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Democratic Candidate Jim Webb Just Used His ‘Black Friend’ To Diminish Confederate Flag Debate
Newsone ^ | Christina Coleman | Jul 13, 2015

Posted on 07/14/2015 4:35:25 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb said the Democratic party has “moved way far to the left,” in an interview with Fox News Sunday; he also backed southern White cultures during a discussion about the Confederate Flag.

Isolating himself from the liberal likes of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, Webb told Fox News’ Bret Baier that the recent removal of the Confederate battle flag from a number of establishments is just as “divisive” as Donald Trump’s disparaging comments against immigrants.

In recent days, Trump, also a presidential candidate, has defended comments he made that suggested immigration is the cause of the influx of crime in America. He also called Mexican immigrants “rapists.” During Webb’s defense of White culture, he criticized the statements, but used the opportunity to align the conversation surrounding the polarizing flag with Trump’s sentiments.

According to the Huffington Post:

“This kind of divisive, inflammatory rhetoric by people who want to be commander-in-chief is not helpful, and we have seen from the liberal side as well this kind of rhetoric as it goes to Southern white cultures,” the former Virginia senator said, apparently referring to recent debates over the Confederate flag. “We need to be inclusive and recognize that we have problems and that we can come together to solve them,” Webb said. “But don’t be throwing these bombs to our cultural groups.” Webb has seemed eager to distinguish himself as the only Democratic candidate with a really nuanced take on the flag, in an apparent effort to win over white working-class voters who increasingly vote Republican. On Sunday, Baier asked Webb whether he thought efforts to remove Confederate symbols from public places were racial healing or political grandstanding. In response, Webb again compared the Confederate debate to Trump trashing Mexican immigrants.

“Unfortunately, I think you’re seeing it from both sides, which is why I mention the situation with Donald Trump with respect to Mexican-Americans,” Webb said. “We’re seeing an issue which should have been resolved and now is resolved, flying the Confederate battle flag in public places, morphing into something different.”

Dismissing the hurtful past of the flag and what the symbol means to many Black Americans, Webb then leaned on the all-too-familiar Black friend anecdote to support his argument that the discussion about the flag — a discussion that was sparked by the recent mass shooting at a historic Black South Carolina church and ultimately resulted in the removal of the flag from U.S. Capitol grounds — is a distraction of sorts.

Webb’s close friend, who happens to be Black, said this to the presidential candidate:

“‘I was just at the barbershop and I asked the brothers what they thought about this, and they said, ‘Here we go again,'” Webb said. “‘When are we going to talk about jobs? When are we going to talk about education? When are we going to talk about harmony and bringing people together?’ And that’s what inclusive leadership needs to be.”

While Webb did suggest moving beyond the conversation to propel real racial healing, it’s not clear if he understands that discussions about race, jobs, and education aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, to combat the systemic exclusion of Black people from education and job access, race is an all too important ingredient. For now, however, Webb is set on distinguishing himself as a “different” kind of Democrat.

“I believe we can bring a different tone to the Democratic party,” he said to Baier. “You’re right, the party has moved way far to the left. That’s not my Democratic Party in and of itself.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Politics/Elections; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 07/14/2015 4:35:25 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

There we go, Confederate flag lovers can rally around former Senator and now Democratic candidate Jim Webb. He did declare already, right? If I am not mistaken, he is the only presidential candidate that is defending the Confederate flag.


2 posted on 07/14/2015 4:39:08 PM PDT by Reno89519 (American Lives Matter! US Citizen, Veteran, Conservative, Republican. I vote. Trump 2016.)
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To: Reno89519

He has more balls than Republicans.


3 posted on 07/14/2015 4:44:02 PM PDT by Red in Blue PA (war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength, obama loves America)
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To: nickcarraway

This kind of divisive, inflammatory rhetoric by people who want to be commander-in-chief is not helpful,


Webb sounds just like a hardcore leftist with this statement which means he is one.

A Conservative democrat would take to task leftwing democrats for generalizing those concerned about illegal aliens as divisive


4 posted on 07/14/2015 4:46:13 PM PDT by RginTN
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To: RginTN
Reading whole sentences.

In context.

It helps.

Try it.

5 posted on 07/14/2015 4:52:15 PM PDT by x
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To: Reno89519

You hate the CBF so your opinion is worthless to 99% on FR.


6 posted on 07/14/2015 4:54:52 PM PDT by ohioman
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To: nickcarraway

Jim Webb - per Wiki

After graduating from the Naval Academy, Webb was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. Attending the Marine Corps Officer Basic School shortly after leaving Annapolis, he graduated first in his class.

He was promoted to first lieutenant in the second half of his tour in Vietnam. He served as a platoon commander with Delta Company, 1st Battalion 5th Marines. He was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism in Vietnam, the second highest decoration in the Navy and Marine Corps.

Webb also was awarded the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts.[22] After returning from Vietnam he was assigned to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, as an instructor for OCS. Deep selected for Captain, he was then assigned to the Secretary of the Navy’s office for the remainder of his active duty.

His war wounds left him with shrapnel in his knee, kidney, and head. The injury to his knee led to a medical board that decided on medical retirement.


7 posted on 07/14/2015 4:56:54 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: nickcarraway

A Democrat (obviously a poser) still has bigger balls than most Republicans.


8 posted on 07/14/2015 4:59:15 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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To: ohioman
Donald Trump to Confederate flag: You’re fired!
9 posted on 07/14/2015 5:01:14 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway; All

I know Webb and his family, who are from the far western part of the Commonwealth. He’s an old school, fairly conservative Democrat of the early 1960s mode. While he was a “team player” for the Rats while in the Senate, he also caused Reid a lot of heartburn behind the scenes. Webb mostly marches to his own drumbeat, and although I would never vote for him, he’d be a heckuva lot better in the WH than Hillary, Sanders, or O’Malley.


10 posted on 07/14/2015 5:11:35 PM PDT by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: Timber Rattler

I don’t know him, but he seems to be a principled man. He served with honor, loves his country, and has a solid resume. If a D gets the Presidency, he is by far who I would hope for.


11 posted on 07/14/2015 5:20:01 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: SoFloFreeper; Red in Blue PA

Please, since there are ladies present, could you please use a polite term to refer to courage? Thank you.


12 posted on 07/14/2015 5:38:20 PM PDT by Bigg Red (Let's put the ship of state on Cruz Control with Ted Cruz.)
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To: nickcarraway

#Trump/Webb 600 ship Navy border fence end of story


13 posted on 07/14/2015 5:50:50 PM PDT by Jim Noble (Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.)
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To: ohioman

Yawn, I seriously doubt that, but yawn. If that is more important than anything else, why don’t you Webb or even the KKK or your local skinhead group? Otherwise, how about getting back to real Republican and conservative matters. The CBF is neither.


14 posted on 07/14/2015 6:19:50 PM PDT by Reno89519 (American Lives Matter! US Citizen, Veteran, Conservative, Republican. I vote. Trump 2016.)
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To: Reno89519

People like you should be banned from FR! Just because I honor my ancestors does not make me a member of the KKK. You need your liberal ass kicked out of here.


15 posted on 07/14/2015 7:01:51 PM PDT by ohioman
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