Discriminations

Q: How can you tell if Sen. Trent Lott, Republican Whip, is saying something dumb?

A. Watch to see if his lips are moving.

His appearance today on Fox News Sunday was no exception. Chris Wallace, the moderator, quoted a couple of his recent attacks on talk radio, including this one:

Take a look at this. You said this also last week. “I’m sure senators on both sides of the aisle are being pounded by these talk radio people who don’t even know what’s in the bill.”

Note carefully how Lott, not carefully, replies:

WALLACE: Senator, your response?

LOTT: Dianne [Feinstein, also on the program] and I were just talking about that. One of the mistakes that we have made many times on legislation is it's introduced, it comes out of committee, we bring it to the floor. We never bother to explain what we're trying to do and what is in it.

I think that was the mistake that was made with immigration. Talk radio defined it without us explaining that there were reasons for it and the good things that were in it.

Really? Someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to remember that the “immigration reform” bill in the Senate was written behind closed doors and was rushed directly to the floor without ever having been considered by a committee.

But Sen. Lott shouldn’t worry. As noted in the post immediately below, if his colleague Sen. Feinstein has her way government regulators will be able to force radio stations to air talk show hosts who will provide “correct reporting,” i.e., who will celebrate celebrate all “the good things” in the immigration bill.