Just think what you're gonna be missing, you won't have Trent Lott to kick around anymore...

Against the Grain on the CBS News Website ^ | Dec. 20, 2002 | Dick Meyer

[Doctor Raoul]

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Be Careful What You Wish For
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2002


Bill Frist is the Republican’s new darling. In his latest Against the Grain commentary, CBSNews.com's Dick Meyer says that’s the downside of Trent Lott’s fall, for Democrats.

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Only that star-crossed band of bumblers commonly known as the Democratic Party could emerge from an apparent fiasco in their enemy’s ranks – the Trent Lott affair – weakened.

But that is precisely what could happen if Tennessee Senator Bill Frist takes over as Senate Majority Leader.

Bill Frist, as far as the Democrats are concerned, is twice the player Trent Lott is. Bloodied or not, they’d rather have Lott to kick around.

The White House, reportedly, agrees. Big time. As chairman of Republican Senate Campaign Committee, Dr. Frist worked closely with Karl Rove and George W. Bush on the political surgery that recaptured the Senate for the party.

Within hours of Frist letting it be known that he would be willing to take Lott’s job, the Mississippi Republican was officially toast. Lott’s fall was inevitable. But the way Frist capped him off gives evidence of his new potency. He scared off Don Nickles, who was supposed to be Lott’s biggest threat, without firing a shot. Other endorsements of Frist came steadily both before and after Lott actually resigned.

Bill Frist is a GOP star. He was on Bush’s 2000 vice president list and he’ll be back on the list in 2004 if Cheney isn’t on the ticket. "Frist in 2008" chatter has been heard around Washington for a long time.

Frist is someone congressional Republicans have been eager to give the ball to – and these are people who don't like to share.

When anthrax-mail hit the Capitol last year, Frist was the point man, even for Democrats. "His voice carries by far the strongest weight in the Senate on any medically related matter," Democratic Senator Mark Dayton said at the time.

When Republicans needed to get the Senate back after Jim Jeffords defected, they turned to Frist. When the party couldn't find it's way through the stem cell research issue, Frist was their point man.

Frist was planning on taking the GOP lead on high-profile heath care issues this year, while keeping an eye out for 2008.

The bottom line is Frist is a rising star. He’s handsome, well spoken, smart, telegenic and has a friendly, moderate image. And he has a great resume.

He went to Princeton as an undergraduate and Harvard for medical school. He founded Vanderbilt University’s organ transplant center and was a successful, innovative heart and lung transplant surgeon. (OK, so he's not a brain surgeon.) He published a book on bioterrorism earlier this year.

And – get this – he makes an annual medical mission to Africa and works there as doctor, not a pol.

Not that his reputation as a politician isn't plenty shiny. Not only does he get a good deal of credit for the party’s success in November, he is also famous for his wily defeat in incumbent Senator Jim Sasser in 1994.

As for opposition research, there is the odd fact that Frist never voted until he was 36 years old.

And his father founded the company HCA, the huge for-profit hospital company that merged with other companies and this week agreed to settle fraud allegations with a payment of $631 million.

Democrats are, of course, checking out Frist's record on race. With minutes of Lott’s resignation, a Democratic operative was e-mailing around a statement Frist is supposed to have made in his 1994 campaign. The quote originally appeared on the liberal writer Joshua Micah Marshal's Web site, "[Jim Sasser is] sending Tennessee money to Washington, to Marion Barry ... While I've been transplanting lungs and hearts to heal Tennesseans, Jim Sasser has been transplanting Tennesseans' wallets to Washington, home of Marion Barry."

Trent Lott's fall accidentally but usefully focused attention on the Republican Party and race. It looks like the party will now turn to its newest "go to" guy to find a cure for that condition.

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Dick Meyer, a veteran political and investigative producer for CBS News, is Editorial Director of CBSNews.com based in Washington.

E-mail questions, comments, complaints and ideas to
Against the Grain

[Doctor Raoul]

Democrats are, of course, checking out Frist's record on race.

And if they don't find something, they make it up.

With minutes of Lott’s resignation, a Democratic operative was e-mailing around a statement Frist is supposed to have made in his 1994 campaign.

Hi Sid. When you're done paying off Drudge and can afford it, let's do lunch.

[Dog]

Good read...

[america-rules]

LOOKS like NARAL doesn't like Frist at all !

[america-rules]

Bill Frist on Abortion

for 3 full quotes for background on Abortion.

• Voted YES on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000)
• Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
• Voted YES on disallowing overseas military abortions. (May 1999)

Bill Frist on Budget & Economy

for 4 full quotes for background on Budget & Economy.

• Voted YES on restricting rules on personal bankruptcy. (Jul 2001)
• Voted YES on prioritizing national debt reduction below tax cuts. (Apr 2000)
• Voted YES on 1998 GOP budget. (May 1997)
• Voted YES on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)

Bill Frist on China

for 2 full quotes for background on China.

