Former President Ronald Reagan would have supported states making the decision on whether to take down the Confederate battle flag on government grounds, Reagan biographer Craig Shirley tells
Newsmax TV.
"He did believe in federalism. He believed in letting the states go first," Shirley said Wednesday on "Newsmax Prime." "What he would've said, though, is we shouldn't act like an American Taliban and going through and destroying our past."
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"All of America's past is important, whether it is a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee or U.S. President George Washington," Shirley said.
"Obviously, Robert E. Lee was wrong. The Confederate flag is wrong, but eliminating them does not eliminate the problem," he said.
Several Southern states, from South Carolina, Virginia, Alabama and Mississippi have made moves to remove the flag from Capitol grounds after the white supremacist killings of nine black church members in Charleston, S.C., one week ago. Retailers such as Wal-Mart and Amazon have said they will no longer sell Confederate flag items.
"It's interesting to me that the very forces of American liberalism that are raising the angst about the flag also have driven God out of the public arena," he said. "Maybe that's what we need most right now is understanding and forgiveness and a little bit more Christian love."
Republican presidential candidates gave "empty platitudes" after consulting with focus groups and pollsters, Shirley said.
"I suppose that's fine, but none of them really distinguish themselves," he said. But neither has Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, he added.
The Arkansas state flag, modeled on the Confederate flag, was re-inaugurated under then-Gov. Bill Clinton, Shirley said.
"Gov. Bill Clinton and Sen. Al Gore ran in 1992 in part appealing to Southern pride, and, as a matter of fact, had bumper stickers made, Clinton-Gore '92," he noted. "They were made in the form of a Confederate battle flag."
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