Little Ado About Lott
Those Republicans, bless their little learning-disabled hearts, have finally allowed Trent Lott in from the cold. After being sentenced to a mere four years in the weeds for his ill-conceived remarks supporting the good old days of segregation (remarks made during Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party), the Republicans have resurrected Trent in full, putting him second in command behind Mitch McConnell. Trent apparently beat out Lamar Alexander by a single vote.
Trent blames losing his position as Senate Majority Leader in December of 2002 on Bill Frist, President Bush, and unnamed members of the Bush administration. Were he a man of principles, he would understand that he died at his own hand. At the time he was ousted, it was rumored that Republicans were happy to see him go, in large part because of his single-minded pursuit of impeachment for President Clinton, combined with his perceived incompetence at getting the Senate to ultimately convict the President.
Trent began his career as a pro-segregationist Democrat, but quickly became a Republican once the Democrats embraced the civil rights movement. After serving as an administrative assistant to one of the leading segregationists in the House, Democrat William Colmer, Lott became a Republican and ran for the seat Colmer vacated when he retired. Colmer endorsed Lott as his successor, even though Lott ran as a Republican.
As a member of the House, Lott voted against the renewal of the Voting Rights Act and he opposed the Martin Luther King Holiday. He maintained his affiliation with the Council of Conservative Citizens, an organization that the NAACP and the Southern Poverty Law Center both list as a hate group.
Given the overwhelming failure in the 2006 elections of the Republican "Black Like Me" strategy (supporting African American Candidates running in open House and Senate races based on perceived attractiveness to minority voters), it's no surprise that Trent Lott would find himself back in the saddle again.
Trent blames losing his position as Senate Majority Leader in December of 2002 on Bill Frist, President Bush, and unnamed members of the Bush administration. Were he a man of principles, he would understand that he died at his own hand. At the time he was ousted, it was rumored that Republicans were happy to see him go, in large part because of his single-minded pursuit of impeachment for President Clinton, combined with his perceived incompetence at getting the Senate to ultimately convict the President.
Trent began his career as a pro-segregationist Democrat, but quickly became a Republican once the Democrats embraced the civil rights movement. After serving as an administrative assistant to one of the leading segregationists in the House, Democrat William Colmer, Lott became a Republican and ran for the seat Colmer vacated when he retired. Colmer endorsed Lott as his successor, even though Lott ran as a Republican.
As a member of the House, Lott voted against the renewal of the Voting Rights Act and he opposed the Martin Luther King Holiday. He maintained his affiliation with the Council of Conservative Citizens, an organization that the NAACP and the Southern Poverty Law Center both list as a hate group.
Given the overwhelming failure in the 2006 elections of the Republican "Black Like Me" strategy (supporting African American Candidates running in open House and Senate races based on perceived attractiveness to minority voters), it's no surprise that Trent Lott would find himself back in the saddle again.
Labels: Politics
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