In an interesting sign of how mainstream McDonnell's Confederate History emphasis is in today's GOP, Haley Barbour saw nothing wrong with the original proclamation that omitted mention of slavery. From Candy Crowley's new show:
CROWLEY: Was [McDonnell's first proclamation] a mistake?
BARBOUR: Well, I don't think so.
My state legislature has made a legislatively enacted holiday, Confederate Memorial Day and done it for years under Republican governors, Democratic governors. And for seven years as governor, I have issued a proclamation because of what the legislature has done. My Democratic predecessors did so as well. I don't really see what to say about slavery, but anybody that thinks that you have to explain to some people that slavery is a bad thing, I think that goes without saying…. …
CROWLEY: You know what I'm trying to get at here is that there's a sort of feeling that this is insensitive. But you clearly don't agree?
BARBOUR: To me, it's a sort of feeling that it's a nit, that it is not significant, that it's not a -- it's trying to make a big deal out of something doesn't amount to diddly.
There is no radical revanchist fringe to today's GOP right. The fringe is the establishment. TNC grapples with the dead-enders here.