Trent Lott created a lot of problems for himself with his ill-conceived remarks on Strom Thurmond’s 100th Birthday. Sloppy speech is just one of them. A number of key members of the GOP have consistently been disappointed at his patrician, gentlemanly way of dealing with Democratic opponents.
His “get that garbage off my desk,” response to the prosecutor’s report on the Clinton Impeachment trial, his deciding not to call witnesses in the Senate hearings on that issue and his decision to “share power” during the 2002 election transition, have all bristled a lot of stalwart Republicans.
Many Republicans view his coziness with Tom Daschle akin to appeasing an enemy, at least an ideological one. The Democrats have never sought to “share power” with Republicans and never reach out to “the hated opposition.” That’s why many see Lott as “too weak” to lead what is going to have to be a very confrontational Congressional term against a group of determined Democrats.
The Democrats realized there was no way to chase Lott out of the Senate without making a number of their own members equally vulnerable and they had no vested interest in dealing with another Senate Majority Leader, like Nichols or Frist, for instance. For their part, the Senate democrats wanted to keep a wounded Lott in place.
The current GOP agenda includes dismantling the race/gender preferences that have created a segregated set of standards for admissions to higher education, entry-level positions and Civil Service Exams. With Trent Lott at the point, the Democrats will attack this as “endorsing inequality.” In fact, the issue of preferences is one of equal access and equality of opportunity, NOT “equality of results.” The GOP must turn that around and Lott is not the one to pull that off.
Instead of allowing Dems to attack the movement against preferences and against allowing Colleges to take race into account as “racist,” it must challenge the Democrats for their unfailing support for this form of segregation (segregated standards) in a new name.
There are only two reasons why anyone would support race/gender preferences and both are tinged with bigotry. The first posits that blacks are handicapped by past injustices and warrant special treatment – that is blatant anti-black bigotry. The second proffers that whites (specifically poor and working class whites) must pay for the sins of previous generations of wealthy whites (slavery, segregation, etc) – that is blatant anti-white bigotry.
The GOP must also defend tax cuts and limited government as pro-working people, for that’s who benefits most from getting government off everyone’s backs and again, the genial, gentlemanly Trent Lott isn’t the one to push that agenda forward.
Trent Lott was a racist pig. I think what he said was a reflex from his 'good old days.' But I was hoping he would be kept on. I think my reason why might jibe with your view on the subject.
Trent Lott's mistake was in publicly letting the cat out of the bag. As you know, the Republican Party was once the black man's best friend and political savior, but it was not long before the Southern racists took control - the Republican Party was no longer Lincoln's Party, but was the Southern Democrats all over again. Goldwater eventually disgraced the Republican Party with his blatant racism directed not only at blacks but against Asians overseas, whom he said he would use tactical nuclear weapons on, hence he lost to Johnson and the Democrats. Since then the racism was supposed to be kept quiet; i.e., 'quiet racism.'
Trott's blunder and confession including his repentance exposed him to being manipulated. He had to be gotten rid of. I hope he sticks around and that Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and other leaders stay in close touch with him. People can change with the times, including Trent Lott.
The following fallacious statement betrays your own prejudice ('bigotry'):
"There are only two reasons why anyone would support race/gender preferences and both are tinged with bigotry."
I prefer to use the term 'bigot' in its old, "By God" sense.
Keep cranking them out!
Warm regards,
David