Posted by Dan Ewert : 12/16/2002 02:03:00 AM (Archive Link)
So you’ve probably heard about how Trent Lott is in big trouble because of the racist comments he made. Problem is, he didn’t make any racist comments. He merely made an offhand remark that the country would be better off if Senator Strom Thurmond had been elected president in 1048... oh excuse me… 1948. He said this at a little soirée in Thurmond’s honor. It was essentially a little suck-up, honor the guest-of-honor quip. Suddenly, it gets morphed into Lott being a racist segregationist who accidentally let slip the Republican party’s true intentions (thankfully, Bush‘s laser beam equipped sharks are still a secret). This is, of course, utterly absurd and it represents political opportunism at its finest. The liberals have descended upon Lott’s unknowing non sequitur like a plague of locusts and have turned him into a demon. This isn’t surprising since Lott was one of the Republican leaders who helped spank the Democrats in the last election. The bleeding party would like nothing more than to get a little revenge on one of the architects of their defeat.

What I find unsurprising but somewhat embarrassing is how many fellow Republicans have been rushing to distance themselves from Lott and to condemn him. They could have framed the comment for what it was… an innocent flattering remark not to be taken seriously. In so doing, they could have exposed Democratic foolishness. Instead, they have given credence to the false beliefs and turned a great Republican leader into a persona non grata hot potato. They’ve also managed to throw themselves and the party leadership into turmoil at a time when they can least afford it. Granted, such a firestorm is certainly best right after the election so it can have time to die down before the next, but election planning happens far in advance and the Republicans can’t be distracted now.