January 18, 2008
White Supremacists Behind Confederate Flag Ad
The group behind the “Confederate Flag” ad that attacks Governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain is called Americans for the Preservation of American Culture, or APAC. The group is headed by a man named Ron Wilson, who has an interesting history.
According to the Washington Times:
Ron Wilson, a former national commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and a South Carolinian who was involved in raising money for the ads, said they will be run through Saturday’s primary on every radio station in the state that carries the radio shows of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity or Bill O’Reilly.
He wouldn’t say how big the ad buy was, only that he has been told the commercials will reach 60 percent to 65 percent of all Republican primary voters.
Mr. Wilson is a former member of the Council of Conservative Citizens.
The CofCC has been tied to movements such as Stormfront and the Ku Klux Klan. According to the Washington Post:
The Council of Conservative Citizens, an organization built by supporters of the segregationist White Citizens Councils, the John Birch Society and activists in the presidential campaigns of then-Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace, has developed strong political ties to the Republican Party in the South as well as to the fading conservative wing of the southern Democratic Party.
The group’s strong ties to the remnants of the now-defunct White Citizens Councils, a powerful force in Mississippi and other Deep South states in the 1950s and 1960s, gave it an organizational base as well as connections to small-town establishments, such as Rotary clubs. The group soon became part of the political culture – and both parties.
Ron Wilson’s ties:
R.G. “Ron” Wilson was for many years a regular columnist for the “Citizen Informer”, the publication of the Council of Conservative Citizens. As a columnist here he was able to spread his own sort of propaganda. In Volume 21, Spring 1990 Wilson saw something sinister in the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Wilson wrote a column praising Joe McCarthy in Volume 22, Winter 1991 For the Spring 1991 issue Wilson wrote a column on Martin Dies and his activities with the House Committee on Un-American activities. In 1992 Wilson was writing about a conspiracy involving the Council on Foreign Relations. Wilson was active in the Council of Conservative Citizens for a number of years.
I would strongly encourage Governor Huckabee to distance himself from these ads.
http://race42008.com/2008/01/18/white-supremacists-behind-confederate-flag-ad/trackback/
January 18th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Isn’t it funny that a member of the globalist CFR is one of the so-called “conservative” candidates running on the Republican side?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55776
January 18th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Tommy - I enjoy your thoughtful contributions to this site. You are often two steps ahead in getting to the bottom of an issue. Keep it up!
January 18th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Hey Peter,
Shut up. All five top candidates have CFR ties, including Huckabee, so can it.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
3,
Insulting me won’t make your candidate’s positions right.
Maybe I should start treating you the same way that you treat me?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Speaking before an organization is a whole lot different than being a full-fledged member, so shut up yourself.
There. Equal treatment.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Leave it to Huck to moralize about negativity and to talk about his appeal to Dems one minute and get in bed with these guys the next.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Quackn “Hack”:
Flag protestors showed up at two of his rallies, that’s why he made the comments — federalist, leave it up to the state, no outsiders wanted comments.
The media jumped all over the “flag pole” comment (odd as it was) and Huckabee did what he is good at, milked free TV time.
Huckabee actually refused to say what he thinks of the Confederate flag flying in South Carolina — both consistent with his statement about outsiders and politically coy.
For you to link Huckabee with these wackjobs, shows what a “hack” you are.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Peter,
Huckabee’s chief foreign policy advisor is Richard Haas, the President of the Council on Foreign Relations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_BucPcJrHI
Here is a video where Huckabee praises the organization
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGxMdNCjfRU&feature=related
Might want to make sure you got your facts straight before you go after anyone over something like CFR propaganda.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Chuck,
This post actually doesn’t have anything to do with Huckabee, except for the fact that he probably should distance himself from the ads that praise him.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Great job, Tommy. My respect for you knows no bounds!
January 18th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I didn’t make the link, Huck did. He talked about shoving a flap pole up someone’s rear. How dignified is that? He shows up, makes a few references to get them to run an add for him, and leaves wiggle room so fools like you can deny it all happened. Kind of like Clinton, I tried, but I didn’t inhale. Huck never inhales, and he always leaves wiggle room so his stooges can defend him and he can try to have it both ways. How clintonian.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
8 roasts 7, 7 lied, and 8 truthed.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
chuck,
For you to defend Huck shows what hack you are.
