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The
Heart and Soul of the Republican Party
December 14, 2002
By Ed Hanratty
 My
oh my. Our esteemed soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader has
really done it this time, hasn't he? For the rock-dwellers,
here's a re-cap. Speaking at a celebration celebrating the
100th birthday of retiring South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond,
Senator Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) said that when Thurmond
ran for president in 1948, Mississippi voted for him. "We're
proud of it," Lott said to applause. "And if the rest of the
country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these
problems over all these years, either."
In 1948, Strom was running on a states' rights/anti-integration
platform. At one point saying something to the effect of "The
government can't force the Negro into our homes, into our
schools, and into our churches." He actually won four states,
too. And I know you're as shocked as I am that the open-minded
liberal state of Mississippi was one of them. Lott tried to
cover his ass in a series of half-hearted scripted apologies,
saying things like he didn't embrace disregarded policies
of the past, it was only meant to compliment his 100 year
old friend, saying he'd make a great President, yadda yadda
yadda. Hell, even conservatives are calling for a more substantial
apology, and they agree with the man for crying out loud.
But this can't be allowed to just die down and be swept under
the rug the next time Iraq makes a Microsoft Power-Point presentation
about how much ibuprofen they have in their possession. No.
This man has one of the 3 most powerful and influential jobs
in this great land. He sets the Congressional agenda. He sends
a message. For as much jibber-jabber and rhetoric comes out
of 1600 Pennsylvania, it's the Congress that is really in
charge of getting things done. And after the Democrats rolled
over and played dead in the November elections, the Congress
is in the hands of the Republicans, and the most powerful
man on Capitol Hill these days is none other than the Dixie
Hairpiece himself, Mr. Lott.
This is not a case of a verbal boo-boo. This isn't even a
President lying about who's giving him a blowjob, under oath
or not under oath. This is worse than Fuzzy Zoeller telling
Tiger Woods not to serve fried chicken and collard greens
at the Masters Dinner. Why? Why is this worse than overt racism
or presidential perjury? It's a matter of public perception,
ideology and morality.
Did any of you see the Republican National Convention in
2000? From the great city of Philadelphia, the Republicans,
in a desperate and pathetic attempt to prove that they were
diverse, rolled out everyone with pigmentation darker than
Casper the Friendly Ghost that had ever voted for the GOP,
and they gave all 10 of them the chance to speak in prime
time. Colin Powell was there, front and center. Condi Rice,
cause hey, they're killing two birds with one stone by having
an African-American woman speak, right? They had Jeb Bush's
half-Hispanic son, George P. Bush speak. (this kid was once
introduced by his grandfather, George "The Elected" Bush to
then-President Reagan as "the little brown one.") Hell, they
even had openly gay Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe speak. Bottom
line, they were trying convey: "Forget what you heard from
your parents, the Republican Party is open to anyone, not
just crusty old rich white men and armed to the teeth pro-life
jesusfreaks"
But it's not. Try as they might to deny it, the heart and
soul of the Republican Party lies in the belief that there
a few chosen ones to whom this country has been entrusted,
and its up to them to set the standards for morality, economics
and foreign policy. They practice and believe in Exclusion.
It's a free country, they're entitled to do so, but when they
try and pretend otherwise, that's when America has the right
to be pissed. You know, I respect Strom Thurmond a helluva
lot more than Trent Lott. Why? Because as disgusting, as reprehensible
as his policies were, at least he had the gonads to proclaim
them publicly. I know, it's scary that he found receptive
ears 54 years ago (you don't have to tell a New York Rangers
fan how long 54 years is) but I'll take an overtly bigoted
pig over an covertly bigoted pig any day.
Now, why do I say that it's worse than the President committing
perjury about sex? No, it's not my blind and unyielding affection
for President Clinton. It's deeper than that. See, Impeachment
and the whole kitandkabootle came about partially because
of Clinton's own success. The country was doing so well they
could afford to worry about the Blue Dress. 100 years from
now, Clinton will still be known for being impeached, but
will historians look back at 1998-1999 as a "dark cloud" in
American history? Hell no. They'll remember the booming economy,
the Y2K scare, and the "Seinfeld" finale.
Now, I've got one of those senses of humor that can pretty
much make light of anything. But there are certain things
you just cannot make light of: Slavery. The Holocaust. The
Irish Potato Famine. Segregation. The organized slaughter
of Native Americans. It's not OK whatsoever. Furthermore,
it was less than 40 years ago that America, the Land of the
Free, had white- and colored-only bathrooms. There are middle-aged
people who remember segregation, the degradation of living
day-to-day as a second class citizen, not because of your
lack of wealth, but by state mandate. It's not a joke. It's
no laughing matter, and for one of the most powerful men in
our government to make a light-hearted reference to how we
wouldn't have all these problems if we elected a segregationist
54 years ago, is not an acceptable practice.
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