LOTT THREATENS TO QUIT THE SENATE IF FORCED FROM LEADERSHIP

Newsnight with Aaron Brown | 12/13/2002 | Jonathan Karl

[sinkspur]

Trent Lott, in a conference call with 27 GOP Senate Republicans today, said that he would leave the Senate if forced from the Leader position.

Jonathan Karl said three or four of the Senators viewed this as "blackmail," but that the majority still support Lott and want him to continue as Leader.

[Texasforever]

democrat party because lott had had a gay affair when he was in college.

I see we have another Larry Flynt wannabe.

[dalebert]

What have people around this place got to do with Lotts bad deed. He is the one who made the big mistake and now he wants everyone to take the heat for it. I don't want the Republican party to wear the face of Tren Lott.

[Cold Heat]

He would be left with no choice. he would be publicly humiliated.

Those who cannot find it within themselves to come to his defense on this occasion and for this sorry ass attempt at a power grab, should be ashamed.

[okie01]

"How would you feel if you were judged too racist to be Majority Leader, but not racist enough to be Senator from Mississippi?"

Beg to differ. In my opinion, Lott should not be judged as a racist.

Stupid and feckless? Now that's a whole 'nother issue...

[Kay Soze]

What's the difference btewen Hillary and trent?

Only the hair do!

[sinkspur]

Show him the personal political black pit that is waiting for him if he undoes all the work Republicans have done to retake the Senate.

What "black pit"? He's out of politics, and working in Mississippi lobbying, or on the Boards of 5 or 6 Mississippi companies who appreciate what Lott has done for the State.

Hell, he could quintuple his salary if he left.

[Texasforever]

What have people around this place got to do with Lotts bad deed.

What "bad deed"? Show us ONE racial remark Lott has made.

[dalebert]

Loss of the Senate again?

[Clara Lou]

I'm interested: Do you hold Lott responsible for putting himself in this position? Or just those who are sick of him?

[Texasforever]

Those who cannot find it within themselves to come to his defense on this occasion and for this sorry ass attempt at a power grab, should be ashamed.

They have no shame.

[EternalVigilance]

He'll be leader until somebody can figure out an alternative.

Rick Santorum or Don Nickles.

There. That wasn't hard.

[tubebender]

If Lott resigns it's going to be a long nuclear winter for Republicans.

[Lurker]

Leave it to Lott to make this all about him.

What a f****** weasel.

Mere words cannot convey the depth of contempt I feel for him. It wasn't enough for him to emasculate the House during the Impeachment, it wasn't enough for him to agree to 'power sharing' when he had the majority, and it wasn't enough when he couldn't stop Jeffords from bolting to the Dems.

Oh no, he has to hold on the the ML job, no matter how much damage it does to his Party, the President, or the Nation.

Anyone with a shred of personal honor would acknowledge that they said something incredibly stupid, and reason from the leadership and be content with a Committe Chair. Noone seriously expects him to resign from the Senate itself, but Lott just can't quite wrap himself around the concept of personal honor.

Well, the rest of the Republicans should call him on this. Go ahead Cheerleader Lott, resign and negate the results of a National Election. Resign you seat and throw control of the Senate back to Tom Daschle.

Rank and file Republicans would be holding a lottery to see who got to hunt him down with dogs....

L

[redbaiter]

If it's a choice between temporarily losing the Senate and permanently ridding ourselves of this accomodationist wimp, then that's a no-brainer. This is the guy who stabbed the House managers in the back, and handed Tom Daschle the keys to the Senate. Good riddance to him, Jim Jeffords, Lincoln Chafee and the whole worthless RINO crowd. We can get our house in order, then take back the Senate.

[Kay Soze]

He has repetedly put himself in this position.

after 4 times it displays his true racist beleifs.

[sinkspur]

No offense, but, is this substantiated?

Half the stuff posted on this forum is not substantiated.

All I did was report what I heard Jonathan Karl say. If you want to e-mail Karl and see if he'll give up his source, be my guest.

[Yaelle]

for what it's worth, roger hedgecock, broadcasting from washington d.c. during the impeachment, said that lott was being blackmailed by the democrat party because lott had had a gay affair when he was in college.

If that's true, that explains some things.

No matter what, leaving him in power due to blackmail just to have the majority puts us all in an ethically challenged situation. What a selfish SOB. THANKS A LOTT.

[Cold Heat]

I hold you responsible for believing this lie.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Okay, that's it. He's finished. They should vote him out as leader, and immediately afterwards pump him full of a very strong sedative so he'll forget all about leaving the Senate and all about anything, and keep him pumped full of them round the clock for the rest of term, so he'll be a good boy like ol' Strom and just vote like he's told to.

Pretty d**n clear that the good of the party is not a priority for him, so he's got no business being its leader in the Senate.

[esmith]

If another election was held in 90 days, how would any
republican be able to win with this over our heads. Let Lott
stay.