SC

Four Voices That Could Sink SC Confederate Flag Deal

HOW THE S.C. HOUSE COULD “LOSE CONTROL OF DEBATE” || By FITSNEWS || Lawmakers in the South Carolina House of Representatives and State Senate voted overwhelmingly to take up the latest Confederate flag controversy during an extended summer session of the S.C. General Assembly. Their votes – inspired by last week’s horrific, racially motivated church shooting…

HOW THE S.C. HOUSE COULD “LOSE CONTROL OF DEBATE”

|| By FITSNEWS || Lawmakers in the South Carolina House of Representatives and State Senate voted overwhelmingly to take up the latest Confederate flag controversy during an extended summer session of the S.C. General Assembly.

Their votes – inspired by last week’s horrific, racially motivated church shooting in Charleston, S.C. (which claimed a State Senator, Clementa Pinckney, among its victims) – mean lawmakers can immediately consider a compromise which would likely remove the controversial banner from the north lawn of the S.C. State House.

A version of the flag has flown there since 2000, when a bipartisan, biracial compromise took it down from atop the dome of the state capitol (and from inside the House and Senate chambers).

“Off the dome and in your face,” supporters of the banner said at the time.

The flag was initially raised in 1962 by a Democratic-controlled state legislature in protest of the national civil rights movement.

So … what happens now?

While most believe there are sufficient votes in both chambers to take down the banner, legislative leaders have yet to determine whether doing so would require a two-thirds majority or a simple majority of members present and voting.

According to the 2000 compromise, a.k.a. the “Heritage Act,” moving the flag from its current location would require a two-thirds majority – or super-majority – of both the House and Senate.  In fact that’s the standard leaders in both chambers tell FITS they are using in considering legislation to take the banner down.

“To amend the Heritage Act takes a two-thirds vote of both chambers,” one GOP leader in the House told FITS.

Senators confirmed the two-thirds standard would be used in debate over any flag legislation in that chamber, too.

CONFEDERATE FLAG
CONFEDERATE FLAG

Will that matter?  We’ll see …

In the meantime, flag opponents believe they need only a simple majority to take the banner down – arguing the two-thirds provision in the 2000 compromise is unconstitutional.

“General Assemblies cannot bind future legislatures like that,” one anti-flag lawmaker told FITS.

While that question looms, leaders in the S.C. House say there is growing concern over especially strident voices on both sides of the debate – voices which could conceivably derail a tentative deal to take the flag down.

“We have the votes right now to move it,” a ranking House member told us.  “But that could change on a dime.”

Another Republican lawmaker echoed that concern – specifically referencing flag opponents “going overboard” during debate over the banner.

“Every time we get our noses rubbed in it, we’re going to lose five votes (to take it down),” the lawmaker said.

Meanwhile a Democratic lawmaker who supports removing the flag confirmed to FITS “there is a very real fear that things could unravel.”

“They’re scared of losing control of the debate,” the Democrat told us, referring to GOP leadership.

So … which voices are threatening to undo the debate in the House?

Here you go …

CHRIS CORLEY – “REPUBLICAN” (PRO-FLAG)

corley

Corley – an attorney practicing in Augusta, Georgia – is an ardent opponent of moving the Confederate flag from the State House grounds.  As such, he was one of ten House members who voted against adding the issue to the legislature’s summer agenda.  Corley has reportedly threatened to sponsor more than five hundred amendments to any resolution removing the flag, and while his procedural roadblocks could be shut down – the animosity such an effort is likely to engender could create problems for the broader debate.

***

DOUG BRANNON – “REPUBLICAN” (ANTI-FLAG)

brannon

Brannon has already joined with S.C. House minority leader Todd Rutherford in sponsoring legislation to take the flag down come January – assuming a deal to do so isn’t immediately reached.  One of only two GOP lawmakers to urge “Republican” lieutenant governor Henry McMaster to resign his membership in a “whites only” country club in downtown Columbia, S.C., Brannon is an outspoken Michigan trial lawyer who hates the flag and is eager to highlight its status as a symbol of hatred.  He’s obviously got a valid point to make in light of the tragedy in Charleston, but if he overplays his hand he could wind up doing more harm than good to the effort he’s advancing.

