Trent Lott went on BET last night and sold out his party. By saying that support for affirmative action is the best thing to do he not only sold out the values of the GOP, but millions of black Americans who are being treated as inferior second-class citizens by affirmative actions programs.
If Trent Lott had any cojones whatsoever, he would have gone into that interview prepared to tell that audience why affirmative action breeds a sense of inferiority that keeps blacks from reaching their full potential. He could have talked about how enterprise, education, and hard work were the best tickets out of poverty, and how racial set-asides do nothing for black America. He could have said any number of things to advance a cause that’s more in league with the spirit of the civil rights movement than the divisive racial politics of the Jacksons and Sharptons.
But he did not do any of those things.
Instead, he bowed to political correctness and told the audience exactly what he thought they wanted to hear. Either he really believes in affirmative action, which is unacceptable, or he was lying, which is also unacceptable. No matter what his intention, his comments only served to further prove that he is not fit to be the leader of the Republican Senate.
Trent Lott is emblematic of the worst of American politics. His inability to hold any position in the face of criticism, his two-faced approach to politics, and his inability to bow out when it is appropriate are reminiscent of the worst of Bill Clinton’s tenure in office. He is disgrace to his party, and a disgrace to this country, and it is time for him to step down.
Not only is he absent minded, he is a coward. Good riddance Trent.