Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) Dead at 92
Dana Bash, CNN’s senior congressional correspondent tweets, “sad news this early morning. Senator Robert C Byrd, titan of the US Senate, has died at age 92.”
MSNBC is also reporting Byrd’s death:
Byrd, 92, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952 and served six years there before moving to the U.S. Senate.
In November, Byrd broke the record for congressional service that had been set by Democrat Carl Hayden of Arizona, who served in the House and Senate from 1912 to 1969.
Byrd has been in frail health in recent years and was hospitalized three times in 2009. He has been confined to a wheelchair, but was present and voted “yes” for final Senate passage of the health care reform bill in March.
Byrd has been the longest-serving senator since June 2006 and was elected to an unprecedented ninth term in November 2006. His colleagues have elected him to more leadership positions than any senator in history. He has cast more than 18,000 votes and has a nearly 98 percent attendance record over the course of his career.
A former member of the Ku Klux Klan, Byrd later became a champion of civil rights. He has also been a staunch supporter of his home state’s coal industry and more recently has spoken out about environmental and safety issues.
As you can tell by the fawning tone of the correspondents from both CNN and MSNBC, get ready for the mother of all narrative struggles. (See also: Kennedy, Ted.) As that astonishing last paragraph in the MSNBC piece quoted above particularly highlights, the left will be eager to whitewash Byrd’s horrific legacy, which Michelle Malkin noted in a 2001 article for Capitalism magazine, whose every paragraph referenced Byrd’s ex-KKK past in the first sentence:
The ex-Klansman’s admirers praise his historical knowledge, mastery of procedural rules, and outspokenness. They refer to the Senate’s senior Democrat as the “conscience of the Senate.” They downplay his white-sheet-wearing days as a “brief mistake” — as if joining the Klan were like knocking over a glass of water. Oopsy.
This ex-Klansman wasn’t just a passive member of the nation’s most notorious hate group. According to news accounts and biographical information, Sen. Byrd was a “Kleagle” — an official recruiter who signed up members for $10 a head. He said he joined because it “offered excitement” and because the Klan was an “effective force” in “promoting traditional American values.” Nothing like the thrill of gathering ’round a midnight bonfire, roasting s’mores, tying nooses, and promoting white supremacy with a bunch of your hooded friends.
The ex-Klansman allegedly ended his ties with the group in 1943. He may have stopped paying dues, but he continued to pay homage to the KKK. Republicans in West Virginia discovered a letter Sen. Byrd had written to the Imperial Wizard of the KKK three years after he says he abandoned the group. He wrote: “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 Union.”
The ex-Klansman later filibustered the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act — supported by a majority of those “mean-spirited” Republicans — for more than 14 hours. He also opposed the nominations of the Supreme Court’s two black justices, liberal Thurgood Marshall and conservative Clarence Thomas. In fact, the ex-Klansman had the gall to accuse Justice Thomas of “injecting racism” into the Senate hearings. Meanwhile, author Graham Smith recently discovered another letter Sen. Byrd wrote after he quit the KKK, this time attacking desegregation of the armed forces.
The ex-Klansman vowed never to fight “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.”
If this ex-Klansman were a conservative Republican, he would never hear the end of his sordid past. “Ex-Klansman who opposed civil rights and black justices” would appear in every reference to Sen. Byrd. And even the “ex-” would be in doubt. Maxine Waters and Ralph Neas and Julianne Malveaux and Al Sharpton and all the other left-wing bloodhounds who sniff racism in every crevice of American life would be barking up a storm over Sen. Byrd’s latest fulminations. Instead, the attack dogs are busy decrying latent racial bigotry where it doesn’t exist, while the real thing roams wild and free in their own political backyard.
President Obama’s potential words of praise to a racial demagogue far worse than even Rev. Wright himself should be especially interesting to watch.
