And Strom Thurmond Was Once A Democrat!

Apparently sensing that Mark Levin’s defense was too transparently idiotic to function even as a rationalization for hardcore partisans, and that defending Allen’s racism with more racism may give away the show, Byron York tries a new bit of spin on for size: Allen’s long-term affection for the Confederacy is irrelevant, because his opponent in the Virginia Senate race has also said some appalling things about the Confederacy. Evidently, this isn’t going to fly. First of all, it’s an obvious diversion: the Senate race is small potatoes, relatively speaking, and it’s highly unlikely the Democratic candidate for President will be a Confederate sympathizer. Second, there’s the obvious tu quoque fallacy. And most importantly, there’s the critical factor that Matt again points out: “for a southern person of a certain age to have an affection for the Confederate Flag might mean any number of things. But for a Californian to have an affection for the Confederate Flag isn’t open to a lot of interpretation.” For Allen, it’s not about regional heritage; it’s an ideological symbol. And the ideology being symbolized is “treason in defense of slavery” and “lawlessness in defense of apartheid.”