About Contact Archives RSS Columns Photos

Everything that’s wrong with the Beltway GOP elite in two words

By Michelle Malkin  •  April 11, 2008 02:14 PM

Trent Lott. Out of touch, privileged, elitist, entitled, helpless, hapless, clueless. Gack. Via WaPo, it appears he’s having trouble adjusting to life as a “man of the people.” Gag warning (hat tip - reader L):

Former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) is struggling a bit to adjust to life as a lobbyist.

“I took the Metro for the first time,” Lott told the Sleuth Thursday afternoon in the makeup room of MSNBC, where he and his new lobbying partner, former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.), were fixin (as Lott says) to do a TV segment.

“He’s been standing in front of his house waiting for his car and driver,” laughed Breaux from the makeup chair, adding with a tinge of a low-country twang, “He’s learning how to hail a cab.” (Read: HAY-ul a cab.)

Life in the private sector isn’t as cushy as Lott thought it would be. No more free lunches, no more taxpayer-funded car and driver, no more overprotective press secretary guarding him from the pesky media…

…Lott really had no idea how to even go about taking public transportation. He didn’t know how to use the Metro fare card machines, or how much money to put on his trip ticket, or how to add money to one of the fare cards his wife gave him. Truly: clueless.

So Patricia Lott did what any good spouse would do. “I took my wife with me and she helped me out,” Lott said.

The fare card his wife gave him was demagnetized, Lott said, so he got a “special note” from the station manager so he and his wife could proceed to Metro Center, where she showed him how to go to the counter and turn in his demagnetized and used fare cards for a new one. (Special notes, it should be noted, are not just for important former members of Congress; that’s the way it works for everyone who has a demagnetized card in the in D.C. transit system.)

“I’m a man of the people now,” said Lott, who retired in December of last year, less than a year into serving a new six-year term.

Besides taking public transportation, the one-time Senate majority leader is learning how to pull out his wallet, which should certainly be a lot fatter these days after bolting from public service to rake in cash in the private sector.

“I haven’t paid for lunch in 30 years,” he joked. Breaux chimed in with an eye roll, saying, “Yeah, he’s learning how to pay for lunch.”

All together now: Boo-freaking-hoo.

Memo to Beltway GOP: If you are looking to repair your image with your conservative base, this is not the kind of press you want. Makes for great cable TV green-room small talk. Not so good for your beleaguered fund-raising efforts.

Posted in: Trent Lott

See what others have said

Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.

Trackbacks

  1. Hot Air » Blog Archive » Good news: Lott finally learns how to use a Metro card
  2. We Need Term Limits - Help Lott Understand Metro Cards | Conservative247
  3. The Other McCain: Fixin' to be upset
  4. Right Wing Nation » Speaking Of Headlines That Say It All
  5. Definitely The Republican’s Problem « Tai-Chi Policy
  6. Michelle Malkin » Snobs here, snobs there, snobs everywhere
  7. Michelle Malkin » Snobs here, snobs there, snobs everywhere
  8. Michelle Malkin » The GOP ad John McCain doesn’t want you to see
  9. discarded lies - hyperlinkopotamus

Trackback URL

Comments

  1. #1
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:19 pm, PBoilermaker said:

    I wonder if, like Paris Hilton, he thinks Wal-Mart sells “walls”.

  2. #2
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:21 pm, serfer62 said:

    Another clown. And he wondered why the president encouraged his removal?

    Trent Lotts-a-clown is hugely responsible for the Tabacco wars

  3. #3
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:22 pm, cpodug said:

    PBoilermaker said:I wonder if, like Paris Hilton, he thinks Wal-Mart sells “walls”.

    And can you really buy a sidewalk at a sidewalk sale?

    Most of these politicians are so out of touch with reality, if you set them loose on the far side of town, they’d have absolutely no idea how to get home, or even where “home” is. Maybe they coule ask one of HRC’s 100,000 new policemen.

  4. #4
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:23 pm, cpodug said:

    Could, not coule - fingers getting dyslexic

  5. #5
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:23 pm, rooster said:

    I have been living in Mississippi for 2 years now, and ever since Lott showed himself in the amnesty mess, I have had no respect for the former democrat rino.

    Good riddance Lott, but I thought I told you to move in with Ted Kennedy and never come back to Dixie?

    Side note, I don’t think Lott is free and clear of his involvement in brother-in-law Dickey Scruggss(D) federal judge bribery conviction.

