Huckabee: Confederate battle flag should be up to state

[webfact]

Huckabee: Confederate battle flag should be up to state
By KEVIN FREKING

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mike Huckabee and other GOP presidential contenders are staying clear of the Confederate flag debate in South Carolina, saying it's an issue that should be decided by the state, not the federal government.

The flag is a symbol of racism to some, of Southern pride to others. The flag remains on the South Carolina Statehouse grounds, but some want it moved to another location behind the Capitol, or removed entirely. Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for president in 2012, has called for the flag's immediate removal in the wake of Wednesday evening's fatal shootings of nine black people at a Charleston church.

"Everyone's being baited with this question as if somehow that has anything to do whatsoever with running for president," Huckabee said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''My position is it most certainly does not."

Fellow Republican Rick Santorum gave a similar argument.

"My opinion is that we should let the people of South Carolina go through the process of making this decision," Santorum said on ABC's "This Week."

South Carolina was the last state to fly the Confederate battle flag from its Capitol dome until a compromise in 2000 moved the flag to a 30-foot flagpole on Statehouse grounds. The debate over the flag carries political risks for Republican candidates seeking to appeal to South Carolina conservatives who support displaying the flag on public grounds.

The state holds the nation's third presidential primary contest in February and the outcome could play a major role in the wide-open 2016 GOP campaign.

Romney tweeted on Saturday that "To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims."

The former Massachusetts governor joins President Barack Obama and civil rights leaders in calling for the flag to come down as the nation grapples with Wednesday's slayings. The man charged with the crimes, Dylann Storm Roof, held the Confederate flag in a photograph on a website and displayed the flags of defeated white-supremacist governments in Africa on his Facebook page.

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, said that voters want the presidential candidates focused on issues like the economy and keeping Americans safe. He had the same position back in 2008 when he first ran for president, but he used more colorful language then. "If somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell 'em where to put the pole, that's what we'd do."

Huckabee said Sunday that voters don't want the presidential candidates to "weigh in on every little issue in all 50 states that might be an important issue to the people of those states, but it's not on the desk of the president."

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-22

[NeverSure]

"...but it's not on the desk of the president."

He's right. It's a states rights issue and a freedom and it simply doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the president. He's been a state governor and he's not a racist. He's just telling it like it is.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

No, it's not on the President's desk, and no, Huckabee may not be a racist.

But clearly, he and the other conservatives are pandering to Southern conservatives who may well be racists, if their idea of America's future is to return to the days or policies of the Southern Confederacy.

Even if it's not a Presidential issue, voters are entitled to know what Presidential candidates think about topical political issues, and that includes whether or not they'd call for South Carolina officials to remove the flag in the wake of the shootings.

But instead of taking a public position that would likely infuriate one side or the other (or more to the point, do the right thing and support removing the flag, thus angering many in their Conservative base), obviously, Huckabee and the others are simply ducking the issue.

[FangFerang]

Of course Huckabeery Finn said that - he needs all the racist rednecks he can get. And it still won't be enough.

[Jingthing]

Of course Huckabeery Finn said that - he needs all the racist rednecks he can get. And it still won't be enough.

Yep.

He's a Huck-a-HAS-beeN. Nothing to see here.

[reptile91602]

Huckabee, like all the republican candidates is pretty much a complete moron as are his religious views moronic. The confederate flag is totally racist and has no positive place in any country.

[Jingthing]

Huckabee, like all the republican candidates is pretty much a complete moron as are his religious views moronic. The confederate flag is totally racist and has no positive place in any country.

Huckabee does have a charming way of sugar coating his unreasonable right wing Christian fundamentalist inspired political views. But it won't be enough for him.

[NeverSure]

No, it's not on the President's desk, and no, Huckabee may not be a racist.

But clearly, he and the other conservatives are pandering to Southern conservatives who may well be racists...

FYI it's the Democrat Party that's the party of the Ku Klux Klan and school segregation. The "war" against segregation was against the Democrats in the South.