Peter,
Sort of like you guy when he gets pressed on something he just evades and changes the subject or gives a sermon that doesn’t mean anything at all. surprise fricken surprise.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
What is disappointing is that such a non-issue could actually impact who the GOP nominee will be. No one talks about the Confederate flag for years and then suddenly when an election rolls around and voting heads south the flag becomes as big an issue as Iraq. Its absurd and I fault CNN for first introducing the flag issue during that youtube debate. CNN should be banned from conducting debates until they show some maturity. But its also a fault of the candidates for falling prey to the issue.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Tommy,
Grow up and quit this crap. Your better than this and so is your candidate. Huckabee has nothing to do with this. He doesn’t need to do a thing. I’m not worried. Soon you’ll be posting here without a candidate to support.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Chuck - so is it just coincidence that Huckabee used the flag pole line at two different events? Or did these protestors happen to force him into coincidently commenting twice in the same day?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
#15 - it’s clear that Huckabee will use anything to promote himself and he has certainly latched onto this.
The quick switch in his immigration policy recently shows that he has no core values.
He wants publicity, popularity, votes and most of all — money.
He is the Ultimate Flim-Flam Man!
January 18th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Joseph #15 - “your” should be “you’re” - Tommy is not possessing anything in your comments; instead, he are trying to say “you are.” Simple grammatical mistakes take away from the substance of your comment (not that there is much substance to begin with, but anyways).
January 18th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Tommy - since you seem to be the poll guru who has been the most accurate pollster, historically, in South Carolina?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Joseph,
What? That I called out a racist group and said that Huckabee should distance himself from the ads? Where ddid I say Huckabee was responsible? I didn’t. I said he needs to distance himself from these people or it will come back to haunt him. Do you just want to ignore a racist group as long as it helps your candidate?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
“The quick switch in his immigration policy recently shows that he has no core values.”
Hmmm, so a Romney supporter believes changing positions means a candidate has no core values. Where is Glen Robinson when you need him.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
17, that is the real Huck as we knew him in AR. THe humorous humble funny huck is an act, the real Huck finally starting to shine through.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
RayNH,
Actually, I have no idea on who is best in South Carolina, and I have no idea how tomorrow is going to end up. These things are all over the place, so I’m not paying them much attention.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Joseph,
If Huckabee doesn’t distance himself from this group and condemn it then he is tacitly approving of it.
Honorable candidates wouldn’t allow groups like trusthuckabee to run. McCain had supporters trying to do this type of crap and he condemned it and guess what! It stopped. Trusthuckabee continues doing its thing because it has tacit approval from the campaign. There is a reason Ed Rollins said they were effective. The Huckamoron is not honorable and this is just one more example that will laid at his feet if he doesn’t stop it.
I gave my thoughts on Huckabee some time ago here:
http://www.redstate.com/blogs/mcon/2007/dec/11/more_of_that_huckabee_taste_in_the_mouth
January 18th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
24 is right, that is the game Huck plays, get the benefit, but in a way that he can deny it later through minions who repeat the spin.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Tommy - I really stopped paying attention to polls after their NH debacle (can anyone say voter fraud?) but figured I would at least ask you since in the past you have given that wonderful breakdown of historical accuracy of varying pollsters.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Ray,
I’m flattered, but after New Hampshire, I’ve given up on polls too.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
RayinNH posts “Joseph #15 - “yourâ€? should be “you’reâ€? - Tommy is not possessing anything in your comments; instead, he are trying to say “you are.â€? Simple grammatical mistakes take away from the substance of your comment (not that there is much substance to begin with, but anyways).”
Ray, I noticed this too but thought if I pointed it out I would be called the grammar police.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
To be fair, candidates can’t control third parties who frankly often have their own agenda separate from even their supposed candidate. This group most likely hates McCain and Romney far more than they like Huckabee. If they really liked him they would contribute the money to his campaign instead of doing independent expenditures.
For example, I am dying to personally form an organization to make and run ads that I conceive of. The first ad I would like to run would have a picture of Clinton on one side and OJ on the other and then lists the many ways they are alike such as being accomplished liars, prison avoiders, and lovers of white women (yes I believe the lesbian rumor). If I actually made and ran this ad people would assume I was a supporter of her opponent but it would be simply because I detest Clinton. Edwards could whine all day about it and I wouldn’t pull it and I doubt Huckabee could convince these guys to pull their flag ad.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Boston - People on here misuse those 2 words all the time and finally decided it was time to speak up.