• Voted YES on permanent normal trade relations with China. (Sep 2000)
• Voted NO on killing a bill for trade sanctions if China sells weapons. (Sep 2000)

Bill Frist on Civil Rights

for 9 full quotes for background on Civil Rights.

• Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)
• Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
• Voted NO on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women. (Mar 1998)
• Voted YES on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)
• Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
• Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)
• Voted YES on Amendment to prohibit flag burning. (Dec 1995)
• Voted YES on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)
• Supports anti-flag desecration amendment. (Mar 2001)

Bill Frist on Crime

for 5 full quotes for background on Crime.

• Voted NO on $1.15 billion per year to continue the COPS program. (May 1999)
• Voted YES on limiting death penalty appeals. (Apr 1996)
• Voted YES on limiting product liability punitive damage awards. (Mar 1996)
• Voted YES on restricting class-action lawsuits. (Dec 1995)
• Voted YES on repealing federal speed limits. (Jun 1995)

Bill Frist on Defense

for 10 full quotes for background on Defense.

• Voted NO on adopting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. (Oct 1999)
• Voted NO on allowing another round of military base closures. (May 1999)
• Voted YES on cutting nuclear weapons below START levels. (May 1999)
• Voted YES on deploying National Missile Defense ASAP. (Mar 1999)
• Voted YES on military pay raise of 4.8%. (Feb 1999)
• Voted YES on deploying missile defense as soon as possible. (Sep 1998)
• Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex basic training. (Jun 1998)
• Voted YES on favoring 36 vetoed military projects. (Oct 1997)
• Voted YES on banning chemical weapons. (Apr 1997)
• Voted YES on 1996 Defense Appropriations. (Sep 1995)

Bill Frist on Drugs

for 2 full quotes for background on Drugs.

• Voted YES on increasing penalties for drug offenses. (Nov 1999)
• Voted YES on spending international development funds on drug control. (Jul 1996)

Bill Frist on Education

for 3 full quotes for background on Education.

• Voted NO on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction. (Apr 2001)
• Voted YES on allowing more flexibility in federal school rules. (Mar 1999)
• Voted YES on $75M for abstinence education. (Jul 1996)

Bill Frist on Environment

for 8 full quotes for background on Environment.

• Voted YES on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior. (Jan 2001)
• Voted YES on preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling. (Apr 2000)
• Voted NO on keeping CAFE fuel efficiency standards. (Sep 1999)
• Voted YES on more funding for forest roads and fish habitat. (Sep 1999)
• Voted YES on defunding renewable and solar energy. (Jun 1999)
• Voted YES on transportation demo projects. (Mar 1998)
• Voted YES on reducing funds for road-building in National Forests. (Sep 1997)
• Voted YES on approving a nuclear waste repository. (Apr 1997)

Bill Frist on Families & Children

for the full quote for background on Families & Children.

• Voted YES on restricting violent videos to minors. (May 1999)

Bill Frist on Foreign Policy

for 5 full quotes for background on Foreign Policy.

• Voted YES on cap foreign aid at only $12.7 billion. (Oct 1999)
• Voted NO on limiting the President's power to impose economic sanctions. (Jul 1998)
• Voted NO on limiting NATO expansion to only Poland, Hungary & Czech. (Apr 1998)
• Voted YES on $17.9 billion to IMF. (Mar 1998)
• Voted YES on Strengthening of the trade embargo against Cuba. (Mar 1996)

Bill Frist on Free Trade

for 6 full quotes for background on Free Trade.

• Voted YES on granting normal trade relations status to Vietnam. (Oct 2001)
• Voted YES on removing common goods from national security export rules. (Sep 2001)
• Voted YES on expanding trade to the third world. (May 2000)
• Voted YES on renewing 'fast track' presidential trade authority. (Nov 1997)
• Voted YES on fast track trading authority. (Nov 1997)
• Voted YES on imposing trade sanctions on Japan for closed market. (May 1995)

Bill Frist on Government Reform

for 7 full quotes for background on Government Reform.

• Voted NO on McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform. (Apr 2001)
• Voted YES on limiting funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. (Aug 1999)
• Voted NO on cloture of 1998 McCain-Feingold overhaul of campaign finance. (Feb 1998)
• Voted NO on favoring 1997 McCain-Feingold overhaul of campaign finance. (Oct 1997)
• Voted YES on Approving the presidential line-item veto. (Mar 1996)
• Voted YES on replacing farm price supports. (Feb 1996)
• Voted NO on banning more types of Congressional gifts. (Jul 1995)

Bill Frist on Gun Control

for 4 full quotes for background on Gun Control.

