Republicans Are Accused of Refusing to Lower Flags to Half-Staff, Which Infuriates People
US: After Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman reportedly disregarded a request to fly American flags at half-staff on county facilities in remembrance of recently departed former President Jimmy Carter, a controversy has broken out in Nassau County, New York State.
President Joe Biden ordered all flags on public buildings to be lowered to half-staff for 30 days after Carter’s death on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul of New York State also echoed Biden’s directive.
A Blakeman representative, however, acknowledged the flags had not been down on county facilities in an interview with the Long Island daily Newsday. According to the journal, Blakeman “rebuffed” Nassau County Democrat Seth Koslow’s request to have the flags flown at half-staff.
Outside of normal business hours on Saturday, Newsweek reached out to Bruce Blakeman and the Nassau County Democratic Party for comment via email and an online form, respectively.
The Significance of It
President-elect Donald Trump was among many from a wide range of political backgrounds who paid respect to Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981, saying that “we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
However, after the heated 2024 presidential race in which both major contenders said their opponent posed a threat to American democracy, party divides are still very much present in the US. Blakeman’s refusal to lower county flags during a Carter homage, if true, would indicate that these divisions are far from being repaired and that the customary cross-party courtesy is not being completely honored.
Things You Should Know
According to a Newsday story published on Friday, a Blakeman representative verified that flags at Nassau County facilities had not been lowered to half-staff.
“Even former President Donald Trump wrote a heartfelt statement honoring Carter’s legacy, writing, ‘While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our country and all it stands for,'” the Nassau County Democrat Party said in a statement. I hold him in the greatest regard since he put a lot of effort into improving America. He was a really kind guy who would be sorely missed.
To commemorate the passing of former Republican President George H.W. Bush in 2018, then-Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, ordered flags to be lowered outside the county’s facilities.
What Individuals Are Saying
“Today, I issued a statement calling on Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to immediately lower county flags to half-staff in tribute to the late President Jimmy Carter,” Koslow said in a post on his Facebook page on Friday.
“This is a significant and symbolic show of respect that has been seen around the country in addition to being required by federal law. This little yet impactful act of respecting President Carter’s legacy demonstrates our common beliefs and regard for those who have served our nation.
“This is f****** shameful,” said Tim Hannan, a self-described “anti-fascist” from New York with more than 106,000 followers on X. Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive, is refusing to fly the county flag at half-staff in honor of Carter. A****** is an unpatriotic fascist.
What Follows
Blakeman is probably going to face further pressure to lower the American flags in remembrance of Carter now that the topic has garnered national and local media attention.
