The GOP, Party of Cowards

Ever Vigilant ^ | 12/23/2003 | Lee R. Shelton IV

[sheltonmac]

Most Americans seem to believe that Trent Lott deserved to suffer for his "insensitive" comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday celebration. Now that Lott has been forced to step down as Senate Majority Leader, neo-conservative Republicans are the ones cheering the loudest.

"We've wanted him gone for a long time," some have said. "We needed to get rid of him and move on with our agenda." The trouble is, no one in the party seems to know exactly what that agenda is.

Of course, that hasn't stopped neo-cons before. Pragmatism has always trumped principle, and as long as the polls reflect public approval for their actions, they really don't care about anything else. They must increase their majority in 2004 at any cost, and to do that they must first shake their xenophobic image.

As everyone knows, the GOP has long been branded as the party of racists. Such labels have been successfully utilized by the liberal left for years, and Republicans have tried everything to keep those labels from sticking. The end result is that in order to present the voting public with a kinder, gentler GOP, Republicans typically begin adopting Democratic positions.

It's the same three-step process every time: 1) liberals make the accusation of racism against a Republican, 2) the Republican denies the charge and 3) the Republican agrees to sign on to the liberal agenda, hoping that in doing so he might prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is not a racist. The entire fiasco surrounding Trent Lott is only the latest example of this kind of Republican cowardice.

Lott's comments sparked all the predictable reactions from all the usual suspects. Men like Al Sharpton and NAACP president Kweisi Mfume —both veteran champions of racial divisiveness —wasted no time in attacking the senator.

Sharpton, who had remained strangely silent in 2001 when Senate Democrat Robert Byrd let fly with his "white niggers" remark, said, "[Lott] should step aside. No one is saying that if the people of Mississippi want to elect him to the Senate that they don't have the right to do that. But to be the head of the party in the Senate, given the sensitivity of that position for the interest of the country and the party, Mr. Lott should step aside."

Mfume's response was a bit more harsh. He called Lott's little speech "hateful bigotry that has no place in the halls of the Congress," and dismissed Lott's subsequent apology as "too little, too late."

Reacting to the verbal barrage from the left, the neo-cons scattered. No one even bothered to mention the possibility that Lott was simply acknowledging the distinguished political career of his 100-year-old colleague. Nobody proposed that when the senator from Mississippi implied that we would be better off had Strom Thurmond been elected president in 1948, he was referring to some of the more noble causes Thurmond stood for, like states' rights and a less-intrusive federal government.

No, the neo-cons were so desperate to prove that they could be just as racially sensitive as their slightly more liberal counterparts that Lott's political fate had already been sealed. He was the perfect fall guy, and his sacrifice was worth it if it meant keeping the GOP in power.

Republicans, listen up. Whether you agree that Trent Lott should have resigned as Majority Leader or not, his ousting is yet another sign that you just don't get it. No matter what you say or do, you will always be viewed by the left as a bunch of bigots and racists. Bending to political peer pressure doesn't help —in fact, it makes you look weak. The sooner you learn that, the sooner we can begin repairing the damage your party has done to the conservative cause.

But it's probably too late. The mob has spoken, and Trent Lott has been forced out of his leadership role. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah summed up what Republicans expect of Bill Frist, Lott's successor: "I think Bill has a kind of a more moderate record and a more moderate approach toward things, and I think that it's going to be very difficult to criticize him."

In other words, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." And that, my friends, has become the battle cry of the neo-conservatives in the GOP, Party of Cowards.

[hchutch]

But a lot of folks could interpret his comments to mean otherwise - and quotes are in the ey of the beholder.

Trent Lott was dumb enough to give the left a target and he had enough that could make the race card stick. There's enough there that it could stick. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Lott was indefensible.

Now, I have high regard for Ann Coulter, but as her book Slander makes clear (A book I have read, by the way), the media (outside of Fox News and the Washington Times) will target our guys for the slightest slip-up without any regard for the truth.

On the other hand, Frist just made the headlines, too, in case you haven't noticed. Let me tell you something - the average person is going to note two things:

1. We took action against someone who made REPEATED comments that could reasonably be interpreted as saying a segregationist should have been elected in 1948. We replaced him.

2. The guy who replaced him just made the headlines - for assisting the victims of a nasty wreck. He helped to save four of the six victims. And attacking him is going to make the Dems look HORRIBLE.

We know the left and the media will slander/libel our guys if they can. It's better to have folks who will be very hard to have it stick. The best option is to have someone who will be of such charcter (as Frist is) that the attacks are SEEN by the people as slander/libel.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Just think of Barney Frank..."

Yep...Barney has bent over for many in his day.

[dogbyte12]

TLB... do a two word google search. Meese Commission. Your prayers will be answered.

