Tuesday, December 10, 2002

Bloggers and other online writers have done an amazing job keeping the heat on Trent Lott after his unconscionable remarks in praise of Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat presidential campaign. There's not much I can add to what's been written and posted elsewhere -- although you may be interested to see just how decisively Thurmond won Lott's home state of Mississippi in 1948. Here are the vote totals, from my trusty World Almanac:

Strom Thurmond (States' Rights) 167,538

Harry Truman (Democrat) 19,384

Thomas Dewey (Republican) 5,043

Henry Wallace (Progressive) 225

This was Thurmond's most decisive victory. (He also won Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina.)

And let's state the obvious: Lott said, "When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him." He meant, of course, "we white people." Blacks, needless to say, could not participate.

And if you still haven't seen it, here's the Mississippi sample ballot sent out by the Dixiecrats in the state. Shameful.

No comments: