Lott

A compliment to Strom Thurmond turns into, by extension, a compliment to the racist policies he defended when he ran for president. And if it were just a misworded attempt at a compliment, why didn't his publicist say that he was trying to compliment Thurmond instead of pussying out with 'Mr. Lott regrets his remarks. Segregation is evil and wrong.'? Saying that it doesn't matter because it happened 50 years ago is stupid, know why? Because racism still exists, and it is widespread!

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In the first place, Trent Lott would have had to be the biggest idiot in the world to get up in front of half the world and announce he was a racist…. In the second place, his publicist should not have had to point out to anyone with any level of intelligence that Lott was trying to compliment Thurmond… it was obvious it was meant as a compliment even though his wording was in poor taste… Lott has since stated he was thinking more about Thurmond’s history of supporting a strong national defense, economic development, and balanced budgets when he said it… and given the fact that Lott has been a strong defender of national defense himself, it may very well be exactly what he did have in mind…

This whole thing has been turned into a witch hunt and if everyone is so concerned about what everyone has had to say, why hasn’t anyone even mentioned what Orrin Hatch said about Thurmond… “He is not only a great man, he’s done great things in his life.” … *gasp* What on earth was Hatch talking about… what great things??? ….

Anyone can take a statement and twist it to suit themselves… you did just that with mine because I never said that it didn’t matter… I said there were more important things to worry about TODAY and in my opinion there are… I’m personally more worried about war with Iraq, another terrorist attack, and what North Korea is planning on doing with their nuclear weapons… things that just happen to be color blind.

And for the record, I am well aware that racism still exists and is widespread… maybe even more so than you because almost every time people think about racism in this country it is a black and white issue and the plight of Native Americans are ignored and swept under the rug…

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I concur. I've read a bit more about the incident and it's clear as day that we was jokingly complimenting Thurmond; IE: we should've elected this guy! You may not like Lott, but there's no way you can possibly believe him to be moronic enough to openly support segregationist policies. He just made an offhand remark without doing his homework and/or thinking through what it indirectly meant.

A stupid mistake, but hardly indicative of racism, IMO.

Agreed. I think the whole thing has been blown way out of proportion. I don't know if he still is or not, but Lott used to be pretty damned racist. However, I think it is very obvious that he was just trying to compliment Thurmond, and not trying to make any kind of statement about race. It should be interesting to see how he does on BET tonight.

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Kick @ss Post!

...racism is alive today and it is a multi-laned freeway, not a one way road.

I'm not so familiar with this "scandal" or whatever you wanna call it; the swedish newspapers aren't exactly stopping the presses for this "scoop". But if I understand it correctly, this Lott fellow will have to carry the weight and be the scapegoat so the republicans won't look bad. Some reporter said he would have to go so it looks like the republicans are dealing with the "racists problem" within the party. So, as always... one guy gets the blame and the real problem is hushed down. The "fight the symptoms, not the disease" tactic has never yet been proved successful.

By the way, Caitlyn... What you said about native americans...

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The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

Well, the word "scapegoat" would be appropriate if Lott had to take the rap for something other people did, which isn't the case here. But he does seem to be in great danger of being sacrificed by the Republicans more because of fear than because they really think he did something horrible. Seems that way to me anyway.

I don't agree with this; why would the Republicans necessarily "look bad" on the whole based on what one member of their party said? It's not as if the party initiated something together, mucked it up, and is looking for a fall guy. This is about Lott and Lott alone.


I don't want to jump to conclusions as to what you mean by this, so I'll merely ask: what is the "real problem," and who's hushing it?

He represent the republicans, doesn't he? It is very possible that his personal views are reflected in his political work. I haven't really done my Lott homework, but if I'm correctly informed, this guy hasn't exactly been known for his anti-segregation efforts in the past. And I heard it wasn't the first time he said something foolish. Maybe it was too much. I don't know... The first time I heard the name Lott was on this board.

We had a similar situation one week before the parliament election in Sweden in september. This reporter went out with a hidden camera and talked to politicians out campaigning, and it turned out every single politician he talked to (except for one) from the biggest conservative party (Moderaterna) made racist remarks on what they thought was off camera. If it had been just one single politician (like Lott), they could have just shrudded it off themselves. But they went from something like 23% of the votes in the election 1998 to about 15% in 2002. This was not of course the entire reason for their great failure in the election, but it sure made a lot of people's minds up.

I referred to that example to show that when you're an elected politician, what you say will always be connected to the party you belong to. No matter where or when you say it.



