Opposition Research Starts on Nickles (See I told You)NAACP & DNC ALERT

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.

We've shown the Left that they only have to INSINUATE racism, and we're quivering in our boots. That's what YOU PEOPLE have done. Congratulations, hope you enjoy your hollow victory.

Getting a real Senate Majority Leader instead of Lott as Senate Majority Casper Milque Toast would not be hollow. However, I would rather see Lott keep his job rather than lose it over this. But if he plans on racing forward with affirmative action legislation he is showing he will be a slave to his critics. A slave to the Democrats is no leader, but that is precisely what he seemed to be promising on his BET interview. Fifty-one percent of Americans did not vote for a new Senate to begin passing affirmative action legislation.

I am sorry about Lott. He screwed up royally by saying the statement in the first place. He then screwed up by issuing half-hearted apologies that were too verbose and he thus worked himself into more problems. Now he screwed up by promising to kiss a$$ if he can retain his leadership post.

He has not demonstrated any qualities of a leader I would want to follow in how he has dealt with the situation. You think getting him to resign his leadership post is what the Demons wanted and thus we are caving. I disagree, the Demons want him to remain a wounded leader they are able to roll for the next two years. Lott says he is ready to be rolled. You want him to roll for the next two years? I don't. And hopefully a majority of Republican Senators don't either.

I am still willing to listen, though I do not know how anyone can construct a reasonable scenario where he can stay.

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