Congressional hilarity

[FalseTodd]

Here's a comment about the Trent Lott affair. Now that some senators are trying to get Lott ousted from his position as majority leader, a few are speaking up on his behalf, like the following:

“I have a lot of confidence in him as the leader and as a senator. And I think we should not lynch him, we should give him an opportunity,” Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said on the “Late Edition” program.
(emphasis added by me)

Amazing.

 

[avi]

are these people giving ANY THOUGHT AT ALL into their choice of words?!

 

[azal]

I have A LOT of confidence in him....


awesome pun.

 

[xfer]

oh, i think Trent klan handle himself.

 

[FalseTodd]

Well put. Man, with the new video just uncovered...shit is getting funny. I only wish it could help the dems in some meager way. But I doubt it.

 

[avi]

new video? what you talkin bout?

judging from what I've read, that BET interview sounded pretty darn special.

 

[xfer]

hah, yeah, i haven't seen it, but my roommate was telling me they asked him why he didnt vote in favor of MLK day, and he said something like, "Well, at the time, it wasn't clear how important King was..." and the interviewer goes, "Um, that was 1992."

 

[deadair]

Originally posted by xfer
and the interviewer goes, "Um, that was 1992."

i could have put it better myself...

 

[xfer]

OK, I listened to the thing on BET.com, and it was essentially what it was rumored to be.

Nevertheless, I don't think Lott's comments cause him to deserve losing his leadership post. He does deserve to step down for past crimes, but not for this.

However, that's how politics works. People often slip by on major crimes, but get tagged on minor stuff. In the end, they're out of office, so the systems not perfect, but it's all right, I guess. (Think Saddam: he doesn't deserve to get deposed for this stupid weapons-of-mass-destruction stuff, but since he slimed his way out of the genocide stuff, this'll do just fine).

 

[FalseTodd]

The video I referred to was not the BET interview, but a newly uncovered video from 2000 with Lott yet again reiterating (spelling?) how much better the world would have been had Thurmond been elected president.

I agree that this is something of a trifle, but three repetitions of the statement (so far!) makes this look less and less like an off-the-cuff remark. There's also a report by one of his staffers about some massively racist remarks - but that's all second hand who-knows stuff, so I take it with a grain of salt.

 

[FalseTodd]

Oh, one time at the camera store we shipped some things to a Mr. and Mrs. Massah at 201 Plantation Lane.

 

[xfer]

 

[avi]

wow, haven't heard about that vid yet. seems to me the dude's going down.

I heard he might resign from the senate if he can't lead. i dunno how true it is, but the gov's a democrat and will likely appoint someone to tip the balance.

 

[FalseTodd]

>I heard he might resign from the senate if he can't lead. i dunno
>how true it is, but the gov's a democrat and will likely appoint
> someone to tip the balance.

Sounds like wishful thinking to me...

 

[avi]

totally wishful thinking, but I did indeed read it in the paper the other day. if you think about it, it could be a threat he's made to make sure he won't be usurped.

 

[xfer]

who would replace him if he stepped down as leader, not as senator? heard anything?

 

[avi]

the chain of command sez the governor (who is a dem) appoints someone

 

[xfer]

no, no...who would take his place as Majority Leader?