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CNN Saturday Morning News
Georgia's Legislature Decides to Change State's Flag
Aired April 26, 2003 - 09:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The other story we are following this morning is the flap over the Georgia state flag. The state legislature here in Georgia has decided to change the state's flag for the second time in just two years.
Joining us for more now on the move, our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider. Bill, it's -- the flag flap just keeps going on and on.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The flag keeps flapping. And there have been, by my count, about five proposed new designs for that flag. But the real issue is that the new governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, was elected in an upset last year, in part -- in part -- because there were a lot of groups that resented the previous governor, Roy Barnes', new flag design, which he did not put to a vote of the -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) up to the voters.
And so the -- a lot of voters in Georgia, particularly rural voters who value Confederate heritage, as they call it, insisted on the right to vote on a new Georgia flag design.
Well, what the legislature did last night in a very close race was essentially say, You can vote, but the flag design that incorporates the stars and bars of the Confederacy will not be one of the options.
COOPER: So what happens now? I mean, this thing will be -- to -- go to a vote. Is there -- has any polling been done? Is there any sense of where people stand on this?
SCHNEIDER: Well, the situation has been so confused that I really haven't seen any recent polls, because nobody knew exactly what they'd be voting on. Under the old proposal that was being voted by the legislature, there would have been two referendums, one on a new flag, one on two earlier versions of the flag, including one that had the Confederate symbol.
Now the new flag has been adopted by the state of Georgia, and the voters will choose between this week's flag, adopted last night, and last week's flag, the one associated with Governor Barnes. But they will not -- will not -- be able to choose the flag that flew in the state from 1956 to 2001.
And that was the flag that featured prominently the Confederate symbol. That was the flag that African-Americans in Georgia said was a symbol of racism. They often combined it to -- compared it with the idea of flying a flag with the swastika, how offensive that would have been to many Americans. They say they would not have supported that.
And it might have led to an economic boycott of the state, which depends on a lot of convention and sporting events. Those might have been canceled. And that's what the business community was very concerned about.
COOPER: And we no doubt will continue following this very closely. Bill Schneider, thanks very much -- Kelli.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 26, 2003 - 09:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The other story we are following this morning is the flap over the Georgia state flag. The state legislature here in Georgia has decided to change the state's flag for the second time in just two years.
Joining us for more now on the move, our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider. Bill, it's -- the flag flap just keeps going on and on.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: The flag keeps flapping. And there have been, by my count, about five proposed new designs for that flag. But the real issue is that the new governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, was elected in an upset last year, in part -- in part -- because there were a lot of groups that resented the previous governor, Roy Barnes', new flag design, which he did not put to a vote of the -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) up to the voters.
And so the -- a lot of voters in Georgia, particularly rural voters who value Confederate heritage, as they call it, insisted on the right to vote on a new Georgia flag design.
Well, what the legislature did last night in a very close race was essentially say, You can vote, but the flag design that incorporates the stars and bars of the Confederacy will not be one of the options.
COOPER: So what happens now? I mean, this thing will be -- to -- go to a vote. Is there -- has any polling been done? Is there any sense of where people stand on this?
SCHNEIDER: Well, the situation has been so confused that I really haven't seen any recent polls, because nobody knew exactly what they'd be voting on. Under the old proposal that was being voted by the legislature, there would have been two referendums, one on a new flag, one on two earlier versions of the flag, including one that had the Confederate symbol.
Now the new flag has been adopted by the state of Georgia, and the voters will choose between this week's flag, adopted last night, and last week's flag, the one associated with Governor Barnes. But they will not -- will not -- be able to choose the flag that flew in the state from 1956 to 2001.
And that was the flag that featured prominently the Confederate symbol. That was the flag that African-Americans in Georgia said was a symbol of racism. They often combined it to -- compared it with the idea of flying a flag with the swastika, how offensive that would have been to many Americans. They say they would not have supported that.
And it might have led to an economic boycott of the state, which depends on a lot of convention and sporting events. Those might have been canceled. And that's what the business community was very concerned about.
COOPER: And we no doubt will continue following this very closely. Bill Schneider, thanks very much -- Kelli.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
