Trent Lott To Resign

Trent Lott (R-MS) is resigning. What does that mean for America? Well it’s one less voice of bigotry and intolerance in the Senate. Lott was forced to step down as Senate Majority Leader back in 2002 when he praised Strom Thurmond at his 100th birthday with a comment that had Thurmond been elected President when he made his unsuccessful bid, the country "wouldn’t have all these problems." It was a not so veiled remark about segregation and nobody was fooled.

Lott stepping down before the end of the year will trigger a special election in Mississippi, and though that may or may not change the party affiliation of the seat, I suspect it will give us a glimpse into the inner thoughts of Mississippi’s political views.

I have a dear friend whose family is from Mississippi, and he remarked to me several months ago that his mother, who had long been a staunch Republican had taken to referring to the President as that "Bastard in the White House". Apparently the Deep South can change.