From: angelwiccan	Date: December 15th, 2002 03:21 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I'm not a big fan of Republicans, and even if they have been for civil rights in the past, that's certainly changed in this administration.

In any case, I will say that I do find it stupid about the whole Lott thing. Yeah, it was a poor choice of words, but for those of us who didn't know who Strom was or what he stood for, it didn't seem like that bad a comment. It's stupid pettyisms like this that make politics suck. Making one mistake and calling for a resignation is stupid. At least find where he broke a law or something before you really have any say in whether he should step down or not.

Besides, if they're so bold to suggest it, I'm sure we could find something in everyone's past on Capitol Hill that would get people after them to step down...

	From: linnaeus	Date: December 15th, 2002 04:44 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Nah, Republicans aren't against civil rights, but Hartree put it pretty well this weekend. The G.O.P. as a whole doesn't have a reputation as being particularly strong on civil rights-- in part because the party ended up being the main beneficiary of a southern backlash against the Democrats after the Civil Rights Act and thus picked up both a base of support from the anti-civil rights crowd. It's kind of like the way Democrats don't have a reputation as being strong on national defence. An unfair generalization about the party and all it's members as a whole, but with a basis in reality.

The gag is, if civil rights is seen as a weakness for a party, then having someone make a boneheaded comment that seems to support that appearance (particularly if that someone has an unfortunate history of saying similar stupid things and playing footsie with anti-civil rights revisionist groups and publications), then that person becomes a liability. I think it's stupid for Al Gore and other Dems to be calling for Lott's resignation, but if I lived in Mississippi I'd be kind of ashamed of him and want to vote him out, or if I was a registered Republican I'd be kind of ashamed and feel like he was an obstacle to my party broadening its appeal.

	From: spoothbrush	Date: December 16th, 2002 06:46 am (UTC)		(Link)

Being against civil rights is like being against health care. You can't do it. Nobody doesn't want civil rights. People just differ on how they think the legislation should go.

Dumbasses.

	From: varro	Date: December 16th, 2002 07:26 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Many Republicans aren't against civil rights, but Trent Lott's comments and actions indicate he isn't too enthusiastic about them, nearly 40 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.

It's up to the Republicans to discipline Lott....his multiple embarrassing statements have disgraced his party. I'm not saying he should resign from the Senate, but the Republican hierarchy should consider removing him from the Majority Leader position for a period of time.

Being against equal rights is like supporting Stalinist Communism; an untenably extreme position for someone in such a high office.