Lott to leave before new lobbying restrictions
Trent Lott, the second highest GOP in the Senate a long serving member of Congress will resign before the end of the year. It might seem like random timing, but its not: his resignation before the end of the year beats the introduction of new lobbying restrictions which require former members of Congress to wait 2 full years before lobbying. The current law only requires a 1 year waiting period. Trent Lott is a dedicated public servant to the people of Mississippi. Sources close to the Senator say he wanted to resign earlier but stayed on after Hurricane Katrina – a noble cause. However, the man is trapped in the past: constrained by his conservative views. He refuses to accept the fundamental principal that we were all created equally.
Back in the Harriet Miers debacle, Lott stood up to the President and said “I want the president to look across the country and find the best man, woman, or minority that he can find.” This prejudicial statement is ridiculous. Its faulty logic (I think it means you can either have a man OR a woman OR minority, but not a combination. Good luck with that.) and ignorant. Realistically, who isn’t a minority?
Lott’s decision to resign early in his term is saddening. He committed to the people of Mississippi and now prioritizes “something else” over public service. I do not condemn his service. But his decision to leave, inappropriate comments, and dated ideology as a top official of the Republican party force the question: is this the best the Republicans have to offer?
It’s a sad day when the leadership throws in the towel to beat the new lobbyist restrictions. Get back to work.
