The debate over the Confederate flag flying over the statehouse is no longer a debate about the flag, Lexington County’s state legislators say.

Both state senator Joe Wilson and state legislator Jake Knotts believe the real battle now is one for political power.

Wilson said taking the flag down “would give the appearance of capitulation to the national NAACP.’’ Knotts beleives the credibility of the state legislature is at stake now over the issue of the flag.

The national NAACP has called for a boycott of the state, and has demanded the flag come down. Other groups have also joined the move to bring the flag down.

Knotts said he had been willing to listen and perhaps negotiate, but he so objects to strong arm tactics that he said “there is nothing to negotiate now.’’

Both representatives dislike the idea of a national organization using a boycott to force the legislature to act.

“Laws should be passed on their merit ... it is just a different issue now,’’ Knotts said.

Even apart from the flag issue, Knotts believes it is wrong for a national organization to try to coerce a state legislative body do something.

“If we were to give in to the national NAACP, then what would stop the AFL-CIO from demanding that we change right to work laws in South Carolina?’’ Knotts said.

Wilson said both houses voted in 1995 to keep the flag flying in the face of a threat posed by a lawsuit to take it down.

“That move was designed to bypass the legislative process. But at that time we had more mutual respect. The vote was unanimous then. Now it is just an attack on our heritage,’’ Wilson said.

Wilson said the boycott advocated by the NAACP is not about the flag, but is “an attempt to undo and defame our confederate heritage. The only negotiation they want to do is to take it down,’’ he said.

Other groups around the state have joined the effort to lower the flag. Last week State Chamber of Commerce President Paula Bethea threatened to withdraw financial support from the Republican party unless they change their position on the flag.

The remarks were made to a committee of the Republican Caucus that Knotts is on, and it angered him.

“I couldn’t believe it. We were there to listen to their reasons for wanting the flag to come down. It is stupid on their part to think they could buy my vote. My vote is not for sale. Even my wife can’t buy my vote,’’ Knotts said.

The representative said he would vote the way his constituents wanted him to vote, and they favor keeping the flag flying.

Knotts added that if the legislature gave in to the demands to lower the flag, such a move would have wide ranging effects.

“If we did take the flag down that would not mean it was over. What they want is to wipe out every memory of the heritage of the Confederacy,’’ Knotts said.

Knotts said the Republican Caucus is not willing to come to the table and discuss the matter as long as the boycott remains in effect.

Wilson also had harsh words for the boycott, and said people need to have mutual respect and honesty for negotiations to happen. He said he did not know if the Senate would deal with the issue in the next session of the General Assembly which starts in January.

He said in an environment of mutual respect, negotiations could happen, but recent developments have impaired that respect. “I would hope we could get back to that era of mutual respect in the upcoming session. I will continue to have respect for them, (flag opponents) and I hope they will for us,’’ Wilson said.

Lexington County’s only Democrat representative, Nikki Setzler, said he supports the flag, but said he really didn’t know if the legislature would take up the issue in the next session.

Wilson said the issue has been a diversion from more important issue such as education.

“This is an attack on heritage. It is also about money and attracting attention on a nationwide level for the NAACP. It is a diversion from more important issues,’’ Wilson said.

The flag also flies inside the chambers of the state house and senate, and there has been some talk of taking the flag down there as well, Wilson said.