NBC Nightly News - 1992-03-04
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:02] President Bush hits the campaign trail
[0:03] after taking another hit in the polls
[0:06] as Bill Clinton moves into Florida
[0:08] promising a Super Tuesday and Paul
[0:10] Tsongas makes the same promise as he
[0:12] moves south as well.
[0:16] This is NBC Nightly News with Tom
[0:18] Brokaw.
[0:20] Reporting tonight from NBC News
[0:22] headquarters in New York.
[0:24] Good evening. It's a muddle, a muddle at
[0:27] a time when the country is hungry for
[0:28] answers and direction. The presidential
[0:31] campaign so far is a knock on President
[0:33] Bush and a longing for someone other
[0:36] than the Democrats now running.
[0:38] The president's immediate problem our
[0:40] latest NBC News Wall Street Journal poll
[0:41] of a thousand registered voters over the
[0:43] weekend 48% disapproved of the job the
[0:46] president is doing. That's higher than
[0:48] his approval rating of 45% and that's
[0:51] down 40 points from a year ago.
[0:54] NBC's John Cochran in Florida covering
[0:56] the president tonight Andrea Mitchell on
[0:57] the Democrats. John?
[0:59] >> When asked about our new poll, White
[1:01] House aides say there is a serious
[1:03] protest vote but that it is not really a
[1:05] pro-Buchanan vote.
[1:08] >> [applause]
[1:09] >> Whatever that vote is, it had the
[1:10] president worried and pulling out the
[1:12] heavy artillery as Stormin' Norman
[1:14] Schwarzkopf, now dressed in civvies,
[1:16] gave his backing. Today, for the first
[1:19] time, the president admitted the protest
[1:21] vote is not aimed at all Washington
[1:23] politicians. It is aimed at George Bush.
[1:26] >> It seems to be that way, yes. I think
[1:28] that's the good way to analyze it.
[1:30] And
[1:31] that will turn around. Economy will turn
[1:33] around.
[1:34] >> Bush's aides think the economy will perk
[1:36] up in time to help him in the fall
[1:38] election but not in time to deflate Pat
[1:40] Buchanan's challenge. And today Buchanan
[1:43] was anything but deflated as he called
[1:45] on Bush to do the honorable thing.
[1:49] >> Bush should begin to give consideration
[1:51] to standing down
[1:53] as a candidate for re-nomination for the
[1:55] Republican Party. Mr. Bush is in danger
[1:57] of becoming the Jimmy Carter of the
[1:59] Republican Party.
[2:01] >> The president's spokesman, Marlin
[2:02] Fitzwater, said Buchanan has gone off
[2:04] the deep end. He's gone Looney Tunes on
[2:06] us. Buchanan is having fun, but where is
[2:09] all this leading? Here's one scenario.
[2:12] After Super Tuesday, Buchanan feels he
[2:15] has established his credentials as a
[2:17] contender for the 1996 nomination.
[2:20] But if he keeps bashing Bush, he might
[2:22] endanger the president's re-election and
[2:25] bring down the wrath of the party on
[2:26] himself. So, Buchanan asks for and gets
[2:30] a meeting with Bush, who promises to
[2:32] adhere to conservative principles.
[2:35] Buchanan then throws his support to
[2:37] Bush.
[2:38] Senior Bush aides tell NBC News the
[2:40] president wants Buchanan's backing and
[2:42] is willing to look for a way to bring
[2:44] Buchanan back into the fold. But the
[2:46] trouble with that scenario is that the
[2:48] president has no idea what Buchanan
[2:51] really wants.
[2:52] Tom?
[2:53] >> Thank you, John. At the same time, 61%
[2:55] of those in our poll did think the
[2:57] president would be re-elected. As for
[2:59] the Democrats, a virtual tie between
[3:01] Paul Tsongas and Bill Clinton. 16% were
[3:04] undecided about their choice. Jerry
[3:06] Brown's support, 11%. NBC's Andrea
[3:09] Mitchell tonight on the Democrats.
[3:11] Andrea?
