The mask by the confederate flag.

[_rp2008_]

Carefully inspect the following picture from the Confederate flag question:

http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/11/28/3951.jpg

Do mine eyes fail me, or is that a Guy Fawkes mask I see?

Perhaps this is a coincidence, but of all questions that could have been asked, for CNN to pick one asking about the meaning of the confederate flag, in a video having as its background both a large confederate flag as well as a Guy Fawkes mask, when it asked not one about the devaluation of our dollar, is outrageous.

Not only is CNN ignoring a paramount issue for a trivial one, but it is subtly associating a symbol which to most represents racism and hate with a symbol strongly associated with Ron Paul, a man whose message is anything but.

Again, I am outraged.

[Tdcci]

Good eye!

[pointe]

Good catch! More likely he was a Ron Paul supporter who thought Ron would have a good answer...

[rockwell]

Enough with the 'racism and hate' slogans, you sound like a character in 1984.

[Delain]

Well spotted!

[hummtide]

OOHHH!! GOOD CATCH!!!

HOly S**T Did a Ron Paul supporter kill Romney's campaign? MY GOD TALK ABOUT AWESOME!

[V4Vendetta]

Damn Good EYE

Rebel Flag Represents Heritage.... And that the south SHOULD have won... Has nothing to do with Slavery OR racism!!!!

FREE COUNTRY..... ANYONE CAN FLY ANY FLAG THEY WISH ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY... THAT INCLUDES VEHICLES AND PLACE'S OF BUSINESS!

[Spirit of '76]

a symbol which to most represents racism and hate

Bullshit.

[Battlecruiser]

I didn't notice it to be honest. I'm not sure what this means exactly. It would help to know who posted that vid (what's his screenname?).

[Ryphal]

Good catch! More likely he was a Ron Paul supporter who thought Ron would have a good answer...

Like I'm sure a lot of the questions that were asked were, and like the others, Ron didn't get a chance to answer. I mean the person with most subscriptions and views on YouTube got the worst questions asked of him. Something stinks here.

[Revolutn]

I guarantee you that's why the video made the cut.

0 question.

Fortunately there will be many who won't make any type of connection let alone the false 'negative' one intended.

Rev

[Mental Dribble]

I noticed the mask as well...

[Korey Kaczynski]

Good catch! More likely he was a Ron Paul supporter who thought Ron would have a good answer...

Yeah, seriously... that was put there intentionally. LOL.

[kahless]

LMAO, did not notice that until this thread. With all the more important topics they should have not have even broadcast this question.

[fletcher]

I saw that right away. I figured he was going to ask an easy question for Dr. Paul.

[rockwell]

I was kind of surprised that Romney didn't tear up and get weepy then plead forgiveness and start pulling out his $1,200 hair while beating his breast.

Well, there's always next time.

[_rp2008_]

Enough with the 'racism and hate' slogans, you sound like a character in 1984.

I've read 1984, but I don't get your reference.

In any case, I only said that most people associate the Confederate flag with racism and hate, not that that's what it actually represents. In truth, it represents different things to different people. To the questioner, it probably represented States' rights.

My point was that I found it curious--nay, outrageous!--that a network broadcasting a political debate would associate a symbol of ambiguous meaning, one which is negative ("racism and hate"), with another, which has a strong recent tie to Ron Paul.

[Jobarra]

I actually saw this questioner had several questions. Most of them seemed to follow Dr. Paul's platform(I think one of them required a question of all candidates EXCEPT Dr. Paul in response to Dr. Paul's position). I noticed the mask then and I doubt it's a coincidence. However, it was a stupid question to ask and makes him look the fool. I don't think the flag is an offensive symbol, but I don't see it as an important issue for the Executive Branch. A much more important question should have been used for that slot, preferably one of the other questions he submitted(didn't watch most of them, but the one I did watch was on point for the debate)

[brianewart]

Damn Good EYE

Rebel Flag Represents Heritage.... And that the south SHOULD have won... Has nothing to do with Slavery OR racism!!!!

FREE COUNTRY..... ANYONE CAN FLY ANY FLAG THEY WISH ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY... THAT INCLUDES VEHICLES AND PLACE'S OF BUSINESS!

It represents state's rights.

Of course, the big-government statists want you to believe that "state's rights" is a dirty word. It is not. Federalism is a key component of TRUE conservative beliefs.

[pcosmar]

The question was about the Flag behind him,
The response focused on racism.
However neither of the flags had anything to do with racism.
Confederate flag=states rights
Texas flag= independent state

[huchahucha]

I noticed the mask along with the Texas flag and was cringing, until they completely ignored RP and gave Romney all the time in the world to alienate himself from roughly1/4 of the country. Then, I couldn't believe my ears when Fred Thompson, a southerner himself, opened his big mouth and tried to distance himself from the issue but not distance himself too far - only enough to be totally confusing.

