Trent Lott Quotes

Chester Trent Lott Sr. is a former American politician and author. A former United States Senator from Mississippi, Lott served in numerous leadership positions in both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate. He entered Congress as one of the first of a wave of Republicans winning seats in Southern states that had been solidly Democratic. He became Senate Majority Leader, then stepped down from power after praising Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist Dixiecrat presidential bid.

From 1968 to 1972, Lott was an administrative assistant to Representative William M. Colmer of Mississippi, who was also the chairman of the House Rules Committee. Upon Colmer's retirement, Lott won Colmer's former seat in the House of Representatives. In 1988, Lott ran successfully for the U.S. Senate to replace another retiree, John C. Stennis. After Republicans took the majority in the Senate, Lott became Senate Majority Whip in 1995 and then Senate Majority Leader in 1996, upon the resignation of presidential nominee Bob Dole of Kansas.

On December 20, 2002, after significant controversy following comments regarding Strom Thurmond's presidential candidacy, Lott resigned as Senate Minority Leader. He resigned from the Senate in 2007 and fellow Republican Roger Wicker won the 2008 special election to replace him. Lott became a lobbyist, co-founding the Breaux–Lott Leadership Group. The firm was later acquired by law and lobbying firm Patton Boggs. Lott serves as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center , where he focuses on issues related to energy, national security, transportation and congressional reforms. Lott is also a co-chair of BPC's Energy Project. Wikipedia  

✵ 9. October 1941
Trent Lott photo
Trent Lott: 15 quotes0 likes

Famous Trent Lott Quotes

“I want the President to look across the country and find the best man woman or minority that he can find.”

Trent Lott

On Harriet Miers as Supreme Court Justice.
2000s

“You could say that I favored segregation then. I don't now.”

Trent Lott

To Time magazine, as quoted in The Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi http://www.pdfarchive.info/pdf/N/Ne/Newton_Michael_-_The_Ku_Klux_Klan_in_Mississippi.pdf (2010), by Michael Newton, p. 195. <br class="br">1990s

“The spirit of Jefferson Davis lives in the 1984 Republican Platform.”

Trent Lott

Speech before the Sons of Confederate Veterans (1984), as quoted in The Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi http://www.pdfarchive.info/pdf/N/Ne/Newton_Michael_-_The_Ku_Klux_Klan_in_Mississippi.pdf (2010), by Michael Newton, p. 195. <br class="br">1980s

“I've already seen enough. Why would I want to go see a bunch of perverted pictures?”

Trent Lott

On why he did not want to review more evidence during congressional hearings regarding the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, as quoted in The New York Times (2004).
2000s

“[Congress] is not the British Parliament, and I hope it never will become the British Parliament… Are we going to bring the president in here and have a question period like the prime minister has in Great Britain?”

Trent Lott

On whether to hold a &quot;vote of no confidence&quot; in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, as quoted in Dana Milbank, &quot; A Jolly Good Show, but the Wrong Side of the Pond http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/11/AR2007061102092.html&quot; The Washington Post 2007-06-12. <br class="br">2000s

“The filibuster of federal district and circuit judges cannot stand. … It's bad for the institution. It's wrong. It's not supportable under the Constitution. And if they insist on persisting with these filibusters, I'm perfectly prepared to blow the place up. No problem.”

Trent Lott

On filibustering, as quoted in The Clarion-Ledger (23 May 2003), &quot;Lott aims to change filibuster rules&quot; http://orig.clarionledger.com/news/0305/23/m05.html <br class="br">2000s

Trent Lott Quotes

“When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it.”

Trent Lott

On Strom Thurmond, from a speech at Thurmond's 100th birthday party (5 December 2002)
2000s
Context: 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 the years, either.

“I have made my condemnation of the white supremacist and racist view of this group, or any group, clear.”

Trent Lott

Source: To The Washington Post (1998), as quoted in The Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi http://www.pdfarchive.info/pdf/N/Ne/Newton_Michael_-_The_Ku_Klux_Klan_in_Mississippi.pdf (2010), by Michael Newton, p. 195.

“I don't agree with the libertarians. I want my security first. I'll deal with all the details after that.”

Trent Lott

On security versus liberty, as quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/breaking_news/13427302.htm (17 December 2005). <br class="br">c.f. Benjamin Franklin, &quot;Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.&quot; <br class="br">2000s

“I'm sure you petroleum folks understand that solar power will solve all our problems. How much money have we blown on that? This is the hippies' program from the seventies and they're still pushing this stuff.”

Trent Lott

On solar energy in a speech to the Independent Petroleum Association of America, as quoted in The Washington Post (23 May 1997).
1990s

“I am an advocate of having a gold dollar with Reagan's picture on it, and calling it the Ronnie. The Canadians have the Loonie, and we can have the Ronnie.”

Trent Lott

On Ronald Reagan, as quoted in an interview in the New York Times Sunday Magazine (20 June 2004).
2000s

“We need more meetings like this across the nation. The people in this room stand for the right principles and the right philosophy.”

Trent Lott

To the CCC (1992), as quoted in The Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi http://www.pdfarchive.info/pdf/N/Ne/Newton_Michael_-_The_Ku_Klux_Klan_in_Mississippi.pdf (2010), by Michael Newton, p. 195. <br class="br">1990s

“Why do they kill people of other religions because of religion? Why do they hate the Israelis and despise their right to exist? Why do they hate each other? Why do Sunnis kill Shiites? How do they tell the difference? They all look the same to me.”

Trent Lott

On Sunnis and Shia, as quoted in CNN http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/09/lott-bush-barely-mentioned-iraq-in.html (2006). <br class="br">2000s

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