Audio Black leaders press Coleman to call for Lott's resignation (story audio) Should Lott resign? (Midday 12/18/02) Lott's future and past (Midmorning 12/17/02) Photos Mahmoud El-Kati Coleman in Rochester. Respond to this story Talk about this story in the MPR News Forum Submit a commentary Help us cover this story

Black leaders press Coleman to call for Lott's resignation
by Laura McCallum, Minnesota Public Radio
December 18, 2002

Macalester College professor Mahmoud El-Kati speaks at a news conference on Dec. 18, 2002. To his right is state Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, DFL-Minneapolis. (MPR Photo/Laura McCallum)

Pressure is building on Sen.-elect Norm Coleman to decide whether he supports Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. Coleman has criticized Lott's racially-charged comments, but has not said whether he'll vote for Lott to remain as Majority Leader. Some black leaders say Coleman's silence is telling.

Minneapolis, Minn. — Black community leaders held a news conference to ask Coleman to publicly repudiate Lott's comments. Lott said the nation would be better off if Strom Thurmond had won his presidential bid in 1948, when Thurmond ran on a segregationist platform. Lott has since apologized.

State Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, DFL-Minneapolis, says Coleman should call for Lott to step down as majority leader, and if Lott doesn't, Coleman should vote against him. Ellison says Coleman's silence is as important as his words right now.

"What you say or don't say tells the story as to where you are," Ellison said. "I'm just going to say, I fully expect our Sen.-elect Norm Coleman to comply with our request. We are his constituents. And if he doesn't say anything, or if he doesn't add his voice to ours, then that will be telling as well."

Coleman wasn't available to comment. His latest statement on the topic said Sen. Lott has rightly apologized for his unacceptable remarks. But Coleman said the comments have called into question Lott's ability to effectively lead Senate Republicans, and he supports the caucus discussing the issue on Jan. 6.

	Coleman in Rochester.

Republican Gov.-elect Tim Pawlenty says Lott should resign as majority leader. He says Republicans can't have a national spokesperson who is perceived as having embraced segregationist policies. But Pawlenty says he's not going to tell Coleman what to do. He says Coleman has to deal with Senate protocol and rules.

"Norm has to take all that into consideration, and I certainly respect his own judgment and timetable for expressing his views. These are just my views, and I don't have an opinion about when and how Norm should express himself," Pawlenty said.

One of Pawlenty's transition advisory committee members, Republican Peter Bell, says he told Coleman he thought Lott should step aside, but Coleman was noncommittal. Bell, who is African American, says some comments are so offensive that the person making them shouldn't qualify for a leadership position. He says Lott can't survive this controversy.

"This is just a matter of time. To use an indelicate image -- it's kind of like a deer that gets shot in the woods, and runs for six miles, but ultimately doesn't survive," he said.

Gustavus Adolphus political scientist Chris Gilbert says what to do about Lott is probably a difficult political decision for Coleman. He says while the Bush administration, which backed Coleman for the Senate, has apparently dropped its support for Lott, Coleman may be weighing the ramifications of publicly opposing Lott.

"I think he understands clearly that if Trent Lott hangs on, all the good things that you might get by curtsying up to the leader, perhaps are not possible if he takes a strong stand against the leader. At the same time, I think you got to think about the constituents back home before you worry too much about your place in the institution, and a clearer statement of his intentions sooner rather than later is probably a good idea," according to Gilbert.

Black leaders say the issue is a significant one to African-Americans in Minnesota. They say Lott's comments opened up old wounds, particularly for anyone who experienced the Jim Crow laws.

Rep.-elect Ellison says lynchings were common enough during the era of segregation to leave a scar on those who lived through the period.

"So many people ... went through this. My mother was carrying my brother when she was told that she could not use a restroom and she was pregnant when she was driving down south. And so, it's as personal as you can possibly get," he said.

Community activist Spike Moss says his mother's brother died when he choked on a piece of food and his family couldn't get him to a hospital that would accept blacks in time to save his life. Moss and other black leaders say Lott has a long history of racial intolerance, and Coleman should do the right thing and reject Lott's leadership.

The head of the Minnesota Black/Urban Republican Coalition, Lucky Rosenbloom, is planning a workshop on addressing racism three days before Senate Republicans are scheduled to vote on Lott. Rosenbloom says he hopes Coleman and other Republican officials will attend.

News Headlines

Related Subjects