Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Lott, Nickles Civil Rights Votes Similar (Says NAACP as they search their next target)
ap ^ | 12/16/2002 | JIM ABRAMS

Posted on 12/16/2002 3:00:07 PM PST by TLBSHOW

WASHINGTON - Sen. Don Nickles (news, bio, voting record), the first Senate Republican to suggest that Trent Lott should be replaced as their leader, has built a civil rights voting record that is nearly identical to that of the man he would depose.

The NAACP says that over the past decade, Nickles and Lott have voted the same on almost every issue deemed important by the civil rights community. And in almost every case, their votes were contrary to the wishes of that community.

On the other hand, both Nickles, of Oklahoma, and Lott, of Mississippi, win the highest ratings from conservative groups. In 2000, the American Conservative Union gave both 100 percent ratings on key votes.

Lott, Senate Republican leader since 1996, is to become Senate majority leader next month. But his position in the party is in jeopardy because of statements he made at Sen. Strom Thurmond (news, bio, voting record)'s 100th birthday party Dec. 5 indicating a nostalgia for the South's pro-segregation past.

Nickles, currently the second-ranked Senate Republican and a past rival for Lott's leadership position, on Sunday became the first GOP senator to call for new leadership elections.

"I am concerned that Trent has been weakened to the point that may jeopardize his ability to enact our agenda and speak to all Americans," Nickles said.

Since the controversy began, Lott's critics have tried to show that for the past two decades he has consistently voted against civil rights bills. His allies, in turn, have produced records showing that Nickles and Lott are ideological compatriots.

In 1983, for example, both Lott, then in the House, and Nickles opposed a new federal holiday commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Lott said the holiday would cost the government too much money and that there were other Americans "more deserving." Nickles unsuccessfully pushed alternatives to a paid holiday, including observing the holiday on a Sunday.

That same year both Lott and Nickles backed a Jesse Helms amendment that would have preserved the tax-exempt status of private schools, such as Bob Jones University, which then banned interracial dating. The measure was defeated.

In 1990, the two senators both voted to uphold the first President Bush (news - web sites)'s veto of legislation to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to ban workplace discrimination. The president contended it would lead to racial quotas.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (news - web sites), in its scorecards of the past six Congresses, found Nickles and Lott voted identically in four Congresses on the votes it tracked, and differed by one or two votes in the other two Congresses.

In the 107th Congress that just ended, the NAACP gave Lott a 14 percent rating for voting with NAACP recommendations on five of 37 civil rights-related bills, while Nickles got a 19 percent rating with seven votes.

Among the issues where the senators differed with the NAACP were funding for Head Start and other education programs, the confirmation of John Ashcroft (news - web sites) as attorney general and global AIDS (news - web sites) funding.

Both got 13 percent ratings in the 1999-2000 Congress, and in 1997-1998, Lott and the NAACP agreed on two out of 10 votes, Nickles on only one out of 10.

"We are concerned that Nickles has voted just as poorly or even more poorly than Trent Lott," said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington office.

The two have differed on several major civil rights measures. In 1982, then-Rep. Lott voted against extending the Voting Rights Act, while Nickles, then a first-term senator, voted for it.

In 1991, Nickles voted with the majority to defeat a measure to abolish affirmative action in federal hiring. Lott backed the measure.

And last year, Lott was the only dissenting vote in a 93-1 vote to approve Roger Gregory as the first black judge on the U.S. Appeals Court for the 4th Circuit, which covers several southern states. Lott said he objected to then-President Clinton (news - web sites) making a temporary appointment of Gregory while Congress was in recess.

Among other votes:

_In 1991, both voted with a 93-5 majority to strengthen federal civil rights law and extend damages for intentional employment discrimination.

_In 1993, both voted to extend the Confederate flag design patent for the Daughters of the Confederacy. The measure was defeated 75-25

_In 1994, both sided with a Helms amendment to strip federal funding from the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission. The amendment was defeated.

_In 1998, both voted to eliminate a disadvantaged business enterprise program established in the Reagan administration to ensure that a certain percentage of federal contracts went to businesses headed by minorities and women. The program was preserved on a 58-37 vote.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: lott; naacp; nickles
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-60 next last
JIM ABRAMS? The rat....... Looks like Naacp is searching out the new target to slime along with the rat press.
1 posted on 12/16/2002 3:00:07 PM PST by TLBSHOW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: TLBSHOW
Here is Nickle's chance to stand up for Republicans and prove he'll be a better ML than Lett.
2 posted on 12/16/2002 3:03:05 PM PST by Nephi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TLBSHOW
I guess the only workable solution is to expell all the former Confederate States from the Union!