[3:12] >> Tom, Tsongas and Clinton made much of
[3:13] their victories, but there were some
[3:15] warning signs from the voters for all of
[3:16] the Democrats.
[3:17] >> They're propagandists.
[3:19] >> Now setting his sights on Florida's
[3:21] primary next week, Super Tuesday,
[3:23] Tsongas was dressing for his new role, a
[3:25] winner outside New England in Maryland,
[3:27] Utah, and Washington.
[3:29] >> Nice to be here as a viable candidate.
[3:32] >> Clinton was also celebrating and
[3:33] focusing on Florida, second only to
[3:35] Texas in Super Tuesday's delegate
[3:37] stakes. Voters so far have said the most
[3:39] important issue is the economy.
[3:41] >> I want more economic opportunities here.
[3:43] That's why I came to look at this.
[3:45] >> Florida is a diverse state of the South,
[3:47] but not really southern at heart. A
[3:49] state in which Tsongas thinks he can
[3:50] compete despite Clinton's Southern
[3:52] roots.
[3:53] >> Bill Clinton has the advantage in the
[3:55] South. I just need to show the flag, get
[3:58] the message out.
[3:59] >> Nationally, neither candidate is a clear
[4:01] front-runner. In fact, four out of 10
[4:03] Democratic voters yesterday said they
[4:05] wished someone else were in the race.
[4:08] And the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal
[4:10] poll reveals another potential problem
[4:12] for Clinton. 42% of those polled said
[4:15] they have serious doubts about
[4:16] supporting him because of the draft
[4:18] controversy and allegations he had an
[4:20] extramarital affair. By contrast, only
[4:23] 9% would have serious doubts about
[4:25] supporting Tsongas because he had
[4:26] cancer.
[4:27] Both candidates have another worry,
[4:29] Jerry Brown, scoring with his promise to
[4:32] fight the political system.
[4:33] >> It's in gridlock. Unless we take a
[4:36] crowbar and break it open, nothing's
[4:38] going to happen.
[4:40] >> Yesterday's biggest loser, Bob Kerrey, a
[4:42] million dollars in debt and likely to
[4:44] quit the race tomorrow. Tom Harkin, also
[4:46] almost broke, will hang on at least
[4:48] until Saturday's primary in South
[4:50] Carolina.
[4:51] The candidates who are left are now in a
[4:53] sprint for delegates. A third of all the
[4:55] delegates will be chosen in the next 2
[4:56] weeks. Tom?
[4:58] >> Thank you, Andrea. One of the major
[4:59] differences between this year and last
[5:01] time around, the role of blacks, not
[5:04] nearly as conspicuous this election. NBC
[5:07] National Correspondent Bob Kerrey.
[5:10] >> Look for more of this as the campaign
[5:12] moves into the deep South and big
[5:14] northern cities. Less suburban, less
[5:17] middle class. But already there are
[5:19] warning signs about low enthusiasm for
[5:22] the Democrats, especially among blacks.
[5:25] In Maryland yesterday, overall turnout
[5:27] was up, but the percentage of black
[5:29] voters was down significantly from 4
[5:32] years ago. In Georgia, overall turnout
[5:35] was down significantly and black
[5:37] participation fell seven points to its
[5:40] lowest level since 1980.
[5:42] >> The results suggest to me
[5:44] narrow message, narrow turnout. There's
[5:48] been almost no focus on abandoned urban
[5:52] policy.
[5:53] >> If you are 18 or older and you are not a
[5:56] registered voter, raise your hand now.
[6:00] >> In '84 and '88, Jackson spent
[6:02] considerable time making sure black and
[6:05] other voters registered. His campaign
[6:07] message was aimed at them. The messages
[6:10] from this year's candidates are aimed
[6:12] mainly at white middle-class suburban
[6:14] voters, an effort to win them back from
[6:17] the Republicans. The traditional liberal
[6:19] appeal to the urban poor is taking a
[6:22] backseat.
[6:23] >> And I understand why they're doing it.
