‘Flag Burning Amendment’ Ploy Just Backfired

06/28/2006

Paul Munnis

The GOP dirty tricks department had framed the Senate flag burning amendment to the US Constitution as a political death blow to Democrats. According to the script the GOP was going to vote for it and the Democrats against it and then the Democrats would be embarrassed at the polls in November when the GOP charged that Democrats are un-American.

But, something went wrong for the GOP.

The GOP controls the Senate, there are more Republicans in the Senate than Democrats yet the GOP lost the flag burning amendment by one vote.

What happened?

Clearly the issue became bi-partisan instead of partisan. Democrats voted for and against the amendment and the GOP people voted for and against the amendment. That desired stratification did not materialize. Harry Reid, the Demcratic party leader voted for it whil the number two Republican in the Senate voted against it.

Karl Rove was right, Americans are split over the amendment but not along Party lines. Some want it to protect the flag while others think that we have to dare to allow protesters to express themselves by showing that they are upset with our country to a degree that they are demanding change and are prepared to go to the mat for it. Flag burning is seen as an extreme statement that conveys the depth of people’s emotions.

I don’t think that one vote margin shows any great support for or against the amendment. It just shows the Senate is divided on the question in an election year.

With all of that said I was disgusted this morning to turn on cable-TV news and listen to the number of right wing propagandists who were insisting that the vote showed that Democrats are against the flag burning amendment. The vote reflected no such thing and claims that it is so have provided me ever more reason to vote against the GOP come this November.

Last week we witnessed a similar GOP stunt on the War in Iraq.

It’s time to change horses come this November.

See you at the polls.