Huckabee doesn't have a chance at the presidency even though he has experience as a governor. He doesn't have a chance. Even so he's telling the truth that the office he's declared for - the POTUS has no say over state flags. That's all he said and it riles some people up.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Unfortunately, this issue isn't about Huckabee as much as it is about America and Americans.

He and the other conservatives wouldn't be ducking the issue, and the flag would have (should have) been removed long ago were it not for the fact that a not insignificant share of Americans (presumably mostly Southerners) still support the Confederate flag and some notions of what it stands for.

That's really the sad/unfortunate part here. Huckabee et. al. are just window dressing to the main issue of lingering racism and inequality.

[FangFerang]

No, it's not on the President's desk, and no, Huckabee may not be a racist.

But clearly, he and the other conservatives are pandering to Southern conservatives who may well be racists...

FYI it's the Democrat Party that's the party of the Ku Klux Klan and school segregation. The "war" against segregation was against the Democrats in the South.

Huckabee doesn't have a chance at the presidency even though he has experience as a governor. He doesn't have a chance. Even so he's telling the truth that the office he's declared for - the POTUS has no say over state flags. That's all he said and it riles some people up.

FYI -- the The GOP is the same former Democrats. They changed their name to protect the 'innocent'. The States' Rights argument is very selective from the GOP -- they want to control how anyone in any state is born or dies, but bury their heads in the Texas sand when it comes to anything that can upset their bigoted, racist voter base.

[khwaibah]

Just burn the piece of shyt and be done with it.

[abrahamzvi]

Huckabee, like all the republican candidates is pretty much a complete moron as are his religious views moronic. The confederate flag is totally racist and has no positive place in any country.

I am wondering what the "moderate and liberal" Jeb Bush is going to say on this subject. I entirely agree that the confederate flag represents racism inits ugliest form.

[freebyrd]

The flag is a symbol of racism to some, of Southern pride to others.

I'm not American and don't really have an opinion as such. That said, may I offer this - It's not so long ago that:

The Swastika was a symbol of racism and evil to some, of German pride to others.

Fine lines.....One man's meat.....

[puck2]

This flag is a symbol of a very, very dark chapter in the US history.

Imagine, Germany would tolerate it's 16 states to show the swastica flag in front of ttheir governments. It would be restricted and punished by the law (constitution) which is mandatory for all 16 states.

It seems the US aren't ashamed of their violent, racist and inhuman history. Many right wing TV posters deny that racism in the US is still existing. This flag alone (among other facts) speakes volumes.

I'm aware, racism does exist in all countries. You cannot destroy it by law/rules, but only if you change the ideas and feelings of the people (by education). At least it depends on how it is controlled. Having/showing flags in official areas - specially in the South - improves exactly that racism is not yet controlled in the US, in the minds of a big part of society.

Edited June 22, 2015 by puck2

[chuckd]

This flag is a symbol of a very, very dark chapter in the US history.

Imagine, Germany would tolerate it's 16 states to show the swastica flag in front of ttheir governments. It would be restricted and punished by the law (constitution) which is mandatory for all 16 states.

It seems the US aren't ashamed of their violent, racist and inhuman history. Many right wing TV posters deny that racism in the US is still existing. This flag alone (among other facts) speakes volumes.

I'm aware, racism does exist in all countries. You cannot destroy it by law/rules, but only if you change the ideas and feelings of the people (by education). At least it depends on how it is controlled. Having/showing flags in official areas - specially in the South - improves exactly that racism is not yet controlled in the US, in the minds of a big part of society.

Well, you see, there is that pesky First Amendment to the Constitution that has to be dealt with before the mind control can take over.

[IMA_FARANG]

South Carolina should fly a Huckleberry Hound cartoon flag over its capital.

[bitcoinbob]

confederate battle flag , first it represents insurrection and violence and should not be allowed to fly anywhere in the U.S.Iin honor to all the fallen UNION troops Americans should burn every and any confederate flag and the ones that don't agree should be branded as traitors to the union. You don 't see germans flying the Swastika anywhere on government buildings. you lost fair and square stop flying a losers flag, brain dead southerns.