What happens next in terms of Byrd’s former senate seat? On Sunday, when news initially broke that Byrd was seriously ill, Doug Powers, guest-blogging at Michelle’s Website explored “A Brief Discussion About W. Virginia Senate Seat Rules.”
Update (7:45 AM PDT): The Professor adds, “keep a list of hagiographers in the press who don’t mention Byrd’s Klan connection. Then we can cross-index with the Journolist membership when it comes out . . . .” Don Surber has a photo montage of Byrd’s long life and the myriad of statesmen he crossed paths with, (from JFK to the Dalai Lama). Bob Owens quips, “Off To that Great Klavern In the Sky.” Ed Morrissey has more on the process of choosing Byrd’s successor, and also at Hot Air, Cassy Fiano has an extensive round-up of Blogosphere linkage.
Update: From Nick Gillespie of Reason: “The Emperor Palpatine of Pork” — “Here lies a man who pushed his home state to build a statue of him in defiance of a rule that such honorees be dead for 50 years.” Rand Simberg adds, “For all of his posturing about his love of the Constitution, he was one of the prime architects of the fiscal ruin that lays ahead, and he served far too long.”
Update: Found via blogger “Biased Girl,” no doubt this was ghost-written, (certainly ghost-tweeted to “the Twitters”), but still. Get ready for irony so thick, it forms it forms its own recursive feedback loop and collapses in on itself:
‘A Populist champion of the common man’, barf!
Condolences to the Byrd family is about all I can say. His legacy was 50 years of disastrous legislation that has put us in the position we are in now. However, with his passing, there will be one monument in the state of West Virginia that can legitimately bear his name: a tombstone.
I guess that’s how the stale cracker crumbles.
I wonder if his tombstone will be paid for out of federal “stimulus” funding. I kind of hope so since it would be such a fitting coda to Sen. Byrd’s career. To make it really fitting however it should come in about two million dollars over budget.
Speak no ill of the dead.
Even if someone is a former Ku Klux Klan organizer and Democrat party bigshot, they ought to get a 48-hour reprieve from getting picked apart in the press.
The Senate by definition is for old men, but it was cruel how the Democrat party used the ex-Kleagle these past few years. He ought to have been in a rest home, not talking about little Billy in the Senate.
Good work, Michelle Malkin, for highlighting this guys role in the cowardly KKK.
Sir ,I believe you just contradicted yourself.
Good eyes, but it’s not a contradiction. I was using unconventional logic, kind of like the lame stream media.
Thankfully, his actute case of Edifice Complex has now been cured.
His death was God’s message to West Virginians that they’ve been wrong for nine terms. Guess he’ll be buried in the Robert Byrd Memorial Cemetery, which is just off the Robert Byrd highway in scenic Robert Byrd Valley, conveniently near the Robert Byrd Airport.
#2 can forget it. Conservatives need to stop fighting by a set a rules only they follow, it isn’t nobel, it is stupid. Bryd was a two faced cross-burning klansman and opponents of the democrat socialist agenda should hang that on him and his party relentlessly. Bravo Malkin for demonstrating how it is done. KKK Byrd is dead, good.
Pretty sad world we live in, isnt it protocol to at least wait until the body is in the ground until attacking the individual..?
Alex: I am sure you felt the same way when Mr. Reagan passed Correct?
Leave the KKK out of it. Its a miniscule organization of rural morons 75% of
which are undercover FBI agents. Byrd never got his power from the Klan which was a freak episode in his life. Byrd ruled over the demographic destruction of America through mass immigration, and mass welfare spending how “Klanish” is that?
Byrd’s was Teddy Kennedy with a southern accent. He didnt burn crosses at night to express himself..the Washington Post Editorial Page got Byrds message
across every day.
Sir….Read up on that ‘miniscule’ organization. Would you have ever allowed a republican to be elected to any office with that in his background? I think not.
