Susan Crabtree in The Hill reports that in the wake of their embarrassing special-election defeat in Mississippi, some congressional Republicans are placing blame squarely on the shoulders of Trent Lott. Lott, you recall, resigned mid-term because he didn't want to wait until next year to start his lucrative lobbying career, and it was the appointment of then-Rep. Roger Wicker to Lott's seat that precipitated the special election. Lott also backed Greg Davis in the Republican primary to succeed Wicker, rather than the mayor of Tupelo, who might have mounted a stronger challenge to Travis Childers in the vote-rich eastern part of the district.
This, though, is particularly funny:
One GOP lobbyist on K Street also cited Lott’s $200,000 gift to his alma mater, the University of Mississippi, as contributing to the perception that he’s not doing everything he can to help House Republican reelection efforts. That money, the source said, would have been better spent on contributions to GOP campaigns across the country.
Yeah--how dare Lott do anything with his money besides donate it all to the party that threw him overboard during his hour of political distress? I hear he drives a fancy car, too--surely he could downgrade to a used Hyundai and send the proceeds to the NRCC so it could be embezzled.
--Josh Patashnik