Lott-sa Luck
So Trent Lott has been elected back into Senate leadership -- this time, as the #2 behind Mitch McConnell.
Over at Real Clear Politics, John McIntyre seems sanguine enough about the decision, noting that it may mean that the Republicans are willing to adopt an adversarial stance toward the Democrats.
That's all well and good -- but I'm not sure I share McIntyre's optimism. Trent Lott may be a skillful tactician . . . but he's also the face of the Republican past in two different, unflattering ways.
First, there's the way he resigned: Under the cloud of his "racially insensitive" comments about Strom Thurmond. Whatever one thinks about how the remarks were intended (or their substance), they have now been interpreted to and construed by most Americans as offensive to African Americans. It may (or may not) be fair, but that's the fact.
Second, Lott has been a poster boy for government pork. Is that really an image the Republicans want to carry forward?
The fact is that Lott wants nothing more than to be the Republicans' Senate leader again. We'll see how hard he works on advancing that aim, what it means for Mitch McConnell's success in serving as Senate Minority leader, and what it means for the Senate Republicans in general.
Note well that Lott was elected by only a one-vote margin; McConnell unanimously. How confident are the Senate Republicans -- who know him best -- in Lott's abilities going forward?
Over at Real Clear Politics, John McIntyre seems sanguine enough about the decision, noting that it may mean that the Republicans are willing to adopt an adversarial stance toward the Democrats.
That's all well and good -- but I'm not sure I share McIntyre's optimism. Trent Lott may be a skillful tactician . . . but he's also the face of the Republican past in two different, unflattering ways.
First, there's the way he resigned: Under the cloud of his "racially insensitive" comments about Strom Thurmond. Whatever one thinks about how the remarks were intended (or their substance), they have now been interpreted to and construed by most Americans as offensive to African Americans. It may (or may not) be fair, but that's the fact.
Second, Lott has been a poster boy for government pork. Is that really an image the Republicans want to carry forward?
The fact is that Lott wants nothing more than to be the Republicans' Senate leader again. We'll see how hard he works on advancing that aim, what it means for Mitch McConnell's success in serving as Senate Minority leader, and what it means for the Senate Republicans in general.
Note well that Lott was elected by only a one-vote margin; McConnell unanimously. How confident are the Senate Republicans -- who know him best -- in Lott's abilities going forward?
posted by LadybugUSA at 1:18 PM
3 Comments:
Carol, although this may be one of the signs of the imminent apocalypse, nice take on Trent Lott and how his election as Minority Whip reflects on the Republican party.
Sen. Lott was also the one who torpedoed Henry Hyde during the Clinton impeachment. The GOP apparently learned nothing from the past election, and unless the Democrats overplay their hand, as they are wont to do, 2008 will be another bad year.
Unless Lott is the king o' the vote counters on the GOP side, I'm at a loss as to why they'd pick him.
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