[chuckd]

confederate battle flag , first it represents insurrection and violence and should not be allowed to fly anywhere in the U.S.Iin honor to all the fallen UNION troops Americans should burn every and any confederate flag and the ones that don't agree should be branded as traitors to the union. You don 't see germans flying the Swastika anywhere on government buildings. you lost fair and square stop flying a losers flag, brain dead southerns.

Germany doesn't have that pesky little First Amendment to worry about. They don't have freedom of speech.

I think your thought police are going to have to stand down for the time being.

[sgtsabai]

The flag belongs in a museum. It has become of a symbol of racism today and to black folks probably always was. That was a terrible bloody war and my family fought on the side of the Confederacy, well except for uncle Sam Houston who opposed secession. Those that fought on both sides fought with bravery and honor for the most part whether they were in the right or not. One cannot take that away. When I was a child and we played Civil War with toy guns I was always on the side of the Confederacy defending the South against the hated Yankees. My uncle passed out cards during the Centennial saying "Celebrate the Centennial, Kill a Yankee". My grandfather, yes grandfather, born in 1865, rode with the Night Riders (KKK). When I found his robes, he was still alive-lived to be over 100, I went to my mom with a "what the hell is this KKK crap". Well the cuss words didn't go over well but I did learn a history lesson. My grandfather never rode against blacks, he rode against the hated Yankees, carpetbaggers. I never heard that man, teacher, farmer, judge, say "nigger", never and did not hear him speak bad about black people. Nor did I hear my uncles say the same. There were no Confederate battle flags displayed around any of their houses but there was a picture of an uncle in his Confederate colonel's uniform. As I said in opening the flag is a symbol of racism and all that is wrong with the South, it needs to be in a museum. When I encountered somebody with a flag bumper sticker or patch I knew I was dealing with an ignorant, bigoted, racist. Oh and for those that keep insisting the Democrats started the KKK, yea and those are the right wing nut teabag Republicans of today.

[Srikcir]

"...but it's not on the desk of the president."

He's right. It's a states rights issue and a freedom and it simply doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the president. He's been a state governor and he's not a racist. He's just telling it like it is.

NO

This is not about the state's official flag (below) that has existed since 1861 but about a BATTLE flag used by the Confederate Army in its defense of slavery during the Civil War. So it's not about states rights. The Battle flag does not have the approval of the majority of the electorate. And even if it did such as in a referendum, such states right cannot supercede people's rights and liberties under the federal US constitution.

[chuckd]

"...but it's not on the desk of the president."

He's right. It's a states rights issue and a freedom and it simply doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the president. He's been a state governor and he's not a racist. He's just telling it like it is.

NO

This is not about the state's official flag (below) that has existed since 1861 but about a BATTLE flag used by the Confederate Army in its defense of slavery during the Civil War. So it's not about states rights. The Battle flag does not have the approval of the majority of the electorate. And even if it did such as in a referendum, such states right cannot supercede people's rights and liberties under the federal US constitution.

SCFlag.jpg

There are no federal laws restricting the flying or use of the flag of the Confederacy anywhere. As a matter of fact, the Supreme Court recently upheld a Texas law that prohibits the use of the battle Confederate flag on personalized license plates.

It is very much a state's right issue. City, county and state citizens should decide what they want to fly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Supreme Court Says Texas Can Reject Confederate Flag License Plates

By ADAM LIPTAK

JUNE 18, 2015

Photo

The Sons of Confederate Veterans license plate that Texas refused to allow because of its use of the Confederate flag. Credit Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

WASHINGTON —

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Texas did not violate the First Amendment when it refused to allow specialty license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag. Such plates, Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote for the majority, are the government’s speech and are thus immune from First Amendment attacks.

The vote was 5 to 4. The court’s other three liberal members joined Justice Breyer’s majority opinion, as did Justice Clarence Thomas.

