Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:43 pm
After Southern Republicans demanded that a vote be included on whether or not the Confederate flag should be displayed at federal cemeteries as part of the bill to fund the Department of Interior, Speaker Boehner was forced to pull his own bill, and Democrats pounced and proposed a resolution that would remove any state flag that contains the Confederate flag from the Capitol.
Republicans were tripped up by their own racism again, as Roll Call reported, “A number of Southern Republicans, according to Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers, pressured GOP leadership into giving them a vote on an amendment after Democrats successfully had amendments adopted Tuesday that would ban the use of federal funds for displaying the Confederate flag on federal lands.”
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The votes on amendments that Pelosi forced yesterday set off a chain reaction that threatened to sink funding for Department of Interior, which is why Boehner had to pull his own bill today.
A sample of the crazy Southern House Republican racist rhetoric that is flying around:
Asked if he could see John Lewis's point on confed flag, Lynn Westmoreland said, "the question is does he understand where I’m coming from?"
— Jonathan Weisman (@jonathanweisman) July 9, 2015
More Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Ga.: These were people were fighting for their states. I don’t think they had even any thoughts about slavery
— Jonathan Weisman (@jonathanweisman) July 9, 2015
Democratic Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) pounced on the Republican chaos and has introduced a new resolution that would remove any state flag that contains the Confederate flag from the Capitol.
According a statement from Pelosi, “Leader Pelosi is offering a resolution to remove any state flag containing the Confederate Battle flag – images of hate and division in our nation’s history that deserve to be stored in a museum and not displayed in a place of honor in the United States Capitol.”
Republicans are coming apart at the seams over the Confederate flag. The move by Pelosi and House Democrats exposes empty politics behind the Republican decisions to take down the flag.
House Republicans have no intention of changing and their racism is alive and well. A funding bill for part of the government is being held up because racist Republicans want to defend a symbol of hate.
The rise of Donald Trump as a Republican presidential candidate along with the chaos in the House over the Confederate flag paints a clear picture of a leopard that is not changing its spots.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