Well, maybe "hush" wasn't the right word. "Ignore" maybe says it better. And the ones ignoring the real problems are of course the republicans themselves. I don't think Lott is a lone mad dog surrounded by innocent sheep. (Sorry 'bout the corny metaphor). He's the chairman of The Senate or something, right? Do you reach the high postition of Chairman of The Senate if the people around you think your veiws are totally wack?? The Repbulicans has been called a party for white men, and not without reasons, I believe. And like all conservativive parties around the world The Republicans contain elements that still think that certain groups of people (concerning race, sex and/or class) "should know their place". (This, to answer your question, is thus "the real probelm"). The ones within the party that strongly disagree with those views are of course embarrassed by statements like such made by Lott. So let's see what happens next.

I read somewhere the other day that we are moving towards the point where white voters will be a minority group in America. It will be interesting to see how "the party of white men" will deal with that situation.

Here's the now imfamous remark:

"if the rest of the country had of followed our lead we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years"

I think it's the "our lead" part of the statement that bothers me. Trent Lott has never been a supporter of minorities. According to the Washington Post, Lott has "consistently taken positions at odds with those of the traditional civil rights community," - for example, voting against establishing Martin Luther King Day as a federal holiday (Lott quote to Southern Partisan magazine: "Look at the cost involved in the Martin Luther King holiday and the fact that we have not done it for a lot of other people that were more deserving,") and voting against extending the Voting Rights Act. (Interestingly, Strom Thurmond voted in favor of both cases.)

I mean, c'mon it's Martin Luther King. No matter what your beliefs, unless you're a KKK member, Dr. King was a great man who changed the world for the better; he deserved to be recognized.

I'm not a political man but if it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it must be a duck.

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r66-The member who always asks WHY?

By 'compliment' in my previous post, I meant it in the context of Lott commenting on Thurmond's feelings toward segregation. Let me ask you this: when you hear the name Strom Thurmond, what is the immediate thought that pops into your head (aside from geriatric)? Lott has long been associated with shady groups and organizations and has always been ambiguous on the subject of race, and I believe that his slip-up was more revealing about him than you're giving it credit for.

It sounded to me like you were saying that the media should leave it alone, and I disagree. It does matter. And I'm not stupid, there are many more important issues, but this can be learned from. It's my belief that it was a Freudian slip, & it should be analyzed. I'm not saying that I'm not worried about war with Iraq, but I am saying that this is indicative of Lott as a person and should be seen as a symptom of racism as a whole.


How humanistic! You think more about racism than I do because you are aware of the suffering of Native Americans..how self-righteous of you to even make the idea of who is 'more aware' of racism an issue. In all honesty, I don't care what you think about racism, I don't care who 'knows' more about it, and if you want to measure dick size, we can do that in person and not online.

Maybe I'm jumping to wild conclusions here, but I'm pretty sure Caitlyn has no dick.

eh, figure of speech.

I was perfectly aware of how you meant “compliment” in your first post… and now I have a question for you… where in the following comment does Lott make any mention about Thurmond’s feelings toward segregation?

“I want to say this about my state,” Lott said last Thursday. “When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it,” he said to applause. “And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years either.”

??????

Actually the first thing that pops in my mind is his military record. Have you ever bothered to check any of that out? He had quite an impressive career but somehow I doubt that is the answer you were looking for…

Granted Lott was a product of the times and the world he grew up in and would at one time have been labeled a racist… but… people can and do change… if he is such a racist now, why did he champion so many black programs in his home state of Mississippi? In your opinion, should people be forever condemned for past actions?

Okay, let’s take a closer look at this “Freudian slip” as you called it…

“I want to say this about my state,”

Well, Lott is from Mississippi so one can only assume that is what he means here…

“When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him.”

One can only assume Lott, once again, meant the state of Mississippi voted for Thurmond because it certainly could not have been Trent Lott himself… he was only about seven years old at the time…


“We're proud of it.”

Once again, one has to assume he means the state of Mississippi because it definitely couldn’t be Lott himself because as stated before, he was not old enough to vote at the time nor could it possibly be the Republicans since Thurmond ran as a Democrat…

“And if the rest of the country had followed our lead

By “our lead”, one can only assume he is referring to his home state of Mississippi once again because as previously stated, Thurmond ran as a democrat…

“we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years either.'“


“all these problems”… Now what on earth could he mean by that??? Oh… of course… problems = racism… yes.. that’s it… it has to be racism because that is the only problem Americans have faced in the last 50 + years…. He certainly could not have been talking about the Korean War, the Soviet’s mass production of nuclear bombs that they oh so innocently pointed at the USA, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Berlin Wall, JFK’s assassination, Vietnam, Watergate, Made in the USA being replaced by Made in Japan/Made in China/Made in Everywhere but the USA, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy’s assassinations, Columbian drug lords, the Iranian Hostage Crisis, the Iran-Contra affair, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Provide Comfort, Whitewater, America becoming a laughingstock to the rest of the world because of bimbo’s named Paula and Monica, American planes policing no-fly zones in Iraq, Operation Joint Endeavor, September 11th, Anthrax attacks, and America at war against terrorism… just to name a few… No… Trent Lott couldn’t have possibly meant any of those problems because they all pale in comparison to racism…

