Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Trent Lott - The Anti-Delay
He was better than Frist...
Funny that the Tom Delay thing would happen today. Yesterday I attended an intimate luncheon (about 20 people) with Trent Lott, where he discussed his book. The juxtaposition of hearing Mr. Lott speak and Delay's resignation this morning has prompted a whole lot of thinking (or thinkin') on my part. They two were vastly different leaders (granted they also led vastly different bodies), and Lott was so much better and his loss has been a loss for the party.
The thesis of Mr. Lott's discussion was ideology is important, but the bottom line is that the party has to deliver results. It is better (I'm totally paraphrasing) that you get 75% to 80% of what you were shooting for than to produce nothing. (The implication I think is that the current leadership is producing - nothing). In fact, he mentioned several times that he was able to work around blockages set up by Daschle and others by both utilizing his power as majority leaders, but more often by simply talking to the other side. Stuff that isn't happening now. The Senate of course being designed to slow things down, working out differences instead of digging in ones heals is the key to successful leadership. Lott gets it, I don't think the Frist does.
Even since shedding Lott, J.C. Watts, and Gingrich the party's been adrift.
Funny that the Tom Delay thing would happen today. Yesterday I attended an intimate luncheon (about 20 people) with Trent Lott, where he discussed his book. The juxtaposition of hearing Mr. Lott speak and Delay's resignation this morning has prompted a whole lot of thinking (or thinkin') on my part. They two were vastly different leaders (granted they also led vastly different bodies), and Lott was so much better and his loss has been a loss for the party.
The thesis of Mr. Lott's discussion was ideology is important, but the bottom line is that the party has to deliver results. It is better (I'm totally paraphrasing) that you get 75% to 80% of what you were shooting for than to produce nothing. (The implication I think is that the current leadership is producing - nothing). In fact, he mentioned several times that he was able to work around blockages set up by Daschle and others by both utilizing his power as majority leaders, but more often by simply talking to the other side. Stuff that isn't happening now. The Senate of course being designed to slow things down, working out differences instead of digging in ones heals is the key to successful leadership. Lott gets it, I don't think the Frist does.
Even since shedding Lott, J.C. Watts, and Gingrich the party's been adrift.