[6:24] They don't want to come out with the
[6:25] same kind of tired rhetoric that seems
[6:29] to have been rejected by the mass of
[6:31] people in this country.
[6:33] >> Mayor Schmoke was able to generate
[6:35] excitement for Bill Clinton in
[6:36] Baltimore, but not enough for Clinton to
[6:38] win the state. In Georgia, Clinton got
[6:41] 70% of the black vote, but turnout was
[6:44] low, and in November that could be the
[6:47] difference between winning and losing.
[6:49] >> We've always always voted for white
[6:52] candidates before if they were exciting
[6:55] and interesting,
[6:56] but after
[6:59] the caucus last time around and the
[7:01] Mondale ticket
[7:02] time before that, there just hasn't been
[7:04] a lot of interest.
[7:06] >> The next round of primaries features
[7:08] several states with sizable black
[7:10] populations. Three have 30% or more.
[7:14] It's a chance for one of the Democrats
[7:15] to prove he can bring out the most black
[7:18] voters. Bob Kur, NBC News, Washington.
[7:23] >> Our Nightly News continues in a moment.
[7:24] Some encouraging news tonight about
[7:25] colon cancer.
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[8:34] was convicted today on 52 counts of
[8:37] fraud and perjury. He was found guilty
[8:39] in Alexandria, Virginia, of using his
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[8:43] patients, also of tricking women into
[8:45] believing they were pregnant when they
[8:47] were not.
[8:48] Jacobson will be sentenced in May and he
[8:51] faces potentially a long prison term.
[8:54] >> And it's a shock to be found guilty
[8:55] trying to help people.
[8:58] >> There is some heartening medical news
[9:00] tonight about colon cancer. Almost
[9:02] 160,000 cases each year. A new study out
[9:06] tonight shows one type of examination
[9:08] for colon cancer that turns out can be a
[9:10] lifesaver.
[9:12] NBC medical correspondent Robert Bazell.
[9:15] >> This is surgery for colon cancer, a
[9:18] major killer which will claim 58,000
[9:20] American lives this year.
[9:22] The study released today provided the
[9:24] first solid evidence that exams with
[9:26] this device, a sigmoidoscope, can cut
[9:29] the risk of death from colorectal cancer
[9:31] 30% or more. Just as important, the
[9:34] research showed that most people don't
[9:35] need the exams very often.
[9:38] >> Our data strongly suggest
[9:40] that a once sigmoidoscopy every 10 years
[9:43] should be adequate provided that when
[9:45] you have that sigmoidoscopy it's
[9:46] negative.
[9:48] >> Using the sigmoidoscope, doctors look
[9:50] for and remove precancerous growths
[9:52] called polyps. Doctors now know that it
[9:54] takes many years for a polyp to become a
[9:56] malignant tumor. So, if the exam finds
[9:59] no polyps, it is safe to wait 10 years.
[10:02] If the exam finds polyps, people need
[10:04] more frequent exams. Doctors say the new
[10:06] findings could save a lot of money.
[10:08] >> A study like this allows us to use the
[10:10] same resources, but see more patients
[10:13] with them. And And that's a great
[10:15] benefit. You essentially screen twice as
[10:17] many patients or three times as many
[10:20] um as as you would have been able to
[10:22] using the guidelines of the American
[10:23] Cancer Society, for instance.
[10:25] >> There is also a psychological factor.
[10:27] Many people put off having a colon exam
[10:29] because they fear the discomfort, but
[10:31] doctors hope that knowing that the test
[10:33] may be necessary only every 10 years,
[10:35] more people will come in for an exam.
[10:38] Robert Bazell, NBC News, Oakland,
[10:40] California.
[10:42] >> Also in California, the Court of Appeals
[10:43] tonight is considering the sentence of a
[10:45] Korean grocer convicted of killing a
[10:48] teenage black girl. The grocer was given
[10:51] probation, and that touched off a major
[10:52] controversy.
[10:54] NBC's Diana Kuroki is in Los Angeles.
[10:57] >> The family of the slain Latasha Harlins
[10:59] hopes today's appeal will mean jail time
[11:02] for store owner Soon Ja Du.
