The Growing Fire Around Trent Lott

looks like the flames are spreading: this from Time on Line:
Here's some advice for Republicans eager to attract more African-American supporters: don't stop with Trent Lott. Blacks won't take their commitment to expanding the party seriously until they admit that the GOP's wrongheadedness about race goes way beyond Lott and infects their entire party. The sad truth is that many Republican leaders remain in a massive state of denial about the party's four-decade-long addiction to race-baiting. They won't make any headway with blacks by bashing Lott if they persist in giving Ronald Reagan a pass for his racial policies.

The same could be said, of course, about such Republican heroes as, Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon or George Bush the elder, all of whom used coded racial messages to lure disaffected blue collar and Southern white voters away from the Democrats. Yet it's with Reagan, who set a standard for exploiting white anger and resentment rarely seen since George Wallace stood in the schoolhouse door, that the Republican's selective memory about its race-baiting habit really stands out.

dys, Good points all, but I'm afraid many black Americans only follow what their leaders tell them (some true, and some false), and that's the reason for the blacklash against the GOP. As we all know, nothing will get past Mr Jackson. c.i.

I heard Trent Lott was going to turn Democrat as his comments would hardly lift an eyebrow in that party.
Actually Mr. Lott has already been labeled a Liberal Republican which is just a step away from being a Democrat.
He has been the Democrats best friend anyway, he could go to their side and we would hardly notice.

My goodness. How quick they turn! I visualize Christmas day in the snow-covered Rove household, presents ripped happily apart by the children, men folk relaxing in the study with their scotch and cubans, and the gracious southern ladyfolk checking the roaster to see if Trent's remains are likely to yield a good, thick gravy.

slimmerson where did you hear that?

Yup, Lott is gone as the 'speaker' of the GOP. Good riddance, I say. c.i.

Will anything change? I doubt it. Lest we forget the democratic south became republican because of the democratic stance on civil rights. The bigotry of the past is well represented in the southern wing of the republican party

au, Generally speaking, you may be right. However, I see much improvement in the GOP considered from Bush's makeup of his administration. We need to see the glass as half full. He even spoke out against Lott. Things ARE improving for all minorities - including women. Yes, it's slow, but the improvements are evident from my observations during my 67 years in this country. c.i.

It's been mentioned before but deserves repeating that President Johnson resigned the party to losing the South when he signed the Civil Rights bill. Hey, in California we still have primarilly Latino, African-American and White schools. There's still a "don't move into my neighborhood" mentality within the Orange Country far right political bent.

LW, "Not in my neighborhood" may be a dictim of the white majority, but it's still 'against the law.' I don't see how any kind of segregation in California will last. c.i.

Dyslexia:
I heard the first one on a talk radio show out of Charlotte NC, I heard the second one from Sean Hannity, and I just kind of said the third one because of the way he has handled himself when in serious debate with the Democrats, especially if you watched him during the infamous impeachment hearings.

C.I. -- you're right that thinking about "don't move into my neighborhood" doesn't break any laws but what is more often the case is when minorities start moving into a white neighbordhood, the white people move out. Seen it again and again in Orange Country but can't speak for the rest of the country. My friend in Ft. Lauderdale tells me now integrated that city is -- even the gay community there is fully intergrated and are able to fly rainbow flags in public with no repercussions.

William Saletan on Trott's replacement...
http://slate.msn.com/id/2075911/

And a very good article on how some of this stuff crossed party lines...
http://hnn.us/articles/1173.html#Byrd12-19-02

And another, from Reason...
http://reason.com/links/links121802.shtml

Here is an interesting Frist piece. Have we got Lott times 5?

http://www.buzzflash.com/buzzscripts/buzz.dll/sub3

BillW

That's a piece I'm not terribly fond of, lots of innuendo and, I suspect, a desire to find things wrong with Frist.

I think Frist might be a real problem for Democrats (in terms of votes) because he really seems quite unlike Lott - intelligent, well-spoken, and motivated but what I take to be more agreeable values. And as the Saletan piece suggests, an effective co-ordinator of the various interests within the party.

Lightwizard

<<Quote-- you're right that thinking about "don't move into my neighborhood" doesn't break any laws but what is more often the case is when minorities start moving into a white neighborhood, the white people move out>>
Ask yourself why. Do you think that people who have lived in a neighborhood all their lives move out because they are prejudiced or in fear for their safety and the safety of their children. It's is very convenient to blame everything on racism. I should also note that racism is not confined to the white community. It is a two edged sword that cuts both ways.

blatham, I agree with your observation, but there is a lot of truth there too. Frist did lead the last Repub campaign and it was rife with anti black voting literature. Does he only get create for positive stuff and we sweep the bad stuff under the rug? Use a convenient Bush method -"I didn't know about that". Is that the way to lead? I think not. This is the kind of stuff the American media is famous for - letting this administration slide on very questionable grounds.

Wish I could get your link, slate is where I get double exposure on this computer. I'm on vacation for two weeks so I won't be able to read it for a long time. Did enjoy the other thread.

By the way, I was for Frist before anyone else. He may be the best in a bag of rotten fruit. Wish I could be more positive, but I have not been very happy with the administration and how they have changed the outcome of the world for a long time to come. I truly question if the world will be around for the 2004 election!

au said...

Are you suggesting that is the only, or even the main reason?

Populations ebb and flow. Ethnic groups are cconstantly shifting about. Friction is almost always apparent in these times because we tend to feel more comfortable with the familiar.

Here in Vancouver, within the last decade or two, we have seen a huge influx of folks particularly from Hong Kong since the turnover, such that now the central portion of the city and several outlying areas are nearly 50% Asian in background. This has been an enormous change, and not without some kerfuffles, but overall it's been just fine.

Of course rascism goes in two directions, but one's first moral responsibility is to one's own rascism.