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I called Trent Lott’s office twice this week: Once on 23May07 and once on 25May07. The first time the person politely took my name and opinion down and gave me a stock answer on Trent Lott’s position on the bill: “The Senator does not have an opinion on the current legislation because the bill has not been debated yet and there will probably be amendments to it”

Ok, so that was a non-answer, at least. On Friday, 25May07 when I called I brought up his “No” vote for the Vitter Amendment that would have pulled the Amnesty from the bill. If you recall, David Vitter (R-LA) had proposed the same amendment last year, and it had yanked the teeth out of the bill. Last year, by the way, Lott had voted for the Vitter Amendment, so I figured it was a good, valid question.

Well this time I got a “let me redirect your call to” someone in his office that was supposed to handle his positions, I suppose. The main point is all I got was an answering machine, which was not full by the way.

It’s of note that Lott, the Minority Whip and number 2 Republican after being re-elected in November, has told the NY Times that:

“Is the current situation in America with legal and illegal immigration intolerable and unacceptable?” Mr. Lott asked. “Yes. Everybody would agree. Is this bill better than the current law? Without a doubt, yes. Are we going to have another opportunity to do this better next year or the next year? The answer is no. We’ve got to do it. We’ve got to do it as good as we can. We’ve got to do it right now. “The only thing that’s unacceptable is to do nothing,” said Mr. Lott, the Senate minority whip

Suprised? Not this longtime Mississippian. Lott has been very good in the past of taking up positions and counting votes. Since Mississippi has no recall law, he’s ‘bulletproof’ from this type of thing, and at 65 he’s trying to lay down a legacy. He’s also told others that he’s had to ‘shake the hands of the ones with the daggers’ to get back on top, and it sounds like he’s ponied up for the bill.

Guys, here’s your point man for the Sham-publicans on the Sham-nesty Bill in the Senate. Forget the whole Kyl and McCain angle: This is the guy you want to target with your opinions.

1. Here’s the guy who thinks that “We’ve got to do it right now”. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/washington/24immig.html?n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fL%2fLott%2c%20Trent
2. Here’s the guy who’s the number two Republican in the Senate.
3. Here’s a guy who former Senator John B. Breaux, Democrat of Louisiana and one of Mr. Lott’s closest friends says, “His strategy (is), ‘Run silent, run deep,’ like the old submarine.” http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/16/us/politics/16lott.html?ex=1321333200&en=fd3a8cbd8b808985&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
4. Here’s a guy who is quoted in the article above as saying “I’d been knifed in the back, but in order to be effective again I had to shake some of the hands that held the daggers.”

I suggest that you lay in on him hard with your emails and faxes, as he is the Republican Whip and will drive the votes on this issue. Now that the Senator and the rest of the fold are on their two week hiatus and hiding to simmer the boil they have caused, I will be calling a bit more frequently to make sure the answering machine is filled up, or at least to keep the office folk happy. I think everyone should be calling their Senators up and blasting/praising them depending on which way they are voting.