[11:04] So does the LA District Attorney who
[11:06] brought the unusual appeal.
[11:08] >> This young girl was shot in the back of
[11:11] the head.
[11:12] A wholly innocent young girl.
[11:14] And in the District Attorney's office,
[11:16] we have a duty
[11:17] and we have a responsibility to try to
[11:20] see that justice is done.
[11:21] >> It's politically motivated.
[11:25] By the District Attorney who's up for
[11:26] re-election this year.
[11:27] >> March 16th, 1991.
[11:30] Store owner Du accuses Harlins of
[11:32] shoplifting. Harlins attacks, but
[11:35] Harlins is unarmed and gives back what
[11:37] she took.
[11:38] As Harlins turns to go, Do shoots.
[11:42] A jury convicted Do of voluntary
[11:44] manslaughter, concluding she was
[11:46] unreasonably afraid and shot to kill.
[11:49] Judge Joyce Karlin sentenced Do to
[11:51] parole and community service, but no
[11:53] jail time. She still argues that Do is
[11:56] no criminal.
[11:57] >> I know
[11:58] a criminal when I see one.
[12:01] I know a person who presents a danger to
[12:04] the community when I see one. When I
[12:06] don't, I treat that person as something
[12:08] other than that.
[12:09] >> What about the death of this innocent
[12:11] child? Who pays for the death of that?
[12:13] And why should the family of Latasha
[12:15] Harlins have to
[12:17] constantly endure suffering on other
[12:19] levels?
[12:20] >> Many blacks heard a message in the
[12:22] original sentence, that Do's fear was
[12:24] more important than Harlins' life. Now,
[12:27] the court of appeals must decide if
[12:29] that's the message it wants to send.
[12:31] Diana Coriki, NBC News, Los Angeles.
[12:35] >> Well, Nightly News continues in a
[12:36] moment, the frightening world of
[12:37] stalkers and their victims.
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[14:12] >> Tonight's daily difference, crime and
[14:14] punishment. It's called stalking,
[14:16] terrorizing, and threatening harm or
[14:18] even death.
[14:19] Usually the victim is a woman. On
[14:21] Tuesday, Florida's legislature became
[14:22] the latest to pass a bill making
[14:25] stalking a crime. More now from NBC's
[14:28] Robert Hager.
[14:29] >> Deep in the Appalachian mountains of
[14:31] Virginia, Loretta Hill never knows when
[14:33] her ex-husband will strike next.
[14:35] >> He always says that
[14:37] if he can't have me, nobody else will.
[14:39] He just wants to see me dead.
[14:41] >> For 4 years, Rodney Hill has threatened
[14:43] her in messages and phone calls and
[14:45] tried to break in her house.
[14:47] >> It was um
[14:50] a night that I didn't know if I'd live
[14:52] to see morning, me and my children. And
[14:54] I knew when he started through the
[14:56] window, if I didn't wound him so we
[14:58] could get out, we'd never come out of it
[14:59] alive.
[15:01] Because if he got inside, we would be
[15:03] dead.
[15:04] >> Now, Hill keeps an elaborate double lock
[15:07] on the door and it's covered with cast
[15:09] iron bars. The windows are barred as
[15:12] well. She and her children keep four
[15:14] guns for protection. 17-year-old Stacy.
[15:17] >> You're scared when you go to bed are you
[15:19] going to wake up? You're scared when you
[15:22] walk home somebody's going to kidnap
[15:24] you.
[15:25] >> I think our situation will end in
[15:26] violence. It'll end in death of one or
[15:28] both parties.
[15:30] >> Hill is still a free man.
[15:32] After hearing testimony from Loretta
[15:34] Hill and others here in Virginia, the
[15:36] state legislature has just passed a law
[15:38] against stalking. A similar law is
[15:40] already on the books in California. And
[15:42] as the idea spreads, others are under
[15:44] consideration. The laws make it a crime
[15:47] to put people in fear for their lives.
[15:49] Virginia Attorney General Mary Sue
[15:51] Terry.
