Why liberals should cut Nikki Haley some slack on the Confederate flag

Yes, Haley for years did nothing about the flag on South Carolina's capitol grounds. But progress is progress.

Nikki Haley
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

We progressives have something of a tradition: We issue a clarion call for change; someone across the aisle answers the call; we denounce that someone for Doing It Wrong. Tradition!

In the wake of last week's racially motivated terrorist attack on Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, voices immediately rose up demanding the removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina's capitol grounds. Rather more quickly than any of us may have anticipated, a significant number of conservative politicians adopted the idea — not least, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

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Emily L. Hauser

Emily L. Hauser is a long-time commentary writer. Her work has appeared in a variety of outlets, including The Daily Beast, Haaretz, The Forward, Chicago Tribune, and The Dallas Morning News, where she has looked at a wide range of topics, from helmet laws to forgetfulness to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.