So, what do you think is up with Trent Lott?

[eridani]

[davidinalameda]

1. there are rumors making the round

that Larry Flynt has some dirt on him

[MADem]

2. I don't know but I AM shocked at his departure, as I will bet his staff is too

And no, not 'that' staff, either!

AFAIK, his goal was to reclaim the LEADER role, even in the minority. That's why he took whip, to work his way back up. Next Congress, he might have been in a position to challenge McConnell, because ole Mitch just ain't gettin' in done, is he?

See, he actually (and this is so hard for partisans here to understand, but trust me, it is true) gets along with the Democrats--they disagree without being disagreeable. Even when he got pissy on tee vee, that didn't translate to his daily interactions.

He's 'old school' that way, not mean, not nasty, and accomodating when he can. Hard to believe, but true. It's why the Kerrys sent him a planeload of supplies after his house blew away.

The Congress got totally shitty AFTER he was shoved from the Leader job. There wasn't even a veneer of civility in the Senate in the Dark/Frist Ages.

[eridani]

3. I guess a lot of the old school white supremacists were that way

Maybe it's better than the foaming at the mouth sort, but I dunno.

[MADem]

5. Oh, make no mistake--he was what he was. His failings were his failings.

But that didn't get in the way of a little practical deal-making, and the maintenance of essential courtesies in DC.

Further, in the pragmatic south, the jobs he brought home, particularly the well paying shipyard work, the bacon he provided, THAT didn't discriminate. When he brought home jobs, he brought them home for black/white, men/women....he was a pork king, really--and unembarrassed about it, too. It's why he had no real competition. He knew how to deliver the goods. A consummate politician.

[eridani]

8. Well, coming from Warren Magnusen's state--

--I'm in no positions to cast stones on that issue.

[Nutmegger]

4. I think he sees the writing on the wall.

He knows that the Repukes will be in the minority for a long time now, and his chance at a "leadership" position is close to nil.

[MADem]

6. Well, he's whip now--and if he challenged Mitch, he just might win.

Mitch is awfully whiny and no one likes him. Trent is respected on his own team, has more friends across the aisle, and would be a better wheeler-dealer.

It's all moot now, though.

[southerncrone]

7. Probably a hybrid of the two. But I'd bet

he's getting ready to be outed. Larry Flynt, perhaps. Ole' Larry's sure been quiet of late. He got all our hopes up, & then he hasn't given us anything. Hope he's waiting until closer to election to spill the beans on all of those he's got on his "list". :)

[Old and In the Way]

9. Could be C

Trent ensnared in the Veco Oil scandel?

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/27/lott-veco/

[MADem]

10. Now ain't THAT something....maybe 'All of the Above!'

The tin-foil-hat crowd was almost immediately pushing a Jack Abramoff angle to the surprise resignation of Sen. Trent Lott. But a more recent scandal brewing — which has already ensnared Sen. Ted Stevens, among others — may also be playing on Lott’s mind.

Lott, Stevens, as well as Rep. Dennis Hastert all have ties to Bill Allen, a larger than life Alaskan businessman who owned Veco, an oil-field services company, and who was a huge benefactor of Republican politicians.

Allen has pleaded guilty to bribing Alaska legislators, including Ben Stevens, the son of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK). The elder Stevens is currently the target of multiple federal investigation, including one on his ties to Veco.

Lott continues to stand by Stevens, donating $5,000 from his political action committee to Stevens’s re-election campaign. Lott also has ties to Allen, who accompanied him to the lavish annual “Waterfall Fishing Tournament” in Alaska. Since 1996, at least 10 current and former lawmakers have attended the trip, an opportunity for “the energy industry’s top brass” to influence lawmakers.

In addition to the lawmakers, high-ranking executives from the nation’s top oil firms — including Allen — attended the Waterfall excursions. Companies with business before Congress occasionally provided free trips to Waterfall for lawmakers and top executives on private company jets. Lawmakers may have violated congressional ethics rules by not paying for the trips. Marketplace, which originally reported on the event, noted that it could find no PAC, personal, or campaign payments for the trip from Lott......

[DCKit]

11. HIs Brother in Law's offices are being raided. n/t

[wiley]

12. He's not going down with soon to be ex-Senator Mitch McConnell

[cleveramerican]

13. Being in the minority sucks

They can read the tea leaves enough to know they are going to be in the minority for the next four years, so seven of them are calling it quits.

Chuck Hagel quitting surprised me much more.