Please give me a break — and the country a break.
TWEETS UPDATE:
Pro tip: If you want to express your love of US Army & its monuments … leave the Confederate flag at home. pic.twitter.com/dyByu9av51
— davidfrum (@davidfrum) October 13, 2013
Let's be clear, Palin and Cruz and their teabags have the right to wave their confederate flag, and we have a right to call them racists.
— DR (@pollbuster) October 14, 2013
Palin And Confederate Flag Rally Tea Party Vandals Piling ‘Barrycades’ At White House | The New Civil Rights Movement http://t.co/CEehCIXcCq
— Ivan Roberson (@Ivanroberson) October 13, 2013
In many parts of America, waving a Confederate flag outside the home of a black family would be considered a very hostile act.
— Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) October 13, 2013
BREAKING: Screech Palin denies it was a confederate flag in front of the WH; says "it was the Tea Party flag"
— Barracks O'Bama (@P0TUS) October 13, 2013
Notice in CNN's video: you don't see anyone trying to get that guy with the Confederate flag to take it down http://t.co/PzLd98SEYZ
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) October 13, 2013
D.C. Marchers Fly Confederate Flag http://t.co/K0pQoPnpRU #cheatsheet
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 13, 2013
Nothing's more patriotic than the Confederate Flag at a Tea Party rally protesting the government being shutdown: pic.twitter.com/7EfCiEBdjE
— Top Conservative Cat (@TeaPartyCat) October 13, 2013
and you wonder why Americans hate the Tea Party…..RT @NowWithAlex: D.C. protestors wave Confederate flag, http://t.co/Cf1846gugv …
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) October 13, 2013
Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for the tea party to put a confederate flag in front of the WH with a black POTUS inside.
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) October 13, 2013
Bringing Sarah Palin & a Confederate flag to DC will certainly reassure Americans who were afraid the GOP might be a little self-destructive
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) October 13, 2013
Dear @GOP, now is a good time to police your own: brandishing a confederate flag at the @WhiteHouse is – or should be – beneath you.
— sfpelosi (@sfpelosi) October 13, 2013
When you wave the Confederate flag are you just basically saying 'look at me! I'm on the losing side of everything!' ? #TeaPartyShutdown
— Red Pill America (@RedPillAmerica) October 13, 2013
Why would "patriotic Vets" go to the White House with a confederate flag? http://t.co/udTMfp775M
— MoronWatch (@moronwatch) October 13, 2013
The presence of a Confederate flag at WHouse protest is a good time to remind you to read @zackbeauchamp: http://t.co/JgVuERf5NZ #shutdown
— Emily L. Hauser (@emilylhauser) October 13, 2013
I know, I'm always bringing race into everything, but I didn't bring the Confederate flag to the White House: pic.twitter.com/avXiBME6Xd
— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) October 13, 2013
AMEN! “@davidfrum: Want to express your love of US Army & its monuments, leave the Confederate flag at home. pic.twitter.com/wObDIaDCQk”
— Jesse LaGreca (@JesseLaGreca) October 13, 2013
@Dbargen @heritagektown @PAMsLOvE Some jackelope showed up @ #1MilVetMarch w a Confederate flag. Probably a lefty plant, nobody ID'd him.
— Son of Goldy (@Johnnyvulgar) October 14, 2013
“@politicoroger: Display of Confederate flag at WH today — never thought I'd see this in my life. pic.twitter.com/CXvfcvYWx0”
— Diane Evia-Lanevi (@DianeEviaLanevi) October 14, 2013
Display of Confederate flag at WH today doesn't represent all protesters, but why no denunciation by GOP leaders? pic.twitter.com/uPUIKQnu1K
— Roger Simon (@politicoroger) October 14, 2013
"D.C. protestors wave Confederate flag, tell Obama to “put the Quran down" ( http://t.co/XyBbyDM4v5 ) simply appalling.
— Rosemary Powers (@RosemaryFPowers) October 14, 2013
Being white and from the south I am ashamed to see the confederate flag flying in DC today. My apologies from the rest of us
— Mari (@qwestie) October 14, 2013
@SarahPalinUSA Don't tell us someone who can C Russia from her porch couldn't C a confederate flag @ a rally. You betcha.
— esd2000 (@esd2000) October 14, 2013
@verytari So what if there was a Confederate flag. That does not make a person unpatriotic.
— Jeff Lindquist (@paulrevere15) October 14, 2013
The guy with the confederate flag was a lefty @Joe_Covey @mildlybrilliant @mrzmazz @lakewoodbob
— Heidi (@HeidiL_RN) October 14, 2013
The Confederate flag isn't racist but the KKK is because Democrats started it. Right, carry on.
— GDLewis (@LewisGD) October 14, 2013
Sarah Palin joins Ted Cruz, confederate flag, as new face of shutdown http://t.co/EHOXY2TH4J via @AMERICAblog
— Joseph Laychock (@Jersey_Joe59) October 14, 2013
Tea party was about to lose, but then they waved a Confederate flag in front of the Whilte House, and Obamacare was repealed. #FutureHistory
— Chris Bowers (@ThisBowers) October 14, 2013
I'm playing a drinking game where I take a shot when a conservative tells me the Confederate flag at the White House was a liberal plant.
— Alaina Grey (@alainagrey) October 14, 2013
How dare you suggest that the #TeaParty is racist! Now excuse me while I put down this Confederate flag to fight you. http://t.co/WedxXIeDOY
— Kevin Ernste (@kevinernste) October 14, 2013
Other than the Confederate flag waving, race baiting and shameful exploitation of veterans, the #1MVetMarch was a huge success.
— Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd) October 14, 2013
People showing up with Confederate Battle Flag at White House gave world a graphic image of what Koch-funded Tea Party is really all about.
— KennyKwik (@KwikWarren) October 14, 2013
“@HaradaStone: Confederate flag at the WH. What next for the Tea Party? Maybe a cross burning at the MLK memorial?” >Don't give them ideas!
— PolitikalBrat (@PolitikalBrat) October 14, 2013
I see the left inserted a turd with a confederate flag to discredit the throngs of patriot veteran heroes. Great optics for the lapdog MSM
— The Dirty D (@Hermione_Hero) October 14, 2013
For more blog reaction to this lovely story, GO HERE.
UPDATE II: A meaty post HERE by John Arvosis that also has some fascinating Tweets. A must-read.
Now you can follow Joe Gandelman on Twitter.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.