Virginia Campaign as a Referendum on Monuments

[struggle4progress]

by MARK MURRAY

This year's competitive gubernatorial contest in Virginia could very well serve as a referendum of sorts on the controversy over Confederate monuments.

Democratic nominee Ralph Northam, the state's lieutenant governor, backs their removal.

“I support <the> City of Charlottesville's decision to remove the Robert E. Lee statue," Northam said Wednesday. "I believe these statutes should be taken down and moved into museums. As governor, I am going to be a vocal advocate for that approach and work with localities on this issue."

And Republican nominee Ed Gillespie, who narrowly lost a bid for U.S. Senate in 2014, wants them to stay ...

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/virginia-campaign-shaping-referendum-confederate-monuments-n793556

[atreides1]

1. Amazing

The carpetbagger from New Jersey wants them to stay, while the native born Virginian wants them placed in their proper place, museums!

I like how Gillespie states "I believe that decisions about historical statues are best made at the local level, but they should stay and be placed in historical context,", didn't anyone bother to tell him that the Virginia General Assembly took that decision making process out of the hands of those at the local level!

As for "historical context" Larry Wilmore has an opinion on that:

https://www.theringer.com/2017/8/16/16159634/larry-wilmore-charlottesville-confederate-symbols

“Confederate statues and Confederate imagery, these are not symbols and images to remind Southern whites of their vaulted history or that type of thing. These are images to remind black people that they are n*****s. OK? That’s what it was put there for. ‘Black people, you are n*****s, and this is the symbol to remind you of that.’”