We’re not implying with our headline that it’s the president’s job to pick and choose which statues and monuments are too offensive to stay put; however, like we’ve noted before, the last time there was even close to this level of outcry over Confederate symbols, about all that was taken down was a flag flying over the South Carolina State House grounds … and reruns of “Dukes of Hazzard” on TV Land.
That particular president had massive public and media support and left office with his popularity intact; they’ve even named a day after him … despite him leaving all of these horrible monuments standing.
Politico went so far as to tally the numbers of monuments that didn’t seem to bother anyone until the recent week, when Robert E. Lee’s been defaced in Durham, Abraham Lincoln burned in Chicago, and Christopher Columbus doused in red paint in Houston … and those are only a few examples.
1,503 Confederate symbols are on display across America. Most are in the South. 179 are in majority black counties. https://t.co/YeJZ2jIihX pic.twitter.com/arNrCi2Ibx
— POLITICO (@politico) August 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/TexasScottLee/status/899069779499130881
Despite the amount of flak he took over his “both sides” comment, President Trump posed a valid question: where does it stop? Politico has done a fine job of overlaying America’s Confederate symbols atop the country’s black population density, but that hardly takes “intersectionality” into account.
Any number of demographic and social groups will claim something is hurtful or a reminder of America’s imperfect past: even if every purple dot on that map were to disappear … well, it wouldn’t solve anything, but it would be a huge step toward not solving anything.
Seeing as reporters suddenly like counting things — take Newsweek, for example (please):
Trump is just six Senate votes away from impeachment. And Republicans are deserting him fast | Opinion https://t.co/XTF22FPn22 pic.twitter.com/jOerihVzyE
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) August 17, 2017
… does anyone else remember reporters keeping a running tally of a number like this, courtesy of BBC World News America anchor Katty Kay?
Only 14 out of 292 Republicans in Congress have criticized Trump by name over response to Charlottesville. https://t.co/LIic5o684i
— Katty Kay (@KattyKay_) August 17, 2017
Hold on; we’re getting an update:
As you start to ask if Republicans are breaking ranks w Trump, remember how few have criticized him by name – 15 out of 292 in Congress
— Katty Kay (@KattyKay_) August 18, 2017
If only Kay were on CNN instead of the BBC, maybe they’d set up one a cool little digital counter in the corner of the screen 24/7.
* * *
Nancy Pelosi calls on Paul Ryan to do the job she wouldn’t do: remove Confederate statues from Capitol https://t.co/SacL58PZjm
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 17, 2017
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