  6. #6
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:25 pm, TexasTiger said:

    OK, Trent. ‘Cause you’re wearin’ big boy britches now, don’t let it go to your head. Just because you rode the Metro once, don’t think it’s safe to ride the MARTA.

  7. #7
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:26 pm, feebiebabe said:

    So Patricia Lott did what any good spouse would do. “I took my wife with me and she helped me out,” Lott said.

    OMG. Sissy comment of the day….lmao.

    He can email me for public transportation tips….first word of advice there, Trent…Dont make eye contact with the crazies….or unpleasant conversations will soon follow”….

  8. #8
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:28 pm, jcflindsay said:

    Tools in more ways than one.

  9. #9
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:28 pm, kcluva said:

    He’s so clueless he doesn’t even know how bad that article makes him look. Jackass.

  10. #10
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:29 pm, Jeddite said:

    Term Limits!

  11. #11
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:29 pm, nyc123me said:

    “I haven’t paid for lunch in 30 years”
    That says it all really. What an a**.

  12. #12
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:31 pm, NeoConNews said:

    Wow, you haven’t paid for a lunch in 30 years and you think that you can represent the people of the United States?

    GTFOOH.

  13. #13
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:34 pm, tgusa said:

    Hmmm, are they potty trained? Can you imagine getting stuck behind these guys at the video store drop off bin? No doubt, honey, can you help me get on the internets, is heard often in their households. Unbelievable.

  14. #14
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:36 pm, jrlingreenbay said:

    I hear he’s going to a flea market tomorrow to see what those little buggers sell.

  15. #15
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:37 pm, brooklyn red said:

    Ya know, I was always against term limits, but I am starting to warm up to the idea…

  16. #16
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:38 pm, chapoutier said:

    I wonder if, like Paris Hilton, he thinks Wal-Mart sells “walls”.

    I’m guessing he has a pretty good idea about who Wal-Mart is.

    In late 1999, Senate majority leader Trent Lott, then-Arkansas congressman Jay Dickey and others sat down with [Walmart's] management in Bentonville and warned that they needed to find a way to play the Washington game. “We told them they should become a participant in the process before the crises hit,” says Mr. Dickey, who lost his bid for re-election in 2002.

  17. #17
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:40 pm, Concerned Citizen said:

    How can you imprison Trent Lott?

    Put him in a room with a door that opens in and put a sign on it that says push.

  18. #18
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:42 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Good thing DC has a nice safe easy Metro. Did he have a Metro pass for his goats too, or do they ride free?

  19. #19
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:48 pm, zorro said:

    Trent Lott, a member of the Royal Family no more.

  20. #20
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:52 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Seriously though, this clearly illustrates why term limits are a good idea. They love the lifestyle so much they will do anything to keep it. Open borders fine, sharia law fine, trillions in earmarks, no problem - just so they don’t have to buy their own lunch or find their way across town.

  21. #21
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:55 pm, meatpieandtatters said:

    Trent, more than most others, is an unctuous grease stain on the American fabric. These beings become addicted to the DC life style with all it privileges and perks, which then manifests as arrogance and reptilian-like skin of knowing more than the rest of us. Perhaps so, but armed with their knowledge of all things carnal, does not make them better. Lott is a DOOOOFFFFFUSSSS of the highest order, but no more so than most of his former partners in slime.

  22. #22
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:55 pm, corona said:

    Actually, there is such a thing as a “free lunch” in the private sector. Yours truly has had one - many, in fact.

    You’ll find them in Wall Street and in the Silicon Valley especially, and I know of some companies in Los Angeles that have joined in the lunch bunch.

  23. #23
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:55 pm, PBoilermaker said:

    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:52 pm, AlohaGuy said:
    Seriously though, this clearly illustrates why term limits are a good idea. They love the lifestyle so much they will do anything to keep it. Open borders fine, sharia law fine, trillions in earmarks, no problem - just so they don’t have to buy their own lunch or find their way across town.

    As simple as the reasoning is, you are exactly right. Being financially/socially insulated from the damage one causes makes it that much easier for one to cause more damage.

  24. #24
    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:59 pm, Ordinary Coloradan said:

    Two Words:

    TERM LIMITS!

    c.f. Byrd, Kennedy, Lott, et al.

  25. #25
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:02 pm, cpodug said:

    Nah - they’d find a way around term limits - here’s a better suggestion, IMHO, make them PAY for any damage caused by the laws they pass. Make them KEEP their campaign promises. and make them LIVE under the laws the rest of us live under.

