Don't Blame the Democrats

Nikki Haley, Republican Governor of South Carolina, signed a bill to remove the Confederate Flag from the state capitol on July 9, 2015.

Which side of the political spectrum is more responsible for the modern destruction of Confederate symbolism? For most people, their obvious go-to answer to this question would be the Left. After all, if it was up to the Left, every Confederate statue and flag would be taken down and destroyed. And of this much, there is no doubt.


But the Left has been hostile to the South for as long as the two have existed together — indeed, the War of Northern Aggression could just as well be called the War of Leftist Aggression, for that’s precisely what it was. And before that, you had, among other things, the Nullification Crisis of 1832, the mockeries of the South from Charles Sumner, and the massacres by John Brown. And after the War, you had Reconstruction, which continues to this day.


Yet, Confederate symbolism has really only come under attack in the past 15 years or so. So I would argue that clearly, the Left is NOT responsible for this recent anti-Confederate onslaught.


By the process of elimination, that would leave only one culprit: the Right. 


To be clear. The Left HAS been the one to actually carry out this Confederate destructionism. I don’t dispute that. You won’t see people on the Right taking down Confederate monuments. But those on the Right are letting it happen.


Let’s use the analogy of a dog. Imagine one day you are walking your extremely ferocious and bloodthirsty dog. If it ends up mauling someone to death, who is to blame? There is absolutely no dispute that the dog is the murderer — it was the one to kill the person. But the dog won’t be the one to go on trial — you will. For what? Most likely, for negligence. You didn’t kill the person, granted. But, if you had knowledge of the dog’s nature, YOU are the one at fault by putting the dog in a position to kill someone.


Similarly, when the Left is successful in getting a Confederate symbol removed, can you really blame THEM? That’s the Left’s nature. No, blame the Right for allowing it to happen.


The Southern Flag being removed from South Carolina state capitol grounds in 2015 was the result of endless pressure from the Left, yes. But, Republican Nikki Haley was the one to sign it into law. The changing of the old Mississippi state flag, likewise, was also the result of many years of Leftist pressure. And again, REPUBLICAN Tate Reeves approved it. The onslaught of Confederate removals in 2020 was greenlighted by a Leftist bill, yes. And Trump, for his part, vetoed it. But the veto was overridden by Congress, which was only possible because several Republicans, many from the South, sided with the opposition. Even the current dumpster fire in Virginia is mostly due to the complete and utter inaction of the previous administration, that of Republican Glenn Youngkin.


In each case, while Leftists are the catalyst, the Right was the one to allow it to come to be. Now, I know the Republican party isn’t really the Right. And, I know that the Republican Party is naught but poison to the South. But at least for now, we’re stuck with them. So we must unfortunately go off of the assumption that the GOP is right wing. But let me say it loud and clear: it is NOT. I DO NOT believe it is.


But, while we’re for now stuck with the lousy GOP, we don’t necessarily have to be stuck with the individual so-called right-wing politicians who cause these travesties to be. 


The next time you see a Confederate monument being taken down, or Confederate flag being removed, or an army base or school name being changed, blame not the Left, even though they are the easy target, and even though they will no doubt be celebrating. Instead, take a few hours out of your day to jump down the rabbit hole until you inevitably find the so-called right-winger who caused it to be. And direct all your ire towards, and all your votes against, him or her.


I’m not saying that the Left shouldn’t be despised. As previously stated, they have been enemies of the South ever since there was both a Left and a South. They deserve naught but the utmost hostility and reproach from us Southerners. 


But don’t blame the gun for the murder, or the dog for the mauling, or the spoon for making you fat, or the Left for destroying Confederate symbolism. Blame the MURDERER for the murder, the dog’s OWNER for the mauling, and YOURSELF for making you fat. And blame the Right for the destruction of Confederate symbolism.