Trent Lott's Debacle - Now, Bush Must Act

December 14th, 2002 | Sabertooth

[Sabertooth]

Once again, in his own indelible words, the Republicans' Senate Majority Leader-elect:

"I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."

~Trent Lott - December, 2002

When Strom Thurmond ran for President, he was a segregationist Dixiecrat spurred into revolt against the Democrats by Hubert Humphrey's Civil Rights plank in the '48 Democratic Party platform. Mississippi was one of four segregationist Southern States that voted for Thurmond. Segregation was the purpose and limited appeal of the Dixiecrats. It was the banner under which they marched.

The plainest sense of Lott's words are that he approves of the above.

Even though I don't believe that's what Lott meant, nor that he's a racist, that fact is inescapable. It takes backpedaling and damage control to escape the plain meaning of what Lott said and explain what's really in his heart. It's disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

The only way to for Trent Lott to address Thurmond's '48 campaign would have been to chart how far the retiring senior Senator from South Carolina has traveled in the last 54 years, and to use him as a metaphor to further illustrate how far the South and America have come. Had he done this, Lott could have simultaneously honored the Centenarian Senator and reiterated that Republicans, like the South and like America, have learned the errors of racism and segregation, and have long since embarked on a better path.

That Lott could not grasp this after decades in Washington is striking, particularly since this isn't the first time he's failed to navigate this reef. Speaking after a Thurmond speech for Ronald Reagan in 1980, then-Congressman Lott told the crowd: ""You know, if we had elected this man 30 years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess we are today."

Now, the Democrats are all over the opportunity Lott has injudiciously provided to them. That it seems unfair is irrelevant. He left himself open for the sucker punch and got pounded. He's only made matters worse with his tepid series of apologies: too little, too Lott. He is finished as a Senate Majority Leader of even mediocre effectiveness. It's time to cut our losses.

President Bush needs to invite Lott to the ranch in Crawford, and offer him a more artful and diplomatic rendering of the following:

"Senator, with your ill-advised remarks you've brought turmoil and embarrassment on yourself, the party, and the country. You've served all well in the past and I thank you for that service from the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately, the events of the past few weeks call for a reassessment of the nature of your future service. The horses have left the barn, but there does remain an open path for you, a path that is both honorable and humbling: step aside as Majority Leader and continue to serve in the Senate.

I understand the sacrifice my request places on you, and sympathize with it's burden, but our nation and our agenda are in peril.

I need you, and I'm asking you as you President to do this for the good of America."

[TLBSHOW]

Thanks for the links how about the blackmail rumour and smear by the left wing nuts!

[EternalVigilance]

I think it is pretty well substantiated that they were both in favor of segregation.

Johnson was outed by this too, and therefore had nothing to lose by telling all.

What's interesting is that his defense is identical to Lott's.

[Puddleglum]

We want him out because he is a stupid dufus.

That is my reason for wanting him out - and that he's a greedy, stupid doofus. I heard him brag in his national speech about all the federal $$$ he's brought to Mississippi. To say this before a local audience is fine, if you face an opponent for reelection, but to rasie that argument to a national audience seemed blantantly misguided in light of what the Republicans need to do to justify more tax cuts. Not a good foot soldier or leader for the Republicans.

[GraniteStateConservative]

You know that Lott isn't a stupid doofus.

Unfrozen Caveman Senator starring Trent Lott...

I'm just a caveman. I fell on some ice and was later thawed by some of your scientists. Your world frightens and confuses me! Sometimes when I fly to Europe on the Concorde, I wonder, am I inside some sort of giant bird? Am I gonna be digested? I don't know, because I'm a caveman, and that's the way I think! When I'm courtside at a Knicks game, I wonder if the ball is some sort of food they're fighting over. When I see my image on the security camera at the country club, I wonder, are they stealing my soul?

But whatever world you're from, I do know one thing - when I said "When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him - and if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years," I meant that Thurmond is a decent fellow who should be honored for his long tenure serving South Carolina and not anything related to the fact that he was a bigoted segregationist when he ran in 1948. Thank you.

[TLBSHOW]

why are you taking part in a hate a crime?

[billhilly]

Luis, please see post # 260, and the ensuing few posts with EternalVigilance.

[Howlin]

Migration to the South Brings U.S. Blacks Full Circle

[billhilly]

Howlin, you are great. Thank you for posting this.

[kcvl]

I have no idea about the blackmail rumor. All I know is if the left keeps this up we can all say hello to President Hillary. That's enough to keep me from bashing Trent Lott.

If they can't win at the ballet box they will win by trashing people and cheating. It doesn't really matter to them how they do it as long as they get their power back.

If you missed Lloyd Groves of The Washington Post admitting to Tony Snow that it was Carville behind the trashing it was enough to turn your stomach.

Haven't you wondered where they Clintons and their big mouths have been lately? Well, they have been keeping this story alive with telephone calls and fax machines. No matter how bad Trent Lott(I don't think he's a racist either) or anyone else on the Republican side is, it is NO MATCH to the criminal Clintons and their cronies.