“As a general matter,” Justice Breyer wrote, “when the government speaks it is entitled to promote a program, to espouse a policy or to take a position.” Were this not so, he said, the government would be powerless to encourage vaccinations or promote recycling.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/us/supreme-court-says-texas-can-reject-confederate-flag-license-plates.html?_r=0

[up-country_sinclair]

confederate battle flag , first it represents insurrection and violence and should not be allowed to fly anywhere in the U.S.Iin honor to all the fallen UNION troops Americans should burn every and any confederate flag and the ones that don't agree should be branded as traitors to the union.

Hear, Hear!

"Southern pride", my foot. These traitors tried to secede and they lost a senseless war..

As I posted earlier, their followers should only be allowed to fly the white flag of surrender.

And by the way, let's not forget that S. Carolina is the 3rd contest for the Republican nomination, and candidates like Gov. Huckabee are playing to the tea party/nut-job base. A win in S. Carolina can keep a campaign alive for week's or months for a candidate that didn't do well in Iowa or New Hampshire. Speaking of which, how do you think this Confederate flag debate is playing in the swing states? That sound you hear is millions of people in New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Nevada murmuring to themselves, "What they hell happened to my Republican party"?

Edited June 22, 2015 by up-country_sinclair

[ggt]

Where are the moderators when we need them?

[mutha289]

"...but it's not on the desk of the president."

He's right. It's a states rights issue and a freedom and it simply doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the president. He's been a state governor and he's not a racist. He's just telling it like it is.

NO

This is not about the state's official flag (below) that has existed since 1861 but about a BATTLE flag used by the Confederate Army in its defense of slavery during the Civil War. So it's not about states rights. The Battle flag does not have the approval of the majority of the electorate. And even if it did such as in a referendum, such states right cannot supercede people's rights and liberties under the federal US constitution.

SCFlag.jpg

If this whole hoo ha about the confederate battle flag that flies in front of the South Carolina state Congress building were really about "southern pride" I would think they would fly the official confederate national flag and not the battle flag. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America The civil war ended almost 150 years ago, yet some people persist in still fighting it!

[Publicus]

"...but it's not on the desk of the president."

He's right. It's a states rights issue and a freedom and it simply doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the president. He's been a state governor and he's not a racist. He's just telling it like it is.

NO

This is not about the state's official flag (below) that has existed since 1861 but about a BATTLE flag used by the Confederate Army in its defense of slavery during the Civil War. So it's not about states rights. The Battle flag does not have the approval of the majority of the electorate. And even if it did such as in a referendum, such states right cannot supercede people's rights and liberties under the federal US constitution.

SCFlag.jpg

If this whole hoo ha about the confederate battle flag that flies in front of the South Carolina state Congress building were really about "southern pride" I would think they would fly the official confederate national flag and not the battle flag. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America The civil war ended almost 150 years ago, yet some people persist in still fighting it!

Yes, the Battle Flag was pulled out of mothballs by the states of the Old Confederacy in the 1950s in direct opposition to the Civil Rights Movement and the national demands to desegregate society throughout the South.

In 1962 the Confederate Battle Flag was placed on top of the South Carolina statehouse by vote of the all-white legislature.

When other Southern states eventually removed the flag from their statehouses to the ground level, South Carolina refused to follow suit.

This prompted the NAACP to organize a national economic boycott against South Carolina's $14 billion-a-year tourism industry with more than 100 corporations participating in the boycott of South Carolina. The flag was consequently removed from the capitol building and relocated to a monument to Confederate soldiers also on the capitol grounds.

The flag has to go period.

Let's soon turn our attention toward the Mike Huckabee state.....

Mississippi state flag

New Georgia flag since 2003

Georgia state flag, 1956–2001

In 1963, at the peak of Alabama's conflict with the federal government over segregation, Gov. George Wallace raised the Confederate battle flag over the Alabama statehouse to protest a visit by then-attorney general Robert F. Kennedy.

The Alabama state flag

The Confederate Battle Flag flew over the Florida capitol building between 1978 and 2001.

The Florida state flag.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/confederate2.html

A lotta red in all of this bubba stuff.

[KonaRain]

Governor says its going to museum..as of this morning..Aloha

[KonaRain]

Hawaii flag has the cross of st. Andrew? also..Hawaiians are using more and more..

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed.