CONTROVERSIAL BANNER UNLIKELY TO COME DOWN ANYTIME SOON …
|| By FITSNEWS || There is “zero appetite” amongst GOP leaders in the S.C. General Assembly to remove the Confederate flag from its prominent position on the north lawn of the S.C. State House in the aftermath of last week’s horrific, racially motivated shooting in Charleston, S.C.
FITS spoke with three “Republican” leaders in the S.C. House of Representatives over the weekend (on condition of anonymity) in an effort to determine where the votes were in the chamber to take the flag down now … as opposed to debating the issue starting next January.
Amazingly, none of these lawmakers knew the answer to that question … because they haven’t even bothered to ask.
“This is just not an issue we are discussing right now,” one legislative leader told FITS. “It’s not on anyone’s radar.”
Not on anyone’s radar?
“We are trying to pass a budget and get the Senate to fix our roads,” the leader said. “If (the flag) is a debate that needs to be had, it needs to be had in January.”
Another ranking “Republican” confirmed to FITS that no effort had been undertaken to determine where the GOP caucus was on the issue (Democrats are united in support of bringing the banner down as soon as possible).
“There is no whip count to my knowledge,” another leader told FITS. “Other than media, I haven’t heard from many members on the flag issue.”
Haven’t heard from many members?
“I think the flag debate is premature,” the leader added. “Our focus should be on grieving and healing. The people of SC have shown an outpouring of love, support and unity. Bringing the flag into the fray now, creates more division, not less.”
Okay … that makes some sense, assuming it’s not a delaying tactic.
A third legislative leader warned FITS there were “powerful voices” within the S.C. House adamantly opposed to removing the flag.
Specifically, they referred us to S.C. Rep. Greg Delleney (above) – chairman of the House judiciary committee and a close friend of S.C. Speaker of the House Jay Lucas. Many references were also made to S.C. Rep. Rick Quinn, whose father Richard Quinn is one of the state’s leading neo-Confederates.
“Many members support the flag,” the lawmaker told us. “But many more are afraid of crossing those who do.”
We’ll be honest. This was never really an issue for us. In fact as recently as March of this year we were blasting the NAACP for its continued focus on taking the flag down.
“State leaders can leave it, move it, burn it or use it as a bath towel for all we care,” we wrote back in 2011.
Here’s the thing, though: In an act of premeditated, racially motivated horror, a Confederate flag-toting white madman slaughtered nine black parishioners – including S.C. Senator Clementa Pinckney – at one of the state’s most historic black churches in Charleston, S.C.
“Whatever people think the Confederate flag stands for, perception is reality – and the reality is it’s being used as the calling card for a dangerous, deadly new strain of racism, one intent on depriving black Americans of the most fundamental liberty of all: The right to a beating heart,” we wrote over the weekend. “Hoisted by the state in 1962 as a rebuke of the civil rights movement, there is simply no compelling reason to leave this banner in place – and its removal imposes no hardship upon anyone’s freedom. Lawmakers should take it down. Now.”
That’s clearly not going to happen, though … at least not anytime soon.
28 comments
Where is Glen McConnell? Haven’t heard a word from him on all of this. Isn’t he working somewhere in Charleston?
Here ya go. Straight from the horses rear.
http://today.cofc.edu/2015/06/18/message-from-president-mcconnell-regarding-church-tragedy/
I suspect the issue being on display during the Primary is not desirable so likely the debate will come sooner rather than later. Also, if people want to pressure the legislature to do something about it, the calls need to come from power constituents like – say – Boeing, Volvo, Michelin, Continental, BMW. Now if those folks quietly call the state Legislature boys – there might be some movement. Also, national GOP figures like MItt and Jeb can have a lot of influence. Else, it will take about 20,000 standing in front of the State House, and starting a grass roots movement, complete with bumper stickers and petitions, to get anywhere. Else, one might say, the SCGOP is showing it – shall we say – true colors.
Step away from the crack pipe. Mitt and Jeb? Obviously you are not from SC. SC will bow their backs on any issues pushed by “outsiders”. Now SC will listen to their corporate partners such as you outlined. If the flag is a problem for them though, why are they here?
No unions, cheap labor, and millions in enticements from the state to relocate..
Exactly the point.
The REAL question is;
Since it obviously ain’t a problem with BMW, Boeing, Michelin, etc. how come they ain’t flying the Confederate flag????
Does BMW fly the German flag? Does Michelin fly the French flag? What would be the reason they would fly the Confederate flag? What’s your point?
