The Democratic candidates for president were
falling all over themselves to condemn Howard Dean for using the Confederate flag as a political metaphor for disaffected Southern voters the Dems need to beat Bush.
The quote in question:
"I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks," he told the (Des Moines) Register. "We can't beat George Bush unless we appeal to a broad cross section of Democrats."
The flurry came quickly, according to
the AP:
Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who shares the lead in Iowa with Dean, accused Dean of making a blatant move to win the votes of people "who disagree with us on bedrock Democratic values like civil rights." ...
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts contended that Dean's "pandering" to the National Rifle Association gave him an inroad to "pander to lovers of the Confederate flag." ...
Candidate and civil rights activist Al Sharpton -- who has accused Dean of having an "anti-black agenda" -- said he was "surprised and disturbed" by the Confederate flag remark.
What surprises me isn't that everyone would gang up on Dean (he's the frontrunner) or even that they'd try to suggest Dean is a racist (again, he's the frontrunner). I am surprised, however, that this would suddenly become an issue. Dean's been using variations on the Confederate flag phrase since at least early this year. For example, while stumping in South Carolina in February, he said: "There's no reason why white guys who have a Confederate flag in the back of their pickup truck shouldn't be walking side-by-side with blacks, because they don't have health insurance, either." As it happens Sharpton was in South Carolina the same day. If he's "surprised and disturbed" now, how did he feel nine months ago when he likely heard the phrase the first time?
Any thoughts on the sudden blossoming of this meme?