gave him a get out of jail free card.
I agree with you 100% that no place person looked at the proclamation before it was issued. The reason- there are no Black people in his inner circle. Yes, McDonnell rewarded Lisa Thomas-Hicks with a plum position. However, his inner circle is comprised of Phil Cox, Mike Reynolds, Janet Polarek, Tucker Martin etc — all non minorities who have no clue about speaking to the changing demographics of Virginia and the Nation. The world is a changing and the McDonnell Adminstration is not keeping up. Without a diversity (racially, culturally, economicall etc.) of advisors, I predict that the next divisive issue will emerge sooner rather than later. Hopefully, McDonnell is not hoping to take this team to on the a presidential bid.
Why should have someone of color looked over the proclamation. We don’t have any blacks folks in Ole Virginie… Nor do we have any gays or other minorities, such as that macacca guy! Well, at least none that are represented by our governor. Otherwis why would we have the past two proclamation “changes”… Methinks the governor and his staff need to take a look at all those minorities and fiqure out how they got President Obama elected… What’s next? How about a Hitler appreciation month – just don’t mention the death camps and extermination of millions of Jews… Oh!, but if that does happen, all he has to do is later call it a “major ommission” and go on – business as usual. This is a wolf in sheep’s clothing… and we’re starting to see his true color. Another good reason why Virginia governors can’t run for office bacb to back…
BS
Vivian, I think the best option right now is to forgive Bob McDonnell. And I’m not the only one. You complain that he does not appear to have “people of color” around him. Would it be fair to say that this man counts?
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2010/04/08/cb.confederate.history.month.cnn
CR UVA-Doug Wilder is not part of the McDonnell team. He is not an official advisor. Instead, he is being brought in to clean up he mess…sort of when Allen brought in his minority “friends” after the dreaded words were spoken. The point- If someone was on his staff, there would be no mess to clean up. epublicans are notorious for this. The reach out to the minoirty community during campaigning and after a controversy arises. Vivian is absolutely correct.
Forgive? Vivian may have the requisite maturity, but I wonder if some of her readers do. I wonder how much their parents spoiled them.
Being a parent involves many joys and woes. One sad woe is being told “I hate you!” by your own child. These words are something that usually results when a stubborn child does not get what he or she wants.
Unfortunately, some parents do give in to childish tantrums. So some children learn that their tantrums “work,” and they carry this behavior with them into their adult life. Hence, they try to overcome weak politicians with sophisticated tantrums. In politics, we call such tantrums muckraking and mudslinging.
It is an unfortunate fact that some people never grow up; they just grow more willful and clever. I suspect many of these people view America’s rulers as their elected parents. What happens when an elected parent doesn’t give immature citizens what they want? Do undisciplined children know how to engage in honest debate? Apparently not. Like willful children, they just find clever and nasty ways to say “I hate you!”
Bob is exactly what I expected as a Governor. Why is everyone surprised, he doesn’t support Women, read thesis, he doesn’t support Gays, read anti- discrimination act, and now, you know how he really feels about African Americans, if you didn’t already know. HEY, BETWEEN HE AND COOCH WE ARE IN FOR A RIDE THE NEXT 4 YEARS.
Well Said
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McDonnell’s Gaffe: In a Black and White World, Blame the Pinks
Apr 8 2010, 3:34 PM ET
Virginia’s Gov. Bob McDonnell is getting the lion’s share of the blame for his Confederate history proclamation blunder, and rightly so. To me, though, the gaffe exposes a problem that is endemic to the Republican Party in certain parts of the country. No, I’m not talking about race, or the Southern strategy, although the party loves to pick at those scabs. I’m talking about shared sensibilities.
Consider this term: “the pinks.” It’s a new term that I’ve heard some weary Republicans use to refer to the party’s professional political class. Light-skinned, pasty, pudgy–pink skin color–the hacks, the enablers. Republicans with limited fields of view; Republicans with little imagination; Republicans who are obsessed with trying to figure out the complexities of their base and who can’t think beyond the immediate moment, even when they’re trying to think about future actions. McDonnell’s close circle of advisers may or not be pinks, but they’re not a terribly diverse lot, intellectually, ethnically, or otherwise. In fact, many potential presidential candidates surround themselves with people who look like them and think like them, and are afraid to bring into the fold people who will challenge their sensibilities.
