Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says the omission of slavery in Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proclamation declaring April Confederate History Month “doesn’t amount to diddly.”
During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Barbour was asked whether the omission was a mistake. His response: “I don’t think so.”
This is the same Haley Barbour who thought it didn't amount to diddly-squat that FEMA funds were used to restore the retirement home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
A former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Barbour did nothing to reach out to black voters. He admitted as much in a Jan. 16, 1997, Washington Post op-ed:
We are failing to communicate effectively to many women and minorities why our proposals are the right policies to solve the problems that concern them most. Too often we Republicans are satisfied to say what we’re for, but not why we’re for it.
As a gubernatorial candidate in 2003, Barbour exploited the fight over the Mississippi state flag, with its Confederate emblem, to oust the Democratic governor.
In his speech before the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, RNC Chairman Michael Steele admitted the obvious, “I’m the first here to admit I’ve made mistakes.”
But Republicans would be making a colossal mistake if Barbour, a self-described “fat redneck,” becomes the face of the GOP. Their hopes of regaining control of the House would be gone with the wind.
