Hilary Clinton sees that the shifting sentiments of the public regarding l'Affaire Lott require her to modify her initial tepid comments a bit. I sent her an email saying I thought Lott should be censured by the Senate, at a minimum. I think he should be forced out, except that a damaged GOP is probably the safest thing for all of us.
Click MORE to see the December 11 and December 13 versions of her e-mail. I didn't send a new e-mail in the intervening period. It appears two days later that she is shocked, simply shocked, to find racist behavior coming from Mr. Lott. I guess she hasn't paid attention for the last 20 years.
December 11, 2002
Dear Mr. _________:
Thank you for sharing your concerns with me regarding statements made by
Senator Trent Lott. Following is a statement that I issued yesterday in
regard to the Senator's remarks. It is very important to me to hear from
my constituents in regard to issues that are important to them.
"How can anyone doubt that America is better off having elected Harry
Truman in 1948. As many of my colleagues have said, these comments were
wrong and certainly warranted an apology. Our leaders should be bringing
people together not opening old wounds with statements that celebrate one
of the most troubling and heart breaking times in our nation's history."
If you would like to respond to my e-mail or contact me via e-mail about
this or any other subject, please use my web response form at
http://clinton.senate.gov/email_form.html. Because of the size of my
constituency and the growing number who choose to communicate through
e-mail, I have selected the web form as the fairest and most equitable
system to respond to e-mail messages. E-mails that are sent as a direct
response to my outgoing e-mail fall outside the system and do not receive
a response.
Please check my website at http://clinton.senate.gov for regular updates
on this and other important issues being discussed before the United
States Senate.
Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
------------------------------
December 13, 2002
Dear Mr. _______:
I agree that what Senator Trent Lott said at Senator Strom Thurmond's
100th birthday party is an extremely serious issue that must be addressed,
and I appreciate your taking the time to contact my office about it.
The ideas that were embraced in Strom Thurmond's 1948 campaign were
strongly rejected by the American people because those ideas were wrong.
More than a generation ago, Americans of different races and creeds put
their lives on the line so that equality, justice, and economic
opportunity would be available to every American. We are far better off
today as a nation because of their struggle. Leaders in Senator Lott's
position should be bringing the American people together by celebrating
our nation's progress, not tearing us apart by suggesting that
segregationist policies of the past were or are somehow acceptable.
The public outrage over Senator Lott's comments is justified. His
comments were offensive and divisive. In the face of great challenges at
home and abroad, Americans need to join together in celebration of and
support for the values that distinguish us as a great nation. One of these
values is the belief in the equality of all people, and the very idea of
segregation strikes at the heart of that equality. It is my hope that
every American leader, regardless of political affiliation, will strongly
condemn these comments, and make clear that there is no place in our
society, either in public discourse or private dialogue, for such
statements that seem to condone racist policies of the past.
Our nation long ago rejected segregation and it is shocking that the man
who holds the most powerful position in the Senate has suggested in 1980,
1984, and again last week, that it is an acceptable practice. This raises
fundamental questions about his fitness to be Majority Leader. I would
not vote for someone to lead my caucus who made those offensive remarks
but the Republicans will need to decide if this is how they wish to be
represented.
You can be sure that I will continue to work with my colleagues to fight
ideas and policies that are divisive or seek to take America back to a
time when equality of opportunity was not a guarantee. Thank you again
for sharing your views, and please keep in touch.
If you would like to respond to my e-mail or contact me via e-mail about
this or any other subject, please use my web response form at
http://clinton.senate.gov/email_form.html. Because of the size of my
constituency and the growing number who choose to communicate through
e-mail, I have selected the web form as the fairest and most equitable
system to respond to e-mail messages. E-mails that are sent as a direct
response to my outgoing e-mail fall outside the system and do not receive
a response.
