Right after World War II, Jacob Javits decided to run for Senate in New York as a liberal Republican because the Democrats couldn't use his earlier Communist affiliations against him. As long as he called himself a Republican, he could do anything against the United States he wanted to. Most Republicans will sell anybody or any principle out in the name of Republican party loyalty. It was the Republican Richland county sheriff Sloan who was a main advocate for gun control in South Carolina until his own incompetence finally got rid of him. As always, he could afford it, because Republicans would vote for him slavishly, principle be damned.
Politicians go for the swing vote.
As long as conservative voters will back Republicans regardless, conservatives have no effect whatever on Democratic elected officials. Democrats will only do conservative things if they stand a chance of getting conservative votes for it. Some Democrats did support the flag, and many more would have had there been some potential votes in it for them. No respectable Republican would dare do that. And the more blindly we support South Carolina Republicans the more they will do this to us.