[15:52] >> We've created a zone of protection.
[15:54] And that zone of protection entitles an
[15:56] individual to go to a magistrate and get
[15:58] a warrant and break the cycle and
[16:00] intervene in the behavior at a much
[16:02] earlier stage.
[16:03] >> But for some, the new laws are too late.
[16:06] In Peoria, Illinois, Lynette Barth
[16:08] mourns her sister.
[16:10] >> God, I miss you so much.
[16:12] >> Her sister, Sandra Lee Mason, a mother
[16:14] of three, was killed by a former
[16:16] boyfriend who stalked Sandra for more
[16:18] than a week.
[16:20] >> He said that he'd get her.
[16:21] That he's going to That he was going to
[16:23] get her. That he would kill her
[16:26] if she left.
[16:28] She took him serious.
[16:31] >> So serious, she wrote her family, "I
[16:33] love you all. Goodbye."
[16:35] >> The police officer said, "There's
[16:36] There's nothing I can You know, I cannot
[16:39] arrest somebody because they verbally
[16:40] threaten you."
[16:41] >> Then one afternoon at the nursing home
[16:43] where Sandra worked, her ex-boyfriend
[16:45] showed up.
[16:46] >> All my sister could say was, "Oh my god,
[16:49] help me."
[16:50] >> He stabbed her 130 times.
[16:52] >> it's it's just a It's a crime because
[16:55] she'd been crying, "Oh my god, help me."
[16:57] the whole week.
[17:00] >> Authorities hope stalking laws will give
[17:02] police the power they need to help while
[17:04] there's still time.
[17:06] Robert Hager, NBC News, Richmond,
[17:08] Virginia.
[17:11] >> Our nightly news continues in a moment.
[17:13] The economy, according to Paul Songas.
[17:15] And we'll hear John Chancellor's
[17:16] commentary as well.
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[19:26] >> It's unusual for any politician to get
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[19:31] these are not usual times after all, and
[19:33] Paul Tsongas' tough plan for economic
[19:35] renewal has been getting plenty of
[19:37] attention. More from NBC's Mike Jensen
[19:40] tonight.
[19:40] >> Thank you. Father is from South
[19:42] >> Paul Tsongas on the David Letterman Show
[19:44] trying to lighten up. Thank you. Wave
[19:46] Wave to everybody.
[19:48] >> Okay.
[19:49] Bye-bye. Take care.
[19:51] Paul
[19:51] >> But the fact is Paul Tsongas is a
[19:54] serious man on a serious mission.
[19:56] >> The whole thrust of my economics is is
[20:00] the manufacturing base. That the engine
[20:02] of the economy is manufacturing. You
[20:04] don't have manufacturing, the rest of it
[20:06] falls apart.
[20:09] >> Most of what Tsongas says makes sense to
[20:11] economists, even though it's politically
[20:14] risky.
[20:16] He'd raise gasoline taxes by 3 to 5
[20:19] cents a gallon every year for 10 years,
[20:22] so people would drive less, save energy,
[20:25] become less reliant on foreign oil.
[20:28] He'd cut the capital gains tax for
[20:30] people who make profits on stock
[20:32] purchases to help finance business
[20:34] growth, create jobs.
[20:37] He'd give business a tax credit for
[20:39] research and development to build for
[20:41] the future, but he would not cut income
[20:44] taxes for individuals. He calls that
[20:47] pandering.
[20:48] >> What makes you think that the American
[20:50] people are ready to buy into all of
[20:53] that?
[20:53] >> The people are scared stiff
[20:55] about the economy. So, if you went to
[20:57] them, let's say 5 or 6 years ago and
[20:59] said, "We have to [snorts] have a
[21:00] different attitude."
[21:02] You'd be spitting into the wind, but now
[21:04] now Now fear and almost terror in in the
[21:07] Protestant people.
[21:08] >> His 86-page call to economic arms,
[21:11] 200,000 copies in print, and the author
[21:14] available for autographs, is full of
[21:17] details of his program.
