Subject: Re: HRC @ Christ the King Church
From: Dan Schwerin <[email-masked]>
To: Joel Benenson <[email-masked]>
Cc: Jennifer Palmieri <[email-masked]>, Jim Margolis <[email-masked]>, Mandy Grunwald <[email-masked]>, David Binder <[email-masked]>, John Anzalone <[email-masked]>, Kristina Schake <[email-masked]>, Robby Mook <[email-masked]>, Jake Sullivan <[email-masked]>, John Podesta <[email-masked]>, Huma Abedin <[email-masked]>, Tony Carrk <[email-masked]>, Brian Fallon <[email-masked]>, Maya Harris <[email-masked]>, Marlon Marshall <[email-masked]>, Christina Reynolds <creynol
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 22:55:43 -0400

This work any better?

"We’re all relieved that the Governor of South Carolina has finally agreed
that the Confederate flag should be removed from the State House –
something I and others have been saying for years.  That flag is a symbol
of our nation’s racist past that has no place in our present or our
future. America
is better than that. And I’ll say this to any state in the union where the
Confederate flag still waves: It’s time. Do the right thing. Take down that
flag.

And this is just the start of what's needed.  Our challenges are systemic
so our solutions must be as well."

On Jun 22, 2015, at 10:47 PM, Joel Benenson <[email-masked]> wrote:

 Symbols matter.  In the case of this flag, every time a black person walks
past this flag it is a symbol of the hatred and oppression their ancestors
faced and they must still face.
People are angry and hurt and we can run a whole campaign on these issues.
We have only one moment -- right now -- to vehemently attack this symbol.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 22, 2015, at 10:39 PM, Jennifer Palmieri <
[email-masked]> wrote:

  I think she thinks moral leadership is more than taking on symbols - but
doing hard work of solving problems and injustices these families face.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 22, 2015, at 10:37 PM, Joel Benenson <[email-masked]> wrote:

  This sounds like pablum.
These flags are a disgrace and dishonor all who have fought and died in the
name of basic civil rights.
This is a moment for moral leadership in America and if she doesn't deliver
it, who will?

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 22, 2015, at 10:24 PM, Jennifer Palmieri <
[email-masked]> wrote:

  Right.

 The goal here was to take the discussion away from flags and to issues.
She doesn't want to litigate the Arkansas flag. So seemed beat way to
handle the flag was to say that symbols are important - but we have to also
wrestle with real issues.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 22, 2015, at 10:17 PM, Dan Schwerin <[email-masked]>
wrote:

  Jen and others should jump in here... an alternative like "symbols of the
Confederacy" is much more sweeping, but we can easily upgrade to that if
folks want. Argument for making this about the battle flag specifically is
that it hits Mississippi, where the Speaker of the House just raised this
issue as well (
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/06/22/petition-mississippi-confederate-flag/29113157/)
and a number of other places, but doesn't get us into debating the extra
star on the Arkansas flag or every single Robert E. Lee statue across the
south.

On Mon, Jun 22, 2015 at 10:08 PM, Margolis, Jim <[email-masked]>
wrote:

> Dan
> Are we intentionally limiting our call to the confederate battle flag
> itself?
>
> Jim Margolis
> Sent from my iPhone.
> Please excuse typos.
>
> > On Jun 22, 2015, at 8:17 PM, Dan Schwerin <[email-masked]>
> wrote:
> >
> > Team, attached is a draft for tomorrow's community meeting at the church
> in St. Louis.  Please take a look at how the confederate flag is handled.
> > HRC's instinct on this was to spend most of her time on actual solutions
> rather than reprising the high points from Saturday, so this is
> considerably less sweeping but hopefully still maintains enough of the
> emotion.
> > Thanks
> > Dan
>  > <2015-06-22 St. Louis Church Service - 8pm.docx>
>
>
>
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