And now we come to this little gem where once again, you twisted my words around to suit yourself… I never said I knew more about racism than you do nor did I turn it into an issue… I said “MAYBE even more so than you”…. there is a big difference between what I said and what you insinuated but I assume my words hit a nerve somewhere… other wise what I said wouldn’t have made you mad enough to resort to what amounted to a rant that ended with you wanting to measure “dick sizes”… This last paragraph was totally uncalled for and did nothing but reflect your age or lack thereof…

Caitlyn, your post is very hear-felt, and I know that perhaps I'm over re-acting to Lott's comments, getting cought up in the media hype, so I'd like to ask you a few questions--just so I can clearify what you're saying in my mind; I'm not a politcal person.

I like how you broke down the statement Lott made at the party, and I can see your points, about each sentence, up until the last one. Unlike the other portions of the quote you break down, you only concentrate on "our lead" in the last sentence.

Please explain what he meant by

"the rest of the country..." and "...followed..."

Those words seem very separatist to me. Who is he addressing as the "rest"? I'm not sure he meant Republicans, because as you say Thurmond ran as a Democrat.

Also, " followed"....follow whom?

It would be easy for me to ignore Lott's comments if it weren't for the fact that he has made comments like this before. It would also be easier if his actions in the past weren't so blatantly racist.

I don't know. Caitlyn, are you sure Lott isn't a racist, given his actions in the past?

Damn, I think I love you Caitlyn.

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Thank you r66... I’m not normally a political person either or at least a very “vocal one”… I realized after reading over my pervious post, I probably should have broken that statement down a little more, but at around 2am… well…

So… let’s look at it a little closer…


“And if the rest of the country had followed our lead”

By “and the rest of the country” one can only assume, taken Lott’s previous statements regarding Mississippi… he is referring to the states that did not vote for Thurmond in 1948 (If memory servers me right, Thurmond carried the states of Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, and his home state of South Carolina - winning 39 electoral votes - 3rd largest independent win in US history)

By “had followed”, taken his pervious statements, one can only assume he meant if the other states had followed his home state of Mississippi in voting for Thurmond….

And as stated previously… by “our lead”, one can only assume he is referring to his home state of Mississippi once again because as previously stated, Thurmond ran as a democrat…

Lott’s wording may have been in poor taste, but all I can see in his statement is an attempt to make a fellow colleague feel appreciated at his 100th birthday party for all the years he dedicated to public service… regardless to the fact that Thurmond’s early views during that service were less than desirable at times.

You know, I really don’t know what is in Trent Lott’s heart but I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on this… just because a lot of his views were negative in the past is no indication they will be in the future. From what I‘ve read, Trent Lott’s home state of Mississippi has a 36% minority population and he carried 25% of the black vote in the last election and they are publicly standing behind him now… that says something to me because I would think they know better than anyone what he has and hasn’t done.

You said a lot of his actions in the past were blatantly racist and I’m curious about which ones you are referring to and I hope I answered the questions you had. I’m tired so if I missed something, feel free to point it out...

Like I say Caitlyn, I'm not a political person myself, and I could forgive Lott if his comment was just a one-time lapse in couth, but his history shows him to be a strong supporter of segregation and racism:



“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,” are Lott’s exact words.
The presidential ticket Thurmond ran on in 1948 was that of the States Rights Democratic Party. The party’s platform stated: “We stand for the segregation of the races and the racial integrity of each race … we oppose the elimination of segregation, the repeal of miscegenation statutes, the control of private employment by Federal bureaucrats called for by the misnamed civil rights program.”

This is the same Trent Lott who in 1981 tried to save the tax-exempt status of South Carolina’s Bob Jones University, a bastion of the Christian right wing that banned interracial dating, arguing that “racial discrimination does not always violate public policy” and that “racial discrimination in the practice of religion is no violation.”

This is the same Trent Lott who in 1980 persuaded GOP presidential candidate Ronald Reagan to begin his campaign in Neshoba County, Miss. — the site of entrenched segregation and the murder of three civil-rights workers in the early 1960s.

This is the same Trent Lott who in 1997 told Time magazine that as a college student in Mississippi he supported segregation, adding that, “The federal government had no business sending in troops to tell the state what to do.”


Whether this is a result of willful ignorance, plain ignorance, or empathy for his views, attempts to portray Lott’s remarks as aberrant and out-of-the-ordinary ring false to anyone who has followed the Mississippi Republican’s political career.

The above article was taken from MSNBC.