Tommy - YOU’RE Welcome.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
OT: ARG boldly say Huck winning SC 33 to 26 based on polls done on Jan17-18.
http://americanresearchgroup.com/
January 18th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Ray if we call them on it they’ll swear it’s a “typo” !
January 18th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
But, Boston, if they do it repeatedly it cannot be a typo.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Colin,
If there’s any poll that’s out of whack, it’s ARG.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
SC is critical and since 1980 (Tim Russert said) the (GOP)winner there has gone on to be the It-guy (nominee).
HOWEVER dynamics have changed I believe this may not be true nowadays.
He also said the frontrunner on Labor Day always seems to go on to become the eventual nominee.
Go figure.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
BTW ! Gooo Pats !
January 18th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Not really much worry about the Pats here. It’s pretty obvious how well the Pats will do on Sunday. I’ve got to plan my meetings with Congressional candidates around the game.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Color me ignorant, and please pardon me for my amazing New England education, but why is the “Confederate Flag� such a sensitive topic? A link will be sufficient.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
dittos to QuackenHack. Remember Huck is the guy who imposed a smoking ban in the state of Arkansas all the while he was taking hidden money from the tabacco companies. He’ll tell anyone what they want to hear. He’s good in person when you’re meeting him, then is a Nixonian operator behind the scenes. As to the calls for Huck to distance himself from the these seemingly racists groups, you ought to hear the “black” jokes he tells.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Oh, yeah, and tonight on Hannity and Colmes he repeated his standard lie that he got half the black vote in Arkansas. It didn’t happen, he knows it didn’t happen, but it sure sounds good. Hucks precinct in 2002 went 10:1 for his opponent. His precient (the governor’s mansion/part of the Quapaw Quarter) is 90% Black.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
LOL! You is rite!
So much for the grammar nazis.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I call Godwin’s Law on myself.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
#40 Actually you are wrong. I personally looked at the voting for Huckabee for the past 10 years and his percentage of vote from blacks did increase and was approximately 44%. I checked it because I was suspicious, but it is indeed true.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Psycheout - you are correct. I noticed that right after I hit submit. I started the sentence one way then changed after the first word but didn’t fix the first word.
I am just now done wiping the egg of my face.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Wow, this really turned out to be Bizarre.
I really don’t care about this issue, but kudos to Tommy Oliver for going the distance to investigating another issue that has no real benefit to his candidate. By that I mean he had nothing to gain (that I know of) for doing this work, yet followed through anyway.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
43, all you have to do is look at any precinct where Huckabee got less than 20% to identify the minority precints, and compare Huckabee’s results to other Repubican candidates. He runs a few points ahead but that is all.
It is completely laughable and false to conclude that Huck got 44% of the black vote. It did not happen.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
SGS - where in New England did you receive your education?
My wife is a Kentucky native and she will attest to the pride associated with the Confederate flag. I went to school in Kentucky and many of my classmates were from TN, MO, or the Carolina’s. Many of them had the Confederate flag in their rooms. The Confederate flag is a form of identity for many Southerners. I will not be so bold as to say that everyone who has the Confederate flag (I know it has a catchy nickname but I can’t remember it at this time) is a racist but I am willing to say that some hold onto the flag as a reminder of the “Good old days” of segregation.
January 19th, 2008 at 7:02 am
Tommy,
While I’d agree that Huckabee should go ahead and distance himself from the ads, he’s the one Republican candidate who has a long and verifiable record of combating racism, even risking his livelihood as a father of a young family to stand up against racists. Tommy, you’ve gone too far in your criticism of Huckabee.
January 19th, 2008 at 7:52 am
The bigger story here is Ron Paul, not Huckabee. My understanding was that the Council of Conservative Citizens was backing Paul. Now it appears they’ve switched to Huckabee at the last minute. Perhaps with all the Newsletter scandal stuff on the Paul side, they’ve decided to get pragmatic and back someone with a chance of winning?
January 19th, 2008 at 10:22 am
#49, I have heard the same thing. Paul had a few groups like this backing him. It seems that they may be throwing in the towel on Paul. The only problem for these groups is that Huck has stood up for integration and equal treatment under the law. Their causes will not go far with Huckabee.
January 19th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
[...] who have been involved in the SCV, is listed as an APAC board member. Former SCV Commander in Chief Ron Wilson has been quoted in the media on behalf of APAC. The link here has a lot of information on Wilson [...]