by Matthew Hay Brown
It’s Trent Lott Tribute Day in the Senate, and friends from both sides of the aisle are sending the former majority leader off with an unusual outpouring of bipartisan warmth.
Although the Mississippi Republican was broadly rebuked a few years back for his praise of the 1948 presidential bid of the then-segregationist Strom Thurmond, in the Senate he has remained one of the most respected, trusted and genuinely liked members by Democratic and Republican colleagues alike.
“I believe my dealings with you have made me a better person and a better senator,” Democratic Leader Harry Reid told the No. 2 Senate Republican, who is retiring this month.
“With all of my dealings with Trent Lott, a gentleman, I have never, ever had Senator Lott say something to me that the he wasn’t able to carry through on,” Reid said. “His commitments are as good as gold. … We may disagree on policy, Senator Lott, and I, but the disagreements never seemed to be that important. because he was always able to approach these challenges with a desire to find a solution.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein echoed many in calling Lott “forthright and truthful.”
“I tend to judge people on two bases,” the California Democrat said: “How they go through the tough times and whether I would want to be in a bunker with them in a real debate.
“I remember your showing me a picture of a chair that had gone a mile from the home that blew down in the hurricane [Katrina, which destroyed Lott’s house], and I remember your fight with the insurance company, and I can only say to that insurance company, ‘Give up, you’re going to lose.’ ”
Lott’s role as the principal instigator behind both the Singing Senators, a barbershop quartet with John Ashcroft, Larry Craig, Jim Jeffords, and Seersucker Thursday, the day in June when members from both parties herald the arrival of summer by donning the blue-and-white-striped suits, appeared in several of the tributes this morning.
Some also alluded to his 2002 comments at a 100th birthday and retirement party for Thurmond.
At the party in a Senate office building, Lott said: “I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either.”
Sen. Arlen Specter said his comments were “in no means out of line;” Sen. Bob Bennett said the reaction was “vastly overblown.”
“I watched over international news as his words were misconstrued,” Sen. Gordon Smith said. “Words we had heard him utter many times in his big warmheartedness in trying to make one of our colleagues, Strom Thurmond, feel good at 100 years old.
“We knew what he meant. But the wolfpack of the press circled around him, sensed blood in the water, and caused a great injustice to be done to him and to Tricia," Lott's wife.
Lott relinquished his leadership position in the uproar that followed. He remained a rank-and-file member until his election a year ago to be minority whip.
“To come back and be successful was in the greatest tradition of the Phoenix rising from the ashes, and I haven’t seen a greater display of character in this body in the time that I have been here,” Specter said.
During his own comments, Lott recalled the motto of his Pascagoula High School Class of 1959: “The glory is not in not failing, but in raising every time you fail.”
“I’ve had opportunities to fail, and I’ve had opportunities to persevere,” he said. “It has been a great motto that I have learned to live by.”
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Comments
See ya "bad hair" Trent, don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out:
"The stategy of being obstructionist can work or fail...and so far it's working for us. Democrats are taking the blame for not getting anything done."
(R)Trent Lott
Roll Call
April 18, 2007
Posted by: John E | December 18, 2007 2:06 PM
The KKK is proud of you Trent. Some people change, not you.
Go back to Mississippi,do some lobbying,and we'll continue to send our hard earned tax dollars from Illinois to the redneks who support your ILK!!!!!
Posted by: Raving Loon | December 18, 2007 2:21 PM
Let's see how much hate and venom gets spewed at Lott by the worst and dumbest mankind has to offer, the Loony Left.
Posted by: John D | December 18, 2007 2:27 PM
The singing Republican Senators, where are they now?...maybe they'll re-group for a farewell perfomance at the 08 GOPer Convention in Larry Craig's favorite town, Minneapolis?
Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NnhWdV-MjQ
Posted by: John E | December 18, 2007 2:37 PM
Trent Lott is a dirtbag. Hell awaits!!!
Posted by: Bush Family Value$ | December 18, 2007 3:18 PM
Speaking of bats, weird, demented, deranged Johnnny E., I love all the batty nonsense from you and your ilk about Trent Lott.
