Sen. Reid's remarks

1. It's very important to middle class black parents to have black role models for their children to look up to. The best role models the blacks have ever had are Colin Powell and Condi Rice. There are no Democrat black role models.

2. Black liberal leaders have fought to deny black children from seeing Powell, Rice, Brown, Thomas, et al as role models because they are Republicans. Black schools/churches/organizations etc... discourage the kids from admiring the Republican role models.

3. Black parents are beginning to choose what they think is best for their children even if it means defying their own leadership. The black revolution for freedom from the Democrat plantation has begun by the simple act of parents telling their children that they too can grow up to be a Colin Powell or Condi Rice. They forced the NAACP head to resign.

4. Other black leaders are starting to run scared. The members of the Black Congressional Caucus are afraid that Thomas' elevation to Chief Justice will be the nail in their coffin but at the same time they can't afford to further alienate black parents by attacking someone the parents want their children to use for role models.

5. Solution: Get a white man from a state with no blacks to be the attack dog. Reid was willing to do it because the white Democrat leadership is worried about the erosion of the black vote.

6. Reid is starting the campaign against Thomas early because it's going to be more difficult to get the usual suspect liberal groups to rally their members against Thomas a second time. Anita Hill is old news and there's no stained blue dress. Reid wants to scare Bush off from nominating Thomas. But he isn't getting any traction.

Reid's comments take into account the relative ages of Scalia and Thomas, and he wants to avoid a Thomas nomination. Scalia being in his 60's is acceptable since he would have about 10-12 years before age would likely get him thinking about retirement. Thomas being considerably younger could preside for closer to 25 years before the same circumstances would likely arise, and that is a long time to have such influence. So Reid is simply trying to let the President know that the Senate Democrats would give Scalia a pass, but they will fight against Thomas being nominated for Chief Justice hoping the President will go for the sure thing.

I have to be honest, I don't see either Senator Lott's or Senator Reid's comments to be racist at all. I may be one of few in the world with that view. Let me give my arguments for each case. First, Senator Lott's remarks

To understand Lott’s comments, you have to take into account the CONTEXT. As you know, reviewing writings or remarks out of context will leave you, almost always, with a mistaken view of said writings or remarks. Sen. Lott was at a birthday party for a very old Sen. Strom Thurmond. At what, for all Lott knew, could be Sen. Thurmond’s last birthday party ever, Lott was one of many people in attendance who praised Sen. Thurmond, each for different reasons and different areas. Lott said, and I’m paraphrasing, America would be better off today if Strom Thurmond had won his bid for the Presidency in 1948. And his platform was unabashedly and rabidly segregationist. But it is highly doubtful that Lott was referring to segregation when he said we’d be better of had Thurmond won.

I believe the main reason he said what he did is that he knew Thurmond was close to death. He and others were showering the man with praise so he would feel that he’d led a good life, done things people would be proud of, and done important things. Given an elderly person the gift of pride and self worth is an honorable thing, and I believe that is why Lott made his remark.

And if I had to say that Lott WAS referring to a specific issue Thurmond lobbied for, I would say it would be states’ rights. When Thurmond ran in 48, he ran as a third party candidate in the “States’ Rights Party” that he helped create.

Having met and spoken with Senator Lott a handful of times, I can tell you he is not a racist, though he does hold a strong position on states’ rights. And that, if anything in particular, is what Lott was referring to when he said we’d be better off had Thurmond won.

As for Reid, all he said was that he didn’t think that Justice Thomas was that bright. He also said that his opinions weren’t well written. Personally, I don’t know Justice Thomas and I’ve only read a couple of his opinions. From what I can see, he seems fairly intelligent and good, though not excellent, writer. Reid never said “Justice Thomas is a dumb black guy,” or that “Justice Thomas is obviously dumb, look at him, he’s black!”

Just my thoughts

AV

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