Editorial: Republicans take step back

Friday, Nov. 17, 2006 | 6:57 a.m.

Sen. Trent Lott's return to the Republican leadership shows how concerned his party is about having lost the majority in the Senate.

The Mississippi Republican's upcoming elevation to Senate minority whip, the party's second-in-command, is a sign of a party that is ready to do whatever it takes to reclaim the Senate. Lott is regarded as a skilled leader and shrewd political player who is able to exploit Senate rules to help his cause - or hinder others.

But this also is a sign of a party moving backward to try to move forward. Lott's defeat of Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander for the position shows the real heart of the Republican Party, especially since it comes despite talk of bipartisanship and the party's attempt to attract more minorities.

As Time magazine noted in its online edition Wednesday after the vote, "Lott is more conservative and partisan than his opponent, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, which could signal more polarization and less cooperation in the Senate."

He could also do more to polarize the country, as his election sends a distressing signal to minorities.

Lott was forced from leadership four years ago because of what has politely been called a "racially insensitive comment" - he noted that his state supported Sen. Strom Thurmond's 1948 bid for the presidency, which was marked by Thurmond's support of segregation, and said, "if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over the years, either."

President Bush said at the time that Lott's comments "do not reflect the spirit of this country," and Lott apologized. He moved to the background of the Senate to plot strategy for a return, which came, ironically, after Republicans made a big deal of reaching out to minorities, an effort that fell flat in this election.

Outgoing Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman was praised by Bush for going "to neighborhoods where Republicans have never been."

Yet Mehlman's committee paid for the vicious ad with racist overtones that ran in Tennessee against Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford, who is black.

Republicans also reached out to Hispanics, but those efforts were hurt by congressional Republicans who brought a xenophobic approach to the immigration debate, which repelled many Hispanics.

Republicans hope Mehlman's expected replacement, Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida will be able to boost the Hispanic presence in the party. To say he'll have a challenge is an understatement.

The party that built a base of support in the South under Richard Nixon by the so-called Southern strategy, which made race a wedge issue and turned once-Democratic states Republican, seems to be returning there.