[deport]

As the Ann Coulter said, Trent never said that we should have elected a segregationist as President

---

Very true..... but it matters not one whit what Ann says but rather this entire thing is about what Trent said. Ann has nothing to do with it, other than in your mind.

Lott said: "I want to say this about my state, when Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it, 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's said in re his remarks: "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.''

So Lott admits he used words that were of a poor choice and conveyed an impression that he embraced the policies of the past. Preception is what gets people in trouble and Lott never was able to turn that around.

[FreeReign]

A lose-lose situation Wouldn't it be refreshing if our officials in Washington had the courage to admit what most voters have long figured out - that making goods cheaply in developing countries hasn't done much to raise the standard of living for most foreign workers, nor has it turned them into consumers of American products. Rather, in too many instances, global trade has meant soaring unemployment for low-skilled Americans who can least afford to lose their jobs. Glenn Burkins Charlotte Observer August 12, 2002

Unemployment for all Americans has remained relatively flat, while the costs of manufactured items to the consumer has gone down.

[cynicom]

ALL....

When the dems/media take after Frist (and they will), I wonder if republicans will want conservatives to join in the Frist defense?????

[ImpBill]

"Yeah, and the Republicans stink to high heaven."

Isn't it interesting that I can agree with you on this premise, but totally disagree with your methond of having arrived at it. I think they started airing their fowl ordor when through the Lott leadership they first caved on the Xlinton Impeachment trial and then with the power sharing arrangement with D'Aschole.

I left party membership because of Lott and his supporters long ago and could care less what brought him down. Just glad to see him gone. Hoping they might return to being a party of "principled" conservative leadership again, but I am not holding my breath.

[Mark17]

look how many voted for GOP candidates in the 2002 elections, in defiance of historical patterns of the party holding the White House losing ground in midterm elections.

Yes that did happen, but wasn't it the 98 elections, where slick Willie was in power, and the demon rats also gained seats instead of losing them?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Lott spent the better part of the past ten years administering CPR to the Democrats.

The impeachment (I had actually given Trent a pass on that, convinced that it was a smart political move), the power-sharing scheme, his failure to maintain control of the Senate Republicans with Jefford's switch, and now, a remark so idiotic that it singlehandedly revitalized a demoralized, disjointed Democratic Party.

If you don't demote Generals for losing battle after battle, and constantly giving ground to the enemy, what do you demote them for?

[Mark17]

And attacking him is going to make the Dems look HORRIBLE.

Aren't the Rats already trying to demonize Frist for the treatment of animals while in Med School?

[TLBSHOW]

I wonder if republicans will want conservatives to join in the Frist defense?????

Frist is the leader and if the rats attack him I will defend him too but will the GOP?

[F.J. Mitchell]

All true, every word. Our November victory will be nothing more than an identical clone to a mud fence ugly demogogaRAT sweep if Bill Frist is more moderate (liberalese for flaming liberal) than Trent Lott.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Enter Johnny One-note.

And I might add, beware of liberal, anti-American leftist and racist, dressed as conservatives.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"I wonder if republicans will want conservatives to join in the Frist defense?"

I love that.

It's the rant du jour of the lunatic fringe. Suggesting that Republicans are not conservatives.

Here's the deal cy: While all conservatives are not Republicans, all Republicans are conservatives.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Playing the race card Joe?

[Luis Gonzalez]

Feeling enpowered by the Dems these days?

[cynicom]

TLB...

Dems are aready salivating from the mouth over Frist. The Frist family is worth about a billion bucks from HCA 25 per cent holdings. HCA stole about a billion from Medicare, now you know the dems are going to ride that horse to death.

[hchutch]

Haven't heard anything but rumors on that... but I have seen the headlines of how he assisted in that accident in Florida - and in the next day or two it's going to show up in other papers as well. That is the key - yeah, you'll get the slamming from the Left over anything they can dig up.

But Frist, unlike Lott, has quite a few markers as well. The man got results as head of the NRSC. He's going to have a decent-sized amount of goodwill as a result of his actions down in Florida. Lott did not have much goodwill banked away for his final screw-up as Majority Leader.

[Coleus]

What made Ronald Reagan a great president was that he was NOT afraid of the press and didn't govern by polls. We will never see a repbulican like him again. Can you imagine any republican in office today going to the Iron Curtain and telling Gorby to tear it down?

I lost respect for Lott when he refused to go after Clinton after Clinton was Impeached. It was up to Lott and the Senate to have Clinton removed from office.

George Bush and Trent Lott APPROVED the appointing of 5 PRO-ABORTION judges in NJ. Bush no more in 2004!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/794020/posts

[KeyBored]

"I'm looking for a Political Party with the principles the Republicans claim to have and the balls the Democrats actually have."

Principles? Better call Starfleet, 'cause that particular party doesn't exist on THIS planet.