Gordon Smith defends Lott’s segregationist comments.
Gordon Smith defends Lott’s segregationist comments.
In a speech on the Senate floor today, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) paid tribute to Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), who recently announced his resignation. Smith remembered Lott’s “warm slap on our backs” and the “steely look in his eye.” He also defended Lott’s comments in 2002, which heralded the segregationist platform of former senator Strom Thurmond:
I watched over international news as his words were misconstrued, words which we had heard him utter many times in his big warm-heartedness 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 the exigencies of politics caused a great injustice.
Watch it:
In 2002, however, Smith claimed he was “deeply dismayed” at Lott’s statements about Thurmond.
UPDATE: Former attorney general John Ashcroft remembers Lott as “Lincoln-esque.”
UPDATE II: Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) also defend Lott’s statements on Sturmond.
UPDATE III: Politico has more samplings of the praise heaped upon Lott today.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
“But the wolfpack of the press circled around him, sensed blood in the water…”
– - Gordon, ya mixed metaphor moron.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:10 pm“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,”
It’s kind of hard to take that out of context.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:14 pmI had no idea that wolves hunted their pray like sharks.
Did this guy take his metaphor from the “George W. Bush Book of Screwing Up Stuff People Say Everyday?”
December 18th, 2007 at 2:15 pmim surprised this criminal (LOTT) hasn’t got the medal of FREEDUMB yet.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:17 pmSo, ‘Senator’ Smith, you’re either insincere (a/k/a a liar), or you’re a racist (or at least racist sympathizer). Which is it?
Cheers,
December 18th, 2007 at 2:18 pm“But the wolfpack of the press circled around him, sensed blood in the water…â€
- – Gordon, ya mixed metaphor moron
Badmoodman”
Yeah, it was an uphill battle, rough sledding, the 4th quarter with two strikes and two outs, but Trent hit the three pointer at the buzzer to ice the game and pull one out of the fire. The moral of the story is you have to break some eggs if you want herd cats.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:18 pmI have a feeling that the wolves are going to circle around Gordon Smith — not because they smell blood in the water, but because they just want to stop the mangled metaphors.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:19 pmYes, Gordon, we knew what he meant and it wasn’t kind, least not to those that suffered the indignities of the Jim Crow era — Strom’s era of good times that (still) are not forgotten.
I’m certain Strom’s daughter appreciated Trent’s comments as well. She’ll probably write Gordon a letter of thanks. As for the media frenzy, the PR machine just didn’t work out so well with the quote. Trent knew who he was talking to when he said it. Just like Gordon does now. Perhaps his PR machine will spin it right. But then bigotry is so old these days.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:21 pmFunny, Ashcroft will be remembered as Himler-esque.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:22 pmFunny, Ashcroft will be remembered as Himler-esque.
Comment by hellinabucket — December 18, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
thereby doing a disservice to Himmler.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:24 pmWell, if these people didn’t pimp for each other, NOBODY else would.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:27 pmFascist Racism is what repukians do best, they sure as hell can’t govern a country properly, and don’t even let them get their corrupt hands on the checkbook.
New repukian ad line – “GOT DEFICIT?”
Bush/Cheney/Lott/Smith
Hague Trials ‘09
Buck Fush
December 18th, 2007 at 2:28 pmSmith is a liar and a shill for big money and corporate interests.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:28 pmSmith is a liar and a shill for big money and corporate interests.
Comment by jb — December 18, 2007 @ 2:28 pm
The (R) kind of telegraphs that.Smith is a liar and a shill for big money and corporate interests.
Comment by jb — December 18, 2007 @ 2:28 pm
December 18th, 2007 at 2:41 pmWhat kind of rightygoper would he be, were he not kicking up a smokescreen to cover for one of his comrades’ blatant racism?
December 18th, 2007 at 2:42 pmThere isn’t anyway to take the statement out of context. Lott said he wished the country had backed Thurmond’s Dixiecrat party. ’nuff said.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:43 pmIs a wolf-shark anything like the ‘LandShark’ of SNL fame?
