Commentary: Lott Throws In The Towel (Conservative base will be gone)

crosswalk ^ | 12/20/2002 | Gary Bauer

[TLBSHOW]

Commentary: Lott Throws In The Towel Gary Bauer President, American Values

After days of endless apologizing, Trent Lott has thrown in the towel and resigned as Senate Majority Leader. Late last night he began making phone calls to GOP colleagues to let them know his decision.

Also over night the White House began a more concerted push to replace Lott with Senator Bill Frist, who will now emerge as the "frontrunner."

Frist is a savvy media personality, but he angered many conservatives by interfering in Republican primaries around the country, virtually always in favor of the moderate candidate over the conservative. And he was a staunch supporter of former Surgeon General Satcher, who was pro-abortion. I hope a more reliable conservative-- either Nickles or Santorum-- will throw their hat in the ring.

Now comes the hard part. This mess doesn't end with Lott's resignation. The GOP needs to find its backbone. One example: There are reports that the Administration is now afraid to go into court against the University of Michigan's offensive racial quota system that selects students from certain minority groups regardless of grades while rejecting white students with much higher grades.

For 30 years the Republicans have opposed these quasi-quota schemes. Are we now going to throw in the towel because of the smear campaign against Republicans of the last two weeks?

Some insiders are suggesting there will be reluctance at the White House to nominate conservative judges. Such reports better be inaccurate or the conservative base of the party will be gone.

Let me bring up again one easy way for the White House to signal that it knows how to play hardball and help Americans of all races. Many Washington D.C. schools are abysmal and the children, mostly black, trapped in them are ill served. The White House should send a school voucher program to Capitol Hill on the first day of the new Congress just for the District of Columbia. Ted Kennedy will scream. Hillary Clinton will pull her hair out. Daschle will reach for the Maalox. And they will line up and vote "no" against those black families and in favor of the teacher unions.

Last year Bush dropped his voucher plan because Kennedy refused to let it out of Committee, but there should be no cave in this time.

[Torie]

I appreciate you need to direct your restless energies somewhere.

[Poohbah]

They are not conservatives

Excuse me, but who the f*** died and declared YOU Pope of the conservative movement, dipstick?

[fightinJAG]

Better to have the liberals in overdrive now, when many Americans are busy with sleighbells ringing and things of hearth and home. Much of the sound and fury will have died down by the first of the year, then soon the war will start.

[TLBSHOW]

Sorry but CFR is a big part of the Bush problem and we will deal with in due course. You check the archives while others that want to discuss it should not be told not to.

[SoCar]

I agree that Lott did the right thing, but he was put in this position by his fellow Republicans. The fact that stupid praise heaped upon a 100 year old man turned into this fiasco was due to the ridiculous piling on by people who belong to his party. By not sticking by him we give credence to the race baiters and keep alive the incidious double standard.

I do not want to continue to fight this war. Please understand that some of us are just disgusted at the way we so easily turn on each other. This was handled poorly and I feel sorry for Lott, a man I never much supported as leader. Just because the issue is finished does not erace the bad taste many of us have.

[Jhoffa_]

The reality is, that if the right wing doesn't get "all" we ask for, (as humble as our demands are) the Republican party has "nothing" to distinguish it from the DemonRATS.

You know, that's a good point.. and it's one I haven't heard on FR since I came here.

Our demands ARE HUMBLE.. Just TRY, for heavens sakes!

If you fail, it's fine.. Look at Ron Paul, he's probably one of the most universally respected congressmen on FR there has ever been.

He's not changing the world single handed or anything, but people stick with him because they know his heart is in the right place.

He cares and he's not making contradictory noises every ten seconds to woo someone or another. He's not loud and he's not gruff.

But he's there and he's on our side, and everyone knows it.

[TLBSHOW]

Well that gives me a good 2 weeks! LOL

[Poohbah]

Excuse me, let me ask the question again.

Do most of the politically active people you PERSONALLY hang out with, aside from those on Free Republic, have the University of Michigan case as their main focus of attention right now?

I'm not talking about the chattering class, speaking of strawmen, dipwad.

[TLBSHOW]

Prove to me Bush is not a liberal Republican?

