Dean Responds to Flag Flap; Wants Southerners to Abandon Confederate Flag

Dean Official Blog | November 1, 2003 | nwrep

[nwrep]

Howard "Metrosexual" Dean's foot in the mouth disease continued this evening over his statement earlier in the day about the Confederate flag.

In response to the attacks mounted by his opponents Jean-Claude Kerry and Dick Gepfart, Dean issued the following statement on his website:

"I want people with confederate flags on their trucks to put down those flags and vote Democratic--because the need for quality healthcare, jobs, and a good education knows no racial boundaries. We have working white families in the south voting for tax cuts for the richest 1% while their children remain with no health care. The dividing of working people by race has been a cornerstone of Republican politics for the last three decades--starting with Richard Nixon. For my fellow Democratic opponents to sink to this level is really tragic. The only way we're going to beat George Bush is if southern white working families and African American working families come together under the Democratic tent, as they did under FDR.

"In his historic 'I have a dream speech,' Martin Luther King, Jr., said: 'I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.' I believe Dr. King's vision still represents the future of America. And that is what our campaign is about."

[nwrep]

Should read: "Dean responds to Flag Flap"

[pierrem15]

Let's be generous-- if Dean want's the votes of the "sons of former slave owners" and "the sons of former slaves", then he's entitled to all 50 or so of them who are still alive.

What say y'all?

[jaz.357]

Out of the pan and into the flame!

Way to be Mr. Metro.

[pointsal]

When is Vermont going to quit sapping the life out of innocent Maple trees?

[xrp]

How about if those who want to be in government stop telling the citizenry what to do?

[vikingcelt]

It really, really sickens me to have to read this bastard hijacking the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. What a phoney bullshit artist.

[pierrem15]

What about Robert "White Knight" Byrd, by getting all those West Virginians to vote Democratic, isn't he contributing to the delinquency of a miner ;-)?

[Adrastus]

This is one desperate pup. I believe he'd pee on a sparkplug if it'd do him any good.

[clockwork]

The dividing of working people by race has been a cornerstone of Republican politics for the last three decades--starting with Richard Nixon.

Actually, the dividing of working people by race is a cornerstone of the Democrat party e.g. affirmative action (also known as discrimination). The Democrats tell a poor white family that their children will get less of a chance at getting into college or getting a promotion based upon the color of their skin. They tell the poor white family that this is because blacks/hispanics are disadvantaged...even though the black/hispanic family might be wealthy. Go sell that BS somewhere else but the South Mr. Dean...that dog won't hunt.

[TJFLSTRAT]

Does Dean seriously think he can win the South, while being in favor of Gay marrages, and against the ban on partial birth abortions?

[pierrem15]

flame

Yup-- the first comment had his toes knocking out a couple bicuspids, but now he's going for a complete metatarsal induced tonsillectomy.

By tomorrow, it will be a full "reverse" colonoscopy.

[TontoKowalski]

Northern Democrats just cannot understand the Southerners' feelings about the Confederate Flag. Regardless of the meanings it has for others, it is not a racist symbol to a white Southerner.

Tying the Confederate Flag to racism is a stupid, no-win move. The vast majority of those who treasure the flag do not consider themselves racist, and, in fact, they aren't.

And I say this as a Southerner who flies the American Flag, and not the Confederate Flag.

[dts32041]

But according to the Senate Historian Bobbi "KKK" Byrd, those confedrate flags represnet the demorat slave holders and night riders so well.

[07055]

Let's be generous-- if Dean want's the votes of the "sons of former slave owners" and "the sons of former slaves", then he's entitled to all 50 or so of them who are still alive..

Oh, there are a lot more than 50. Actually, there are tens of thousands of them. The problem is that they are all in AFRICA and not legally eligible to vote for Dean.

[Loyal Buckeye]

Doesn't sound as though he read Zell Miller's new book.

[pierrem15]

I almost added something about, "pity they're all in the Sudan"

[SouthernFreebird]

Tying the Confederate Flag to racism is a stupid, no-win move. The vast majority of those who treasure the flag do not consider themselves racist, and, in fact, they aren't.

Bravo....worth repeating but I doubt if they'll ever get it.

[2nd Amendment]

Isn't he from the state where you can marry farm animals?

[meyer]

Tying the Confederate Flag to racism is a stupid, no-win move. The vast majority of those who treasure the flag do not consider themselves racist, and, in fact, they aren't.

I'm a southern transplant, but I may consider flying the Confederate Flag solely for the purpose of irritating the DemocRATS. I tend to agree with you, by the way, that most that fly the flag aren't doing it with racism in mind. They either recall and celebrate its heritage or they are like me and enjoy ticking off the liberals.