Posted on 12/18/2002 5:08:34 PM PST by RCW2001
JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
©2002 Associated Press
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/12/18/national1732EST0727.DTL
(12-18) 16:53 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --
Whether Trent Lott stays or goes, Democrats and civil rights groups see his apparent nostalgia for a segregated past as a golden opportunity to revive a hate crimes bill, push a minimum wage increase and force the White House to tilt new tax cuts toward minorities and the poor.
They predict the sudden Republican sensitivity to racial issues will continue whether or not Lott stays on as GOP Senate leader in the next Congress, when the party will control both houses.
"Trent Lott is the cue stick by which we engage in our game of billiards," said Rev. Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and president of the Black Leadership Council.
Democrats predicted a new civil rights spotlight on their rivals.
"Republicans have to prove, not only to us, of course, but to the American people that they are as sensitive to this question of racism, this question of civil rights, this question of equal opportunity, as they say they are," Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle told CNN. "But whether or not they truly are depends on who they nominate, what actions they take, how they vote."
Lott ran into trouble Dec. 5 at a 100th birthday party for Sen. Strom Thurmond, who ran for president as a segregationist in 1948. Lott said people in Mississippi were proud to have voted for Thurmond at the time, adding, "if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years either."
He since has apologized repeatedly, but GOP officials have sounded increasingly eager to usher Lott off the leadership stage, worried that the race-based controversy would affect their ability to increase the party's share of the black vote.
Lott has refused to step down, saying he can do more to atone as Senate Majority leader.
Democrats say the issues that Lott may have helped them push include an expansion of hate crimes legislation to cover sexual orientation, which Republicans blocked this year; a minimum wage increase; national legislation banning racial profiling; reform of death penalty laws, which activists say is used against minorities more than anyone else; and AIDS funding, especially for Africa.
Consideration of any of those issues would have been unlikely in a Republican-controlled Congress.
Democrats are also looking at bringing up more affirmative action programs, which Lott said he supports. "I do feel that affirmative action is necessary and essential as we try to bring people of all backgrounds religions and races into the mainstream in America to have opportunity," Lott told ABC on Tuesday.
Democrats are particularly looking at proposing educational affirmative action to ensure university and college admissions are fair to minorities and first-generation college-goers, officials said.
"I think it would be good to have a leader who now believes in affirmative action and will take steps to make sure that affirmative action programs are implemented in every aspect of our lives," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., a leader of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Even the Republican bedrock issue -- tax cuts -- will be affected by the Lott controversy, Democrats say. One Democratic aide, speaking anonymously, said Democrats plan to take him up on pushing tax policies that are beneficial to low-income Americans.
A Democratic House member, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said he relished the idea of Lott staying as Senate Majority leader or even as just a senator, saying the gaffe opened the door for all kinds of Democratic legislation.
©2002 Associated Press
Well, of course he would, but I see it as a reason Lott should no longer be ML.
Uh-uh.
It's the REPUBLICANS' fault. If they hadn't been so stupid as to allow the smear against Lott to stand, this tactic wouldn't have legs.
It ain't LOTT they're going after, it's ALL REPUBLICANS.
Pubbies are gonna run out of leaders to run off or censure before this dies down.
The Oppositions Research is already in full throttle.
Pubs could've closed ranks around Lott, knowing that he wasn't the ultimate target, but they stupidly didn't and now we're in for an interesting two years.
Considering the cowardice that Lott showed on the BET interview, there won't be any "facing it" with Lott as Majority Leader.
That dog won't hunt. It's time to get a new dog that is not afraid of the pheasants.
More intense naivete on the part of our team.
Watch for DeLay to be one of the next targets, in fact.
This is also correct. If Rove was such a genius then he would have called Lott ASAP to tell him to CLARIFY the remarks NOT apologize. This was not done. The Bushies were silent, then distanced themselves as soon as possible to leave Lott (and the party) dangling by fingernails.
The problem is that, in today's world, no matter how principled a position is, it will never hold up to cold, calculated political opportunism. Therefore, the first order of business is to stand against trumped up politically motivated charges. Then deal with the principles on your own terms.
One can only hope that extreme demagoguery from Democrats, coupled with principled responses from Republicans, will reinforce the concept that "adults are [still] in charge."
-PJ
Shouldn't that read: Democrats plan to use Lott gaffe to push civil rights racism against whites agenda in Congress?
Legs?
Had Lott shown some cojones at the get-go, and taken his own hard stand to ward off a smear, this whole thing would never have GROWN legs in the first place.
If Lott had done ONE THING in his own behalf, besides grovel to protect his own hide that is, maybe THIS Republican would have cut him some slack.
As one poster put it so eloquently last night: Lott tossed a grenade to the dems, then failed to fall on it before the dems threw it back into the GOP's face.
And the dirty truth is that this program, started under Ford, got two expansions under Reagan/Bush that had already put it into that category before Clinton even got there.
Who gives a fat rat's ass?? Let 'em do it! It'll only backfire... again.
Could the pent up anger over the Clinton impeachment spilling over and giving this story long, long "legs" have helped fill that old Christmas pie?
Just food for thought ;^)
...a minimum wage increase;
NO
...national legislation banning racial profiling;
NO
...reform of death penalty laws, which activists say is used against minorities more than anyone else;
NO
...and AIDS funding, especially for Africa.
H--- NO
...Democrats are particularly looking at proposing educational affirmative action to ensure university and college admissions are fair to minorities and first-generation college-goers, officials said.
NO
"I think it would be good to have a leader who now believes in affirmative action and will take steps to make sure that affirmative action programs are implemented in every aspect of our lives," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., a leader of the Congressional Black Caucus.
NO
Even the Republican bedrock issue -- tax cuts -- will be affected by the Lott controversy, Democrats say. One Democratic aide, speaking anonymously, said Democrats plan to take him up on pushing tax policies that are beneficial to low-income Americans.
NO
This is all about opportunist politicians buying votes for their constituency, once again.
If Dems could, they would. But, hey, for their constituents, it makes a good sound bite.
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