Trent Lott's Debacle - Now, Bush Must Act

December 14th, 2002 | Sabertooth

[xzins]

I agree. Lott will turn the GOP into the JimCrow poster child during the next election.

It's a shame, but it sometimes good men say the wrong things at entirely the wrong times. This is one of those times.

[Torie]

A classic mistake of some lawyers is to throw everything but the kitchen sink into an argument. It is far better to pick ones shots, and attempt to make them as compelling as possible. Gilding the lilly just causes one to question your credibility with respect to the points that are more telling. Credibility is everything. If you lose on one point, and lose because the other side points out you are not telling the whole story, you run the risk of losing it all.

[Jeff Chandler]

This whole issue is a farce

 

Thank you, and might I add: this whole brouhaha is the Wellstone memorial writ large.

[Torie]

Saber is not a soul brother of Tancredo, actually. Sometimes, it is hard to keep all the players straight.

[deport]

Welcome to power sharing...... or worse a Majority Leader Daschle. Yep that makes perfect sense to me at this stage. Kick the no good SOB while he's down, don't accept his apology or asking for forbearance.

You and the others will get your wish as this is going to continue until Sen. Lott resigns as he should since it appears the Party has dumped him. Funny that he was good enough to be elected ML for five times but now he's not worth a bucket of warm spit.

[Sabertooth]

It is up to the GOP caucus to decide what to do about Lott (Bush might chat privately with some senators one on one who wish to seek his counsel perhaps). If they decide to dump him as ML, then Bush can invite Lott to the ranch to attempt to deflect him from carrying out his blackmail, and resign from the Senate, if in fact that is what Lott is doing, and he persists, about which we hear conflicting stories. For Bush to publically dictate who should be ML is indecorous, insensitive to the structure of the separation of powers, and might backfire over the long term.

Your scenario is fine with me.

BTW, I wasn't intending that Bush ought to publicly dictate anything, I should have made it clear that it ought to be a private conversation. Perhaps that's not possible in Crawford, but I intended that invitation be made in the interests of graciousness, diplomacy, and hospitality. However, as I said, I'm sure there are more artful ways of going about what I was outlining.

[sinkspur]

I challange you to give a reasonable explanation of how the nation would be better off if a segregationist had been elected in 1948.

The nation wouldn't be better off, and Lott didn't say that the nation would be better off with segregation in 1948.

He then was incredibly foolish in saying something that could so easily be interpreted so contraversially.

I'll agree with you here.

He then compounded that error with an underwhelming apology.

There've been FOUR apologies, and there will be more. How many are enough for you?

Basically, Lott is either a racist jerk, or an idiot suffering from diarrhea of the mouth.

Actually, you'd get rid of Trent Lott if he got a traffic ticket. This is still about impeachment, isn't it?

[Fred Mertz]

Thanks for the quotes Toddler. If you and sinkspur and I are on the same side of this issue, it must be Christmastime;^)

Spinky, you're making the most sense on this thread. I welcome your breath of fresh air and reality.

[TLBSHOW]

its never a waste to show what ratty rat democrats really are

[dogbyte12]

This is starting to get personal for me I spose. I have a co-worker who is a racist. Not a person who wears a pointy hood, or does anything destructive, but he insults blacks, Indians, jews, catholics etc...

He is upset at Lott... for apologizing. I do know what is in his heart alot better than some of the Lott apologists here, but I am troubled that some of them are not simply standing up for the GOP in their mind, or fighting the liberals, or what have you, but are simply racist themselves, and actually do agree that the dixiecrats were swell folks.

I am so thankful Bush is the president. I have a sneaky feeling this is more an age thing than anything else. Those of us who were born say after the 1964 voting rights act, have a very different experience than those born before.

I grew up knowing that slavery and Jim Crow were sad relics of the past, and that anybody could make it in this country regardless of race, with a combination of intelligence, drive, and opportunity.

My co-worker is 60. Went to segregated schools, drank at separate fountains, and didn't actually know any black person personally growing up. Your formative years do matter. I knew stupid people of asian decent, brilliant african americans, and Mexicans who could play basketball. Living in a desegregated world made me realize that both quotas, and segregation were both poor policies. I think Trent Lott's kids (does he have some) would have a much different world view, conservative yes, but more exposed to the differences around them

Just my random musings.

[McGavin999]

This tempest in a teapot needs to be put to rest. This country is under attack and we must not allow anyone to divide us when we are facing the dangers that are ahead of us.

Not too long ago 3,000 innocent people were killed by people who sought to divide us. We have thousands of young men and women who are about to put their lives on the line for us and they need us to stand together behind them and not be bicking over something that was said at a friggin birthday party no matter how stupid it was. It's time to suck it up and stop worrying about things that don't quite equate with massive outbreaks of smallpox, or a nuclear devise detonating in a major US city.

[jude24]

Did Reagan ever favor segregation? Lott did as a college student in the 1960's.

Did Reagan say that segregation as a matter of public policy was acceptable? Lott's amicus brief sure said so.

[inkling]

He is leaving whether he wants to or not. Be patient.

I pray you are right!

[Sabertooth]

He didn't bring it up.

You can't bring up Thurmond's '48 campaign without bringing up segregation. That was the defining theme of the Dixiecrats.

That Lott didn't understand this tar baby is the reason he's under the gun right now.

[sinkspur]

And about cajones, I just hope yours can hang on when you are disappointed with Lott’s removal.

I will not be disappointed because he will not be "removed." If he chooses to leave on his own, or submit himself to another vote, that's fine.

But neither sanctimonious conservatives nor rabid race-pimps are going to force him out on their timetable.

And, he will leave the Senate.

[BuddhaBoy]

If I wasn't a conservative, I would definitely want Trent Lott to stay right where he is. Think about it.

[Dave S]

I agree 100%. Perhaps Bush should offer him the following if he will step down from his leadership role:

1) Committee chairmanship of his choice so he can continue to bring home the pork for Mississippi.

2) Promise of an ambassadership to the country of his choice or a job with a major lobbyist in 2004 should he care to retire then rather than serve his entire term.

3) The gratitude and respect of his comrades and party.

On the other hand if he doesnt step down, Bush should make it clear to him that Mississipii will suffer as will his post Senate career. That he will be persona non grata in Republican circles and that Bush will continue to separate himself from him.

In other words, make him an offer he cant refuse!

[Dave S]

Lott is going to leave, I stand by my prediction that he is out by tomorrow.

Unless a miracle happens I say he announces he is stepping down by Tuesday morning.

[McGavin999]

Well, your random musings are incorrect. I was born long before the civil rights movement and I've never thought segrigaged schools were a good thing, or seperate but equal anything was a good thing. We are all AMERICANS, anything more, anything less, is unsatisfactory.

I don't think Lott is a racists, I think he is mindnumbingly stupid!

[TLBSHOW]

found the that link on another thread. So I just gave it out as a award at capital grilling

I give the first award for most racist democrat past or present 2002

........to Harry S. Truman, Democrat