[John Lenin]

Yes Lott is a decent guy to step down on his own and not make it any worse. It's a win, win this way.

[Salvation]

From the ACU website.

Senator Bill Frist (R)
Tennessee
Republican, Years of Service: 7

ACU Ratings for Senator Frist:
Year 2001	100
Year 2000	92
Lifetime	88

Senator Trent Lott (R)
Mississippi
Republican, Years of Service: 29

ACU Ratings for Senator Lott:
Year 2001	96
Year 2000	100
Lifetime	93

Senator Mitch Mcconnell (R)
Kentucky
Republican, Years of Service: 17

ACU Ratings for Senator Mcconnell:
Year 2001	96
Year 2000	100
Lifetime	89

Senator Don Nickles (R)
Oklahoma
Republican, Years of Service: 21

ACU Ratings for Senator Nickles:
Year 2001	92
Year 2000	100
Lifetime	96

Senator Rick Santorum (R)
Pennsylvania
Republican, Years of Service: 11

ACU Ratings for Senator Santorum:
Year 2001	100
Year 2000	100
Lifetime	86

[TLBSHOW]

have the University of Michigan case as their main focus of attention


Oh so Bush is caving there too maybe we should see what google brings about it? Should we?

[esopman]

Daschle is the consummate political snake. His sole interest is the accretion of power for self and party. The continuance of Lott as ML would be a wonderful drum for him to beat for the benefit of the classical Democrat core constituencies. Lott's resignation silenced the drum. Not that Daschle won't try the same with Frist, but this was a needed step.

My contempt for Lott derives from his treatment of Henry Hyde in forwarding the Clinton impeachment to Lott for the Senate trial. In short: Lott was profoundly compromised as well as blinded by many years inside the beltway. His resignation is a net positive--with the major caveat--if the Republicans play the change to garner the support of the malleable middle of the electorate. Us diehard conservatives and our counterpart witless liberals are already set in our ways.

Dear Lord, I weary of the mess in Washington.

Keep your powder dry, close at hand and abundant. Blessings on Freepers Everywhere.

[fightinJAG]

You misunderstood me: I wasn't telling anyone not to discuss CFR. I was just saying I've laid out my views on CFR and I don't wish to rehash them on this thread. In my opinion, CFR is a nothing-burger. It will be sorted out by the courts, as it should be.

If you or anyone else would like to discuss CFR or anything else, by all means, knock yourself out.

[Wait4Truth]

He signed it with no fanfare and invited nobody. It wasn't even shown on TV. I think he probably knows it won't stand up in court, anyway. The media was mad and said he didn't want to sign it. And they were mad because he didn't hold a big ceremony and honor mccain. McCain probably threatened to leave the party if he didn't sign it and take 4 or 5 other Republicans with him. Just my guess at how it all went down.

[jwalsh07]

You are without a doubt the stupidest guy I have come across in quite some time. The expletives don't impress me and neither do you. They are the same ones I used when I was 12.

The entire nation is embroiled in a debate on race and your position is that nobody cares where the administration comes down on the most important case to hit the Supreme Court, vis a vis affrimative action, since Bakke.

Why don't you just admit how ridiculous your position is here and then we can "move on"?

[anncoulteriscool]

Lets see...frist or bauer...i'll take frist....gary bauer is the type of person (like most christian coalition types) that would probably show up to play tennis or basketball still wearing their black dress socks.

[TLBSHOW]

Senator Rick Santorum (R)
Pennsylvania
Republican, Years of Service: 11

so he is the man for the job but Rove and Bush already stopped him. Why?

[OldFashionedAmerican]

Yes Lott is a decent guy to step down on his own and not make it any worse. It's a win, win this way.

I disagree. When ever you give in to a bully, the bully only thinks that he can get away with it anytime he wants. He only stops when he's stood up to.

Lott needed to go, but NOT on the Liberals terms.

[Jhoffa_]

I am not saying there wasn't a political calculation involved.. Don't misunderstand. I don't think that for a second.

Regardless, it just struck me as the most understanding, compassionate comment of the whole fiasco, and it came from Tom Daschle.

For that reason it stuck with me.