Is this bolder than what Haley did or not as bold? Davis may not hold the same cultural currency as a symbol of southern pride that the flag does, but Haley had less to lose in making her move than Bevin does. She’s the term-limited governor of South Carolina; he’s the GOP nominee for governor in Kentucky. If there’s a broader southern backlash coming to all of the criticism of Confederate iconography this past week, he’ll pay for it more than she will. Hard to believe Bevin would have picked this fight without the enormous political cover he got yesterday from Haley, Tim Scott, Lindsey Graham, and a variety of presidential candidates who backed her decision. She singlehandedly made it safe for southern Republicans to go their own way on the flag and related symbols.
And now, the backlash?
