A Tad Too Late For That, Bucko

Seems somebody in Virgina Gov. Bob McDonnell's staff reads that internet thing.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) has apologized for not including any mention of slavery in his proclamation declaring April "Confederate History Month" and added an extra clause to the proclamation.

"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 wrote in a statement. "The abomination of slavery divided our nation, deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights, and led to the Civil War. 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."

He also added a clause to the proclamation that declares slavery "led to this war."

WHEREAS, it is important for all Virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights and all Virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders, and the study of this time period should reflect upon and learn from this painful part of our history.

McDonnell had taken heat from both critics, such as former governor and current DNC Chair Tim Kaine, and past supporters, such as BET co-founder Sheila Johnson.

I'll let Ta-Nehisi Coates take it from here.

That the party of unadulterated quackery also believes that Birth Of A Nation is more true to the Civil War than Battle Cry Of Freedom, is to be expected. Ignorance does not respect boundaries. It is, at times, qualified and those who know more, often struggle to say more. But people who believe that the Census is actually a covert attempt to put Americans in concentration camps, are also likely to believe that slavery was incidental to the Civil War. 

This is who they are--the proud and ignorant. If you believe that if we still had segregation we wouldn't "have had all these problems," this is the movement for you. If you believe that your president is a Muslim sleeper agent, this is the movement for you. If you honor a flag raised explicitly to destroy this country then this is the movement for you. If you flirt with secession, even now, then this movement is for you. If you are a "Real American" with no demonstrable interest in "Real America" then, by God, this movement of alchemists and creationists, of anti-science and hair tonic, is for you.

"Proud and Ignorant" should be the GOP's new slogan.  And it's not just ignorance, but willful denial that facts or evidence that don't fit in their neat little fantasies even exist.  Slavery was just an unfortunate afterthought in McDonnell's original statement.  He has conservative Virginian teabagger voters to win over.  Surely none of them are still sore about this whole slavery thing being part of the history of the Confederacy, so why bother to mention what is, to you, wholly incidental?

You get that a lot, this pride in not being an egghead or a nerd, in not being a latte-drinking elitist or arugula-munching wimp, or braniac loser.  Real Americans believe in God and FOX News and Rush Limbaugh and to hell with everyone else.  "We ARE the Mob" they reminded us last summer and again now.  "We're the silent majority and we're coming for you."  These are the same folks who tell you that black voters should rebel against the Democrats because progressivism is slavery of permanent dependence on big government, the same folks who say that with a straight face while telling you that Democrats are horrific people for cutting Medicare or decry any efforts to trim defense spending as leading directly to the deaths of your entire family.

Republicans love government.  They just don't like government helping non-Republicans.  And if you look at the Republican makeup in Congress, you'll see exactly who they want government to help.

Everyone else is incidental.