Of course it was an idiotic thing to say. And of course Senator Lott’s remarks have been taken out of context. Neither of these opposing viewpoints refer to the real issue. The real issue is power.
Democrats who now condemn Senator Lott for his apparent racism have known his history as a college fraternity member all along. They never tried to unseat him before. So why now? The Democrats’ own Senator, Robert Byrd, has used the “n” word publicly. How can Democrats forgive this while condemning Lott for a far less racist offense? The answer is obvious: power.
Democrats have no politically viable agenda whatsoever. Their premise of expanding the welfare state has been defeated time and again, from the election of Reagan to the defeat of Hillary Care to the recent historic Congressional victory for the party in the White House. All Democrats can do is cling to preserving the welfare state we currently have, which is becoming harder with talk of Social Security privatization and the like.
Democrats know if they can “guilt” the Republicans into abandoning Lott, Lott will step down from both the Majority Leader post as well as his seat in the Senate (since a disgraced Majority Leader would never want to serve as a backbencher). By getting Lott kicked out, the Senate reverts to 50-50 since the Democratic governor of Mississippi (Lott’s home state) will appoint a Democrat to replace him. While the Republican Vice President Cheney will break the tie in a split Senate for the next two years, it gives Democrats the added psychological power they need to help persuade people that the (alleged) Republican agenda of pro-capitalism and pro-strong defense is not really all that popular. Who knows — the Democrats might even get the liberal (and power-oriented) Republican Senator John McCain to switch to their party, putting the Senate once again back into their obstructionist hands.
When a party runs out of ideas, as the Democrats have, they have nothing left but a raw grab for power. When a party is afraid to stand for its ideas, as the Republicans are, they will turn victory into defeat every time. It always seemed to me that Senator Lott — like most of his Republican party — felt as if he had something to feel guilty about. Most Republicans do, because deep down they hate themselves for being the flag-wavers for the “incorrect” values of capitalism, individual freedom, and individual self-responsibility. Now the price of his psychological slip may be the few good pieces of legislation the Republican Congress might have passed, such as severely reducing taxes and regulation on the productive sector of the population.
Thanks a lot, Senator Lott. If you have any decency, you’ll cede the leadership post — but stay in office so your party can (if it ever grows the spine) save us from dictatorship at home and abroad.