***

BILL CHUMLEY – “REPUBLICAN” (PRO-FLAG)

chumley

We agree 100 percent with Chumley that the “Holy City Massacre” should not be used as a pretext to erode the Second Amendment – as president Barack Obama and 2016 presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton suggested in the immediate aftermath of the shootings.  But there’s a right way and a wrong way to make that point.  Chumley’s disastrous interview with CNN this week – in which he suggested the victims of the tragedy “waited their turn to be shot” – highlighted the extent to which this staunch flag supporter does not think before he speaks.  And given the volatility of this debate, such thoughtlessness could be incredibly dangerous in the event Chumley decides to address the House prior to its vote on the flag.

***

JOHN KING – DEMOCRAT (ANTI-FLAG)

john king

We can’t even begin to put ourselves in King’s shoes right now.  He’s a black leader in South Carolina, and if someone were to tell us the current racially charged environment was a time for “reservation,” we’d probably tell them to go f*ck themselves.  Hell, we might even offer an extra “f*ck off” seeing as a black legislator was among the victims of this tragedy.  But as King rises to speak against the flag, his burning desire to appropriate motivations of bigotry and violence to all flag supporters is unlikely to help advance the effort to remove the banner from the State House grounds.  In fact, of the lawmakers mentioned in this post, we’re told King is the one members of both parties are concerned might throw a monkey wrench into their compromise.

***

Obviously we’ll be keeping a close eye on the forthcoming flag debate in the S.C. House of Representatives.  And our position on what should be done is clear.  In fact lawmakers so far are following the course we prescribed in this column.

Let’s hope they stay the course …

Of course at this point it’s worth noting the House isn’t where flag supporters are expected to make their “last stand.”  That would be the State Senate, where at least two lawmakers are reportedly contemplating a filibuster of any legislation seeking to move the banner.

Stay tuned for more on that as the legislative debate continues to unfold …

***

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53 comments

Squishy123 June 24, 2015 at 12:48 pm

“horrific, racially motivated church shooting”

You need a Thesaurus, you’ve cut and pasted this version to death.

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TroubleBaby June 24, 2015 at 12:50 pm

A broken record would make life easier for him.

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Squishy123 June 24, 2015 at 12:51 pm

Confederate Flag on Side A
Donald Trump on Side B

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Scratched Cato CD June 24, 2015 at 1:35 pm

Thomas Ravenel is a serious contender for Senate- [RECORD SKIP]

Thomas Ravenel is a serious contender for Senate- [RECORD SKIP]

Thomas Ravenel is a serious contender for Senate- [RECORD SKIP]

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CharlieChan June 24, 2015 at 12:57 pm

Well, it’s a more accurate mantra than “heritage not hate” which has got to be the most cut and pasted BS I’ve seen in my lifetime.

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Boo fucking hoo June 24, 2015 at 1:02 pm

Poor conservatives. They come to a conservative blog and can’t even be casual bigots anymore.

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Billy June 24, 2015 at 12:57 pm

Let them go on the record as defenders of the flag of treason- they (including Fair and Bright) will pay at the ballot box and by becoming completly irrelevant in SC – too high a price for these egomaniacs .
Even Cruz will ignore Bright as he becomes ‘radioactive’.

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The Buzzman June 24, 2015 at 1:08 pm

If there is a God, Cruz himself will be marginalized for supporting the flag.

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nitrat June 24, 2015 at 5:11 pm

Cruz needs to be the nominee. Only a ‘conservative’ Republican going down with a smaller percentage than Barry Goldwater will bring the once GOP back to its senses.
Keep nominating ‘moderates’ and they will always blame the loss on that.

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Squishy123 June 24, 2015 at 1:16 pm

Have you looked at the latest poll on The State? It’s sitting at 50-50 to leave up or take down.

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a face in the crowd June 24, 2015 at 12:59 pm

Regardless of what happens, other states in the South have already acted, and many large retailers are no longer selling confederate flags. If the SC government chooses not to act, it will simply reproduce perceptions about SC.

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Accuracyplease June 24, 2015 at 1:16 pm

It would seem most people understand South Carolina enjoys bigotry more than most other states. (Mississippi and Alabama, however, do tie for second.) And Texas is just crazy. So there’s that. Perhaps South Carolina could rename itself “Carokkkina”

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9" June 24, 2015 at 1:20 pm

Hey,man.You want some flags? I got a kilo….

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Frank Right June 24, 2015 at 1:26 pm

If they drag this out long enough — I forecast a confederate flag bubble.

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9" June 24, 2015 at 1:30 pm

Dig it,man.

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Frank Right June 24, 2015 at 1:34 pm

Price of Confederate flags rising as we speak. Horde that kilo til the end of next week.

Remove all offensive symbols June 24, 2015 at 12:59 pm

“Hell, we might even offer an extra “f*ck off” seeing as a black legislator was among the victims of this tragedy. ”

Yes, because we all know that politicians are more valuable and important people than a church secretary.

