I get angry when I hear anyone say that George Allen has historically supported Black colleges and universities. It's a lie. I was on the Norfolk State University campus on a regular basis when George Allen was Governor and Allen singled out VA's two black univerities--Norfolk State and and Virginia State--to take a hit that was approximately 4x larger than the hit taken by other state universities such as Old Domininion University. Across the board the average hit by the white universities was a 2.7 % cut. NSU and VA State budgets were cut by 10%.
These colleges were already operating on a bare bones budget before the hit. ODU continued to build and expand and NSU could not even expand and update the most crucial buidling on a University...it's library.
Raising Kaine has more info
George Allen started supporting Black Universities when he started to get the idea of national office in his head...Hampton University President Willam Harvey supports Allen and contributed $2,100 to Allen's campaign on 4/20/06. Anyone who know HU's president, William Harvey, knows that he is a wealthy, Republican and a Bush supporter. Harvey has a history of suppressing Free Speech on HU's campus and hus administration has set up obstacles preventing HU students from creating progressive student groups at HU. They have tried for years to set up a college Amnesty International group. It's not much of a stretch to wonder if William Harvey supported (if not actively campaigned) for Allen to recieve the Thurgood Marshall Community Leadership Award. This award would have helped Allen counter his known history of racism.
However, the African American community could not accept George Allen receiving this award. They stood their ground, refused to continue their economic support of the fund if Allen were to get the reward. They REFUSED to honor Senator George Allen due to his history of racism. I applauded this action.
So why are a few black men now coming to Allen's defense? It makes no sense especially when one of them is a VA Democratic Senator.
It makes no sense. I wonder what is going on in the back rooms of Virginia politics?
It smells dirty and nasty.
It's well known that Allen is no friend to the African American community. He raises his own salary multiple times and won't support raising minimum wage. He did not support the Holiday for the great Martin Luther King. He gets horrible ratings from the NAACP and civil rights groups.
There is no disputing the fact that Webb is a better Senator for the African American Community than Allen could ever hope to be.
I'm including Harris Miller and his loyal devotees in this sell out crowd. Harris Miller was spoken of as a LOYAL DEMOCRAT and a great supporter of the Democrat party. That was the major reason multitudes of Harris supporters gave me as the reason to back this "lobbyist...."
I see Harris Miller is sitting on the sidelines acting like a sore loser. Miller PROMISED during his primary campaign that he would support the winner of the primary. He tried to make it an issue that Webb would be the one to not support him. Unfortunately, Harris Miller is validating the reason why I refused to vote for him. I didn't trust what I was told about this "alleged" great party Democrat....
I wish Harris Miller would prove me wrong and get off the sidelines and do what he promised to do....Support Jim Webb. Maybe he needs reminding that no one likes a sore loser? Maybe he needs to remember that he once had a reputation that he was a loyal democrat that he still has time to save? Or Maybe he's going to do a Joe Lieberman and become an independent republican?
Folks have been talking for years now about creating or joining a third party in VA. IF this elections is lost due to the VA DEMS self-destructing they are going to see so many people leave the party it's going to make their heads spin.
So Virginia Democrats you have a choice. The choice is to unite and get behind your winning candidate or fragment into pieces and lose whatever power you still have remaining.
All of us need to ask ourselves one very important question. Who will win and who will lose if Allen gets re-elected as Virginia's Senator?
VA and the United States deserves better than George Allen.
I hope the Dems will unite. This really is a race the Democrats can win. This really is a race that can strengthen the Democratic party and help all of us get our local, state, and federal governments tosteer a new course that safeguards and benefits all of us instead of an elite few.
