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American Morning
Interview with Sid Salter on Lott Controversy
Aired December 12, 2002 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: He came to praise Strom Thurmond, but Trent Lott's testimonial to the retiring senator could harm his own political legacy. The incoming Senate majority leader apologized for making insensitive remarks, but that hasn't silenced his critics, some of whom want Lott to resign his Senate leadership position.
As an editor with the Jackson "Clarion-Ledger" newspaper, Sid Salter has followed Lott's political career, and he comes to us from Jackson, Mississippi.
Sid, good morning to you -- thanks for being with us.
SID SALTER, JACKSON "CLARION-LEDGER": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: You have been covering Trent Lott, from what I see, for about 30 years. What's your true take on what Trent Lott meant by those comments?
SALTER: I don't accept those comments from Senator Lott as, you know, a glimpse into his soul. I think it was a mistake that was offensive to many, and, you know, certainly the comments were wrong, and he should have apologized. I think that's the sense here in Mississippi, and I think the outrage here in his home state is the same as across the country.
KAGAN: I want to review here if somehow, somebody out there has managed to miss this controversy, we want to just play that sound byte one more time from Strom Thurmond's birthday party and get a sense of what we're talking about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MI), REPUBLICAN LEADER: 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 would have followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all of these problems over all of these years either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: All right, that was embarrassing enough, and he did apologize for that, and it looked like it was going to go away. But then your own newspaper reported that a very, very similar type of comment was made some 20 years ago, that he's been making these comments for some time.
Let's go ahead -- I just want to show folks what that is. From "The Clarion-Ledger:" "As Thurmond left the speaker's platform, Lott told the crowd, 'You know, if we had elected this man 30 years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess that we are today.' "
And that comes back from 1980. What do you make of that, Sid?
SALTER: You know, there's a curious thing about Senator Lott. If he's doing a talking-head show on national television, he is one of the most erudite Mississippians that's ever been produced. Put him in front of a crowd unscripted, he has the propensity to go over the top. I think he did with this.
But you know, the comments are somewhat indefensible. Senator Lott has maintained over the course of his career a curious flirtation with some of these splinter groups, votes that he was very likely going to get anyway. He's been criticized in his home state for it for 20 years. He's had some national criticism for it.
That said, this is still more of a national story in Mississippi than it is a state story. And I essentially see the people who supported Trent Lott prior to these comments still support him. The people who didn't like Trent Lott prior to these comments still don't like him. And it did cost him. It cost him here at home, but it didn't cost him enough to rob him of a 65 percent majority if he were to run tomorrow.
KAGAN: Well, I guess that is the biggest question. Exactly how much this is going to cost him? And as you point out, not necessarily for what he said, but for how he's handled it. Where do you think this is going? Do you think he will have to give up the leadership in the Senate?
SALTER: Probably not. I think Senator Lott has more problems from within the conservative wing of his own party than he does here at home among his constituents or from the Democrats. But the fact that the Republicans are in control in both houses and the White House, I don't think he'll have to step down from the leadership position.
It will cost him. It will sort of put him on a media-death watch, if you will. If he makes another mistake of this nature, he will pay the price for it nationally. He will likely suffer for it here at home.
KAGAN: We'll be watching it nationally, and as you point out, Sid, you definitely will be watching it at home in Mississippi. Sid Salter, thanks for joining us -- appreciate it.
SALTER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired December 12, 2002 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: He came to praise Strom Thurmond, but Trent Lott's testimonial to the retiring senator could harm his own political legacy. The incoming Senate majority leader apologized for making insensitive remarks, but that hasn't silenced his critics, some of whom want Lott to resign his Senate leadership position.
As an editor with the Jackson "Clarion-Ledger" newspaper, Sid Salter has followed Lott's political career, and he comes to us from Jackson, Mississippi.
Sid, good morning to you -- thanks for being with us.
SID SALTER, JACKSON "CLARION-LEDGER": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: You have been covering Trent Lott, from what I see, for about 30 years. What's your true take on what Trent Lott meant by those comments?
SALTER: I don't accept those comments from Senator Lott as, you know, a glimpse into his soul. I think it was a mistake that was offensive to many, and, you know, certainly the comments were wrong, and he should have apologized. I think that's the sense here in Mississippi, and I think the outrage here in his home state is the same as across the country.
KAGAN: I want to review here if somehow, somebody out there has managed to miss this controversy, we want to just play that sound byte one more time from Strom Thurmond's birthday party and get a sense of what we're talking about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MI), REPUBLICAN LEADER: 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 would have followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all of these problems over all of these years either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: All right, that was embarrassing enough, and he did apologize for that, and it looked like it was going to go away. But then your own newspaper reported that a very, very similar type of comment was made some 20 years ago, that he's been making these comments for some time.
Let's go ahead -- I just want to show folks what that is. From "The Clarion-Ledger:" "As Thurmond left the speaker's platform, Lott told the crowd, 'You know, if we had elected this man 30 years ago, we wouldn't be in the mess that we are today.' "
And that comes back from 1980. What do you make of that, Sid?
SALTER: You know, there's a curious thing about Senator Lott. If he's doing a talking-head show on national television, he is one of the most erudite Mississippians that's ever been produced. Put him in front of a crowd unscripted, he has the propensity to go over the top. I think he did with this.
But you know, the comments are somewhat indefensible. Senator Lott has maintained over the course of his career a curious flirtation with some of these splinter groups, votes that he was very likely going to get anyway. He's been criticized in his home state for it for 20 years. He's had some national criticism for it.
That said, this is still more of a national story in Mississippi than it is a state story. And I essentially see the people who supported Trent Lott prior to these comments still support him. The people who didn't like Trent Lott prior to these comments still don't like him. And it did cost him. It cost him here at home, but it didn't cost him enough to rob him of a 65 percent majority if he were to run tomorrow.
KAGAN: Well, I guess that is the biggest question. Exactly how much this is going to cost him? And as you point out, not necessarily for what he said, but for how he's handled it. Where do you think this is going? Do you think he will have to give up the leadership in the Senate?
SALTER: Probably not. I think Senator Lott has more problems from within the conservative wing of his own party than he does here at home among his constituents or from the Democrats. But the fact that the Republicans are in control in both houses and the White House, I don't think he'll have to step down from the leadership position.
It will cost him. It will sort of put him on a media-death watch, if you will. If he makes another mistake of this nature, he will pay the price for it nationally. He will likely suffer for it here at home.
KAGAN: We'll be watching it nationally, and as you point out, Sid, you definitely will be watching it at home in Mississippi. Sid Salter, thanks for joining us -- appreciate it.
SALTER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
