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American Morning
Lott Controversy Continues
Aired December 12, 2002 - 09:33 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: How secure is the grip on power for Senator Lott? Let's get to Bill Schneider right now, our senior political analyst, to shake this down. Boy, your town's buzzing on this one, isn't it, Bill?
Good morning to you.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It's a very big issue -- good morning, Bill -- all over Washington.
HEMMER: Take the first question then, how secure is it right now, or is that too premature?
SCHNEIDER: It's secure as long as he has the confidence of his party, which means principally the White House and his colleagues in the Senate. Remember, he's the majority leader of the Senate, which means he's elected by the Republicans in the Senate.
Democrats have been criticizing him, but so far, most Republicans have been muted, although we have heard from some conservatives outside of the corridors of power, like the editorial page of "The Wall Street Journal," like the head of the Family Research Council, like Jack Kemp, the vice presidential candidate in 1996, all of whom said, this is serious and it's doing great damage to the party.
HEMMER: Some people suggest over the last couple of days, nobody gave it much mind; you heard a few corners of criticism. Is there logic that follows as to why this is truly gaining steam right now at midweek?
SCHNEIDER: It's gaining steam, because Senator Lott, at first said it was an inadvertent comment, it was thoughtless, it was insensitive, he regretted giving offense, but then, it was discovered that he said the same thing some 22 years ago. If it was thoughtless, he's been knowing about this for a long time, and in the past, he's been associated with suspect groups. He defended racially discriminatory policies by Bob Jones University. He once appeared before the Council of Conservative Citizens, which is a southern group that has ties to racist constituencies in the past. He is a senator from Mississippi, but you don't make allowances for things like this. I think what he really has to do is what Jack Kemp said, he has to go before a civil rights group, he has to repudiate those policies explicitly and say, this is not what I believe.
It's not that people took offense what he said, it's what he said. The criticism that's emerging is, he just doesn't get it, just like doing the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, what people said about the senators.
HEMMER: Bill, you've followed these controversies for years in Washington, decades, in fact. How do you get out of this hole? Have you responded at this point too late, clearly understanding that you should have come out earlier, but I understand that point that you're making, but could Senator Lott dig himself out of this one?
SCHNEIDER: What I suggested is what Jack Kemp suggested. go before a civil rights group, and announce clearly and articulately that he repudiates all forms of racism and the entire sorrowful segregation history. He's got to do that clearly and forcefully, instead of saying I regret giving offense. What I said was inadvertent and insensitive. It doesn't appear to have been thoughtless, because there's a pattern here.
HEMMER: There's two other angles I want to get at here. You mentioned the Republican Party. How are they reacting thus far, and what about the White House reaction, rather muted so far?
SCHNEIDER: It's been muted. I think Republicans are waiting to see what's happens out there in the country. Is there a hue and cry? I think it's slow to sink in around the country, because, look, he was talking about the 1948 Strom Thurmond campaign. I guarantee you very few Americans remember that campaign. They weren't alive or they were very young, as Senator Lott was. He was seven years old in 1948, and they don't understand the implications of what he said.
In a way, it's not like, remember the Kimblewood-Zoe Baird (ph) controversy, which Washington, when they heard that these women hired illegal aliens to work for them, Washington said, so what, everyone does it, and the country was in an uproar. In this case, the country didn't initially go into an uproar, but as they get more and more information about Lott's associations and the patterns in the past, they become more concerned about this.
HEMMER: Interesting. All right, Bill, thanks. We'll see what happens today. The appearance last night on "LARRY KING," and who knows what will turn up now.
Thanks, good to see you. Here's Daryn now.
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 - 09:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: How secure is the grip on power for Senator Lott? Let's get to Bill Schneider right now, our senior political analyst, to shake this down. Boy, your town's buzzing on this one, isn't it, Bill?
Good morning to you.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It's a very big issue -- good morning, Bill -- all over Washington.
HEMMER: Take the first question then, how secure is it right now, or is that too premature?
SCHNEIDER: It's secure as long as he has the confidence of his party, which means principally the White House and his colleagues in the Senate. Remember, he's the majority leader of the Senate, which means he's elected by the Republicans in the Senate.
Democrats have been criticizing him, but so far, most Republicans have been muted, although we have heard from some conservatives outside of the corridors of power, like the editorial page of "The Wall Street Journal," like the head of the Family Research Council, like Jack Kemp, the vice presidential candidate in 1996, all of whom said, this is serious and it's doing great damage to the party.
HEMMER: Some people suggest over the last couple of days, nobody gave it much mind; you heard a few corners of criticism. Is there logic that follows as to why this is truly gaining steam right now at midweek?
SCHNEIDER: It's gaining steam, because Senator Lott, at first said it was an inadvertent comment, it was thoughtless, it was insensitive, he regretted giving offense, but then, it was discovered that he said the same thing some 22 years ago. If it was thoughtless, he's been knowing about this for a long time, and in the past, he's been associated with suspect groups. He defended racially discriminatory policies by Bob Jones University. He once appeared before the Council of Conservative Citizens, which is a southern group that has ties to racist constituencies in the past. He is a senator from Mississippi, but you don't make allowances for things like this. I think what he really has to do is what Jack Kemp said, he has to go before a civil rights group, he has to repudiate those policies explicitly and say, this is not what I believe.
It's not that people took offense what he said, it's what he said. The criticism that's emerging is, he just doesn't get it, just like doing the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, what people said about the senators.
HEMMER: Bill, you've followed these controversies for years in Washington, decades, in fact. How do you get out of this hole? Have you responded at this point too late, clearly understanding that you should have come out earlier, but I understand that point that you're making, but could Senator Lott dig himself out of this one?
SCHNEIDER: What I suggested is what Jack Kemp suggested. go before a civil rights group, and announce clearly and articulately that he repudiates all forms of racism and the entire sorrowful segregation history. He's got to do that clearly and forcefully, instead of saying I regret giving offense. What I said was inadvertent and insensitive. It doesn't appear to have been thoughtless, because there's a pattern here.
HEMMER: There's two other angles I want to get at here. You mentioned the Republican Party. How are they reacting thus far, and what about the White House reaction, rather muted so far?
SCHNEIDER: It's been muted. I think Republicans are waiting to see what's happens out there in the country. Is there a hue and cry? I think it's slow to sink in around the country, because, look, he was talking about the 1948 Strom Thurmond campaign. I guarantee you very few Americans remember that campaign. They weren't alive or they were very young, as Senator Lott was. He was seven years old in 1948, and they don't understand the implications of what he said.
In a way, it's not like, remember the Kimblewood-Zoe Baird (ph) controversy, which Washington, when they heard that these women hired illegal aliens to work for them, Washington said, so what, everyone does it, and the country was in an uproar. In this case, the country didn't initially go into an uproar, but as they get more and more information about Lott's associations and the patterns in the past, they become more concerned about this.
HEMMER: Interesting. All right, Bill, thanks. We'll see what happens today. The appearance last night on "LARRY KING," and who knows what will turn up now.
Thanks, good to see you. Here's Daryn now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
