Racism still a major force in politics.

A man from Mars - or from Europe - might expect Mississippi voters to favor progressive taxation and generous social programs. After all, the state benefits immensely from the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson: it doesn't pay a lot of federal taxes because it has the lowest per-capita income in the nation, and it does receive a lot of aid. Unlike, say, New Jersey, which pays far more into the U.S. Treasury than it gets in return, Mississippi is a major net recipient of federal funds.

But Mississippi is, in fact, the home of Trent Lott - a leader of a party determined to roll back as much as it can of the Great Society, perhaps even the New Deal. Why do Mississippi and its neighbors support politicians whose economic policies seemingly run counter to their interests?

Many people vote against their own interests because of racism. The Republican party feeds off people like this. Racists will always vote for Republicans. Anti-abortion zealots will always vote Republican. N.R.A. members will always vote Republican. These people refuse to look at the big picture and see what political party's platforms will really help them with their life. Would education programs help you advance in life? Would subsidized daycare reduce your daycare bills or allow your partner to work? Would national healthcare give your underinsured or uninsured children better healthcare? Would tax cuts targeted at the working people and middle class benefit you more than tax cuts for the very wealthy? Would limited welfare for people below the poverty line not only be compassionate, but also stimulate the economy better than corporate welfare?

Hate and fanaticism are powerful. Are they powerful enough to cause you to vote against your own best interest?

      your note []

Conservative press finally starts reporting Lott's comments, the following week.

Lott's original comments:

"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 had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."

What was Thurmond's platform? According to a copy of an original sample ballot:

"A vote for the Truman electors [Thurmond's opponent] is a direct order to our Congressman and Senators from Mississippi to vote for passage of Truman's so-called civil-rights program in the next Congress. This means the vicious FEPC -- anti-poll tax -- anti-lynching and anti-segregation proposals will become the law of the land and our way of life in the South will be gone forever."

During his 1948 campaign Thurmond gave a speech defending segregation; an audio can be listened to on the NPR website. This is the speech most newspapers and media outlets are incorrectly quoting. During the speech he said:

"I wanna tell you... Ladies and Gentlemen.... That there's not enough troops in the Army to force the southern people to break down segregation and admit the nigger race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes, and into our churches."

Lott's office has issued a short apology:

"A poor choice of words conveyed to some the impression that I embraced the discarded policies of the past. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by my statement."

Nothing could be further from the truth? Lott came up through the ranks of the original Dixiecrats, his first full-time job was as an administrative assistant to Dixiecrat Congressman William Fulmer. He must know what there platforms were. Even as late as 1998 he was writing columns for the Council of Conservative Citizen's (CCC) newsletters. The CCC, which espouses racist beliefs, has ties to the old white citizen's councils, which were organized in the 1960's to obstruct civil rights reform. Blogger LeanLeft has a list of 14 articles Lott wrote for this organization. Lott has recently denied having any "firsthand knowledge" of the CCC. Nothing could be further from the truth?

Lott's apology said he used a poor choice of words that night. Conservative pundits have said that the remarks were made informally and hastily at a birthday celebration. However, it has been noted by people watching the event on CSPAN, that Lott was reading from prepared remarks, and he seemed to emphasize the praise of Thurmond's presidential platform. This did not appear to be a slip of the tongue in anyway. This did appear to be one racist praising an old Senator's racist and notorious past.

While the vast majority of the press ignored the remarks, lefty bloggs such as Atrios, LeanLeft, and Talking Points Memo have been all over this trying to push the issue. Yesterday former Vice President Al Gore called for an apology from Lott, or congressional censure. Notable civil rights activists Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Julian Bond have finally chosen to speak up. It needs to be noted that the press all but ignored these remarks initially. Many Democrats, who should be protecting minorities from these types of policies, also chose to ignore them.

Hopefully we will now see some outrage.

      your note []