Trent Lott's Greatest Hits

Our dear corporate media cousins are currently swooning over Trent Lott and his resurgence after his exile from power (with the story line of Dubya and Karl Rove initiating his fall from grace after Lott’s infamous remarks at Strom Thurmond's birthday party some years ago, as I referred to here). Implicit in this “reporting” is some sort of praise directed towards Lott for his recovery.

This is all utter garbage.

To begin, I should point out that when Trent Lott uttered his infamous "all these problems" quote, that was not the first time he had uttered a fondness for the confederacy (see the Jefferson Davis quote...you can read more on Lott’s affiliations with organizations trying to cultivate the worst Jim Crow racism here).

Also, here are some true lowlights from Trent Lott’s voting record, which were published at the time he ran for re-election to the Senate in 2002 (I’m really trying not to say what I really think of the people in Mississippi who voted to send this cretin back to Washington at all, let alone the ones who decided to give Lott a position of leadership)…

From here…

Voted NO to expand definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation

Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation

Voted NO on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore

Voted YES on restricting rules on personal bankruptcy

Voted YES on limiting product liability punitive damage awards

Voted YES on restricting class-action lawsuits

Voted NO on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education

Voted YES on $75M for abstinence education ($75 million??!!)

Voted NO on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's AMWR

Voted NO on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Voted YES on drilling ANWR on national security grounds.

Voted YES on terminating CAFE standards within 15 months

Voted YES on defunding renewable and solar energy

There’s much, MUCH more from the “On The Issues” link that may cause the bile to rise to your throat (I hope not, but be forewarned).

And finally, let us not forget how Lott piled onto Al Gore in 1999 after Wired magazine deliberately misquoted Gore on the role he played in securing funding for development of the Internet (actually, it’s a stretch for Lott to claim that he could summon the technical know how to master using a paper clip, let alone creating one).

With Lott as the minority Whip, we can look forward to at least two more years of distraction and attempts at division as the Repugs fight Harry Reid and the Democratic majority every inch of the way.