…as Trent Lott gives back the advances the GOP has made in the last few years. In today’s washingtonpost.com, via the entire freaking blogpverse.
Speaking Thursday at a 100th birthday party and retirement celebration for Sen. Thurmond (R-S.C.) in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Lott said, “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.”
Thurmond, then governor of South Carolina, was the presidential nominee of the breakaway Dixiecrat Party in 1948. He carried Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and his home state. He declared during his campaign against Democrat Harry S. Truman, who supported civil rights legislation, and Republican Thomas Dewey: “All the laws of Washington and all the bayonets of the Army cannot force the Negro into our homes, our schools, our churches.”
On July 17, 1948, delegates from 13 southern states gathered in Birmingham to nominate Thurmond and adopt a platform that said in part, “We stand for the segregation of the races and the racial integrity of each race.”
Being a racist in 1948 was evil.
Suggesting in 2002 that that was a good thing is amazingly stupid and evil.
In case all my GOP commenters wonder why I haven’t switched parties…
I’m not going to defend Lott, or Thurmond. What a goober (Lott, that is. Thurmond’s too old for me to want to make fun of him).
I’m just going to point out that it’s a mistake to try to claim the GOP is the party of racism and the Democrats are somehow SOOOO much better. I don’t particularly care for long and pointless arguments about which party has more to be ashamed of, and I know you don’t either, A.L.
So why add that gratuitous jab?
The republicans lost me when Jesse Helms whistled “Dixie” to Carol Moseley Braun in that elevator. Totally uncalled for, totally elementary-school level.
When I was young, I thought grown-ups had everything under control. Now that I’m 42, I see how wrong I was.
–Darryl Pearce / Ventura County, CA
First, I wanted to let Armed Liberal know that the Center for the Advancement of Capitalism (www.capitalismcenter.org) has called for Lott’s removal or resignation. I wrote the op-ed.
Second, I’m sure Armed Liberal takes a lot of flack from Republicans who ask why he doesn’t join the Republicans. Lott’s comments, if the Republicans don’t act quickly, are a good reason.
I know Trent Lott is not known for his wit,
but it would certainly appear that he was
joking. Read what he said again. Consider the context. Do you really think he meant his comments to be taken staight? How much sense does that make?
What gratuitous jab? Lott said what he said. The man has shown his true colors.
More on Lott’s (and other Senators’) views on race is here.