McDonnell quietly declared April Confederate History Month after two previous Democratic administrations refused to do so. IReporter: McDonnell's "step in the right direction" "A failure to acknowledge the central role of slavery in the Confederacy and deeming insignificant the reprehensible tran sgression of moral standards of liberty and equality that slavery represented is simply not acceptable in the America of the 21st century," he continued. "Governor McDonnell's decision to designate April as Confederate History Month without condemning, or even acknowledging, the pernicious stain of slavery or its role in the war disregards history, is insensitive to the extraordinary efforts of Americans to eliminate slavery and bind the nation's wounds, and offends millions of Americans of all races and in all parts of our nation," Kaine wrote. Tim Kaine, now Democratic National Committee chairman, issued a statement Wednesday blasting McDonnell's exclusion of slavery from the original proclamation. McDonnell is the first Virginia governor in eight years to issue a proclamation declaring April as Confederate History Month in the state, a move that drew criticism from Democrats and a civil rights group.įormer Virginia Gov. "My great, great grandparents, their offspring and others were split up in the Commonwealth of Virginia & sold into slavery," Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor Donna Brazile said on Twitter. Other Democrats accepted McDonnell's apology. "He says the wrong thing, he sends a signal to his base and then he makes an apology," Marsh said, "It's a question of whether or not he's sincere or not." "But I don't accept that as a good answer because this is a pattern of this governor." Henry Marsh III, a black Democrat, told CNN. "He has a right to apologize," Virginia State Sen. Not all Democrats were willing to forgive McDonnell on Wednesday. Thank God that war ended with the Confederacy losing." It was something that we were able to withstand in terms of tearing the country apart. "The war was not a glorious thing in our past. "Most people recognize that slavery was the cause of the (Civil) war," Wilder said, noting that McDonnell had called him Wednesday. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Wilder said that McDonnell's apology and his introduction of additional proclamation language was "the right thing for him to have done." Douglas Wilder, who McDonnell called "my friend." McDonnell's statement noted that while Virginia was home to the Capital of the Confederacy, it was also the first state to elect an African-American governor, L. "(I)t is important for all Virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this (Civil) war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights," the new language says, "and all Virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders." McDonnell also announced Wednesday that he would add language about slavery to the proclamation. "Slavery was an evil, vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property, and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation." "The abomination of slavery divided our nation, deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights, and led to the Civil War," the statement said. "The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed," McDonnell said in a written statement. Bob McDonnell apologized Wednesday for leaving out any reference to slavery in his recent proclamation designating April as Confederate History Month, calling it a "major omission."
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Bob McDonnell says not mentioning slavery was "major omission"
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NEW: Nation's first African-American governor says apology was the right thing to do.