Republicans Again Grapple With Confederate Flag Issue
The Confederate battle flag in South Carolina again flies over a Republican presidential race, this time in the shadow of mass murder.
Amid renewed calls for removal of the flag from the grounds of the South Carolina State House — a response to the racist killings in Charleston — GOP presidential candidates generally expressed sympathy to the families while saying the final decision about the flag should be made at the local level.
“In Florida we acted, moving the flag from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged,” said former Florida governor Jeb Bush over the weekend.
Noting it is a “sensitive” time in the state right now, Bush said: “Following a period of mourning there will rightly be a discussion among leaders in the state about how South Carolina should move forward, and I’m confident they will do the right thing.”