Trent Lott on BET Tonight

[AKA2D '91]

Who wrote that letter?

[Love_Spell_6]

Originally posted by CrimsonTide4
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,


But more important, at this junction, it is imperative that we, the ones who are affected by the likes of the Trent Lotts of the world do not provide him with the platform to espouse his lies. By tuning into BET tonight, you inadvertently support the agenda of both Mr. Johnson (seeking ratings) and Mr. Lott (seeking your sympathy and forgiveness). We must not provide either.

As responsible Black Americans we cannot let that happen. We cannot be "gotten over on" again. No other REPUTATABLE network has rolled out the carpet for this man. Therefore, you MUST ask yourself: then WHY Bob Johnson? The answer is clear-ratings equal dollars. And no matter what Lott says on BET, or how outraged we are sitting in our living rooms watching it, the bottom line result will be the numbers of viewers tuning in.

I must reiterate what Mr. Joyner said this morning: what is this man going to say that he hasn't said already? "I'm not a racist. Bob Johnson is one of my dearest friends."

I must say that I am VERY surprised at AA's who hold this viewpoint. If one of the back bones of the AA community is the church, what happened to forgiveness? I really wish AA's would come out this strong against the racists in our community i.e. Farrakhan .... and the party that 90% of us vote for time and time again (Sen Byrd)

I really think the situation has been blown wayyyyyyyy out of proportion. I think Senator Lott has done all that he needs to do, which is apologize. He knows he is under a microscope, so regardless of what's in the man's heart, he has to, from this point forward "do right by us" on civil rights issues.

But to call for him to step down is reee-diku-lus! Everybody has skeletons in their closets. And I hope they don't start digging into every black elected officials background, and looking at what he might have said after a few drinks at a birthday party..... You might run across the term "white devil" being thrown around a few times. But I forgot, in the minds of some people, it's ok for AA's to say things like this.

Don't get me wrong, what he said was wrong....but he has apologized, now let's move forward. I mean is this really the most important thing going on right now??

......there i go with that conservative crap again!

[DELTAQTE]

I didn't see all of it but Ed Gordon asked the question I wanted ask which was "would you be on this show if this had not occurred"? and he couldn't even answer it, he fumbled around for words.


I agree, if he's racist then so be it. But I do not think he should make important decisions that will effect us and our children.


QTE

[Ideal08]

I don't give a damn what this man "says" on BET. Whatever. It's not for me to forgive him. He's yet to wrong me. I wasn't pressed to tune in because I didn't want to hear the BULLSHIT. Because that's exactly what it was. "I'm sorry, I'm racist, don't be mad. Forgive me and let's move forward." BULLSHIT. I have no serious problem with what was said. I'm not oblivious to the fact that there are some racist people running our country. So I'm glad he put himself out there. I wish EVERYONE would. Let me know. All of a sudden he's cool because he apologized? And ALL OF A SUDDEN, he's going to do right by us on civil rights issues? WHATEVER. Whether he's put out of the position is not the issue, but it still needs to be talked about. Shall we ignore it? If he had his way, you'd still be separate and barely equal. What, he changed his mind? You know, we wouldn't have all the problems we've had if people had just followed the program. And you think we should let this go??? Strange fruit, indeed.

What, exactly, is the most important thing going on right now? I get SO sick of people using that cliche. So overlook the BULLSHIT because there is something else more important going on? And when, exactly, do you focus on the BULLSHIT that you let slide? Before you know it, your metaphorical septic tank will be backed up and YOUR HOUSE will smell like the SAME SHIT that you ignored, because at the time, there was more important stuff to tend to.

CALLING ALL POLI SCI MAJORS: What power does the Senate Majority Leader hold?

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by Love_Spell_6


I must say that I am VERY surprised at AA's who hold this viewpoint. If one of the back bones of the AA community is the church, what happened to forgiveness? I really wish AA's would come out this strong against the racists in our community i.e. Farrakhan .... and the party that 90% of us vote for time and time again (Sen Byrd)

I really think the situation has been blown wayyyyyyyy out of proportion. I think Senator Lott has done all that he needs to do, which is apologize. He knows he is under a microscope, so regardless of what's in the man's heart, he has to, from this point forward "do right by us" on civil rights issues.

But to call for him to step down is reee-diku-lus! Everybody has skeletons in their closets. And I hope they don't start digging into every black elected officials background, and looking at what he might have said after a few drinks at a birthday party..... You might run across the term "white devil" being thrown around a few times. But I forgot, in the minds of some people, it's ok for AA's to say things like this.

Don't get me wrong, what he said was wrong....but he has apologized, now let's move forward. I mean is this really the most important thing going on right now??

......there i go with that conservative crap again!

Correct me if I am wrong, but outside of Tom Joyner and of course Jesse Jackson ( ), most of the public outcry is coming from Lott's own political party! THEY are the ones who are making the BIGGEST stink over this because they feel that he is hurting the "new" Republican image. We shouldn't automatically assume that it is african americans asking for all of these apologies, asking him to be on BET, or anything of the sort, because in this instance, it is not us. Most of us are not surprise, or shocked at what he said........or even that he said it in public.