< /sarcasm>
3 posted on 12/16/2002 3:16:38 PM PST by F-117A
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: F-117A
YES! I vote for that. Now you are going to see the flood gates open, what they want is for a democract to take Lotts place and being from MS I can tell you the rumors are flying that Lott is going to resign not only from leader ship but from the Senate. He will come home and run for gov. The biggest mistake the republicans can make, give it back to Dashel.
4 posted on 12/16/2002 3:20:48 PM PST by gulfcoast6
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: TLBSHOW
Now the civil rights "community" want to equate votes against their pet issues with racism. Thanks a Lott.
5 posted on 12/16/2002 3:21:34 PM PST by ambrose
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: F-117A
bttt
6 posted on 12/16/2002 3:23:14 PM PST by TLBSHOW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: TLBSHOW
This is why it is bad if Lott steps down. Backing down to these race-baiting winnies just gives them power.
7 posted on 12/16/2002 3:25:09 PM PST by Always Right
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
I am telling you freepers, Lott isn't the problem but racist rats are and the liberal press. Lott is this weeks dinner and next week its who ever we would favor always has been and always will be. Either we stand with Lott as a force or each one of us and who we would choose is the target, its the nature of the beast! Liberal commie democrats beast that is.
8 posted on 12/16/2002 3:27:06 PM PST by TLBSHOW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Always Right
Your 100% correct and always right.

Rush has tried to point it out for days but certain freepers here want to help the rats with their mission its so telling who they are.
9 posted on 12/16/2002 3:29:03 PM PST by TLBSHOW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: TLBSHOW
Lott will become "yesterday's news" if he steps aside. And Lott started this.
10 posted on 12/16/2002 3:29:53 PM PST by ambrose
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
Whatever you say. Maybe you will be the target next.
11 posted on 12/16/2002 3:30:49 PM PST by TLBSHOW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: TLBSHOW
I guess the only way to please them is to have all of our Republican senators become RATS.
12 posted on 12/16/2002 3:37:12 PM PST by LADY J
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: LADY J
drudge said maybe if we just hang Lott on Tv tonight it would help.
Really the best we can do is slam Lott and his remarks and let it be. Oh and censure Bryd lol
13 posted on 12/16/2002 3:41:34 PM PST by TLBSHOW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: gulfcoast6
being from MS I can tell you the rumors are flying that Lott is going to resign not only from leader ship but from the Senate. He will come home and run for gov.

He would win handily, wouldn't he?

Yet, we've been being told all day that Lott would be "finished" if he quit the party.

A governor ain't "finished."

14 posted on 12/16/2002 3:44:40 PM PST by sinkspur
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: gulfcoast6
I can tell you the rumors are flying that Lott is going to resign not only from leader ship but from the Senate. He will come home and run for gov. The biggest mistake the republicans can make, give it back to Dashel.

This is Rove and Bush deal. They have learned nothing from Jeffords. If bush wanted to hang on to the senate all he had to do was bring Trent to the white house for an on camera press conference. There is the crap about Lott not handling it well. Bush is the captain of the team.. He has over and over demanded Republicans play as a team. But bush hid and let the Democrats take the game.

I would be very surprised if Lott stays in the senate. I would be even more surprised if Snowe stays a republican. Perhaps Chaffee would leave too.

This is the single bigest political miscalculation by a president in my life time. Bush is making Carter look good.

If I were running the Democratic media in 2004, I would run negative ads against bush for not defending a Southern Boy for being southern about Strom Thurman. If Lott just chose to be as neutral as Bush is now, Bush would never get a second term. Loyalty is huge in the South. Rove and Bush do not have a clue. But if you give me the ad funds I could keep a million red necks home and not voting for Bush in 2004. That is enough to elect a Democrat President.

You don't suppose that has occured to Bubba do you? Bubba may not be much but he does understand the South.

15 posted on 12/16/2002 3:46:50 PM PST by Common Tator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: TLBSHOW
A win-win situation would be for Lott to yield the ML position to Nickles, then remain in the Senate until he wins the MS gov's race and appoints a Republican successor to his Senate seat.
16 posted on 12/16/2002 3:49:06 PM PST by Procyon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TLBSHOW
And now your hero is going to grovel on BET. This is getting sad. I am beginning to pity this man. But he is going to hurt the conservative cause even more because he will become super-PC in order to "atone" for his "sins"
17 posted on 12/16/2002 3:49:22 PM PST by ambrose
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: ambrose
Like I told monkey man the fat lady hasn'r sung yet but the rats are hungrey for more food!
18 posted on 12/16/2002 3:50:55 PM PST by TLBSHOW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Common Tator
Alternatively, if Lott really wants to fight for his position, he just has to call for reparations to blacks.....that would really but the GOP over the ole barrel, eh?
19 posted on 12/16/2002 3:50:55 PM PST by ken5050
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Common Tator
You continue to list Snowe as a likely switcher... a Republican with a lifetime ACU score of 51. Somewhat mystified.
20 posted on 12/16/2002 3:51:20 PM PST by ambrose
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-60 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson