Republicans gift to the democrats

[Alonzo]

WASHINGTON - Sen. Trent Lott (news, bio, voting record), ousted from the top Senate Republican leadership job four years ago because of remarks considered racially insensitive, won election to the No. 2 post Wednesday for the minority GOP in the next Congress.

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Lott returned to the center of power by getting the position of vote-counting GOP whip, nosing out Sen. Lamar Alexander (news, bio, voting record). Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record) told reporters that Lott beat Alexander by a 25-24 vote.

After an intense evening in which both men lobbied colleagues during floor votes, the Republican caucus elected Lott, a one-time whip and majority leader, by secret ballot. Lott will be the GOP's second-in-command to Sen. Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) of Kentucky, who was elected unanimously to be the Senate minority leader in the new Congress.

With the midterm elections finished and Santorum, another candidate for the post, failing to win re-election, Lott cast himself as the more experienced candidate and the better choice for a job.

The Tennessee senator was not new to the art of counting votes among finicky colleagues, any one of whom can use Senate procedure to hold up business or kill legislation. A former Cabinet secretary and governor and now a deputy Republican whip, Alexander cast himself as a morale-booster for a demoralized Republican caucus.

Remaining neutral was McConnell, who was uncontested to be the Republican minority leader. He'll replace Sen. Bill Frist (news, bio, voting record), R-Tenn., who is retiring from the Senate under a self-imposed term limit and is a potential contender for the GOP presidential nomination in two years.

Lott's victory over Alexander showcases his lobbying and vote-counting skills. Alexander had campaigned for the position for 18 months and the night before was predicting that he would win by as many as 30 votes. But Lott's last-minute lobbying -- by telephone, on the Senate floor, in the hallways -- turned the secret balloting into a comeback.

The win reinstates one of the Senate's best dealmakers, a skill certain to come in handy in a chamber split by one vote — at a time when both parties want legislative accomplishments to tout on the campaign trail in 2008.

Lott, R-Miss., relished his duties as majority leader but stepped down in 2002 under pressure over remarks that were interpreted as racially insensitive. He has long hinted at making a comeback bid.

The GOP whip's race was but one source of suspense in the wake of the midterm balloting, in which war-weary voters stripped President Bush's party of its majority. Congress returned to a lame-duck session to pass a budget, and the Senate was considering Bush's nomination of a new defense secretary.

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats elected their leadership roster.

Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Minority Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois will ascend to majority leader and majority whip, respectively.

Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., will continue as the chairman of the party's campaign fundraising committee. Schumer also will add vice chairman to his title, making him No. 3 in the leadership and a chief strategist.

Sen. Patty Murray (news, bio, voting record) of Washington will serve as conference secretary; Debbie Stabenow of Michigan will chair the steering committee; and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota will serve as chairman of the research-focused policy committee.

House Democrats choose their leaders on Thursday; House Republicans elect theirs on Friday.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061115/ap_on_go_co/congress_leaders_7

Glad to see he's back in power. I'm sure this will work wonders for minority votes.

[ECW]

Betcha a nickel he won't be answering any questions about Strom Thurmond.

[BoogyMan]

I don't get this whole mess with Trent Lott, yes he said they voted for Thurmond but he said nothing about Thurmonds previous bigoted past.Â*Â*That part was assumed.Â*Â*The same folks who get so hostile over this will give Robert Byrd a complete pass on his KKK membership.

This is one of those do as we say not as we do debates as far as I can see.

I bet you are right though ECW, I bet you would have to beat him with a stick to even get him to say the name out loud.

[Alonzo]

The same folks who get so hostile over this will give Robert Byrd a complete pass on his KKK membership.

Byrd has recieved 100% ranking from the NAACP and his voting record indicates that he behaves differently now. Trent lott's actions, and the actions of others, may differ today than what they were in the past, but they have not as dramatically changed their behavior and their public opinion on race as Byrd has.

