Should Trent Lott step down

[Guest Ripper]

Well. I say heck freaking yeah. What do you guys think.

[Guest bob_barron]

Nay- He never officially said he supported segregation. He made a mistake and has apologised for it over and over.

 

Let it go

[Guest Downhome]

Nay, he was simply trying to flatter a 100 year old man. Anyhow who thinks he was outwordly actually saying he wanted segregation to be around is a complete moron.

[Guest TJH]

No.

[Guest teke184]

Nay... but his ass is on Bob Probation until further notice. He can't say ANYTHING in public for at least several months without a publicist telling him it's the right thing to say.

[Guest Olympic Slam]

He needs to step down, not because of what he said but because he's been a total wimp about the whole thing and I expect him to remain a wimp as he runs scared from the left. The last thing I want is a Republican Senator (the majority leader no less) pandering his ass off and pretending to think Affirmative Action is a good idea just to make himself look good.

[Guest Ozymandias]

Yeah, but not because of the current brouhaha (bullshit) - only because I'm a Liberal....

[Guest ant_7000]

Hell yea, because not only for that but for the other psuedo white suprimacy groups that he associate with. But it kind of reinforce the stereotypes of the Republican party and I know they don't want that when they're trying to get the minority vote (which I doubt).

[Guest meanmaisch]

Yes

[Guest teke184]

I don't see the Republican party gaining a lot of voters from certain minorities in the near future.

 

Outside of recently retired representative Watts of Oklahoma, most influential black leaders view high-profile black Republicans like Secretaries Powell and Rice as "Toms". That means an automatic 12% or so of the national population that will vote anything BUT Republican.

 

I can see them picking up a lot of the Hispanic vote, though, if they don't screw up too badly. Of the Hispanic minorities in the US, the Cubans in particular seem to vote overwhelmingly Republican.

 

I honestly have no clue whether they can pick up the Asian vote, though.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Hell yea, because not only for that but for the other psuedo white suprimacy groups that he associate with. But it kind of reinforce the stereotypes of the Republican party and I know they don't want that when they're trying to get the minority vote (which I doubt).

It's unfortunate that Republicans have been labeled as the party of segregation and racism, when it was Democrats who lobbyied the most against the Civil Rights Amendment in 1964. Also Eisenhower sent the National Guard to protect the black students in Little Rock in 1957? when the Democratic Governor refused.

 

 

The Republican party by no means is some saintly group, but they had more people vote for the Civil Rights Amendment than the Dems did.

[Guest Brian]

Yes, but more to do with his past action towards this and how it relates to this comment. It had more to do with just flattering the guy; there's a lot of things he could have commended him on.

[Guest raptor]

Nay, he was simply trying to flatter a 100 year old man. Anyhow who thinks he was outwordly actually saying he wanted segregation to be around is a complete moron.

There is a history off his supporting segregation, though. He helped keep his College Fraternity segregated, I believe.

 

I do believe that he shouldn't be Majority Leader, just due to the track record. One incident is fine, as you said he may have been simply flattering and old man, but pro-segregation tendancies from the past lead me away from such an explanation.

[Guest bob_barron]

We're getting upset at him for something he did in college?? Come on- he was young and stupid

[Guest raptor]

I'm not getting upset, just saying that it's much harder to take the "he didn't mean segregation" track when he has a history of such actions. Just supplying a background for some people's inferrences into his comments.

[Guest bob_barron]

Oh ok I see your point.

[Guest Redhawk]

I think Trent Lott was just trying to say something nice to Strom Thurman, that's all. I wasn't offended by it, and it's not like Lott or Thurman will ever be president, so who cares? I've accepted that a good deal of politicians are racist anyway, so just because one slipped up and admitted it is no news.

 

But here's the bigger issue: If Strom Thurman is such a racist, why the fuck are the people in his state still electing him? And even if he weren't racist, he's 100 years old. Get a clue, South Carolinians.

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Stop making excuses for a couple of Good Ol' Southern Boys.

 

No, he shouldn't step down, but he's going to have to get some major image repair from all of this, as this is one of those things I can talk about with anyone and they'll know exactly what remarks I'm talking about.

[Guest NoCalMike]

Lott should just be the first. There are plenty of idiots in the Senate/House on both sides that probobaly voted and feel/felt the same way as Lott on certain race issues.

[Guest NoCalMike]

This is the biggest problem with not having term limits. Why on earth is Strom Thermon a part of our government? What the hell. The man is barely coherent, yet because he is an ® and will always vote on anything tagged with an ®, the republicans try to say how great a contribution he is, blah blah fucking blah. There are democrats also getting way up there in age. I don't care what side you are on, we don't need all these guys with ideas/feelings/opinions about how life was 50 years ago, to apply that to today....Get them out.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Nay-He's apologized a thousand times over, and the comment wasn't meant to be outwardly racist, it was just a dumb thing to say.

[Guest Downhome]

I don't even see the big deal about what he did in college, it's just another thing that pisses me off. If they want their fraternity to be all white, then let them have it that way. Can we not just have groups of people of whoever we want to privately?

 

Like the golf club, and all of this bull shit.

 

We have the black caucus, why the fuck don't we have some white guy try to get on that? I mean, a fucking BLACK caucus? That in itself is more racist than anything Trent Lott has done, period. Not to mention other events like Miss Black America, and so on and so on. Don't get me wrong however, as I actually feel groups like this are OK. Yes, even after my harsh words just now. If someone wants an all black group, pagent, etc... then fine, have at it, I couldn't give a piss or a shit what you do, but we MUST have it both ways, and THAT is the problem.