In Virginia, it’s true that a not-small segment of the population demands candidates who can speak the coded language of historical empathy. They tend to overlap with highly active gun rights voters. Previous Virginia governors have had various degrees of success with this group; George Allen was perhaps the most successful. Even Democrats have to deal with them; nailing down enough support in rural Virginia required geeky technologist Mark Warner to sponsor a NASCAR vehicle. That’s the past, though, and Virginia’s demographics are changing. GOP politicians with national ambitions can only go so far down the route of respecting Confederate heritage. Does McDonnell care about Confederate heritage? There’s evidence that he knows how to pander. But he’s more serious now, in theory. He handed the issue off to his staff, and he ended up with a proclamation that is, to say least, tone deaf. What happens in Virginia doesn’t stay in Virginia. And Virginia Republicans will be held to a higher standard on racial issues, as perhaps they should be.
Ironically, McDonnell’s gubernatorial campaign manager was Phillip Cox, an able Virginia political veteran who is well-attuned to the sensibilities of Northern Virginia voters. He’s not in the administration; instead of becoming McDonnell’s chief of staff, Cox runs his PAC. McDonnell takes advice from major party figures like Ed Gillespie, but Gillespie wouldn’t have known about the proclamation. (Gillespie would have thrown himself in front of the door if he had any inkling that the proclamation was coming out.)
Inside the administration, Tucker Martin, McDonnell’s communications director, presumably knew about the proclamation. He also knows about Virginia’s history, and the complexities the state’s Republican Party has had with race. McDonnell’s chief of staff, Martin Kent, worked as a colleague of McDonnell’s in the AG’s office. He shares a mindset with his boss, and comes from a similar background.
Hundreds of proclamation requests come in every year. A functionary in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth prepares them (usually verbatim from language sent by the sponsoring organization) and the governor’s signature is auto-penned.
Then, if there is any heat, a governor always feels obligated to defend the proclamation, because they don’t want it to appear that they aren’t reading what they are supposedly signing.
There’s usually some filtering mechanism, though.
When your top advisers come from the same place and have the same type of background and credentials, stuff like this happens. The filter fails.
A wise Virginia Republican told me that McDonnell is smart enough to “get” stuff like this, as his eventual response demonstrated. But it is worrisome that his staff would make the collective assumption that they could effectively dog-whistle.
“You and I know that is not realistic, given his high national profile and the sensitivity of any civil rights related issue, and but they are just getting used to their status of a national figure and a potential future national candidate,” this Republican said.
If McDonnell wants to be a Big Time Republican, he’d better get used to this sort of scrutiny.
Let’s look at the bright side. Now we know that Bob McDonnell is against slavery. We need to ask Ken Cuccinelli if he’s against slavery, too.
I mean, just a few months ago we learned that Bob McDonnell thinks it’s okay for women to work.
If we’re lucky, pretty soon most of the Republicans will agree with him. He’s a pretty influential guy.
Spotter, can you ever imagine that in 2010 we would have to have a governor state that he was against slavery?
Omg. That is extremely scary and dangerous.
What else is going on in that mind of his?
Certainly isn’t governing. no jobs, taking funding away from schools.
Oh, but he did open the rest stops. Thank God!!
Possibly I could be less sensitive about this topic and move on without taking note and experiencing the uneasy feeling I have about people trying to celebrate confederate troops if only I hadn’t experienced racism during my primary education, college, and racist obstacles in my career. Oh, yes, I’m considered successful now, but there are mental scars as a result of people in power who feel that oppression is not such a bad thing. On a side note, I visited a slave plantation down in New Orleans some 15 -20 years ago and I was shocked to hear the very articulate and friendly docent of Euro-American descent explain how slavery was not as bad as many people thought. She went on to explain how slaves were not whipped as often as portrayed in current depictions. I was shocked at how someone probably in her 30’s, living near the dawn of the 21st century in America, someone obviously educated, could be so cavalier about a holocaust waged against millions of humans simply because of their race.
She reminds me of the Iranian leader who I’m told denies the atrocities Hitler waged against the Jews.