• Voted NO on background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
• Voted YES on more penalties for gun & drug violations. (May 1999)
• Voted YES on loosening license & background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
• Voted YES on maintaining current law: guns sold without trigger locks. (Jul 1998)

Bill Frist on Health Care

for 9 full quotes for background on Health Care.

• Voted NO on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages. (Jun 2001)
• Voted YES on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Apr 2001)
• Voted NO on including prescription drugs under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
• Voted YES on limiting self-employment health deduction. (Jul 1999)
• Voted NO on increasing funds for Medicare prescriptions. (Mar 1999)
• Voted YES on increasing tobacco restrictions. (Jun 1998)
• Voted YES on banning human cloning. (Feb 1998)
• Voted YES on Medicare means-testing. (Jun 1997)
• Voted NO on medical savings acounts. (Apr 1996)

Bill Frist on Immigration

for 3 full quotes for background on Immigration.

• Voted YES on allowing more foreign workers into the U.S. for farm work. (Jul 1998)
• Voted YES on visas for skilled workers. (May 1998)
• Voted YES on limit welfare for immigrants. (Jun 1997)

Bill Frist on Labor & Farming

for 3 full quotes for background on Labor & Farming.

• Voted YES on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress. (Mar 2001)
• Voted YES on killing an increase in the minimum wage. (Nov 1999)
• Voted YES on allowing workers to choose between overtime & comp-time. (May 1997)

Bill Frist on Principles & Values

for the full quote for background on Principles & Values.

• Religious affiliation: Presbyterian. (Nov 2000)

Bill Frist on School Choice

for 5 full quotes for background on School Choice.

• Voted NO on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
• Voted NO on funding student testing instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
• Voted YES on Educational Savings Accounts. (Mar 2000)
• Voted YES on education savings accounts. (Jun 1998)
• Voted YES on school vouchers in DC. (Sep 1997)

Bill Frist on Social Security

for 4 full quotes for background on Social Security.

• Voted YES on Social Security Lockbox & limiting national debt. (Apr 1999)
• Voted YES on allowing Roth IRAs for retirees. (May 1998)
• Voted YES on allowing personal retirement accounts. (Apr 1998)
• Voted YES on deducting Social Security payments on income taxes. (May 1996)

Bill Frist on Tax Reform

for 8 full quotes for background on Tax Reform.

• Voted YES on cutting taxes by $1.35 trillion over 11 years. (May 2001)
• Voted NO on reducing marriage penalty instead of cutting top tax rates. (May 2001)
• Voted NO on increasing tax deductions for college tuition. (May 2001)
• Voted YES on eliminating the 'marriage penalty'. (Jul 2000)
• Voted YES on across-the-board spending cut. (Oct 1999)
• Voted YES on $792B tax cuts. (Jul 1999)
• Voted YES on requiring super-majority for raising taxes. (Apr 1998)
• Voted YES on FY99 tax cuts. (Apr 1998)

Bill Frist on Technology

for 3 full quotes for background on Technology.

• Voted YES on Internet sales tax moratorium. (Oct 1998)
• Voted YES on telecomm deregulation. (Feb 1996)
• Promote internet via Congressional Internet Caucus. (Jan 2001)

Bill Frist on War & Peace

for 3 full quotes for background on War & Peace.

• Voted YES on allowing all necessary forces and other means in Kosovo. (May 1999)
• Voted NO on authorizing air strikes in Kosovo. (Mar 1999)
• Voted YES on ending the Bosnian arms embargo. (Jul 1995)

Bill Frist on Welfare & Poverty

for 4 full quotes for background on Welfare & Poverty.

• Voted YES on welfare block grants. (Aug 1996)
• Voted NO on eliminating block grants for food stamps. (Jul 1996)
• Voted YES on allowing state welfare waivers. (Jul 1996)
• Voted YES on welfare overhaul. (Sep 1995)

[11th Earl of Mar]

Jim Sasser has been transplanting Tennesseans' wallets to Washington, home of Marion Barry."

That's the most 'racist' thing they can come up with?

[gop_gene]

Jim Sasser has been transplanting Tennesseans' wallets to Washington, home of Marion Barry."

That's the most 'racist' thing they can come up with?

If it is, the dems are in serious trouble--gotta love it!

[reformed_democrat]

WOW!

That's quite a collection.

[McGavin999]

As for opposition research, there is the odd fact that Frist never voted until he was 36 years old.

ROTFLMCO, the poor guy was probably just getting done with his residency.....you know.....working 48 hours straight with no sleep then sleeping 8 hours and working 48 hours straight again. He probably didn't even know it was November let alone who was running.

[Wait4Truth]

Thanks for the ping! It IS a good read. Bill Frist is a good man and the RATS know it. In 2001 he was one of the RATS' favorites...now he is dirt. They are so immoral. I have a feeling that this is going to turn out to be a plus for our side when all is said and done.

