Another One Bites the Dust
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) plans to resign his seat effective at year end according to sources in Congress and the Bush administration. Those sources aren’t giving any reason for his resignation other than to say it has nothing to do with his health. He’s going to pursue “other opportunities”. Hmmm. Lott was elected to a fourth Senate term in 2006, and he’s leaving now? Curiouser and curiouser. He’s the sixth Republican to resign this year.
Mississippi’s Republican governor will appoint a replacement who will serve until a special election in 2008. Former Rep. Chip Pickering, who recently retired from the House, is considered the top pick. Stay tuned.
November 26th, 2007 at 9:25 am
Hmmmm.
It’s a safe Republican seat though, isn’t it?
Maybe he wants to do something else for a few years so he can make some serious money before he retires? After his fall from grace, the prospect of racking up some cash & living a quiet, luxurious life with same might sound pretty good. (I don’t know anything about the guy, maybe he’s already rolling in it.)
November 26th, 2007 at 9:30 am
I’ve read that the new lobbying rules go into effect the end of the year. He has to get out now so he can move to K Street right away.
November 26th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Maybe he wants to re-live his youth and be a cheer leader again.
November 26th, 2007 at 10:30 am
Del and Lisa, I bet you’re right. He can get on with a high-powered lobbying firm and rake in a big salary and speaking fees for a while. He’ll be cheering for something, Don, but I doubt it will be the best interests of the American people.
November 26th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
It’s not at all clear that it’s kosher for Haley Barbour to appoint Lott’s successor and wait until next November to hold a special election unless Lott hangs around until Jan. 1, at least. Of course, if he does that, then he has to wait 2 years to lobby his buds on Capitol Hill for beaucoup bucks.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:19 am
I don’t understand it either. I just don’t think he is resigning his Senate seat so he can lobby. That maybe a factor, but I would hate to give up the prestige of the Senate for K street.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:27 am
That story about realizing he wanted to resign as he sat at the Thanksgiving table is pretty darned thin. Thank goodness I haven’t acted on every “realization” I’ve experienced when mellowed by a few glasses of wine and a good meal.
November 27th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
You know what would really be a shame? It would really be a shame if poor Trent Lott let the door hit him in the ass on his way out. That would just be awful.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Source are telling me that the old Mississippi racist, Trent “I love segregation” Lott, didn’t resign so that he could take advantage of the lobbyists gravytrain before the rules change.
My sources are reporting Lott resigned because he’s at the center of another gay sex scandal. This one involves a blonde, male hookerboy based in San Antonio, TX and has a client book that includes a number of members of the United States Congress — including Trent Lott.
I have a piece about it up on my blog. It’s interesting that Trent is also good friends with Larry Craig and David Dreier.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Christopher, I’ve seen rumors about this too. If it’s true, wouldn’t it be nice to hear Lott just admit it up front? Yeah, I’m not holding my breath either. (And if it isn’t true, I hope the story will just go away.)
November 27th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Here’s another blog, with updated information and links, not all of which I bothered to read.
Well…I do believe that the most virulent homophobes are usually closeted yearners, if not closeted gays. And ever since all the Jeff Gannon-the-cannon stuff (remember him?) I’ve been waiting for some huge scandal to break. But I’m not sure this is it. They slammed Trent five years ago with the birthday party gaffe (has it really been that long?) and now he saw his chance to make big money as a lobbyist disappearing too, and maybe he thought, not “there is a time for everything, just like the preacher sez” but “screw those bastards, why am I still carrying their water anyway?” Maybe he wants something to leave his grandkids besides George Bush’s gajillion-dollar debt.
Anyway, as the Press-Register reminded us this morning, Trent’s been awful good to Mobile.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
I am a little skeptical of the sex scandal allegations, although Larry Flynt has been fanning that flame.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
This is another interesting possibility — the American Spectator (not exactly my first source for truth in media) is speculating a Lott connection to the Ted Stevens corruption scandal. Hmmm.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Hmmm. Now that, I can believe.
Am Spectator has as ad for a T-shirt with a guy in a vintage-looking uniform and the caption, “He’s over there so they won’t cut your head off over here!” It’s so over-the-top I thought it was a liberal ad. Sheesh.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
One way or the other, I have to believe he’s caught up in some type of scandal. Otherwise, why would he duck out now? Besides, he has to be there for Bushie to rock on his new front porch with him. (gag me)
November 28th, 2007 at 10:34 am
I don’t understand why he would go thru all that trouble to be re elected then quit now
November 29th, 2007 at 7:35 am
I don’t understand why he would go thru all that trouble to be re elected then quit now.
Bingo.
Larry Flynt hasn’t been wrong yet and there are the emails and the voicemails implicating Lott in the boy hooker scandal.
January 6th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
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