Liberating Trent: On
November 11, I wrote that "Trent Lott is one of those congressional Republicans who has an ingrained minority party mentality. Think of it as a political version of the
Stockholm Syndrome. After having spent so much time in the minority while serving in House and the Senate, Lott reflexively behaves as a submissive, make-no-waves minority leader -- even when he's the majority leader!"
It turns out that my observation was hardly original. In fact, as
Opinion Journal notes today, someone else made a similar point a year and a half ago:
He would prefer to remain in the majority, Lott said, but there is "something liberating about being in the minority," and he and other GOP senators will be "freer to advocate positions and amendments you really think should be adopted." --
The AP, 5/31/01, shortly after Jefford's party switch gave Democrats' control of the U.S. Senate.
There's something a tad ironic about a closet segregationist yearning to be in the minority.