December 18th, 2007 at 2:49 pmSmith broke with his party months ago when he said Bush’s Iraq policy may be criminal – the press made much of it, and liberals were heartened. That didn’t last too long.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:52 pmOne is not allowed to stray too far from the reservation; someone obviously reminded Smith of his place in the pecking pack, and he has returned to his republiscum teammates. One for all and all for one – liars, racists, bigots, warmongers, hypocrites, yes-men, one and all.
Perhaps he can partially attribute his return to the faithful Bush-lovers to an affinity to mix metaphors — wolves smelling blood in the water?
December 18th, 2007 at 2:55 pmre 19
wolfsharks are found in dogwood forests. Other creatures found there are catbirds, seahorses, unicorns, and of course compassionate conservatives.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:55 pmI know someone who mixes metaphors all the time – but she is hilarious:
“the light at the end of the rainbow”
“keep a stiff upper chin”
She says she wouldn’t trust Bush with a ten-foot pole!
December 18th, 2007 at 2:58 pmSmith remembered Lott’s “warm slap on our backsides†and the “steely look in his eye.â€
more bathroom stall shenanigans?
December 18th, 2007 at 3:08 pmI’ve heard of a compassionate conservative. He shed a tear for the death of soldiers while equating his own children to similiar service in his campaign. Truly a visionary. Albeit an hallucinogenic induced vision.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:18 pmSo yesterday I got to be proud because my senator was one of the few people supporting Dodd. Today, not so much, because my other senator is Gordon Smith. Smith is ripe for the plucking next year, but the Oregon Democrats have yet to come up with a strong candidate to run against him.
December 18th, 2007 at 3:20 pmAshcroft is Lincolnesque to the extent that he also has a hole in his head.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:00 pmGordon Smith is going down in 2008, but he’s too stupid to read the handwriting on the wall. We in Oregon have been on to him for quite some time and the chances of his being reelected are slim.
That will make Oregon entirely blue, as it should be.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:03 pmJust another flake who happens to be in charge of the greatest country in the world.
Can’t these losers keep their stories straight?
C’mon, man! what it is?! What is it going to be?! What’s your final answer?!
Do you agree with Lott’s statements or not??
What an ass clown. Keep it straight you puke.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:04 pmSmith broke with his party months ago when he said Bush’s Iraq policy may be criminal – the press made much of it, and liberals were heartened. That didn’t last too long.
Gordon Smith has done this for years. Right before he is up for reelection he starts talking like he is a moderate Republiscum. Then after he wins re-election he goes back to his same old right wing agenda. The only thing different this time is that he did the turn before the election.
And I disagree with gummitch. I think we have several strong candidates to run against Smith and think they can win.
December 18th, 2007 at 4:08 pmAnd I disagree with gummitch. I think we have several strong candidates to run against Smith and think they can win.
Comment by bilbobaggins — December 18, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
I hope you’re right, but the people with real name recognition have decided not to run. I’m not suggesting that the likely candidates wouldn’t make good senators, just that they’ve got a lot of work to do to beat out Smith.
In the Willamette Valley, Oregon looks like a blue state. Anywhere else, including parts of Washington County, it’s about as much a red state as you can get. The population favors the Valley’s influence but I don’t believe the general population is as p!ssed off at Smith as you apparently do.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:51 pmSmith’s (and Southern Man’s) defense that Lott was only trying to say something nice to an old man on his hundredth birthday turns out to be just wrong, even apart from the plain meaning of Lott’s words.
As CommonDreams reported, Lott said exactly the same thing about Thurmond at a Reagan rally in 1980. It was reported in 1980 and re-reported in the Washington Post in 2002. It’s nearly verbatim.
Lott didn’t make a maladroit, ill thought out fumble grasping for something nice to say. He pulled out an easy, familiar, comfortable talking point. It wasn’t new, it was in the repertoire.
Lott could just as easily have praised Thurmond for giving up defense of Jim Crow and accepting integration. The choice to praise him for his early career rather than for learning better later is telling. It wasn’t just about praising Thurmond, it was about rehabilitating and legitimizing that part of Thurmond’s career.
That’s the context.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:11 amOregon Voters, I am going to move BACK to oregon after making enough money to retire on down here in California. I won’t flash my money, I will get a Oregon Liscense plate as soon I get to Ashland and will be a good citizen, if you folkes will get rid this Fool.
Or I might just work my way to British Columbia.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:28 am