[sinkspur]

Yes, there are stories about his being caught in bed with a man, in college.

Yeah, I know. And Bush danced naked on a bar. People here have seen the pictures, though it never happened.

[Howlin]

I have seen several articles like that; in fact, here in NC, on one of the local TV stations, they had a series about blacks who had moved back to this area. To a person, they were ALL thrilled that they did.

It's very encouraging to me. They felt like we do, that the South is THEIR home, too.

If I find anymore, I'll ping you.

[kcvl]

You can also bet that Hillary has her fax machine on distributing the FBI materials AGAIN. I despise those people more than I can put into words. They are PURE EVIL! No way am I going to help Hillary become President of MY COUNTRY!

[TLBSHOW]

Then you tell me about the liberal left wing smear and lie about blackmail.

[sinkspur]

You approve of a blackmailer. By your own statements, I'm left to infer that you approve of "any means necessary."

I approve of someone who's been unfairly tagged a racist and demoted to say "to hell with it" and go home.

That's what I would do, and it's what you would do.

[GWfan]

You're still at it I see, except this time you are using the same baseless crap that was circulating about Bush in the presidential primaries. I remember someone on Lucy's website at that time who called himself 'Bush the cheerleader'. Same old crap, except now it's Lott instead of Bush. You fell for it, hook , line and sinker.

[Havoc]

but our nation and our agenda are in peril

Our AGENDA?!! OUR AGENDA!!!! Folks, this is a load of CRAP! Since when is our agenda to wrongly accuse someone, smear them and crucify them to the public in order to look good? SINCE WHEN? And who is it we're doing it for? Anyone care to answer that? Who. Does all of America buy the nonsense that Lott is a Racist? Lott didn't put that notion into people's minds. OUR agenda is about the TRUTH and getting it out there. OUR agenda is about getting government off our backs so that ALL Americans can do well in a friendly America. Our opponents are the ones that heated this up to a boiling point and made it a platform to spew hate and seperatism. But it's them trying to divide us and the country with lies. Shall we make of ourselves liars and bigots in order to prove that we are not liars and bigots. The liberals are shameless. That doesn't mean we have to become them. Are we hanging up our spurs because we won an election - in effect laying down to let the leftists lead us in a charge to crucify our own leaders on the basis of a groundless charge. Sounds kindof Biblical, doesn't it.

For those of you that want to sell out on this just because you don't particularly like Lott, it says volumes to me. It tells me someone thinks their views are more important than the truth. That is the problem of the other side. It should not become ours. If it does then what have we been fighting for all this time? Agendas come and go. The truth will always be the truth. It isn't noble to be a liar for expediency. It is noble to hold the truth against great opposition. We don't lay down to anyone. Laying down just allows them all the easier to trample you and urinate on your grave. STAND UP! WAKE UP! WE ARE STILL CONSERVATIVES FIGHTING FOR THE TRUTH. Lets get out their and get the truth out and FREEP them.

Tell me this. In an election where the winner was a segregationist, how does it matter that his opponent was? Their differences is what makes a difference in elections. And where is that in the public discussion? Let's Roll People. And not over the Bodys of our leaders. We only do that when they've done something wrong. Not when what they've done is demegogued and portrayed as wrong.

[Endeavor]

Once again, you presume to know my thought processes. Ha!

I would do what's best for my Party and that is to resign as ML.

[Sabertooth]

Since when is our agenda to wrongly accuse someone, smear them and crucify them to the public in order to look good? SINCE WHEN?

Lott is being accused of making stupid comments that were, on their face, sympathetic to a segregationist Presidential campaign, and then failing utterly to correct the misimpression he caused with any skill or effectiveness whatsoever.

There is no wrongful accusation there.

He is not being crucified; he is no martyr; his self-destruction is his own doing.

[frogandtoad]

And what happens if Lott doesn't resign, and some Northern RINO's like Chaffee, Snowe and Collins, along with McCain, decide they don't want to belong to a party that has Lott as majority leader, and do a Jeffords?

[Havoc]

As I said, the segregationist intent was the medias, not his. Thurmonds' opponent who WON the election was a segregationist. The distinguishing trait then are his other policies. So on what facts do you argue that he slipped up - the fact that a segragationist won the whitehouse in that early race.

How can a platform be defined by segregation when it was the winner's platform and the loser's too? It isn't self distruction, it's a lighthearted ingratiation to a 100 year old man retiring and not far from death that has been used judgementally to sully the retiring senator, the man who was trying to be nice to him and all of us. I've heard the talking points of the democrats, I don't need to hear them hear from a conservative. When did we all just stop thinking and start buying the story of the libs? Huh? How about if you make a statement tomorrow that someone can take easy advantage of to smear you, do we hang your rotting body along the road side to please your critics or do we defend you and deal with whatever problem we have with you seperately. Fairness and Justice is supposed to mean something to us.