Today's Political Rant

by the world's least dangerous man

Trent Lott just doesn't like to have it easy, does he?

The Senate Majority Leader-to-Be (for now) managed to make some of the dumbest comments of his life last week during the 100th birthday celebration of outgoing South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond. If you don't know about the comments, let's summarize quickly. During a speech intended as a tribute to Thurmond, Lott referenced Thurmond's run for the Presidency in 1948, when then-South Carolina Gov. Thurmond led the Dixiecrat Party ticket. For those unaware of American history (thank you again to our public school system), the Dixiecrats' core values revolved around the forced segregation of blacks and whites. Thurmond's most (in)famous declaration during this campaign was the sickening statement, "All the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the Army cannot force the Negro into our homes, our schools, our churches."

Of course, that campaign took place over half a century ago, and a lot has changed since then... but maybe a Lott more needs to change as well. Here are the comments by Lott that have stirred the nation's capitol from its peaceful holiday slumber...

"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 can spin that comment for the next ten years, and it still won't make any sense. There's only one conclusion: he spoke without thinking. This is comparable to Bill Clinton, who often acted without thinking, but at least Clinton had the excuse that he was fueled by the sex drive of a hyperactive 15 year old. We're not sure what excuse Lott has, or if one exists. But the Clinton comparision is more apt than many people, including Republicans like myself, are willing to acknowledge. Luckily, there's one thing that hopefully won't be comparable: a defense of Lott's statements by the Republicans.

When Clinton began playing around with Monica, he did so while in office... while subject to a sexual harassment lawsuit... after rumors of extramarital affairs had nearly sabotaged his campaign three years earlier. As much as anything else, Clinton exhibited a monumental lack of judgment in this case, especially for a man the press lauded as brilliant. People make fun of George W. Bush for his malapropisms, but sometimes booksmarts don't help a person. Clinton lacked the common sense (and mature restraint) to avoid making a terrible mistake in judgment, and he compounded it later through his usual string of spin, deceit and name-calling.

In Lott's case, we're dealing with a politician who has, at best, a checkered past when it comes to the issue of race. For years, Lott maintained close ties with the Council of Conservative Citizens (the "CCC"), which Robert George of the New York Post described as a "racialist, neo-white supremacist organization." When confronted with his ties to the CCC in 1998, Lott was concerned enough about the charge that he claimed not to know anything about the group's philosophy; this seems to be at odds with statements Lott made in 1992, praising the group.

Lott's also made similar dumb statements in the past. The Washington Post noted a story from the Jackson Clarion-Ledger regarding a 1980 campaign rally in Mississippi for Ronald Reagan. Lott stood next to Thurmond at the rally and threw out almost exactly the same quote: "You know, if we had elected this man 30 years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess we are today."

We're not sure if more such comments have been or will be unearthed, but anyone who's made such statements needs to realize that it's not a good idea to add fuel to the fire of one's critics. This isn't political correctness run amok, much as we'd like to dismiss it as another instance where the radical left screams "Racist" or "Sexist!" at anyone who dares oppose them. If you're a politician in America in 2002, you know that every word which you say will be subject to dissection in a thousand different media outlets. Lott's gaffe leaves us with one of two conclusions: he meant it (and if that's true, he should leave public service immediately), or he didn't think before he said it. Even the second conclusion makes us sick to our stomach. Quite simply, you want your leaders to have better judgment than this.

We know there's a double standard working here, in that Democrats like Jesse Jackson can get away with calling New York "Hymietown" with much less furor, and Bob Byrd's stint in the KKK is typically downplayed. But that's the price we pay for being Republicans, and Lott should be smart enough to know that. Hell, he comes from Mississippi, a state who's track record on race relations was a source of embarassment to many. There are plenty of good people, conservatives included, who have worked hard to try and help that state lose the reputation many Americans (mostly folks north of the Mason-Dixon Line) attach to Mississippi. Lott set all those folks back as well.

Lott can claim that everyone makes mistakes, but this isn't a simple little error. Committing the same error time and again, which he seems prone to do, indicates a failure to learn from past mistakes, and this is not a trait the GOP can afford in one of its leaders. It would be idiotic to call for Lott to resign as a Senator; the choice of who represents the people of Mississippi belongs to the people of Mississippi (barring the commission of a crime worthy of impeachment). But Republicans have a right to decide whether Lott should lead them, and the moral and correct choice is to ask him to leave his position. We should strive for high standards in our politicians; Clinton's defenders always liked to make the claim that Bill was no dirtier than anyone else, but that he just got caught. That unfairly slimes every prominent national politician as an adulterer or a liar; even if it were true, that's our fault for choosing him as our leader. You get the leaders you deserve, and part of being responsible is knowing when it's time to find new leadership.

And that's what we need to do here. Lott must step down as Senate Majority Leader. We can argue his merits and accomplishments as a Senate Majority Leader in the past, but they don't matter now. We could view this simply from a political position, believing that he's lost his ability to lead his party effectively, but that's not the reason he must leave. A leader needs to have the trust of those he leads; they must trust his judgment, they must trust his ability and they must trust his morality. Lott could stay in the post of Senate Majority Leader, but he can no longer lead. Trent Lott has lost that trust, at least with regards to his judgment, and he'll need to go a long way to get it back.

One way to start is by doing the right thing. Step down and bow out gracefully, Senator.