Michelin – no, at least not outside their SC HQ: http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/why-michelin/about.html
BMW – no, at least not outside their SC plant: http://www.exploregreenville.com/BMW_Zentrum.shtml
My point is we need more than just folks here to make it a big deal (when I say here – I mean in SC). Alone we won’t get it down – the GOP guys in the State House will defer. State Senators however carry weight on the issue. But if having outsiders like Jeb, or Mitt, vocal about it, and it threatens to be an issue in January during the Primary – which would not make Nikki look too good – then maybe they’ll act. Wil points out on another thread – they could act now. Attach it to the budget they’re finalizing and be done with it. It’s making us look stupid now.
So now that there is NO racism in either MA or FL due to the efforts of Mitt and Jeb, they are qualified to tell SC how to solve racism in SC. Is that what you are saying?
CNSYD – so give me one valid argument to keep the flag in place, given that a) it was placed there as a big middle-finger to the black community and civil rights efforts in the 1960s, b) it’s obvious liberal use by Dylann and other hate groups directing their hatred at blacks, and c) those who carried it – in a word – lost!
Shit, Will! You and your site are losing credibility with this incessant bleating about the damn flag.
The NAACP lost theirs completely when they agreed to the present layout of things on State House grounds, then promptly backtracked and issued their (colossal joke of a) boycott of SC. Piss on them! It wouldn’t really be a big deal to me if not for that.
Maybe since the POS was driving an old Hyundai (or was it a Toyota?), we should work on banning that car from our roads. Please get back to doing something useful with your site.
This site is great for proving what a bunch of backwards bigots the SC GOP really is. Thank you for that…
It’s also a great example of how you can appeal to the emotions of the masses to get things accomplished politically.
Emoting 24/7 is something that draws people, and you can throw logic right out the window and play on that.
or at least pointing out the trolls not actually from here, saying what you want them to so it appears that way.
No more Quinns in elective office, ever.
I do like that idea.
Expect NO leadership from Governor Oreo on this issue. Third World on the outside, wanna-be lilly white southern girl on the inside. Thanks alot deliberately ignorant Biach.
Are people in SC capable of not being racist? Geez.
FiredUp isn’t from SC, he is a troll trying to stir things up
The misnomer in this article is “leadership”…
What can you expect? Republicans have spent the last 40 years running as the party that will protect the white folk from the N…..s. That is their only real argument, as most of their policies hurt the average South Carolinian.
Everything Republicans do in the south is tinged with racism. The Voter ID law expressly designed to reduce minority voting. The reason we stupidly turned down expanded Medicaid, was all about racism. Heck since the election of Obama, the Republican Party and Fox News has put the minority hate/fear rhetoric into hyper-drive. Just look at all the racist signs and rants at the tea party rallies,. “I want my country back.” “Obama is a Kenyan Muslim” and the list goes on and on.
And if you doubt this is still a potent argument in SC, just watch the talking points the closer we get to the election. In fact it has already started. Look at Fitsnews and Fox News, distortion of the proposed new HUD rule. Noting more than fear mongering and an appeal to racists fears of Obama, and black people moving into their neighborhood. ln fact this site is a fairly constant source of race baiting.
So don’t expect the Republicans to give up appealing to racists anytime soon. In fact you can expect them to do so even more, only ;now they will add gays and Hispanics to the mix. Hate sells and even if it leads to the type of tragedy we saw in Charleston, you can expect them to continue using it, all the time trying to pretend they are shocked that this kind of thing could occur. Its just pathetic.
“This is just not an issue we are discussing right now,” one legislative leader told FITS. “It’s not on anyone’s radar.”
I suspect that it’s on all of their weather radars – you know the one they lick and stick up to see which way the political winds are blowing…
On condition of not being disclosed, gee, did they have their sheets on at the time. Harks back to days of the white hoods – don’t it?
Might want to reconsider. If they wait until after Obama visits the church, gives his stirring speech and calls for it to come down, then when it is removed, Obama will get the credit.
South Carolina legislators are starting to call for the removal of the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds. County and city councils around the state in the process of doing the same. A year from now, and perhaps much sooner, it will be gone.
I believe I counted 11 post that are dedicated to this issue. The fact that you need to post 11 post to get traction should say something… A dead horse is being beaten.
Personally, I think the flag should be placed in a museum with the rest of the flags that once were representative of this nation. To think that any legislative body should spend my tax dollars debating this issue is ludicrous… we have more important issues to discuss. I say…
Just do it!
~get real