$5.3M Confederate flag proposal ‘appalling waste’ of tax dollars.

'A proposal to spend $5.3 million to erect a museum display for the Confederate battle flag removed from the Statehouse grounds would be an “appalling waste of public dollars,” Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley said Saturday during a town hall meeting in Charleston.

“I’m sure there are museums existing already where a space could be found,” O’Malley said in response to a question from the audience.

The event came two days after consultants Watson Tate Savory Architects Inc. and Haley Sharpe Design presented their plan to a seven-member S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Commission tasked in July with considering how to display the flag. The commission expects to meet again before the end of the month to further discuss the recommendation.

The former Maryland governor’s comments were met with applause from roughly 50 attendees at the International Longshoremen’s Association Hall on Morrison Drive. State Sen. Marlon Kimpson hosted the event alongside state Reps. Seth Whipper, David Mack Wendell Gilliard and Mary Tinkler — all Democrats.

Kimpson uttered high praises of O’Malley, describing him as “a true Democrat willing to stand up for civil rights.”

The discussion didn’t come without questions, however, of O’Malley’s chances of securing the Democratic nomination. O’Malley continues to trail in the polls behind Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, but he said he strives to emerge as a front-runner on caucus night.

“There’s never been a time that the results on caucus night looked anything like the polls in December,” he said, adding that he likes a good fight.

O’Malley distinguished himself from his competition by saying he doesn’t “shift in the wind” on controversial issues, in a dig at Clinton. He said he has a great deal of respect for Sanders as “voice for change,” but that “actually accomplishing change is what our people want.”

O’Malley pointed to his record as governor and former mayor of Baltimore as evidence of his potential success as president. He managed to reduce crime, encourage business growth, raise the minimum wage and increase education funding during his time in office, he said. The same needs to be done on a national scale, he said.

“These are the goals,” O’Malley said. “These are the things that will actually move our country forward.”'

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20151205/PC16/151209591