“we’re told King is the one members of both parties are concerned might throw a monkey wrench into their compromise.”

That’s a racist statement.

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Bye Bye June 24, 2015 at 1:00 pm

Could somebody just hop the fence and yank that piece of shit down, toss it in the trash and be done with it? By the end of the week, the confederate flag will join the nazi flag in the hate bin. Where it belongs. Wonder how many fools are second guessing those rebel flag tattoos?

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Squishy123 June 24, 2015 at 1:15 pm

Sure, and I think you’re just the man to do it.

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The Colonel June 24, 2015 at 1:17 pm

“Wonder how many fools are second guessing those rebel flag tattoos?”

Truthfully, probably not a single one….

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Rocky June 24, 2015 at 1:27 pm

Actually, they’re probably getting more. Good week for ink work.

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shifty henry June 24, 2015 at 3:03 pm

“Without thinking, I step a little closer, reaching out slowly to slide a fingertip over the largest petal of the lily tattoo on her lower back. Instantly a vibration moves up my arm, and I swear the mark on my hand burns against my skin.

I clench my fingers into a fist, but I don’t step away.

“Did you feel that?” she asks.

I shake my head. “I don’t know.” I feel so much, always so much.

She takes my hand and brings it to her side again, resting it on the violets. I look at the purple flowers between my fingers and feel the heat of her skin, the way it slides beneath my palm, soft as silk. And that vibration moves through my arm again.

Her breath quickens.

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shifty henry June 24, 2015 at 3:39 pm

Rachel Hawkins,’ Demonglass’

—————————————-

“I want to get the words “Courage” and “Bravery” tattooed across my back, so people could associate me with those things as they read them while they chase me.”

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shifty henry June 24, 2015 at 3:43 pm

A woman goes into a tattoo parlor and tells the tattoo artist that she wants a tattoo of a turkey on her right thigh right up just below her bikini line. She also wants him to put “Happy Thanksgiving” under the turkey.

So the guy does it and it comes out looking really good. The woman then instructs him to put a Santa Clause with “Merry Christmas” up on her left thigh.

So the guy does it and it comes out looking good, too.

As the woman is getting dressed to leave, the tattoo artist says, “If you don’t mind, could you tell me why you had me put such unusual tattoos on your thighs?”

She said, “I’m sick and tired of my husband complaining all the time that there’s nothing good
to eat between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

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Hold Up Son! June 24, 2015 at 2:04 pm

You’re throwing away quality toilet paper, at least have someone wipe their buttocks with it before throwing it out!

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Oh Please June 24, 2015 at 1:09 pm

Probably 2/3 of the House members don’t even know there is a House member named Chris Corley. He isn’t capable of doing shit, if he put up 1,000 amendments.

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Valley Rat Linthead June 24, 2015 at 5:21 pm

Aiken Standard is reporting that chicken little ignoramus redneck corley is running for the hills, and CNN,

“I don’t want to be on the news”, Corely said, for the first time ever.

You next ass-kissing meeting with the Sons is not going to go well douchebag.

http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20150624/AIK0101/150629733/1004/rep-chris-corley-to-cnn-x201c-i-don-x2019-t-want-to-be-on-the-news-x201d-when-asked-about-confederate-flag

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Native Ink June 24, 2015 at 1:09 pm

How is Doug Brannon a Michigan trial lawyer? He got his undergrad and law degree at USC and was mayor of Landrum before he was elected to the House.

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Accuracyplease June 24, 2015 at 1:14 pm

Meanwhile, the Citadel joined the 21st century by acknowdging the flag is based in bigotry. Then the Citadel announced they are removing from it’s current place as was requested by former cadet.

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Mike at the Beach June 24, 2015 at 7:17 pm

That’s great, but I wouldn’t stretch that act into el Cid “joining the 21st Century” in toto. ;-)

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Accuracyplease June 24, 2015 at 7:27 pm

Well, okay. ????

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Limbaughsaphatkhunt June 24, 2015 at 7:56 pm

Excellent point. We all remember those “save the males” bumper stickers. WTF

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tomstickler June 24, 2015 at 1:21 pm

Here is the roll call vote in the House just to talk about removal.
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/votehistory.php?KEY=10391

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tomstickler June 24, 2015 at 1:30 pm

There is a subtext in this article that the flag opponents have to be careful not to make a big deal out of it for fear of pissing off some of the closet bigots and making them dig in their heels.

