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The Confederate Flag in Politics |
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It seems that every election season, come what may, the Confederate flag always becomes something of an issue, whether great or small. We saw it four years ago when Howard Dean of the Democratic Party took flak for saying he wanted to be the candidate of guys with Confederate flags in the back windows of their trucks and we have seen it in this election season with the Republican YouTube debate and the comments of Senator John McCain. It never fails that whenever American politicians run for national office someone will make an issue of the Confederate flag and ask candidates to take a stand on an issue over a hundred years out of date: whether or not they consider the flag of the southern nation to be a cultural symbol or a sign of racism. This election season has been no different. |
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We have to start with Arizona Senator John McCain who seems intent on coming up with more and more ways to turn me against him. The last time he ran for president, when the Confederate flag flying over the capital of South Carolina was all the rage, he said that flying the Confederate flag down south was a local issue and he had no business commenting on it. Good enough. However, after losing that election to George W. Bush he flip-flopped and said that he had been cowardly for not strongly denouncing the Confederate flag because he wanted South Carolina votes. Needless to say I have had little use for John McCain since and I was shocked, SHOCKED to my foundations, when the South Carolina Republicans voted for him this time around. There are many reaosons why I do not support John McCain (a RINO=Republican In Name Only if ever there was one) but his insult of the Confederate flag is certainly at the top of the list. In the same way one of my biggest beefs against George W. Bush was his removal of the Confederate plaque at the capital in Austin. However, John McCain is not the only would-be-president to make a statement about the Confederate flag.
It goes without saying that the Democrats, as the liberal party, despise everything the south stands for and view the Confederate flag as an American version of the Nazi swastika and I will not even dignify that position with comment so that is why we are focusing on the Republicans here. The number two man in this season's election, Governor Mit Romney of Massachusetts, spoke slightingly of the Confederate flag during the early YouTube debate in which he said that it was a non-issue but that he saw nothing good about the symbol of southern sovereignty and culture. That was an instant mark against him in my book though it really did not surprise me considering that he is a governor from a northeast state and as "Yankee" as they come. He has also proven adept at telling the people what they want to hear when he runs for office, even if it is only a slight majority. Personally, I would likely prefer Romney to McCain but he certainly rubbed me the wrong way with his comments on the Confederate flag. Fred Thompson had better comments (not great but better) and I really liked Tom Tancredo both for his public positions and for what I heard about his defense of modern Confederates. However, both of those men are out of the picture at this stage of the election. |
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The last one to hear from is Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. There is plenty about his record that I don't like as a conservative, however, he is also the only candidate to really impress me with his response to the "issue" of the Confederate flag. While campaigning in South Carolina (where the capital flag is still talked about) he said (truly and well) that as a conservative he did not think it was any business of the government or the rest of the country what flags were flown in South Carolina (referring, obviously to the Confederate flag). As a native of Arkansas he further stated that he sympathized with the South Carolinians and stated that if anyone tried to tell Arkansas what to do about their flags they would tell them where they could stick the pole! Needless to say that earned Governor Huckabee some serious brownie points in my book despite his many flaws. Another favorite of mine, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, has not spoken about the Confederate flag as far as I know but I do support his very southern defense of states' rights according to the Constitution. However, as far as the "big three" of McCain, Romney and Huckabee go, although I am enthusiastic about none of them, I have to say it is Governor Huckabee of Arkansas who has earned the most credit in my book for his subtle defense of the Confederate flag and that means alot to me. Mark my words dear countrymen: the day the Dixie flag is forgotten entirely is the day America becomes a totally centralized tyranny. Deo Vindice! |
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