After Senator Trent Lott complained that “talk radio is running America,” and that “we have to deal with that problem,” I don’t think it’s an overstatement that many Americans were appalled. Last time I checked, “talk radio” was the last geniune Town Hall available to the American people, the manifestation of freedom of speech; a place where we could speak our minds and discuss the issues in detail. It is the voice of the sovereign.

And now, the Senate doesn’t like that one bit. Well, we don’t like Lott one bit and now Lott is finding that there are repercussions to what he, and every other Senate Monkey says and does.

Talk radio turns on Sen. Lott

U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., has managed to rile up some of his core supporters – conservative talk radio shows nationwide from Rush Limbaugh to Neil Boortz as well as local Mississippi stations – with remarks last Thursday blaming talk radio for the collapse of the immigration bill.

“Talk radio is running America,” Lott said last week. “We have to deal with that problem.” […]

Flagged by the Drudge Report on the Internet, the two-sentence comment reported by the New York Times has inflamed radio hosts and helped propel a small group of about 30 immigration bill protesters to Lott’s Jackson office Tuesday, including a few radio hosts, who delivered petitions against the bill. Monday night the Lott comments were debated on Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes.” […]

Lott’s office is downplaying the uproar over immigration, saying the minority whip wanted to get the Senate to act, not to get talk radio out of the picture. “Sen. Lott is one of the biggest talk radio participants,” said Lott spokesman Lee Youngblood. “He’s not going to do anything to pull the plug on talk radio.”

Caroline Espinosa, spokeswoman for Numbers USA, a nonprofit group opposed to the bill, said she had done a number of interviews recently on talk radio and Lott’s name kept coming up. “He doesn’t like what talk radio is saying on this particular issue. I did a show in Colorado and they were offended that Sen. Lott was trying to shut the people up.”

Punishment awaits.

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4 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. pat_s says:

    Republicans Hearing Static From Conservative Radio Hosts
    “When they’re with you, it’s great,” Lott said yesterday. “When they’re not, it’s not good.”

    That’s right.

  2. Sparky says:

    QUOTE”…said Lott spokesman Lee Youngblood. “He’s not going to do anything to pull the plug on talk radio.”

    Hmmmm. ‘Pull the plug’? Interesting. I guess pulling the plug is what the Lott inner circle was talking about when he said “we have to deal with talk radio”. I must admit, I’m a dim-bulb because actually SHUTTING DOWN talk radio was not even on my radar…I guess good ol’ boy Trent is thinking otherwise. What a lovely man! How noble! “Let’s eliminate the First Ammendment and after that, let’s get rid of the Second one as well!”

    Senator Lott…making AmeriKa great again!

  3. gmee says:

    Well, maybe he was just misunderstood. You know, like those things Kerry said about the troops. Probably he just said it in a fit of pique, since he and the rest of the senate (and Mr. Bush) seem to desperately want the amnesty bill to go through, regardless of what we little people might think.

    Maybe he’ll do a kerry and apologize for the remarks by blaming the people who heard them?

  4. Sean Arther says:

    I haven’t been so outraged about anything the Republicans done since…well, since the Shamnesty Bill. My mouth fell open when I saw Lott on Fox News Sunday gleefully joining Feinstein in condemning conservative talk radio and expressing support for the so-called Fairness Dictrine. Below is the text of my e-mail to Lott’s office pledging my commitment to his defeat in his next re-election bid. Enjoy!

    Dear Senator Lott,

    My name is Sean Arther and I am a 36-year-old Republican conservative living in San Diego, California. Thus, I am not one of your constituents, however, I have strong ties to Mississippi as my Mother is a Meridian native and five generations of my family (including myself) graduated from Millsaps College. The Chair of the Chemistry Department is named for my deceased great uncle Joe Price. Accordingly, I am related to many of your constituents.

    I am writing to you to express my utter mortification at your appearance on Fox News Sunday alongside Senator Feinstein during which you expressed criticism against conservative talk radio for killing the unbelievably misguided Shamnesty Bill, and joined Senator Feinstein in suggesting a return to the Fairness Doctrine.

    Sir, your actions are appalling and inexcusable and I pray they will not be forgotten in your next bid for re-election. Let me remind you that it is because of the support of conservative pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham that you still had a job following your pedestrian blunder at Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party. These influential commentators with millions of viewers/readers/listeners disagreed that you should have even resigned from your leadership position, let alone your Senate seat (which is what Democrats were calling for). And now, following the resounding defeat of the bill for so-called immigration “reform”, you repay them (and American conservatives) with the following quote: “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.”

    This is, as they say, an outrage.

    Conservative talk radio’s role in defeating your efforts to reward lawbreakers and cheapen America’s sovereignty will go down in history as a triumphant example of our democracy at work. What you cavalierly label a “problem” was tireless conservative vigilance against Washington elitists like you who have abandoned their principles and their constituents.

    Unfortunately, since I don’t live in Mississippi anymore, I will be unable to cast a resounding vote against you in your next re-election bid. That disappoints me. I will, however, be advising my many relatives all over Mississippi to vote against you at all costs, even if your opponent is a transsexual communist. Because, let’s face it, your unequivocal support of amnesty for illegal immigrants and the “Fairness” Doctrine is indistinguishable from the positions that a transsexual communist candidate would take. In other words, Senator Lott, with friends like you in the Senate, who needs enemies?

    Sincerely,

    Sean Arther

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