It's Raining Legendary Politicians.

[kroqken]

I am sad for the death of West Virginia senator Robert Byrd. A true legend. Served in Congress since harry S Truman was president. If you search for Robert Byrd on youtube, you will find some amazing speeches. He was not a boring orator.

[obzen]

It's probably a good thing for the Democratic party that they're not having a special election for his seat until 2012.



RIP

[El.C.Dub]

I believe he was the longest serving active senator. he held it down for a loooong time in a good ol' boy state. RIP

[kroqken]

I believe he was the longest serving active senator. he held it down for a loooong time in a good ol' boy state. RIP

He did a lot for the state of West Virginia. He also cast some very courageous "no" votes, like when certain Democrats were rushing into war against Iraq and Afghanistan. Those were legendary speeches on the senate floor.

[faxman75]

In 1944, Byrd wrote to segregationist Mississippi Senator Theodore Bilbo:[17]
“ I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side ... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds. ”

— Robert C. Byrd, in a letter to Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), 1944,

"The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia and in every state in the nation."

I'll pass on giving him praise. Being in the KKK isn't easily forgivable.

[JustSteve]

he also owned up to those mistakes, not something a lot of politicians do.

[kroqken]

I'll pass on giving him praise. Being in the KKK isn't easily forgivable.

He joined in the early 1940s when it was the way white politicians in West Virginia needed to do to get anywhere. He has regretted that for most of his life and has said so. Does Bush regret sending Americans to die in Iraq under false pretenses?

[faxman75]

he also owned up to those mistakes, not something a lot of politicians do.

Plenty do once they get caught. I don't think an i'm sorry is enough. He had a chance to make some strides for minorities and gays and he failed and voted against them. He also was in favor of the Clinton impeachment hearings, he was the only democrat to vote to censure Clinton.

I think he even voted against the civil rights act of 1964. What did he do that was great enough to make up for recruiting for the Klan?

How old did he have to be and how long did he have to be in politics before he was forgiven for this sort of things?

[kroqken]

Plenty do once they get caught. I don't think an i'm sorry is enough. He had a chance to make some strides for minorities and gays and he failed and voted against them. He also was in favor of the Clinton impeachment hearings, he was the only democrat to vote to censure Clinton.

I think he even voted against the civil rights act of 1964. What did he do that was great enough to make up for recruiting for the Klan?

How old did he have to be and how long did he have to be in politics before he was forgiven for this sort of things?

He says his biggest regret in his voting record was voting against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. His voting record overall is progressive on issues of race.

[faxman75]

He joined in the early 1940s when it was the way white politicians in West Virginia needed to do to get anywhere. He has regretted that for most of his life and has said so. Does Bush regret sending Americans to die in Iraq under false pretenses?

This isn't a guy who used the "n" word around the house on occasion. This is a guy who actively recruited for the race war.

[faxman75]

He says his biggest regret in his voting record was voting against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. His voting record overall is progressive on issues of race.

Fail. The guy sure has a lot of regrets and i'm not about to praise him because he happened to be a democrat and I'm a democrat. That's not how it works. I'm still waiting to hear what amazing things he did to make up for those terrible decisions he all made as an adult.

[obzen]

Fax, you're fucking doing too much.

[kroqken]

Byrd renounces his past civil rights votes in an interview with CSPAN's Brian Lamb. It comes up pretty quick if you put in "Robert Byrd" on Youtube.

[faxman75]

Thanks Ken. Alright, I'm sorry. It's ok that he made those mistakes and he is a great man. RIP.

This guy was a phony from the beginning. He only started stepping back from his race remarks and quit the KKK when he realized he needed national approval. Then he had his come to Jesus moment. Then out of guilt 100 years later he starts sucking the NAACP's cock.

Too little too late.

[kroqken]

Thanks Ken. Alright, I'm sorry. It's ok that he made those mistakes and he is a great man. RIP.

This guy was a phony from the beginning. He only started stepping back from his race remarks and quit the KKK when he realized he needed national approval. Then he had his come to Jesus moment. Then out of guilt 100 years later he starts sucking the NAACP's cock.

Too little too late.

He seems sincere in his apology. You are playing monday morning quarterback. The 1940s in Appalachia was a different time than 2010 in a big city. Watch that clip with Brian Lamb and you will see his sincerity.

[faxman75]

The civil rights act of what year Ken?

[weeklymix]

Jesus Fax. You read one Wikipedia article and just forgot the rest. He was in the Klan in his early 20s I believe and died 90+. You think this guy was an elected Democrat in 2010 because he made no effort to prove to the party and his modern day constituency that he had changed? He knows what he did and he regrets every second of it. You grow up in a prejudiced, white household in West Virginia in the early 1940s and promise me you wouldn't be racist. He willingly admitted to his biggest fault being the Civil Rights Act "no." Give me a break.

[kroqken]

The civil rights act of what year Ken?

It was a "populist" vote in 1964. He knows it was a stupid mistake. Keep in mind where West Virginia is located. The Appalacian region is a region that has been historically racist and poporly educated. Byrd transcended that and served his nation with distinction, especially from the 1970s until the present. He cast tens of thousands of votes in his career. Of course I will not agree with all of them. He had tremendous respect for the U.S. Senate and the system of checks and balances. He also had a keen understanding of the U.S. Constitution.

[crazzz2007]

What Fax is trying to say is that being sincere in your apology and owning up to mistakes does not make one a legendary politician. Longevity also does not make one a legendary politician.

He is asking a fair question: what the fuck has Byrd done to be considered a legendary politician? That question has not been answered by anyone here.

[obzen]

Give me a break.

*Him.

[kroqken]

What Fax is trying to say is that being sincere in your apology and owning up to mistakes does not make one a legendary politician. Longevity also does not make one a legendary politician.

He is asking a fair question: what the fuck has Byrd done to be considered a legendary politician? That question has not been answered by anyone here.

He did a lot to stop the presidency from becoming too powerful. He brought money into the poorest state in the USA. He helped end the Vietnam War and tried to stop the Iraq War. He tried to make sure that the Constitution was followed instead of passing rashly crafted laws that were not well thought out. You can see his genius at work on youtube.

[faxman75]

1964 is the answer. He wasn't in his 20's when he voted against the civil rights act. He remained a racist for decades. Filibustering the civil rights act in fact. Sure he apologized and maybe really regretted the things he did when he was younger but I don't see why any of that matters enough to make me feel bad for his death. He got to live to be 90. Good for him I simply said I don't think he's worthy of praise or forgiveness. Why is that so crazy?

[obzen]

It's not, you're just doing too much.

[crazzz2007]

He did a lot to stop the presidency from becoming too powerful.

What did he do?

He brought money into the poorest state in the USA.

That's what every Senator does to get reelected. Why would he bring money into states other than his own?

He helped end the Vietnam War and tried to stop the Iraq War.

He played no part in ending the Vietnam War. The fact that we got our asses kicked is what ended the Vietnam War. And he had absolutely no say in whether the Iraq War would occur. He didn't have the power to stop it. His speeches were empty rhetoric.

He tried to make sure that the Constitution was followed instead of passing rashly crafted laws that were not well thought out.

What the hell does this even mean?

Can you point to one specific fucking thing? I didn't think so.

[faxman75]

He quite literally, single handedly stalled the evolution of equality in this country with his filibuster.

[clumsy342]

he was fucking 92? jesus christ..

i wouldn't trust a 92 year old to set my alarm clock, let alone act as my state's Senator.

[weeklymix]

I interpreted legendary in that no matter how skewed some thought his views to be and whether or not you thought his apologies or further actions to be any consolation, he served for nearly 60 years on Capitol Hill until the day he died. He might have sucked the NAACP's cock in the end but they also praised him in his later years and there's plenty of evidence for their enjoyed partnership. He appropriated a lot of money for their causes. He did the best he could from his position after making serious mistakes in his early adult life. He died having worked his entire life for this country facing his mistakes publicly every day.

I consider that worthy of at least peaceful remembrance on his death day.

[crazzz2007]

Yes, he does deserve peaceful remembrance. But there's no need to whitewash his past or to exaggerate his good deeds.

[shermanoaksyo]

He was against the Iraq war when it counted, unlike John Kerry, John Edwards (ha-ha!), Dick Gephardt, Joe Biden, Feinstein, so many other top Democrats.

If I want to fixate on the 60s, I'll listen to Bob Dylan.

[shermanoaksyo]

That said, West Virginia can fuck off regarding "the things he did for them."

By "things" they are talking about the process by which little dirt states like WV use the U.S. Senate to steal money and jobs from big states & big cities w/ crumbling infrastructure.

If you live in New York, L.A., Chicago etc., your schools and mass transit are significantly worse because Senators such as Byrd are able to use the institution to funnel money to contributors within their fiefdoms.

Fun Fact! In terms of population, Wyoming is roughly the same size as a LAUSD school board district and is less than 1/20th the size of Los Angeles County. Wyoming gets two Senators.

It's a severe weakness of our (broken) system of government that needs correction through constitutional reform.