[Love_Spell_6]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974



Correct me if I am wrong, but outside of Tom Joyner and of course Jesse Jackson ( ), most of the public outcry is coming from Lott's own political party! THEY are the ones who are making the BIGGEST stink over this because they feel that he is hurting the "new" Republican image. We shouldn't automatically assume that it is african americans asking for all of these apologies, asking him to be on BET, or anything of the sort, because in this instance, it is not us. Most of us are not surprise, or shocked at what he said........or even that he said it in public.

I will have to correct you. The Congressional Black Caucus is calling for his censure and the Black Leadership forum is calling for him to step down. Also, numrous African American Congress people have called for Lott to step down.

This is not an assumption. This is a fact. Yes some members of his party have expressed concern about what was said, but by far, the outcry is coming from the Democrats and African Americans.

[lovelyivy84]

Originally posted by Love_Spell_6


I will have to correct you. The Congressional Black Caucus is calling for his censure and the Black Leadership forum is calling for him to step down. Also, numrous African American Congress people have called for Lott to step down.

This is not an assumption. This is a fact. Yes some members of his party have expressed concern about what was said, but by far, the outcry is coming from the Democrats and African Americans.

I disagree. Granted we had those centures, but they followed the President's words and the outcry amongst republicans. Watching the news and reading the NYTimes this morning it appeared that Democrats (not blacks, but the Dem party) were trying VERY hard not to pounce on it first because they didn't want to make it a party issue. There was a good article about the outrage amongst black republicans in particular (JC Watts excluded of course). THey face so much censure from their communities that his words were like a slap in the face. With the elections in 2004 this is not the image that the republican party will feel it needs. He might go. I'd be SURPRISED if he went, but not SHOCKED.

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by Love_Spell_6


I will have to correct you. The Congressional Black Caucus is calling for his censure and the Black Leadership forum is calling for him to step down. Also, numrous African American Congress people have called for Lott to step down.

This is not an assumption. This is a fact. Yes some members of his party have expressed concern about what was said, but by far, the outcry is coming from the Democrats and African Americans.

Again, the most outcry ARE NOT coming from the Demorcratic party and African Americans, but from his own party. This is fact as well. Again, they began the first campaign for his so-called apology because again, they (as in the "new" Republican party) are wanting to maintain this new image of "we are all inclusive" and so forth.

Honestly, I think Lott will step down, but it will only be because of pressure to preserve the "new" Republican party.

[Love_Spell_6]

Again, it is incorrect to downplay the Democratic Party and AA's taking the lead on the strong opposition to Trent Lott as Majority Leader. Many Republicans are only responding to this because of the negative publicity this is bringing to their party. They responded in record numbers AFTER TOm Daschle and the CBC spoke out. Of course they're all coming out of the woodworks now saying he should step down....but in the beginning it was AA's and Democrats.

http://www.democrats.org/news/200212130002.html

But hey, if the Republicans have people thinking that they led the fight on censuring Trent Lott and asking him to resign..... their political strategy has worked beautifully.

[Love_Spell_6]

http://www.democrats.org/news/200212130001.html

HEADLINES

Dec 11, 2002

DNC Chairman McAuliffe Statement on Senator Lott's Remarks
Washington, D.C. -- Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe issued the following statement:

"Today's disclosure that Senator Trent Lott made virtually identical comments twenty years ago in praise of Senator Strom Thurmond's presidential campaign, demonstrates an unfortunate pattern of racist remarks by Senator Lott.

"Given this pattern, it is simply not credible for Senator Lott to continue to assert that the comments he made last week in support of Senator Thurmond's segregationist campaign were anything more than a 'poor choice of words.' Sadly, it would rather appear that these comments reflect Senator Lott's true prejudices on race.


"The time has come for leaders of the Republican Party to speak out against Senator Lott's remarks. I call on President George Bush and Marc Racicot, Chairman of the Republican Party, to denounce Senator Lott's comments and to assure African Americans, and all Americans, that these types of racist remarks do not reflect the beliefs of the Republican Party.

Likewise, I join incoming Congressional Black Caucus Chair Representative Elijah Cummings in expressing concern with Senator Lott's fitness to serve as leader of the United States Senate. I would urge members of the Republican Senate Caucus to consider carefully whether or not they believe a man with Senator Trent Lott's beliefs is the person they want leading the Republican Party in the United States Senate."

[lovelyivy84]

Well the New York Times is not what anyone would call pro-republican, so I wouldn't say they were spinning anything. This discussiom started in the press, not on the hill and it was started by *gasp* republicans.

ON THE RIGHT

Conservatives Led the Way in Criticizing Lott's Remarks
By JIM RUTENBERG and FELICITY BARRINGER

Early, widespread and harsh criticism by conservative commentators and publications has provided much of the tinder for the political fires surrounding Senator Trent Lott since his favorable comments about the segregationist presidential campaign of 1948.

