Posted 12/17/2002 10:39:00 AM by Ocean Guy
The idiocy of Trent Lott's comments while celebrating the hundredth birthday of a colleague is apparent to everyone. The only question is whether the Republican Party will allow him to remain as Senate Majority Leader. They should not, unless they are interested in making the new poster child for Racism the spokesman for the majority party.

Whether or not you believe Lott is a Racist, the fact remains he has a history of making insensitive remarks and of voting on the "racist" side of controversial issues. It is much too late for his backstroke to save him. His appearance on BET, both to apologize and to promise to change, seemed both insincere and even dishonest. Maybe he can redeem himself in the eyes of his doubters, but he should not maintain the leadership of the Senate Republicans while we wait to see if he's successful.

Lott's credibility has been seriously challenged. He does not have the backing of the White house, he does not have the backing of most Americans. The fact is, many people were hurt by his words, and he should not go unchallenged. He should be removed from any position of leadership within Congress and even censured for his statements. The Republican Party has to LEAD by taking a stand for what is moral an ethical. This is much more than a question of Political Correctness.

If Lott is allowed to keep his position, Republicans will be making the statement that minorities are not welcome in their party. They cannot afford to sweep the incident under the rug and deny the problem exists. Ignoring the furor that Lott's words have caused is to ignore all those minorities the Party hopes to attract to its message. Part of that message must be that racism, racial bias and bigotry will not be tolerated.

Lott must go.