[BoogyMan]

Byrd has recieved 100% ranking from the NAACP and his voting record indicates that he behaves differently now. Trent lott's actions, and the actions of others, may differ today than what they were in the past, but they have not as dramatically changed their behavior and their public opinion on race as Byrd has.


I wasn't aware that Lott had a racist voting record, that is the whole point of my query.

[Alonzo]

I wasn't aware that Lott had a racist voting record, that is the whole point of my query.


His voting record does not indicate racism but does not indicate otherwise. So, basically, it says nothing on that issue. But his past connections with groups such as the council of conservative citizens (he has been a keynote speaker at their events). Lott made the reference to Thurdmond multiple times in the past couple decades. It was not something he had never uttered before. And he defended Bob Jones University when it came under attack for its ban on interracial dating.

Basically, you can point to Byrds behavior and say that whatever is within his mind, electing him to the senate does not bring the influence of a racist. He may be, but the effect is that of a man strongly opposed to racism.

Lott may be a fool (for repeatedly engaging in behavior that is suggestive of racism and not realizing it), which I doubt. He may not be a racist, he may be one. The evidence seems to tip towards the racist side, simply because of the multiple questionable actions and comments from him, and without anything to really counter that, like Byrd has.

[BoogyMan]

His voting record does not indicate racism but does not indicate otherwise. So, basically, it says nothing on that issue. But his past connections with groups such as the council of conservative citizens (he has been a keynote speaker at their events). Lott made the reference to Thurdmond multiple times in the past couple decades. It was not something he had never uttered before. And he defended Bob Jones University when it came under attack for its ban on interracial dating.

Basically, you can point to Byrds behavior and say that whatever is within his mind, electing him to the senate does not bring the influence of a racist. He may be, but the effect is that of a man strongly opposed to racism.

Lott may be a fool (for repeatedly engaging in behavior that is suggestive of racism and not realizing it), which I doubt. He may not be a racist, he may be one. The evidence seems to tip towards the racist side, simply because of the multiple questionable actions and comments from him, and without anything to really counter that, like Byrd has.

I have not done any in depth reading on the council of conservative citizens, but will read up a bit later tonight.Â*Â*One thing I found on their site in a cursory examination that gave me the willies was their "we must remain a european people" skreed.

I do feel the need, however, to point out that Lott has never publicly used the n-word as Byrd has following it up with an effort to explain it away.Â*Â*The fact that he was a klansman and will publicly use that word, no matter what contextual premise, speaks volumes.

Byrd fillibustered the 1964 civil rights act for over 14 hours before giving in.Â*Â*Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byrd#Filibuster_of_the_Civil_Rights_Act_of_ 1964)

Byrd also stated he would never fight "with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."Â*Â*Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byrd#Participation_in_the_Ku_Klux_Klan)

Three years after Byrd supposedly left the Klan he wrote a letter that stated "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia" and "in every state in the Union." Link (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/18/AR2005061801105_pf.html)

[Alonzo]

Thurmond stood right along side Byrd for that fillibuster, and Lott praised him on more than one occasion.

But you entirely missed the point. When someone is arguing that a person has denounced his past and done a 180 in regards to his actions, pointing out the past, at least the period that he supposedly changed from, isn't evidence against that statement.

White nigger should be condemned, but the key is how was it intended. That's been the question since it was uttered.

[BoogyMan]

Thurmond stood right along side Byrd for that fillibuster, and Lott praised him on more than one occasion.

But you entirely missed the point. When someone is arguing that a person has denounced his past and done a 180 in regards to his actions, pointing out the past, at least the period that he supposedly changed from, isn't evidence against that statement.

White nigger should be condemned, but the key is how was it intended. That's been the question since it was uttered.


I think I got the point but apparently didn't make my commentary clear enough to get what I was trying to say to come out with clarity. There is no simpler way to put it than I don't believe that Byrd has changed. He still uses phraseology from the old days and his actions after the time that he supposedly denounced his former alliance with the KKK supports the idea that his denouncement was in aid of his political career.

