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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David Schippers is a conspiracy theorist whose statements about 9/11 disqualify him as a serious human being.
I wouldn't know whether to believe what he wrote or not.
Actually, as I mentioned in another Trent ThurmondGate thread. On the way out this morning I did hear a reporter say, Trent Lott mentioned segregation.
Now I know Lott didn't say it and you know he didn't BUT thats whats being reported. Also, I'm sure black media is reporting it that way as well.
Lott's incompetence as a salesman is not limited to the "race" issue. Listen to him on tax cuts, or energy, or campaign finance reform, or any issue. He concedes the wind, possession of the ball and enthusiasm of the crowd to the other team. He fumbles the ball, throws interceptions, and virtually gives the ball to the other side.
How can we over this din? Everytime I open my mouth about race relations, my opponents will bring up Lott to end the debate.
I hate to say this, but sometimes we just have to play the d*mn game if we want to get anything done.
Sometimes simply doing the right thing is also the best politics.
Democrats always have an alterior motive. If they say they're offended, what they really want is to DESTROY Lott and replace him with a RAT.
You can't beat them at this game.
It's like trying to beat them at social programs, or them trying to beat us on support for the Second Amendment. It can't be done.
And allot of what you are seeing on TV is completely disconnected from reality, those people are so isolated in their ivory tower, beltway existence that they honestly believe this is a big issue with mainstream America and that no one would simply accept it as a mistake, shrug and forget it.
And if we continue to treat it like the goof up that it honestly was, that's exactly what people will do.
This "issue" has already peaked. Now that we have North Korea and a US reminder of intent to use nukes to respond to a WMD attack, the Lott story's going to fall off the rader by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.
Only been a day and it's already high time.
If that ends the debate, then you're arguing with very dumb people. Why are you grovelling to people who've got Louie Farrakhan and Jesse Jackson on their side?
I hate to say this, but sometimes we just have to play the d*mn game if we want to get anything done.
That's not "playing the game." It's throwing in the towel.
Blacks are NOT GOING TO VOTE FOR REPUBLICANS! They're too shackled to that Democrat plantation.
We'd be better off focusing on the Hispanics, whose values are much closer to those of the GOP anyway.
I agree. This is the perfect opportunity for us to get Lott out and get a more effective Majority Leader in.
And we can use the hyper-sensitive, cry-baby hypocrites on the left to help accomplish that goal.
Besides, it was an incredibly dumb thing to say.
I would have said that it's the left that's using you folks. Let's wait and see who ends up in control of the Senate after this all shakes out.
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