DPVA Calls on McDonnell to Apologize For, Condemn Huckabee's Remarks

I just got off a conference call set up by the Democratic Party of Virginia to discuss Mike Huckabee's derogatory comments about Northern Virginia. On the call were Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman C. Richard Cranwell, State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, and Cynthia Hull, director of an Alexandria non-profit. The main points:

*The DPVA is calling on Bob McDonnell to apologize for and condemn Mike Huckabee's remarks.

*Sen. Whipple says that Northern Virginia is dealing with a declining economy, many home foreclosures, and that people in the region are "really facing challenges." To deal with these challenges, "we need to be united, not divided."

*Sen. Whipple added that "McDonnell's campaign is off to a bad start here...We need to work together."

*Cynthia Hull said that just at her local non-profit alone, there are 10,000 people seeking emergency services. There are lines around the building, heartbreakingly reminiscent of photos from the Great Depression. There's a great deal of hunger, a great deal of need in NOVA. There's an increase in child abuse and domestic violence. "These are real people with real needs," Hull said, "We're all the same, we all hurt the same."

*Dickie Cranwell said that this is "deja vu all over again" from the 2008 presidential campaign, where Republicans tried to divide Virginia into "real" and "not real." According to Cranwell, "it does us all a disservice when they try to slice and dice Virginia."

*Cranwell added that "Bob ought to put a stop to it and he CAN put a stop to it."