Posted on 12/17/2002 8:04:12 PM PST by TLBSHOW
Opposition Research Starts on Nickles
Early this week, I told those of you who want Trent Lott gone that dumping him will not end the smearing. I said, "Even now, Democratic Party operation research is giving a Clymer exam to the records of all potential Lott replacements." Sure enough, Jim Abrams of the Associated Press has run the first hit piece on Senator Don Nickles (R-OK), who came out against Lott on one of the Sunday shows.
Headline: "Nickles' Voting Record on Civil Rights Mirrors Lott's." The subtext here is that Don Nickles embraces segregation, "too" because that's what they say about Lott. This is going to keep happening to Republicans until we stop being worried about whether or not we're all thought of as racists. It's going to keep happening until we start tackling this with the mountain of historical facts about the Republican Party's history on civil rights.
I guarantee you they're working on similar stories about Senators McConnell, Frist, Domenici and anyone else who might replace Lott. Without mentioning the Democrats who also opposed it, Abrams dutifully transcribes the DNC talking point that Nickles opposed making Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday. He does write that "Nickles unsuccessfully pushed alternatives to a paid holiday," but follows it up quickly with the fact that he backed a Jesse Helms amendment to preserved tax exempt status for private schools, such as Bob Jones University.
You must mention Bob Jones; it's obligatory if AP wants to keep getting the DNC faxes and not have to actually do their own research instead. There's a whole bunch of tax exempt colleges out there, but you have to name this one. Everywhere in this article it's "Lott and Nickles." It's like reading an article about Sonny & Cher. AP also reports that "the senators" again, they are one-and-the-same, "differed with the NAACP" on Head Start, education programs, the confirmation of John Ashcroft and global AIDS funding.
So they're all bigots, because they dared disagree with the NAACP and supported Ashcroft. They're already moving on from Lott to Nickles, as proved by the quote AP printed from Hillary Shelton, director of the NAACP's Washington office: "We're concerned..." Oh, she's quoting Daschle! "We're concerned that Nickles has voted just as poorly or even more poorly than Trent Lott." [Italics added] Do you see this? Nickles is even worse, now! I hate to say See, I Told You So, but this is all happening. We have to take this garbage on. There's no other way to stop it.
The man simply tossed every iota of dignity and self-respect into the toilet. Then he tried to flush down ours.
He lost me last night. AND he lost himself...
NOT when the control of the US Senate rides on your ability to humbly do the right thing for your country. Even you guys admit the guy is dead meat. But you keep brandishing the threat that he might step down to try and bring people in line. ARE YOU SLOW? It didn't work several days ago, and it won't work now....it just infuriates people when someone tries to club them into submission!
You accuse me of being ignorant of politics, but you don't even seem to have the simplest knowledge of human nature.
Conservatives can't be driven like cattle, they must be led!
They are patiently waiting for leadership...but their patience is wearing extremely thin....like me, they are sick to death of cr*ppy leaders like Lott.
So far, the ball has been played by the GOP. Lott will resign as ML. The ball now goes one of two ways. The price to keep Snowe, Chaffee or McCain will be the ML spot and second in command. Or the Democrats pick it up and call for a censure vote against Lott. There is NO way the republicans can challenge the vote since they removed him as a racist. No senator has ever stayed under, threat of, or actual censure. In either case Lott is gone and liberals have won.
Someone, I am sure without Lott's knowledge or blessing I would hope but don't quite believe, has made almost everyone who is sentient and at all interested in politics, aware of that. How could anyone at FR NOT be aware of it, since it has been that premier argument for pronouncing the animated cadaver as still in the game? The odd thing is though, is that most have reached the conclusion that even assuming arguendo that the sword is next to our throats, most are willing to proceed irrespective of that risk. Thus, the specter has ceased to haunt. We have been set free. It is quite liberating, as the dissonance retreats like the mist against a dry Santa Ana wind.
You are without a doubt defining rationality downwards.
Actually, every Senator who has ever been censured has completed his term. If Lott resigned as a result of a censure vote, he would be the first in history.
Now I'm back to lurking ;)
Losing is good and we are Olympic champions.
Didn't Chaffee already say he was worried they would get someone more conservative than Lott.. That's his beef with Nickles. Too conservative.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.