And Loon, there is only one U.S. senator with any ties to the KKK, and that is former Grand Wizard Robert Byrd.
D'oh!!
Posted by: John D | December 18, 2007 3:25 PM
Don't believe the hype!!!
Posted by: Chuck & Flavor | December 18, 2007 7:23 PM
Let's see how much hate and venom gets spewed at Lott by the worst and dumbest mankind has to offer, the Loony Left.
Posted by: John D | December 18, 2007 2:27 PM
-------------------------
John,
Ouch. The worst, really?? You're entitled to your unqualified simplistic statement I guess, and so am I. So here goes. As far as worst goes I tend to see it more on the opposite end of the spectrum than you do, but that's a long and drawn out rant that I can't end in anything mildly amusing, but as far as dumb...
It's like they say, you can't say all Republicans are stupid, but statistically, and by a wide margin...stupid people vote Republican
I think this might be the shortest post I've ever made here.
Posted by: Ben | December 19, 2007 12:17 AM
Gordon Smith's comments, in particular are outrageous - given that he said the opposite when it happened in 2002.
There's lots more about his record at StopGordonSmith.com (from the Democratic Party of Oregon.)
This would be a good time to discover the Democrats who are running against him.
I'm supporting Jeff Merkley, Oregon's Speaker of the House. He led the Democrats to a majority in 2006, after 16 years in the minority.
As Speaker, Merkley held together a one-vote 31-29 majority, and achieved the most progressive session in Oregon in 30 years.
This all happened in 2007:
A 22% increase in university budgets
A $6.245 billion K-12 education budget, an 18% increase
Guaranteed sexual assault victims access to emergency contraceptives
Domestic partnerships for gays & lesbians
Majority signup for unions ("card check")
25% renewable energy standard by 2025
A 36% cap on predatory payday loans (down from 528% average)
A biofuels incentive package
Established a rainy day fund for the state budget
Sent the voters a fix for Measure 37 that protects housing rights while stopping Wal-Mart
Expansion of the Oregon Bottle Bill to include water bottles (~125 million/year)
Guaranteed coverage for contraceptives in health insurance
Employment non-discrimination for sexual orientation
Free speech and free press rights for student media
3200 more children in Head Start
Sent the voters a cigarette tax to fund health care for all kids
Expanded the prescription drug purchasing pool
Started the ball rolling toward universal health care in 2009
An extensive identity theft protection law
100 new state troopers; 15 new forensic scientists
The internet predator act
An e-waste recycling program
A 17% pay raise for Oregon's judges (who were lowest-paid in the nation)
Restored the "Rule of 31" to the Oregon House; encouraging bipartisan cooperation
Referred to voters a repeal of the "double majority" rule
A wide-ranging and strict ethics package for all public officials
Reform of the initiative process that boosts grassroots organizing, while regulating mercenaries
...and it all happened because Merkley led the Democrats to victory in 2006. Learn more about Jeff Merkley here.
The other Democrat who shouldn't be ignored is Steve Novick. He's been an activist and consultant to various Democratic campaigns and officials over the years. He's also an excellent progressive and a good friend of mine.
[Full disclosure: My company hosts StopGordonSmith.com, OregonHouseDemocrats.com, and JeffMerkley.com. I speak here only for myself.]
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | December 19, 2007 1:43 AM
Funny how Republics always spout off when there is a car bomb or other horrific attack that no Muslim groups stand up and condemn terrorism (which is not true of course, they do) but never has any Republic spoke out in the Swamp to condemn the KKK and Neo Nazis and disavow their methods and message of hate. I know this is true because I asked for anyone to step forward a couple of months ago and only "the worst mankind has to offer" the "Loony Left" stepped up resoundingly voiced their contempt and despisement for those groups. So here you go again fellow Republics, how do you feel about the KKK and the Neo Nazi clans hold on your party and Republic politicians who use codewords and pander to these groups?
Posted by: john | December 19, 2007 10:29 AM