[TLBSHOW]

the problem is you never stood up to the smears from the left and now it will get worst! I see Lott is good enough to keep in the Senate for 6 years. LOL

[Iowa Granny]

Thanks, Doc, for posting this. Interesting read.

[TLBSHOW]

"Bill Frist is not pro-life," said Judie Brown, president and co-founder of American Life League, whose members believe in the sanctity of "innocent human life from fertilization to natural death; without compromise, without exception, without apology."

"He's made all kinds of strange statements," Brown said of Frist, "and is a shareholder in a huge for-profit hospital company that does abortions."

She is referring to Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). The senator's late father, Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr., and brother, Dr. Thomas Frist, Jr., founded HCA in 1968. The company merged with Columbia Hospital Corporation in 1994 to become Columbia/HCA.

Stephen Ally of the Timothy Plan, a pro-life, pro-family, biblically based mutual fund group, confirmed to CNSNews.com that the plan does not invest in Columbia/HCA stock, primarily because of the hospital chain's policy allowing abortions to be performed at its facilities.

Columbia/HCA representatives have not responded to multiple press inquiries about the company's abortion policy.

Conservatives Question Possible Double Standard

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1177567.html

[deport]

National Right to Life Committee

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Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN)

2nd-term Republican from Tennessee.

Key Votes

Name of Legislation		voted		score
Agreed To	Ban on abortions in military medical facilities 06/21/2002	N
Passed	Shays-Meehan (McCain-Feingold) "campaign finance reform" 03/20/2002	N
Passed	McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform" 04/02/2001	N
Agreed To	Ban on abortions in military medical facilities 06/20/2000	Y
Passed	Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act 10/21/1999	Y
Rejected	Baby body parts ("fetal tissue") 10/21/1999	Y
Agreed To	Roe v. Wade endorsement 10/21/1999	N
Failed	killing Roe v. Wade endorsement 10/21/1999	Y
Rejected	McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform" 10/19/1999	N
Rejected	Shays-Meehan "campaign finance reform" 10/19/1999	N
Agreed To	Ban on federal employees' abortion coverage 07/01/1999	N
Agreed To	Ban on abortions in military medical facilities 05/26/1999	Y
Rejected	Child Custody Protection Act -- Cloture Vote 09/22/1998	Y
	Partial-Birth Abortion Ban--Veto Override 09/18/1998	Y
Rejected	Abortions in military medical facilities 06/25/1998	N
Agreed To	State Department authorization bill 04/28/1998	Y
Agreed To	Medicare: Right to Purchase Unrationed Insurance 04/01/1998	Y
Rejected	McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform" 02/25/1998	Y
Rejected	McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform" -- Cloture Vote 10/08/1997	N
Agreed To	Federal employees' abortion coverage 07/22/1997	Y
Rejected	Abortions in military medical facilities 07/10/1997	N
Rejected	Abortion coverage in S-CHIP ("kid care") 06/25/1997	N
Agreed To	Medicare: right to purchase unrationed insurance 06/25/1997	Y
Passed	Partial-Birth Abortion Ban 05/20/1997	Y
Passed	Assisted Suicide Funding Restriction Act 04/16/1997	Y
Agreed To	Clinton unrestricted funding for "population assistance" 02/25/1997	N

[Benrand]

Uh, if Bill Frist ever does something as dumb as what Lott did, he should resign. That was so damn stupid. If Lott didn't understand what would happen if he said something like what he said, he was unfit to lead.

How could he NOT know that race is the Dumbocrats main issue...

[jwalsh07]

Frist profits from abortion. I don't particularly approve of that.

[Endeavor]

Thanks for the ping, IG. I was hoping Frist would get the nod.

[sinkspur]

Frist profits from abortion. I don't particularly approve of that.

I'm willing to cut Frist some slack.

The thing is, is he gonna get pasted if things don't move through the Senate quite as smoothly as the "canonized conservatives" want?

This is the most selfish GD place I've ever seen.

[habs4ever]

Yes, that is probably all very true, but one thing i don't hear being addressed is can he actually ...lead? None of us have any evidence so far that he is a leader, or is capable of being one.being telegenic and personable and consservative is terrific, yet can he get votes and push legislation through and does he know the rules well enough to run the Senate?

These are big, unanswered questions about Bill Frist.There is lots of hope,but hope is no substitute for experience.

[deport]

It won't take long to find out how good he is at cutting deals, greasing the skids, playing the nuances of the rules, back slapping, etc. He'll be tested very quickly on some little mundane something just to see how he reacts, imo. But then if nothing gets done that's not all that bad either as it keeps the legislative crap from getting and higher/deeper.