Lapel pins and Twitter. Both can be quick ways to express political opinions. But, as the North Carolina Republican party learned Wednesday night, it’s best to understand one before taking to the other.
The lapel pin in question was worn by Tim Kaine. The Virginia senator and now vice presidential nominee was speaking at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night. A speech that began by recognizing his family in the crowd, and one who could not be there. "You know my son Nat just deployed with his Marine battalion just two days ago," Kaine told the crowd. Which is why he was wearing a simple pin on his left lapel.
Red border, white background, a single blue star in the center. It’s known as the Blue Star Service Banner, a way to show support for enlisted U.S. troops deployed overseas.
A sentiment Republican political operatives would normally applaud.
But Wednesday night, the official twitter account of North Carolina’s Republican Party took issue with the pin, mistakenly thinking it was the flag of a Central American country (start from bottom).
The NCGOP tweet was deleted and a new one appeared.
"We appreciate you letting us know. Thanks for letting us correct our mistake."
And it was a pretty big one.
The Honduran flag, with its blue and white stripes and five stars arranged like an H in the middle, bears little resemblance to the single blue star on a white background worn by Kaine.
A reminder that even in this era of real time political commentary, sometimes a quick Google search can be priceless.
