CNN’s Costello: Shouldn’t GOP Focus on Jobs & Education, Not Confederate Flags?’

‘Republican states have enacted tough voter ID laws when there are very few cases of voter fraud in our nation’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:


BEGALA: "I'm glad they have come to oppose the symbolism of the confederate flag. I don't want to criticize them for being too late. The next step is more important. We should be optimistic. Hillary Clinton yesterday went to florissant, Missouri, a few miles from where the riots were in Ferguson. She went to an African-American church. She had a roundtable discussion there. One of the people in the discussion was a professor from Washington university, a social worker, he told about a study he had done, a ten-mile distance in St. Louis area, St. Louis county, between a largely white zip code and a largely black zip code, ten miles was 18 years difference in life expectancy. So it's not just a symbol that we should start with the symbolism, fine. But there is a reality here in America, we've got to do better by voting rights, where the Republicans, especially Jeb Bush, have terrible records, he purged voters in Florida. We have to do more about jobs, growing the economic, educational opportunities. It will make life better for all of us." 
COSTELLO: "I was going to bring up voter id laws. Republican states have enacted tough voter ID laws when there are very few cases of voter fraud in our nation. To critics, it seems they are trying to suppress the black vote. So should candidates focus on things like jobs and education rather than confederate flags and statues of Jefferson Davis?" 
NAVARRO: "Frankly, they're all important. Symbols are just as important as policy is. And because I think it lends itself to creating a culture where we can all have better race relations. But I want to respond to Paul when he says what took Republicans so long. I support a guy, Jeb Bush, who took down the confederate flag from Florida 14 years ago. Did it not under the national glare or as the aftermath of a horrific tragedy. He did it because it was the right thing to do. He respected the heritage by putting it in a museum. But we can ask the same question of Democrats. What's taken Democrats so long on this? People like Bill Clinton, governors of Arkansas, Terry McAuliffe has been governor of Virginia for over a year and it's just now that he's calling for the repeal of the license plate with the confederate flag. I think we can either point fingers at each other or say, we're here, it is a watershed moment. Let's build on it and make something good out of it."

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