[scbissler]

Also it is the Battle Flag, not the Stars and Bars as Cooper stated.

[vegetarianrpfan]

The Confederate flag may indeed symbolize states' rights to the South, but to those who were raised in the North, it's purely viewed as a sign of racism. I'm not saying that I think that's the case or not, but that's what a lot of people think. The question was a trap for whoever answered it (because either way, half the country would be upset with the answer), and I'm just glad that in that case it happened to be Romney and not Dr. Paul.

------------------
Libertarian Girl
http://www.libertariangirl.com

[Johncjackson]

The Confederate flag may indeed symbolize states' rights to the South, but to those who were raised in the North, it's purely viewed as a sign of racism. I'm not saying that I think that's the case or not, but that's what a lot of people think. The question was a trap for whoever answered it (because either way, half the country would be upset with the answer), and I'm just glad that in that case it happened to be Romney and not Dr. Paul.

------------------
Libertarian Girl
http://www.libertariangirl.com

This is true from my experience. I am from MD and it's the southern most place I have ever lived. Through my experiences growing up over the past 28 years I have found that most people around here and points north and west who display the Confederate Flag usually are attempting to communicate that they are racist. It's not even just perception from others but the actual intent.

I am for federalism, but I would never display a confederate flag to represent that. When a Northern person who has no Southern heritage or any other connection to the Confederacy uses that flag, it is usually not for those reasons. It's more of a white supremacist symbol. Now, I am not saying if someone else uses your symbols for other reasons that it changes your original intent or meaning- just how it is in reality in many places.

And FWIW, "States Rights" IMHO does not mean allowing state mandated public racism, legalized killing of certain races,etc.

[Battlecruiser]

The guy who made the video is a Ron Paul fan.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHoustonKid

That's his profile.

Here is the video itself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6d8Yd1UgIA

[Ron Paul Fan]

Good. That guy's question contributed to Romney's downfall tonight. Out of everybody, Romney was by far the worst tonight and was exposed!

[Battlecruiser]

Yeah, from the comments posted, he says that was his intention.

Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Romney is going to have a hard time winning after that one.

[Shellshock1918]

Good catch! More likely he was a Ron Paul supporter who thought Ron would have a good answer...

Yea, too bad CNN is composed of assholes, cocksuckers and jerkoffs.

[tomahawk]

I noticed it and I was a little uneasy at first until I heard Mitt(please just let me dodge the waterboarding question)Romney called on

[tmg19103]

Also, the two flags are the battle flag of the Confederacy and the state flag of Texas.

Anderson Cooper, the moron that he is, called the battle flag the "Stars and Bars", which is a totally different flag known as the national flag of the Confederacy, which looks more like the U.S. flag, except with three stripes or "bars" across with the stars representing the Confederate states in a circle in a box in the upper left like the original Besty Ross flag.

And, I'm a Yankee from Philly and I know this. Cooper is an idiot.

[AgentPaul001]

Romney just lost the south lol, can't believe it. Good by South Carolina. Thompson should also lose ground, lol I love it.

[pcosmar]

The Confederate flag may indeed symbolize states' rights to the South, but to those who were raised in the North, it's purely viewed as a sign of racism. I'm not saying that I think that's the case or not, but that's what a lot of people think. The question was a trap for whoever answered it (because either way, half the country would be upset with the answer), and I'm just glad that in that case it happened to be Romney and not Dr. Paul.

------------------
Libertarian Girl
http://www.libertariangirl.com

The people that think that are ignorant fools, and I am a Yankee born and raised.
The civil War was not about slavery or racism, that was a small issue, and revisionist History.
Dr. Paul would have focused on the Texas flag.

[BiPolarBear]

I personally think that was one of the most productive questions of the night simply because I know how people feel about that flag. Romney and Thompson just alienated a lot of southern voters. I couldn't be more pleased.

[F3d]

....

[amberj]

--

[work2win]

Of course it was about state rights but then again they WANTED slavery and discrimination to continue. Do you agree with the Jim Crowe Laws? It also definitely wasn't a small issue to them. Remember the crazy KKK? I can't believe they even had so much political power. Amazes me how stupid people were during those days.

I believe that most of the racism and racial problems we have today are a direct result of the civil war. The poverty and despair that the south was thrust into after the war was to the benefit of no southerner, black or white. This was an anger-rich environment ripe for scapegoating.

Like RP suggested...we could have gone about that differently and EVERYONE would have been better off.