Mr. Chambers, how many hundreds of thousands of Union Troopers died to FREE your predecessors? They died for YOU and that “rag”. Your hate is strong and misplaced.
"You're a grand old rag. . ."
According to George M. Cohan, those words are what an old Gettysburg veteran said reverently as he pulled a worn and torn Union battle flag from his coat pocket to show Cohan. That was Cohan's inspiration for "You're a Grand Old Flag," part of his 1906 musical, George Washington, Jr.. That song became the first from a show to sell more than 1 million copies in sheet-music.
But no, I don't think Ernie gets it at all. He sounds like just another cranky old Commie.