Tag Archives: Tim Kaine

From ThinkProgress

RADICAL RIGHT — MCDONNELL: SLAVERY WASN’T ‘SIGNIFICANT’ ENOUGH TO BE INCLUDED IN MY CONFEDERACY PROCLAMATION: TP

Last week, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) “quietly declared April 2010 Confederate History Month,” calling on Virginians to, among other things, “understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War.” Notably absent from the proclamation, however, is any mention of slavery. McDonnell explained yesterday that he did not reference slavery because he focused on the issues that he “thought were most significant for Virginia.”

Neither of Virginia’s previous two governors, Democrats Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, declared a Confederate History Month. Republican governor Jim Gilmore, who served from 1998-2002, did issue such proclamations but acknowledged slavery as “one of the causes of the war” and a practice that “degraded the human spirit” and “is abhorred and condemned by Virginians.” For his final proclamation in 2001, Gilmore replaced Confederate History Month with “a tribute to both black and white Civil War combatants that expressly denounces slavery as the root cause of the four-year conflict.” Gilmore’s predecessor, Republican George Allen, started the practice of Confederate History Month. He didn’t include slavery in his proclamation and, under significant pressure from civil rights leaders, eventually apologized.

As the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on April 12, 1997, Allen said, “Surely, I don’t want to upset anyone.

For those who are sincerely offended…I apologize.”

The American Prospect’s Adam Serwer writes that McDonnell’s proclamation is “telling” because “it reveals which Virginians he feels are ‘significant.'”

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This week in the Senate … the Republican led House

04/05/2011 Nativegrl77

This Week –

**Monday in the Senate: Confirmation of Executive Calendar, Jimmie V. Reyna, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge;

Confirmed: 86-0 … First Latino on Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

**S.493 small biz –High Tech Start Ups

**GOP submits FY2012 Budget

**H.R4, 1099 Repeal HC Law Tax Reporting Rule

**Negotiations on amendments resume

**Net Neutrality and EPA

This Week –

**Monday in the House: H.R. 1246 to reduce the amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense for printing and reproduction

**HRes 200 Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 37) disapproving the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission with respect to regulating the Internet and broadband industry practices.

**Leaders are at the White House discussing the Budget – Boehner and his Freshman Tea Party members?

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Big things … a message from Tim Kaine

01/28/2011 Nativegrl77

On Tuesday night, alongside Democratic supporters in Maryland, I watched President Obama deliver his State of the Union address.

The President rose above the day-to-day politics that we know can slow the gears of change and prevent progress. He focused instead on how we can work together to build an economy that grows not just in the near term, but for generations to come.

This is what real leadership looks like — and this speech set real energy in motion. Now, what matters is what we do to build on that energy.

As the President said, in America, “we do big things.” And we have a big message to send.

In the coming weeks, Democrats will make crucial investments to support the President’s agenda for our country’s future — from ads on the air to conversations on the ground, we’re going to do everything we can to promote his vision for our country.

But we can’t amplify this message without your help.

So if you donate $15 or more today, we’ll send you a free, limited-edition “We do big things” car magnet — allowing you to show your support for the President’s vision in a public way. All around the country, from the sides of minivans to the cabs of tractor trailers, these magnets will provide a simple but important show of solidarity behind the President’s agenda.

Can you donate $15 or more today to help us spread this message far and wide? http://my.democrats.org/page/m/4052b7e0/51adb20/730ddcbe/74b96b5d/2502616642/VEsH/

For centuries, the State of the Union has provided presidents of the United States with the opportunity to speak directly to Americans — and to galvanize them, as well.

President Obama’s roadmap for our country’s future prescribes renovating our nation’s infrastructure, renewing our education system, and fostering innovation to create the industries that will carry us into the future.

His vision calls for a leaner, more efficient government that is more transparent and accountable to the citizens it serves.

And it drives home the point that, even amid uncertain and challenging circumstances, the future is bright — and ours to win.

But the President needs our support to maximize the impact of his speech. We can transform this inspiring moment into a dynamic force for a better future.

The ball is in our court. We all heard the President’s plan — now, he needs us to get behind it and help make it a reality.

Together, we’ll send the message loud and clear that Democrats across the country are committed to supporting the President’s agenda — please donate $15 or more today and we’ll send you a “We do big things” car magnet to help show your commitment:

http://my.democrats.org/BigThings

Governor Tim Kaine

Chairman

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a message from Gov.Tim Kaine

12/06/2010 Nativegrl77

There are just a few weeks left in this Congress, and we have a lot left to do.

Democrats are rolling up their sleeves, getting to work on all fronts to finish important work that we all set out to accomplish together.

That means pressing, right now, to ratify the New START treaty, furthering our goal of nuclear arms reduction — and securing a safer future for our nation.

That means working to extend much-needed tax cuts to the middle class and unemployment benefits to those who are out of work — making sure Americans get the relief they deserve.

That means fighting to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a discriminatory law that prevents qualified men and women from serving their country.

And that means pushing to pass the DREAM Act, paving a path to citizenship for undocumented youth willing to work toward a college degree or serve in our military.

We’re working, right now, to draw attention to these crucial measures, and help get them passed — making them impossible for the media to ignore and for Republicans in Congress to obstruct.

But amplifying this message requires resources — and we can’t do it without your help.

Can you donate $3 or more today to support Democrats and fuel these efforts?

If the obstructionist Republicans in Congress have their way, the current “lame duck” session will have lived up to its name. They’ve been blocking the road on every single one of the issues we’ve been fighting so hard for.

They’re willing to hold up an arms treaty that’s critical to our national security. They’re willing to stand in the way of commonsense immigration reform that folks on both sides of the aisle have long embraced. And they’re willing to keep in place an unfair policy that top military leaders across the board have recommended repealing.

It’s not enough for us to just lament how “broken” Washington is. It’s not enough to shake our heads and say that we wished Republicans would stop playing political games, or that the pundits would focus on issues that unite us instead of the petty partisan battles that divide us.

We need to stand up.

We need to raise our voices about where we’d like to see this country go — and the work we know this Congress still needs to accomplish. That means ratifying the New START Treaty, extending tax cuts to middle-class Americans, repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and passing the DREAM Act. And it means extending unemployment benefits so Americans looking for work can keep paying their bills.

Democrats in Congress are going to work for the measures that matter to us — and together, we can send the message that we refuse to stand by and watch while Republicans stand in the way.

Please donate $3 or more today to help send the message loud and clear that Democrats across the country are committed to accomplishing these key initiatives before the year is out:

http://my.democrats.org/LoudAndClear

Together, we’ll make these issues impossible to ignore.

Thank you,

Governor Tim Kaine
Chairman