Conservative columnists, including Andrew Sullivan, William Kristol and Charles Krauthammer, and publications like National Review and The Wall Street Journal have castigated Mr. Lott for his remarks at Senator Strom Thurmond's 100th-birthday party, arguing that the conservative movement's credibility on racially tinged issues like affirmative action and school vouchers has been squandered.

Mr. Sullivan, on his Web site, and Mr. Krauthammer, writing in The Washington Post, are among those who have called on Mr. Lott to resign. Others, like Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel and the radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, have said the remarks were indefensible but were not necessarily reason enough for Mr. Lott to step down. An editorial in The Wall Street Journal stopped short of a direct call for Mr. Lott's ouster, but named three Republicans it preferred in the post.

The responses by conservatives have provided a marked contrast to the contention — put forth most recently by former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore — that the nation's conservative news media acts as a monolithic Republican support system.

Robert Bartley, the editor of The Wall Street Journal, said, "I don't know that there's anything close," when asked if he could remember such a revolt against a conservative leader by those who are usually like-minded on the issues.

Richard Lowry, the editor of National Review, said that young conservatives particularly feel undermined by Mr. Lott's comment.

"The reaction to this on the right has been tinged with outrage," Mr. Lowry said. "I think that's a product of decades of hard work that conservatives have done on racially charged issues out of idealism and principle. To have those positions tarred, even inadvertently, with this backwardness on race is extremely distressing."

The intensity of the criticism has even surprised Democrats, who say they are unused to seeing the conservative press take on one of its own so ferociously.

"It's a level of cannibalism that we generally don't see," said Chris Lehane, the Democratic strategist who was the spokesman for Al Gore's presidential campaign.

Some Democrats, in fact, are crediting conservative commentators with providing the momentum for the story, which was first reported only in dribs and drabs in the mainstream press.

Even before prominent Democrats joined the criticism, conservatives with active Web sites were posting highly critical columns.

Mr. Sullivan, one of the first conservatives to highlight the issue, wrote: "After his disgusting remarks at Strom Thurmond's 100th-birthday party, it seems to me that the Republican Party has a simple choice. Either they get rid of Lott as majority leader; or they should come out formally as a party that regrets desegregation and civil rights for African-Americans.

"Why are the Republican commentators so silent about this? And the liberals?"

Mr. Sullivan and the few who weighed in on the issue early on were not alone for long. In his call last Thursday for Mr. Lott to resign from the leadership, Mr. Krauthammer wrote, "What is so appalling about Lott's remarks is not the bigotry but the blindess," and he noted that "the civil rights movement forever set the standard for social transformation in America."

"Lott sees the civil rights movement and `all these problems over all these years.' He missed the whole story," Mr. Krauthamer wrote.

The next day, the lead editorial in The Wall Street Journal all but called for Mr. Lott's resignation, saying: "The Senate Republicans will now have to defend against the race card that Mr. Lott gave their enemies to play. In light of this, it's remarkable that Senate Republicans have shown the restraint they have."

The editorial named three Republican senators — Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Bill Frist of Tennessee and Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania — who, the editors thought "would all do better as G.O.P. leaders than Mr. Lott."

The televised debate, meanwhile, has at times resembled a bizarre world with various guests taking wholly unexpected positions.

Last Wednesday, "The O'Reilly Factor," the Fox News Channel talk show with Bill O'Reilly as host, featured a white guest from the conservative Family Research Council, Kenneth L. Connor, who skewered Mr. Lott for his remarks. Squaring off against him on the program, was Kevin Martin, of the African American Republican Leadership Council.

"I'm defending it," Mr. Martin said, because "both sides, conservative and liberal, are playing this for their own political agenda."

[AKA2D '91]

Originally posted by Ideal08

CALLING ALL POLI SCI MAJORS: What power does the Senate Majority Leader hold?

It's been some time since, but...

Is it that he is 3rd or so in line if anything happens to the Prezodent, VP?

Is that it? Okay, it's been 9 years and a lot has happened since that time.

[Kisha]

Great discussion!

The only thing I want to add...where is Jesse???

It's amazing how he can be at the forefront of a movie boycott but less vocal when it comes to issues of political substance.

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by Kisha
Great discussion!

The only thing I want to add...where is Jesse???

It's amazing how he can be at the forefront of a movie boycott but less vocal when it comes to issues of political substance.

You can say that again.

[lovelyivy84]

Originally posted by Kisha
Great discussion!

The only thing I want to add...where is Jesse???

It's amazing how he can be at the forefront of a movie boycott but less vocal when it comes to issues of political substance.

I don't think Jesse will ever bounce back from that baby daddy scandal. he lost a looooooot of moral authority there, and without that his political influence is spotty at best. People feel (with good reason) that when you put the word "Reverend" before your name that it actually means something, and that you should behave accordingly. I don't know if Jesse does.