How Republicans Should Deal With the Public Legacy of Slavery
“if a school, bridge or town is named to recognize a person’s positive contribution to society, it should stay — even if that person has other negative associations.
.. the test Gaby established to determine whether Confederate statues ought to stay or be removed: If a child asks what someone did that earned them a statue and the only possible answer is that he fought in the Civil War to defend slavery, then the statue should go.
.. But, if a statue or other tribute honors someone such as Thomas Jefferson, who, like Washington, was a slave owner, and history confirms his life’s work and contributions to the public good were not in furtherance of slavery, then it should remain.
.. when was the last time you heard anyone cry foul over the Democratic icon, Eleanor Roosevelt’s anti-Semitism early in her life?
.. he seems to be trying to distinguish himself as a protector of Confederate symbols. People such as Stewart have no place in the Republican Party.
.. We can all agree that the statues in New Orleans, Richmond and elsewhere that serve only to celebrate the lives of those who fought for slavery should no longer have a place in the public square. But for anyone on the left to make the argument that Republicans tend to be racist and nostalgic about slavery is dishonest, and Republicans should not be shy about saying so.