This may be a valid reading of the true feelings of a lot of those shedding crocodile tears over the deaths in Mother Emanuel.

But I am so tired of hearing this crap advice about not offending those who use their power to maintain oppression.

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Careful June 24, 2015 at 2:13 pm

Well, if you and others don’t prefer getting the flag down to lecturing its proponents, then I guess we’ll get to keep arguing about this shit for another 150 years.

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I'm offended that ur offended June 24, 2015 at 2:37 pm

“But I am so tired of hearing this crap advice about not offending ”

We are all tired of hearing crap about not offending people for various reasons.

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utah June 24, 2015 at 3:50 pm

You may not like it, but if some of these little-peckered legislators get redfaced mad at comments made during the debate, you may win the battle at the expense of losing the war.

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Bill Brasky June 24, 2015 at 4:31 pm

Doug Brannon is the same d-bag that tried to effectively ban home-schooling in SC a few years ago because some parents who beat their kids and had them taken away by DSS said they were “home-schooling” their kids, when they obviously weren’t. If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s being a mindless reactionary. Then again, it says more about his constituency than him.

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nitrat June 24, 2015 at 5:05 pm

‘Home schooling’ covers a multitude of family sins.
A school is a child’s first line of defense from a messed up family.

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Limbaughsaphatkhunt June 24, 2015 at 7:55 pm

Awesome point!!

Screw these bigots. We need to erase the remnants of slave owners and those who fought for them in the public sphere. All roads, buildings, bridges, statues, monuments…everything needs to be renamed.

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Krazy Kat June 24, 2015 at 1:38 pm

This is the end of country music as we know it.

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Frank Right June 24, 2015 at 1:42 pm

The end of the world as we know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsxavPANO8s

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stumpknocker June 25, 2015 at 3:59 am

good it has devolved into a bunch of disco crap anyway

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Racist Strom Thurmond June 24, 2015 at 2:02 pm

A national movement to force the removal of all monuments, statues, and other things in public places honoring slave owners/masters is exploding in momentum. Eventually, they will get around to statues and buildings in honor of Storm Thurmond and Fritz Hollings. Storm Thurmond and Fritz Hollings were big assholes in their day. They must’ve been members of the KKK.

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Racist Strom Thurmond June 24, 2015 at 2:07 pm

Strom Thurmond’s racism was so strong that he never truly loved the bi-racial daughter he father with his parents’ 16-year old maid. To say nothing of a 22-year old man taking advantage of a girl six years his junior, Thurmond subjected his daughter to a lifetime of isolation.

During his 1948 presidential campaign, Strom Thurmond ran through the South on the following platform:

“I want to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, there’s not enough
troops in the army to force the southern people to break
down segregation and accept the Negro
into our theatres, into our swimming pools, into our homes,
and into our churches.”

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E Norma Scok June 24, 2015 at 2:14 pm

When does Taylor take a pic of her in a rebel flag bikini to go along with her “pro flag” article?

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LD June 24, 2015 at 2:17 pm

Alabama did it without drawing a lot of attention. Why can’t we do the same? I just don’t see the flag being the “holy grail” that some in SC do. The only thring that is going to happen is that we are once again going to look like a bunch of REDNECK RACIST DUMBASSESS with the flag still flying.

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Centrist View June 24, 2015 at 3:06 pm

Why can’t we do the same?

Because just doing it without all the attention would deprive several politicians of the opportunity to grandstand.

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SCBlueWoman June 24, 2015 at 3:08 pm

Because the racist murders in Charleston drew the attention of the nation. A nation that is damned tired of this BS and fake heritage cry.

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Valley Rat Linthead June 24, 2015 at 2:23 pm

Chris Corley does not want his closet opened, at least he should be fearful that it will, if he chooses that route. There are all sorts of skeletons and more that will derail more than his political career, such as it is.

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TSIB June 24, 2015 at 2:32 pm

This piece is bullshit.

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Cooter June 24, 2015 at 6:10 pm

A Democrat legislature and Democrat Governor put the flag up in the first place to give the finger to the feds and the blacks who wanted to go to white schools. A Democrat governor kept it on the State House grounds, and used the issue to defeat a Republican incumbent who wanted it down. And now a Republican governor wants to take it down for good. Good for you Gov. Haley – finally some intelligent, mature leadership from the Gov’s office. Maybe its time for Black voters to realize that blindly voting D has not gotten them anywhere, and white voters to realize that blindly voting R hasn’t either.

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Anonymous June 25, 2015 at 9:01 am

How is it a compromise if only one side gets what it wants?

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