Last from Newt Gingrich:
- Callista and I were at a Super Bowl party Sunday, when the Black National Anthem was sung. Several of the guests were turned off by it. They believe strongly that there is only one National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
- The words of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the song adopted in 1917 by the NAACP as the Black National Anthem, are totally positive. The song ends with “true to our God, true to our nation.” Out of context, most conservatives would think it was conservative and communicated values with which they agreed. But the song’s individual merit is not the problem. The concept that we need a second (separate-but-equal) National Anthem is what conservatives find disturbing.
- As for me, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is all we need. The rest may be good songs – but they aren’t our National Anthem.