[21:19] >> He doesn't [music] offer gimmicks, just
[21:21] straight, tough answers.
[21:23] >> That's what he says in his TV
[21:24] commercial, but real life is more
[21:27] complicated.
[21:29] Some economists say his answers could be
[21:31] even tougher. That if he really wanted
[21:34] to be courageous, he'd suggest taking a
[21:37] slice out of Social Security and
[21:39] Medicare.
[21:41] No politician will go that far. What
[21:44] Tsongas will do is warn Americans that
[21:46] they've been living over their heads,
[21:48] and it's payback time.
[21:50] >> This is the responsibility, and people
[21:52] are ready to look at the next generation
[21:55] and say, "We have to do what's right for
[21:56] them." So that means we bring the
[21:58] economy back, and we don't give these
[22:00] kids $400 billion of debt every year,
[22:04] which is what's been happening.
[22:06] >> [music]
[22:07] >> While some candidates offer tax cuts,
[22:10] Tsongas offers a cold shower, telling
[22:13] voters they'd better [music] forget
[22:14] about handouts and start building a
[22:17] better future.
[22:18] Mike Jensen, NBC News, Chicago.
[22:23] >> Joining me now for commentary on the
[22:25] political landscape, John Chancellor.
[22:26] John.
[22:27] >> Tom.
[22:28] Well, in my unhumble opinion, the news
[22:30] about yesterday's primaries and caucuses
[22:33] is that there isn't any news. Nothing
[22:35] much changed. The results were important
[22:37] to the candidates, but what did the rest
[22:39] of us get? Well, we got confirmation.
[22:41] Confirmation that President Bush has a
[22:43] 30% problem. About 30% of the Republican
[22:47] voters yesterday wouldn't vote for him.
[22:49] Is that because of Pat Buchanan's blue
[22:51] eyes? I don't think so. Mr. Bush was on
[22:54] the South Dakota ballot last week,
[22:56] running unopposed, and about 30% of the
[22:59] voters there cast their ballots for
[23:01] uncommitted.
[23:03] We got confirmation that Bill Clinton
[23:05] can win in his native Southland, that
[23:07] Jerry Brown gets stronger the closer the
[23:09] voters are to the Pacific Ocean, and
[23:11] that Paul Tsongas is not just a New
[23:13] England regional candidate. It looks as
[23:16] though we've got at least a couple of
[23:17] weeks to go in these primary races and
[23:19] maybe more. There are two key primaries
[23:22] on March 17th, Illinois and Michigan.
[23:25] Illinois is where George Bush locked up
[23:27] his nomination in 1988, where Walter
[23:30] Mondale and Ronald Reagan locked up
[23:32] theirs in 1984 and 1980. March 17th.
[23:37] There is one pattern in these contests
[23:39] that's worth mention. Three candidates
[23:41] are having trouble with the voters. Two
[23:43] incumbent members of Congress, Kerry and
[23:45] Harkin. One incumbent president, Bush.
[23:48] Three candidates are in better shape,
[23:50] Tsongas, Clinton, and Brown, none of
[23:52] whom works in Washington. Does that tell
[23:54] us something about the trouble
[23:55] incumbents are in this year?
[23:57] >> Tom.
[23:58] >> Thank you, John. Back in a moment with
[24:00] the trouble with rallying around the
[24:01] flag in the old South.
[24:06] >> Fingerman here for the one and only
[24:08] Ziploc. Something fishy going on in your
[24:10] refrigerator?
[24:13] Nothing works like Ziploc brand storage
[24:15] bags. Ziploc has the Gripper Zipper, the
[24:17] only bag with tough tiny teeth. You can
[24:19] feel it gripping, so you know freshness
[24:21] is locked in, odor is locked out.
[24:24] That's the special feeling you get from
[24:26] Ziploc.
[24:28] Sorry I had to point fingers there,
[24:29] fella.
[24:31] For fresh food, there's only one,
[24:33] Ziploc.
[24:35] >> I need a laxative that can work
[24:36] dependably.
[24:38] >> Doxidan can.