  26. #26
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:03 pm, JonR said:

    We have nobody but ourselves to blame for people like Lott! As long as we keep electing these elitist clowns, they will continue to abuse the voters that keep them in office and do what they want to do.

    TERM LIMITS!!!!

  27. #27
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:10 pm, JonR said:

    Now that I think of it, why would any thinking/sane person keep electing that pompous murderer Ted Kennedy? The liar John Kerry? People of Massachusetts, what in hell is wrong with you? People of Mississippi, why did you keep voting in this Lott character? It goes on and on and the American People are to blame. As soon as we come to terms with the responsibility, we can fix the problem.

  28. #28
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:12 pm, INC said:

    Silly me, I thought our senators and representatives were each supposed to be a “man of the people” WHILE they were in office!

  29. #29
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:13 pm, rooster said:

    The republican leadership is as much to blame as those of us who have no other choices.

  30. #30
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:15 pm, inviolet said:

    He should’ve asked one of the local neglected nine year olds how to ride it.

  31. #31
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:19 pm, rbb said:

    At least Sen Burns of Montana tried. While he was in the Senate, he used to pick up slugs* at the Mobil station or the Sydenstricker lot in order to use the I-395 HOV lanes. The only problem is that he did not follow “protocol” and drop his riders off at the Pentagon, but rather the bottom of the Pentagon off-ramp. He as also a frequent user of Metro.

    *for folks outside of the DC area, slugging means picking up extra passengers in order to use the HOV lanes. - See here for more information

  32. #32
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:23 pm, whysoangry said:

    I don’t know. I missed President Reagan’s funeral because I couldn’t figure out how to get on the train from Baltimore.

  33. #33
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:25 pm, emjem24 said:

    Memo to Beltway GOP: If you are looking to repair your image with your conservative base, this is not the kind of press you want. Makes for great cable TV green-room small talk. Not so good for your beleaguered fund-raising efforts.

    And these Washington political dimwits wonder why us poor schmucks don’t trust them anymore. Or should I say, they wonder why only the brain-dead think that politicians really work for “the people.”

    It makes you wonder why it is that politicians claim they’re “working for the people” when they can’t even be bothered to circulate around them. What, might they be contaminated by mere, physical contact, or, gasp!, an actual question about the status on a certain issue such as immigration. :shock:

    I really thought that celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were the clueless ones. This man really must have thought he was more special/privileged than everyone else. /sigh :-(

    Just another reason why there’s growing cynicism about politicians on both sides of the aisle…

  34. #34
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:27 pm, orlandocajun said:

    “I’m a man of the people now,” said Lott, who retired in December of last year, less than a year into serving a new six-year term.

    Too bad he wasn’t a “man of the people” when he was a Senator.

  35. #35
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:34 pm, Jaded said:

    Here is his and the rest of those people who spend more that 2 terms in Washington’s problem…

    “I’m a man of the people now,” said Lott, who retired in December of last year, less than a year into serving a new six-year term.”

    They are supposed to be men and women of the people when they are in office not out…putz.

  36. #36
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:34 pm, josetheguerilla said:

    Boo-freaking-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!

  37. #37
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:37 pm, rpg1616 said:

    Just another good example of why we need term limits in Congress (though I know we will never have them because it would require a vote by Congress).

  38. #38
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:42 pm, KaosKlerik said:

    On April 11th, 2008 at 2:22 pm, cpodug said:

    PBoilermaker said:I wonder if, like Paris Hilton, he thinks Wal-Mart sells “walls”.

    And can you really buy a sidewalk at a sidewalk sale?

    If you go to a garage sale, how do you get it home?

  39. #39
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:43 pm, rpg1616 said:

    At the very least we need to do away with the system of seniority so that members don’t gain power and influence (or at least gain less) by being re-elected and constituencies don’t get punished by electing someone else. Technically the start of every Congressional term should be a fresh start. Serving 30 years should really be treated as five 6-year terms that just happen to have been served by the same individual.

  40. #40
    On April 11th, 2008 at 3:55 pm, KaosKlerik said:

    How’s this for a comparison?

    A couple of years ago Colin Powell spoke at my association’s Legislative Convention. He told how it was when he was SoS and had his own plane. When he left the airport, there would be an honor guard which would salute, sometimes a band. As soon as his foot touched the bottom step of the ladder the engines would start up. As soon as he sat down a Pepsi would be put in front of him and the plane would begin to taxi out for take-off.
    Pause.
    “But, they gave the plane to Condi.” [big laugh]

    Then he talked about having to fly up to NY for his daughters wedding and how it would be his first post-9-11 commercial flight. He thought he might not have to go through the full screening becuase of who he is.
    He paused for a couple seconds; then sighed heavily as he dropped his head and extended his arm out from his sides. [bigger laugh]

    He was a great speaker. During the Q&A at the end someone asked him if he would be interested in a better plane. That drew a a lot of applause.

