South Carolina’s embrace of the Confederate battle emblem is fast becoming fodder for that state’s economic rivalry with Georgia.
The Rebel flag still flies above the South Carolina statehouse, undipped after the murders of nine worshippers by a self-proclaimed white supremacist at a historically black church. In crass competitive, Georgia’s political class may also see an opening.
You’ll recall that, in May, South Carolina beat Georgia out for a $500 million Volvo plant that will employ thousands. The two are constantly dueling over other projects as well, and this message from Brian Robinson, Gov. Nathan Deal’s chief spokesman, hints at an element of the behind-the-scenes boardroom pitches to come.
Georgia resolved its fight over a state flag that incorporated the Confederate battle emblem in 2001 — though it cost Gov. Roy Barnes his job and Democrats control of the state’s machinery. But Georgia is involved in smaller skirmishes around the flag, including a controversy-provoking decision last year by the state to release a specialty license plate featuring the flag.
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