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Thursday, August 16, 2012

America's 1st black gov. tells Biden: 'Slavery is nothing to joke about.’

America’s first black governor in modern times has become the most senior Democrat to break ranks over Joe Biden’s ‘y’all in chains’ comments, telling the Vice President: 'Slavery is nothing to joke about.'

Douglas Wilder, who was governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994 and the first black governor since Reconstruction, told CNN that 'without question' Biden’s remarks in Danville, Virginia (though the veep seemed to think he was in North Carolina) 'were appeals to race'.

He continued: 'The important thing I got out of this was Biden separated himself from what he accused the people of doing. As a matter of fact, what he said is they are going to do something to y’all, not to me. Not us. So he was still involved with that separate American.

'As far as I am concerned, the President would not associate himself with those remarks. And I expect as the days go forward there will be more clarity associated with what the president feels about what Joe Biden said.

In another interview, with Fox News, Wilder said: 'Slavery is nothing to joke about. And the history of this nation’s involvement with slavery is nothing to pass off in a joke.'

Suggesting that Biden was a liability to Obama, he added that 'you can’t continue to make gaffe after gaffe after gaffe and believe that it’s going to be supportive of what you and the president are both trying to do'.

At the Danville rally, where large numbers of black supporters were present, Biden said: 'Look at what they [Republicans] value, and look at their budget. And look what they’re proposing.

'He [Romney] said in the first 100 days he’s going to let the big banks write their own rules, unchain Wall Street. They’re going to put y’all back in chains.'  (Continues)

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