[24:39] >> But can it be gentle?
[24:40] >> Doxidan can. Doxidan works dependably
[24:43] overnight with a special ingredient for
[24:45] gentle relief.
[24:46] >> Dependable? Yes.
[24:47] >> Gentle?
[24:48] >> Yes.
[24:48] >> Doxidan can.
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[25:20] >> Oh, are you hungry?
[25:21] >> Mhm, yeah, but what do you think they
[25:23] feed you at a health spa?
[25:24] >> Hold the rabbit food you can eat.
[25:26] >> This doesn't look bad.
[25:27] >> Mhm, Kraft Free Ranch dressing. I eat
[25:30] this at home.
[25:31] >> Fat free, cholesterol free. Sounds like
[25:33] a real treat.
[25:35] >> Oh, just try it.
[25:37] So, what do you think?
[25:38] >> Mhm, are you sure this is fat free?
[25:39] Tastes like the ranch I eat.
[25:41] >> Kraft Free Ranch nonfat dressing. Fat
[25:43] free, cholesterol free, but feel free to
[25:45] love the taste.
[25:46] >> I may just make it through the end of
[25:47] the week.
[25:50] >> You know, I grew up thinking that
[25:51] nothing
[25:52] had more iron than spinach.
[25:54] But ounce for ounce, prunes have the
[25:56] same amount. And they're a much better
[25:58] snack.
[26:00] >> Sweet, delicious California prunes. Find
[26:03] out how good they really [music] are.
[26:07] >> This is a season in which politicians
[26:08] like to wrap themselves in a flag.
[26:10] Question is, which flag? In North
[26:13] Carolina, it is Confederate Flag Day.
[26:16] And as NBC's Kemble Jones tells us
[26:18] tonight, that flag stirs strong
[26:19] feelings.
[26:26] That tongue-in-cheek salute to Southern
[26:28] Pride by Hank Williams Jr. brings smiles
[26:31] to the faces of North Carolina racing
[26:33] fans.
[26:33] >> We're from the South and proud of it.
[26:35] >> We never did really lose the war, you
[26:37] know.
[26:39] >> But it was no laughing matter to NAACP
[26:42] protesters in Raleigh today as the Stars
[26:45] and Bars, the first official flag of the
[26:47] Confederacy, was raised at the state
[26:49] capital to celebrate Confederate Flag
[26:51] Day.
[26:52] >> I think we have one country, one flag,
[26:55] and the South needs to understand that.
[26:58] >> North Carolina is not the only state
[27:00] with a Confederate Flag controversy.
[27:02] The more familiar battle flag, the flag
[27:05] appropriated by the clan and other hate
[27:07] groups, flies above the state capitals
[27:09] in South Carolina and Alabama.
[27:12] The state flags of Mississippi and
[27:14] Georgia incorporate the battle flag.
[27:17] Before 1956, the Georgia flag looked
[27:20] like this.
[27:21] It was changed after the Supreme Court
[27:23] ordered integration of public schools.
[27:25] >> It was merely a racist reaction by a
[27:29] then racist General Assembly.
[27:31] >> The Sons of Confederate Veterans have
[27:33] resisted efforts to remove the battle
[27:35] flags because they offend blacks.
[27:37] >> It's equally offensive
[27:39] to ask
[27:41] those of us to put away the symbols of
[27:43] our ancestors, too.
[27:44] >> But at the University of Mississippi,
[27:46] where the rebel flag is the unofficial
[27:48] school symbol, history professor David
[27:51] Sansing says a lot of Southerners may be
[27:53] having second thoughts about displaying
[27:55] those colors.
[27:56] >> That there's no way it can serve as a
[27:59] symbol of regional pride without evoking
[28:02] that that taint of racism.
[28:05] >> If that's true, the only way to remove
[28:07] that taint from the colors,
[28:09] unfortunately, may be to strike them.
[28:11] Ken Lee Jones, NBC News, Atlanta.
[28:15] >> That's all the news for this Wednesday
[28:16] night. We'll be back tomorrow.
[28:19] I'll see you then.