MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Thursday spent 22 minutes covering the removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina's state house. The liberal anchor obsessed on minor Republican opposition in the state, minimizing the overwhelming GOP support to remove the flag.
Maddow vaguely insisted, "They put that flag up at the state capital in South Carolina in 1961. It hasn't been flying since the Civil War. They put it up in 1961. They put it up months after a group of activists were jailed for their sit-in to try to integrate an all white lunch counter in Rock Hill, South Carolina." Who's "they?" "They" were the Democratic governor in the state and the Democratic legislature.
Maddow declared, "That flag was put up in 1961. It was kept up thereafter as a rejection for civil rights for black people in South Carolina in the 20th century." Who made that rejection? Maddow didn't say. She also ignored a point made by the Associated Press: "[Republican Governor David] Beasley lost his bid for re-election in 1998 after advocating for [the flag's] removal."
Maddow focused on Republican attempts to save the flag, highlighting: "But the strategy of the Republican Confederate flag defenders, people who want to keep the flag up, their strategy was to pile amendments on the bill, to slow down, ultimately try to stop it. It was not clear until very, very late whether or not that strategy would work."
She didn't note that the South Carolina State Senate voted 36-3 to remove the flag. The State House voted 94-20. Overwhelmingly, both Republicans and Democrats chose to remove the flag. Republican Governor Nikki Haley led the charge.
Instead, Maddow highlighted a battle in Congress over Confederate flags in national parks.
RACHEL MADDOW: On Wednesday, John Boehner had a freak out on his hands from his own Republicans. Nobody wanted to say who it was specifically but some Republican members of the House from the South apparently decided they were outraged by this plan and they demanded that it be undone. And so, John Boehner tried to undo it. Yesterday, he put up another amendment that would restore Confederate flags to national parks.
In June, the networks also omitted how the Democratic governor of South Carolina raised the Confederate flag.
On the June 22 Special Report With Bret Baier, the anchor explained
BRET BAIER: It's important historical context. I mean, the flag was raised over the state capitol by Democrat Fritz Hollings – then governor, in 1961. It was taken off the state capitol by Republican David Beasley after pressure in 1998 and put on the state grounds.
