Confederate flag overshadows town hall (NC)

[struggle4progress]

Written by Cory Vaillancourt

A sparsely attended town hall meeting hosted by Bryson City Republican Rep. Mike Clampitt took an unexpected turn Sept. 5 ...

... Local activist Chuck Zimmerman produced a photo of Clampitt standing amongst several men bearing the Confederate flag, and asked him to explain it ...

... Clampitt said .. the Stars and Bars had of late been "hijacked" by organizations with a racial .. agenda ...

... a woman in the crowd said ... "There’s nothing you can say that would convince me you’re not a racist!" ...

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/20763-confederate-flag-overshadows-clampitt-town-hall

[gratuitous]

1. "Sparsely attended" Yeah, 10 people in an auditorium will look sparse

A new consciousness seems to have taken hold regarding confederate flags. The old tropes aren't working anymore (heritage, not hate; historical significance; yadda, yadda, yadda). It's time for racists to either come up with some new excuses or junk their old symbols. Nobody's buying what they're selling anymore, except their ideological running buddies.