Republicans Tread Carefully in Criticism of Confederate Flag

[struggle4progress]

By JONATHAN MARTINJUNE 21, 2015

... Jeb Bush issued a statement on Saturday indicating he was confident that South Carolina “will do the right thing.” As Florida’s governor, Mr. Bush in 2001 ordered the Confederate flag to be taken from its public display outside his state’s Capitol. Senator Marco Rubio, also of Florida, told reporters he thought the state would “make the right choice for the people of South Carolina.” But neither candidate would state explicitly whether they wanted South Carolina to remove from state-sanctioned display a flag that for many African-Americans represents a particularly searing reminder of slavery. Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin begged off entirely from questions about what to do with the flag in South Carolina or whether it represents racism, saying that he would not address any such matters until the victims of the mass shooting were buried ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/22/us/politics/republicans-tread-carefully-in-criticism-of-confederate-flag.html?_r=0


Republicans Defer or Push Back Against Discussion on Confederate Flag
By JOSH MITCHELL and BEN LEUBSDORF
June 21, 2015 2:00 p.m. ET

Republican Mike Huckabee said he and other presidential contenders were being “baited” on the debate over the Confederate flag ... Rick Santorum, another Republican presidential contender, said Sunday that “like everybody else, I have my opinion” on the flag. But he declined to state it ... A spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Nikki Haley said she was prepared to have conversations in the future about the flag but wanted to have time to mourn those killed ...

http://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-defer-or-push-back-against-discussion-on-confederate-flag-1434909625

[struggle4progress]

1. Mike Huckabee: Confederate flag "not an issue" for 2016

ByREENA FLORES
CBS NEWS June 21, 2015, 1:56 PM

... Mike Huckabee believes that the contentious symbol doesn't have "anything to do whatsoever with running for president" ...

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-huckabee-rick-santorum-confederate-flag-not-an-issue-for-2016/

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. He should be careful what he says

it will come back to haunt him!

[Frustratedlady]

2. Haley too busy mourning to take down that #$@$$ flag?

Why do I find that lacking in reality?

[tavernier]

14. Yup, and Walker must be related

to one of the victims since he is too grief stricken to even open his mouth until they are buried.

Asses.

[4now]

3. They know who butters their bread.

[Jefferson23]

7. Yep. n/t

[apnu]

11. Bingo! You got it in one. (nt)

[meow2u3]

4. Translation: Republicans don't want to offend their racist base by criticizing the Confederate flag

Abe Lincoln is spinning in his grave. If he came back to life today and saw what his party devolved into--becoming the party that defends white supremacy even at the cost of dividing the country, he'd be pissed at what he'd see.

The real reason repukes won't criticize the Confederate flag is that the neo-Confederates are their base voters. They'd rather win at all costs, regardless of the morality or even the legality of it, than stand for what's right.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

6. This^ ^ ^

[Jamaal510]

10. They're in kind of a quagmire.

On one hand, a large chunk of their base does consist of neo-Confederates who would love to see the flag still fly. But on the other hand, they can't win with just these voters, and they'll further alienate minorities and any sane white voters by defending the flag or staying quiet.

[apnu]

12. They will never give up their core constituency.

Prior to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Southern Conservatives in America were in the Democratic party. It was those asshats who still flew the Confederate flag and could never vote for a Republican because they were still pissed off at Lincoln for winning the Civil War. Reconstruction under Grant didn't help. Anyway, to this day, they blame the Civil War on Lincoln, despite the fact that the nation duly elected him, and it was conservative southern democrats who succeeded and then declared war on the United States.

Really the Civil War was a pointless and bloody hissy fit that conservatives threw. They didn't like that America was changing, and instead of bending with the changes, they resisted and broke. They've never recovered since then, and because they're part of us, we, the Americans, have never recovered.

But the 1964 Civil Rights Act changed everything. Those chuckleheads had to decide which they hated more, the African Americans who were gaining a voice in the Democratic Party and in America in general, or their historical hatred of Lincoln. They choose racism over Lincoln hated, and promptly flipped parties. It took a trio of western Republicans: Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan to reshape the Republican party and make it OK for the South to take refuge there, despite the fact that it was progressive Republicans and their generals who wrecked the South.

Really, there's not much difference between the two parties. America's central argument is liberal vs conservative. It always has been, it always will be. We've had this argument since Jefferson vs Hamilton and we're still having it. Republicans are incorrect when they say their party comes from Jefferson. It doesn't. But they do, the conservatives that is, and they recognize their own.

Still, America has been liberalizing steadily for 239 years, conservative thought has been pushed back. Its been a slow process at times, and it seems impossible, but we liberals are the water eroding the conservative rock.

Modern conservatives can't give up their racist base. They are tied to them now and forever. There is no room in conservative thought for any liberal ideas. No room to accept minorities as equals. No room to accept America's varied and colorful cultural landscape for what it is and celebrate that. They have no room for anything but a white, european-esque, patriarchal, protestant/evangelical cultural structure.

But that America is aging out, so they are aging out. Its a matter of time until conservatives collapse into a permanent minority. Social conservatism is dying before our eyes.

[Cosmocat]

16. "social conservatism" may or may not be dying

but stupid is stronger than ever.

And, to what ever extent that the racial aspects (white vs black) to politics you noted maybe losing impact over time, it is being replaced, and then some, but selfishness and pettiness.

The gaps that might exist in the republican party where there might have been more racially driven are filled readily by their ability to stoke the negative aspects of people in other ways in pitting them against one another.

[AlinPA]

13. But when the dust settles later, the flag will still be flying over the SC capitol. No way

the SC voters will allow its removal.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. They are

[lastlib]

8. It's ironic that the "party of Lincoln"....

...wants to suck up to the ones who want to go back to destroying the Union that he fought to preserve... .

[oldandhappy]

9. Bunch of wimps

I really wonder why the rest of us cannot take out these folks at the ballot box. There evidently are way more 'base' out there than I realize.