By R. Brownell
Jumping in with other 2016 contenders who already commented on South Carolina’s decision to bring down the southern cross (the Confederacy’s former battle flag), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush threw in his two cents about the south’s old “Stars and Bars”:
“The symbols were racist,” Bush reportedly said. “If you’re trying to lean forward rather than live in the past, you want to eliminate the barriers that create disagreements.”
Bush’s comments on the flag came fresh off the heels of South Carolina’s Gov. Nicki Haley who called for the flag to be taken down from the state capital earlier last week in a speech she gave before the press:
“…It’s time to move the flag from the Capitol grounds,” Haley also stated that “for many people in our state, the flag stands for traditions that are noble. Traditions of history, of heritage, and of ancestry…Those South Carolinians view the flag as a symbol of respect, integrity, and duty. They also see it as a memorial, a way to honor ancestors who came to the service of their state during time of conflict… [it] is not hate, nor is it racism…we respect freedom of expression, and that for those who wish to show their respect for the flag on their private property, no one will stand in your way.”
But she added that “at the same time, for many others in South Carolina, the flag is a deeply offensive symbol of a brutally oppressive past.”
Bush used the opportunity to discuss how he had ordered the flag to be taken down in Florida during his time in office back in 2011. His spokesperson at the time had this to say in regards to Bush’s decision:
“Regardless of our views about the symbolism of the… flags–and people of goodwill can disagree on the subject–the governor believes that most Floridians would agree that the symbols of Florida’s past should not be displayed in a manner that may divide Floridians today.”
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