That settles it. The SC governor's race won't be about Sanford or health care.

[Are_grits_groceries]

Candidate for governor raises Confederate flag issue
The Confederate flag must be removed from the State House grounds if South Carolina is to attract jobs, according to one Democrat running for governor. Thursday, Mullins McLeod, a Charleston attorney, released a plan to create jobs and reopened an old S.C. wound about whether it's appropriate to fly the flag on Capitol grounds.

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/1036208.html

Take it down! That's my position, and it always has been. I believe it should be debated and taken up again. It's not settled. I understand Mcleod's argument that companies aren't enthused about moving to a state that flies the flag anywhere.

However, there is a choice. You argue about the flag or you can argue about other policies. Unfortunately, it is still a highly emotional issue. It can't be discussed rationally by the voters. The Rethugs probably love this. I may be wrong, but I'll bet it will swing the focus away from their party's troubles.

If that turns out to be the case, then McLeod and the others better give it all they are worth. They will not be able to get out of this, and try to turn the debate around. If this train leaves the station, it will be a maglev that will break the sound barrier with everyone on board. This better be a fight to the death to take the effing thing down.

I may be wrong, and the people running will not make this a centerpiece of their debate. However, I think I just heard gasoline being poured. I hope I am right, and I hope I am wrong.

[Salviati]

1. part of me wishes that reconstuctionism had failed more spectacularly than it did...

and we had our own version of Guy Fawkes day here in the US, where we'd burn Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee in effegy along with the confederate flag. Call it patriots day or something to drive home the fact that you can't venerate these guys and claim to be a patriot at the same time.