Lott has done some stupid things, that is true, but there are not skeletons banging on his closet door crying to get some air. His comments about Strom Thurmond were just plain stupid, he should have considered the fact that words mean things and so do associations.

[ECW]

Thurmond stood right along side Byrd for that fillibuster, and Lott praised him on more than one occasion.

But you entirely missed the point. When someone is arguing that a person has denounced his past and done a 180 in regards to his actions, pointing out the past, at least the period that he supposedly changed from, isn't evidence against that statement.

White nigger should be condemned, but the key is how was it intended. That's been the question since it was uttered.


I think I got the point but apparently didn't make my commentary clear enough to get what I was trying to say to come out with clarity.Â*Â*There is no simpler way to put it than I don't believe that Byrd has changed.Â*Â*He still uses phraseology from the old days and his actions after the time that he supposedly denounced his former alliance with the KKK supports the idea that his denouncement was in aid of his political career.

Lott has done some stupid things, that is true, but there are not skeletons banging on his closet door crying to get some air.Â*Â*His comments about Strom Thurmond were just plain stupid, he should have considered the fact that words mean things and so do associations.


I think Byrd has changed but I think no matter how much he has changed won't matter to some people because of where he came from to begin with. Many folks never forgave George Wallace even tho he was pretty benign at the end of his career. Same goes for Harry Byrd.

Trent Lott an the other hand still erupts with his "kinder, gentler" racism every few years. His association with "european first" groups is witness to that and his Thurmond comments are merely icing on the cake. I'm glad he has re-ascended the GOP ladder because he will be a constant reminder where all the Kloset Klansmen and good-old-boys have gone: to the Republican Party. Good riddance.

[Alonzo]

There is no simpler way to put it than I don't believe that Byrd has changed. He still uses phraseology from the old days and his actions after the time that he supposedly denounced his former alliance with the KKK supports the idea that his denouncement was in aid of his political career.


But his comments on the KKK came within a time period where he still was clearly racist, he just publicly opposed the extreme form.

But I don't pretend to know what's in his mind. I never said he changed, I said the appearnace of him is of a changed man. He may be racist on a gut level but oppose it on an intellectual level, he may be doing it for politics. I don't know, I don't pretend to. But look at his voting record and his speeches in the senate, they are more indicative of someone who opposes racism than many, and definately moreso than trent lott.

I'm always iffy about condemning people for using outdated words, unless it was a prepared speech where they had time to actually pay attention to what they were going to say. The reason for that is my grandfather repeatedly used Injin, referred to black be as coloreds. But he wasn't racist, he was using terms that at one time would not have offended and wasn't fully aware that they were offensive and he had used them all his life. He had black friends going back to the 40's and 50's. Even in regards to religion, he had one picture of jesus in his house, and it was an image of a black mary holding a black baby jesus. When he set up his manger scene in the living room every year, Joseph and 2 of the 3 wise men were black, and mary, jesus and the 3rd wise man was white. That manger scene had been the same since he built it in the 50's.

[NortheastCynic]

So let me get this straight. The electorate voted for change this past election day...and the Republicans give us...Trent Lott? Oy vey.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Trent Lott:

Fact: He is still a member of the Council of Conservative Citizens... http://www.cofcc.org A group that is considered a hate group by several NGOs, including the NAACP. The group has made the following statements:

"Each of the three major races plays a distinct role in history. . . . The whites were the creators of civilization, the yellows its sustainers and copyists, the blacks its destroyers."(December 1998)

"The Jews' motto is 'never forget, and never forgive.' One can't agree with the way they've turned spite into welfare billions for themselves, but the 'never forget' part is very sound."(Winter Issue 1997)

"If we want to live, white Americans must begin today to lay the foundations of our future and our children's future.... Start today, fellow white Americans. Look at the faces around you: Find the faces like yours, and see them as your brothers and sisters. Find the fair-skinned babies and see them as your children." (December 1998)
Anyone really want to defend this guy now?

-NC