They didn't throw him overboard because of his remarks. If you recall right after the 2002 elections and before his idiotic comments, there was much talk of getting a new leader because his leadership was just AWFUL.
Excuse me...but didn't Lott go on BET and then back down from various conservative and popular positions in order to curry favor with the liberal elite, JUST SO HE COULD KEEP HIS JOB!!!!!
Hasn't improved any with Frist.
I didn't find Lott's comments about Strom Thurmond offensive, but his Democrat buddies sure turned on him and smeared him to high heavens....never mind that Robert Byrd had more segregation baggage than Thurmond. Lott deserved to be removed before he made the infamous comments, because he couldn't remember he was a Republican! He let Tom Daschle outmaneuver him on major issues. There were some who thought he was helping Democrats because his brother-in-law was active in the Mississippi Democrat Party.