Posted on 12/10/2002 1:42:40 PM PST by Lance Romance
Black Lawmakers Say Lott Apology Not Enough; NAACP Calls for Resignation
Published: Dec 10, 2002
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Democrats should not be too quick to drop the matter either, one black House Democrat said.
Separately, the NAACP said Lott, who will be Senate majority leader in the next Congress, should resign from his leadership position. "Hateful bigotry" has no place in Congress, the organization's president said.
"It sends a chilling message to all people," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., of the remarks Lott made last week at a birthday party for 100-year-old Thurmond, R-S.C., who is retiring after 48 years in the Senate.
"These are the kinds of words that tear this nation apart," said Cummings, who on Tuesday was elected chairman of the 39-member Congressional Black Caucus. "We are going to do something about it."
Lott said at the party that his state of Mississippi was proud to have voted for Thurmond in 1948, when Thurmond headed the states rights, anti-integration Dixiecrat ticket that captured 39 Southern electoral votes. "And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either," Lott said.
He apologized late Monday, saying, "A poor choice of words conveyed to some the impression that I embraced the discarded policies of the past. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by my statement."
Asked about the situation on Tuesday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said of Lott, "He has apologized for his statement and the president understands that that is the final word from Senator Lott."
Fleischer said President Bush thinks Americans should take pride in the "tremendous strides and changes and improvements" that have been made in race relations since 1948. "We were a nation that needed to change," the spokesman said.
Lott was also sharply criticized Tuesday by Ken Connor, president of the conservative Family Research Council. "Senator Lott's ill-considered remarks will serve only to reinforce the false stereotype that white conservatives are racists at heart," he said. "Republicans ought to ask themselves if they really want their party to continue to be represented by Trent Lott."
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, the outgoing head of the Black Caucus, said she called Lott Monday and he apologized to her, saying he was caught up in the moment and did not realize his remarks would be interpreted as they were. Asked if that was sufficient, Johnson said, "We're not finished in this caucus."
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., also said that Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle spoke too quickly on Monday when he said he accepted Lott's explanation that he hadn't meant his words to be so interpreted.
"This is a Democratic Party issue," Waters said. "It is not enough to simply defend or to explain these kinds of statements and then at election time talk about why black Americans should turn out in large numbers."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, who will take over as House Democratic leader next month, said of Lott, "He can apologize all he wants. It doesn't remove the sentiment that escaped his mouth that day."
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, in a statement from its president Kweisi Mfume, said Lott should resign from his leadership post "to make way for another member of the Republican Party whose moral compass is pointed toward improving race relations and not dredging up this nation's poor, polarizing performance of the past."
Lott's comments, Mfume said, "are dangerously divisive and certainly unbefitting a man who is to hold such a highly esteemed leadership role."
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson last weekend also called for Lott's resignation as majority leader.
Lott's spokesman Ron Bonjean, asked about the latest criticisms, said Lott "made a sincere apology and it speaks for itself."
Cummings, a four-term congressman from Baltimore, defeated Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois, founder of the Illinois Black Panthers in 1968 and a member of Congress for 10 years, in the vote to head the all-Democratic black caucus. Other caucus officers for the next session of Congress are Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Corrine Brown of Florida, Danny Davis of Illinois and Barbara Lee of California.
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He's right, just like Jesse's "Hymietown", or Byrd's "White Nigger" comments.
If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)
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This is all a racially motivated RAT scheme to over turn the 2002 elections.
They can go pound sand.
Said to say, but Lott will eventually be forced to step down. I've seen this tactic before from this racist group and in almost every case it works. They push for a bite and instead of being quiet the 'offending' group offers a compromise. Sooner or later the NAALCP gets its way
These self rightious blacks should focus their feigned anger elsewhere...perhaps to the Sudan where Blacks are still enslaving other Balcks for money....Or to Nigeria where Balcks are starving to death because of incompetent black rulers....
. Where on earth is there a nation, run by Black people, that one can say is enlightened and providing freedom, education, a quality lifestyle, and upward mobility for the masses.....How about no where!!
These black groups, such as the NAACP, seem to seek out any perceived slight by whites or Asians to furthur an agenda of racial hatred and divisivness since they don't seem to be able to make it on their own.
These are the kinds of words that the NAACP love to hear so that they can tear this country apart.If anybody's gonna be tearing this country apart, it's gonna be the racist DNC and their NAACP wing.
This is really getting ridiculous. I'm no Trent Lott fan but, this is going beyond the rational. There are plenty of examples of RAT's making stupid, racially tinged remarks but they NEVER rise to this level. I hope this backfires on all of them.
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