 

If women want to go to an all women school, then have a ball with it, but don't start crying when men try do have the same thing. I think you get my point. I'm all for people having whatever they want to have. The only instance I feel this should be limited is that no one should be allowed to hire someone based on the colour of ones skin. HOWEVER...

 

...I also don't feel it should be a law for certain races to work at certain places. Whoever the hell is most qualified should be the ones that get hired, if you are black, white, a midget, a one armed man, or just a homeless guy.

 

Our country is turning into a bunch of pussy ass bastards, period. I don't know where we'll be in ten years at this rate. What could possibly be next when it comes to shit like this anyhow? Is it going to be sexist to have both a mens and womens bathroom? Will BET be forced to add their daily dose of the white man and culture to their programming? Will little childrens clubs, you know when you're like 8 or 10, become government regulated so as the children can't have who they WANT in it?

 

Give me a break, people should be able to choose who they can have in whatever group they are a part of. One the government starts easing it's way into this part of our lives, which it already is doing, then we are one step closer to destroying all that our founding fathers created for us, PERIOD.

 

Sincerely,

...Downhome...

[Guest J*ingus]

So he made an offhand comment at Strom's birthday party about wishing that Strom had been successful in his presidential bid half a century ago, and he takes all kinds of unbelievable shit from all sides... yet Strom himself, the man who actually ran the pro-segregation campaign, gets nary a whisper against his geriatric name? What the hell.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I don't even see the big deal about what he did in college, it's just another thing that pisses me off. If they want their fraternity to be all white, then let them have it that way.

Especially since there's all black fraternities.

[Guest Downhome]

I don't even see the big deal about what he did in college, it's just another thing that pisses me off. If they want their fraternity to be all white, then let them have it that way.

Especially since there's all black fraternities.

Don't get me REALLY stared with this bullshit, please don't. Hey...

 

...with my views, what would the assholes call me?

[Guest NYCTA Bus No. PA1767]

Stop screaming before you blow a gasket please. Now, I assume you were born in this country, correct? Well, you should know what will and what will not be tolerated from elected officials.

 

Now let me break it down for you since it seems you have a hard time understanding the gravity of Mr. Lott's remarks.

 

He told Thurman Strom, a guy who ran on a segregationalist ticket for the presidency in 1948, that had he won the election, we wouldn't have had as many problems as we do today. Bare in mind, he also said this in 1980. It's not a one time occurence.

 

Of course Mr. Lott could have been referring to other so called problems that the elderly Mr. Strom could have solved, but I'm sure that he would have also pushed back the progression of black civil rights by at least 20 years.

 

When Mr. Lott made these comments, it's obvious he was oblivious of the climate of the country that he's elected to represent. This country has been trying for almost four decades to tread lightly over the toes of the black race. That's why there are a number of double standards that are not fair, but sadly a way of life since a white man could really give a hoot if he was let in a black school or fraternity since he most likely feels that a white school would provide superior education and and social oppurtunities. And he's most likely be correct in that assumption.

 

My point is this, if Mr. Lott can't even use the God given judgement to realize that a stupid comment like that could create a political firestorm, how is this man competent enough to be the Majority Leader? With the Jesse Jackson's and Al Sharpton's of the world, white republicans should no when to hold their tongues, even if the comment was "in jest." And when you have memebers of your own party calling for you to step down, then there is a serious problem.

 

With that said, blacks are the most blatantly racist group of people I have ever met, and being black that says alot. For some reason, we have a generation that was born in the 80's that for some reason is entitled to be ignorant thugs and spout racist propaganda because of some exagerrated story their "momma" may have told them about the "evil white man" in the 1960's that may or may not have happened. But of course, these blacks have no power, so they have no bearing over a white man's life. They're in essence just jumping around screaming nonsense. Who cares? The Farrakhans and Jackson's of the world are nothing but publicity whores, not real threats. Whites hoever, usually hold the power so if they say something racist, it's a threat because they can actually do somethign unlike a guy wearing a bowtie marching with an army of angry black men wearing stupid kangos.

 

Downhome, your comments are borderline racist. That's the same as black men bemoaning whites for the stranglehold of power they hoold on nearly ever facet of American life. Though a black man can reach these heights it's very hard to do so. And jsut because a club or establishment doesn't say "Whites Only" in no way means that a black person will ever get in. There are other ways to discriminate besides blatant racism.

[Guest Mad Dog]

This is the dumbest thing I've seen in a long time.

 

Since when can you hang a guy by implying something from what he said. It was a fucking party. He was flattering an old man on his birthday. Geez cut the guy some fucking slack.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

He was flattering an old man on his birthday. Geez cut the guy some fucking slack.

His voting record would lead you to believe differently.

 

Now, I know I'm a liberal, but thinking as a Republican and what would be best for the Republicans, I think he should resign. There's a myth out there that Republicans = Racists, and what better oppertunity for the party than to use their Senate majority as a betting chip to rid themselves of that reputation once and for all.

 

If the GOP wants to be seen as unwilling to even *appear* racist, they'll gain a lot more respect and shatter the myth at the same time.

[Guest Mad Dog]

Compared to what some of the old men on the Democratic side have gotten away with saying over the last 5 yrs. I say fuck whoever's piling on Lott.

[Guest Ace309]

Well, my heart says, yes, he should step down, because he said something ignorant, hurtful and embarrassing on several occasions, and said ignorant, hurtful, embarrassing statement runs counter to everything the country stands for.

 

However, I also don't see the big deal about a lot of things that people on my side of the spectrum have done wrong, and I was glad when they apologized, were forgiven or censured and the whole thing dropped.

 

So, my brain says, censure Lott for what he said and let the voters do the rest.