  41. #41
    On April 11th, 2008 at 4:17 pm, beenthere said:

    Sowell’s first law of politics: Republicans go to congress to make deals with democrats (e.g. John McCain). Take one look at Mr. Lott (”Trenthorn Lotthorn” as Steyn likes to call him”) and you see someone born to make deals with democrats. People begged the Republican establishment for years to get rid of him, or at least hide him, but as usual, they were just blown off. Thank goodness Robert Byrd never switched parties — he never would have left office. Not even nature’s term limits can get these guys — they never die.

  42. #42
    On April 11th, 2008 at 4:23 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    At the very least we need to do away with the system of seniority so that members don’t gain power and influence (or at least gain less) by being re-elected and constituencies don’t get punished by electing someone else.

    30 years or so in Washington and Akaka is still at the bottom of the heap. Sometimes merit trunps seniority! :)

  43. #43
    On April 11th, 2008 at 4:26 pm, Sean.Hackbarth said:

    Lott really doesn’t care about his image among conservatives any longer. If he did he’d still be a Senator. It’s about making money now. Hope he does well; I won’t miss him.

  44. #44
    On April 11th, 2008 at 4:29 pm, graysonret said:

    Oh my god…he has to live like us, ordinary people. Must really be a blow to his ego. He even has to cram himself into a subway car. How deploring! Poor guy, having to live like an ordinary American; the people he was supposed to represent. And he wants some sort of sympathy? Not from this home!

  45. #45
    On April 11th, 2008 at 4:37 pm, dan708 said:

    Everything that’s wrong with Washington in two words: Democrats, Republicans!

  46. #46
    On April 11th, 2008 at 4:52 pm, Speakup said:

    Term limits, term limits, term limits.

    And ah wrote it on mah own.

  47. #47
    On April 11th, 2008 at 5:26 pm, DanME said:

    Dito Dito Dito Term Limits Term Limits !!!

  48. #48
    On April 11th, 2008 at 6:22 pm, cf said:

    And I don’t want to think whose lunch he will b paying for.

  49. #49
    On April 11th, 2008 at 7:31 pm, Boomer said:

    I have to agree with many others this puff piece makes a very strong argument for term limits (in both houses) and the repeal of the 17th Amendment.

  50. #50
    On April 11th, 2008 at 7:35 pm, WarTip said:

    A man of the people high-dollar lobbyists buying and selling his former colleagues.

    Learning how to buy lunch (For all his old cronies while he fleeces we the people)

    Just sayin’

  51. #51
    On April 11th, 2008 at 7:54 pm, serfer62 said:

    As voters its our responibilty to make good choices, thats why I’m against term limits.

    I just vote for the guy who is NOT in office….

  52. #52
    On April 13th, 2008 at 8:15 pm, terrig said:

    What an idiot. I agree with those of you who are big fans of term limits, I am too.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Snobs here, snobs there, snobs everywhere

April 16, 2008 07:17 AM by Michelle Malkin

222 Comments | 14 Trackbacks

The stink of bipartisan elitism.

Indicted: (Retiring Sen. Trent Lott’s brother-in-law) Dickie Scruggs is in deep doo-doo

November 29, 2007 03:42 AM by Michelle Malkin

28 Comments | 2 Trackbacks

Still just a “coincidence?”

Report: Trent Lott resigning

November 26, 2007 08:22 AM by Michelle Malkin

70 Comments | 13 Trackbacks

Vacant Lott: Buh-bye.

Goat talk with Trent Lott

June 21, 2007 09:56 AM by Michelle Malkin

66 Comments | 7 Trackbacks

Yet another GOP Maalox moment: Trent Lott gives reporters his sophisticated analysis of illegal immigration. ““Now people are at least as smart as goats…Maybe not as agile.” Lawd help us.

www.trentlott.com

June 15, 2007 12:18 PM by Michelle Malkin

1 Comments | 8 Trackbacks

Time to Move On, Trent.


Categories: Trent Lott


Stop The ACLU

» The Treacherous Patriot

Belmont Club

» Obama and the Swan

protein wisdom

» Medicrap [Dan Collins]