Does It Matter That Chuck Schumer Waved the Chinese Flag?

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

I think it does. It is no different than a politician during the Cold War waving the Soviet flag or one waving the Russian flag, an act for which he would be eviscerated in the media. 

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Imagine if Rand Paul or J.D. Vance waved a Russian flag at an event...I don't think Chuck Schumer would let that one go.

But the rules are different for Democrats, especially when it comes to celebrating communist countries. They have a special place in their heart for commies, and are genuinely envious of Xi Jinping's social credit system and ability to make his political opponents go elsewhere. 

Earlier this week Chuck Schumer officiated at a Chinese New Year celebration--something which is in itself no problem at all, as Chinese Americans are just as American as anybody else--and participated in a celebration of China itself. This included a rendition of the Chinese National Anthem, and then a symbolic waving of the Chinese flag. Governor Hochul refused a flag when offered, but Schumer enthusiastically waved his to the crowd. 

National Review covered the story:

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer waved the People’s Republic of China flag, just moments after the organizers of a Lunar New Year event blasted China’s national anthem in the middle of Manhattan.

Schumer’s apparent willingness to wave the flag of a foreign authoritarian government calls attention to the strange nature of the New York political world’s engagements with community events that feature a pro-Beijing twist.

He and other top New York politicians appeared onstage at a rally, preceding an annual parade in Manhattan’s Chinatown, alongside Huang Ping, a hard-line Chinese ambassador who publicly denies Beijing’s human-rights abuses, and Wu Xiaoming, a senior consular official linked to China’s secret police station in New York.

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It's pretty hard to argue that China isn't a rival--even a potential enemy--of the United States. Even Schumer's favorite president, Joe Biden, has repeatedly stated his willingness to go to war with China if it pursues its stated goal of reunification with Taiwan. China is building up its military with the clear intention of taking on the United States and has built a navy that is larger than the United States'. 

There is no ambiguity about any of this, yet Chuck Schumer is waving a Chinese flag. A Chinese flag, after standing next to a Chinese diplomat who is a known hard-liner. 

Toward the end of the event, a singer performed the “Star-Spangled Banner,” followed by the “March of the Volunteers,” China’s national anthem.

At one point during the latter song, Schumer appeared to put his hand over his heart, before quickly removing it. Then, someone in the crowd attempted to hand Hochul — who waved China’s flag at last year’s event — an American and a Chinese flag. She appeared not to accept them. Instead, Schumer grabbed the two flags and vigorously waved them for a moment.

During the parade, Hochul also shook hands with Chen Heng, one of the leaders of the Fukien American Association who was also seated on the grandstand. Chen has led protests linked to the Chinese consulate, demonstrating against Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to New York last March and traveling to San Francisco in November to show support for General Secretary Xi Jinping’s visit to the city.

Representatives for Schumer and Hochul did not respond to National Review’s requests for comment.

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Does any of this mean that Schumer's loyalty to the United States should be questioned? To be fair, I don't think it does. What it does show is that he has a perverted sense of what the interests of the United States are and what it means to be loyal to this country. Should there ever be a war, Schumer would back the US. Of this, I have no doubt.

Short of that, though, Schumer has made clear that his loyalty is to a transnationalism that is incompatible with elevating the interests of the US above all others. He, along with most modern Democrats, is ultimately loyal to an order in which the United States is just one of many countries. 

Is Chuck Schumer looking out for the interests of the United States in our relations with China? 

I have my doubts. 

It's a really bad look for the Majority Leader of the United States Senate to be waving the flag of China enthusiastically. It legitimately calls into question his commitment to US values and US supremacy. 

Lest you think this is unfair, imagine again what Chuck Schumer would say to a Senator waving a Russian flag. 

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David Strom 8:00 PM | November 25, 2024
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