I live in the South. I have never met a Klansmen. I have never
seen a burning cross or heard of anyone who has. There are no Klan
publications, no Klan TV stations, no Klan radio stations. On the
other hand every corner has a New York Times kiosk, CNN is blaring
from every TV, there are hundreds of black liberal polticians,
talking about black “persecution” which they have never
experienced..and yet by and playing the race card they rise to
wealth and fame. Civil Rights Inc. only has to raise its pinky and every head bows. Tens of thousands of careers are destroyed by Political Correctness
every year..and those who are “disappeared” are never mentioned again out of
fear. Millions of morons are churned off of University assembly line knowing
nothing..but the left wing mantras of MultiCulturalism. And you want to pretend
that the Klan ..is in control of ..ANYTHING?
EXCELLENT!! thank you!!
Leave the KKK out of it.
No.
In the 1940s when Byrd was a member, through the 1960s when he still openly supported it, the KKK was not remotely a “minuscule” organization. It was large, all-pervasive, deeply entwined with the Democrat party, violent, and very, very powerful.
In honour of Sen Byrd’s passing, Linens and Things will be selling bedsheets at 50% off.
Hope he burns like the crosses he so loved to ignite.
Condolences and prayers for his family and friends.
However, that aside, can you imagine if the last living Klansman in the Senate was a Republican? Do you think the Dinosaur Media would fail to mention that?
In the 50.s and early sixties Byrd and the rest of his kind ran the south, Wallace, Byrd, Zell Miller, Thurmond, Helms….etc etc. The Democrats gave them, along with these other dixiecrats ( and D.I.N.O.s) a choice, … change or switch to the Republicans. And Dems in the North were happy they left, good riddance… Most of them switched to the Republican Party and have never looked back. Hence, the south went from solid Democrat to solid Republican. However, Byrd changed. He actually moved to the center and then went on to eventually oppose the war in Iraq, which at the time was quite unusual for a West Virginia Rep in 2002. Personally, I think he ( and a few others in the Senate) are a good reason for term limits. I am no supporter of anyone over 75 serving in public office any longer….they should all resign immediately.
Like most liberals Poor C knows no history, and fervently prays that nobody else does either.
Byrd only occupies the center, if you view politics from the left of the communists.
Byrd was one thing above all..a consumate opportunist. He went further and further to the left as each boundary of common sense was broken down from
the 60s onward. He was the exact opposite of a leader. He was a political
amoeba..dividing himself into a dozen pieces and then reuniting himself..flowing over around every solid
idea..always in the quest for food..ie. power and money.
They didn’t switch. They stayed Democrats. And most were re-elected after filibustering the CRA–some, like Byrd, for quite a long time.
“The Democrats gave them, along with these other dixiecrats ( and D.I.N.O.s) a choice, … change or switch to the Republicans. And Dems in the North were happy they left, good riddance… Most of them switched to the Republican Party and have never looked back.”
Total nonsense. Virtually all segregationists were Democrats. Virtually none of them changed parties. A lot of them modified their positions, but then again they had no choice, since the federal government (dominated by Republicans who had always been in favor of equal rights and northern Democrats who wanted to pander to blacks in the big northern cities by trading welfare checks for votes, instead of oppress them) forced them to change.
The Democrats were the Jim Crow boys from start to finish. The Republicans never were.
Senator Byrd is the poster child for the fact that the left tolerates absolutely anything of people who tow the party line. Absolutely no action, no conduct is over the top as long as one votes correctly. One can run a gay prostitution ring out of one’s Washington apartment and remain in the House until this day. One can get “serviced” by a young intern in your care (in the White House) and remain a popular President. One can drive a girl into a ditch and allow her to die and remain in the Senate and one can be a KKK member who’s public and private comments and actions do not look like he left the ideology (even if he left the organization) to sit in congress longer than any person ever.
No person on the right would have survived any of these things (nor should they). The left would have demanded their head and the right would have obliged.
This isn’t about Senator Byrd. This is about the fact that among many in the hard left ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is more important than ideology. Byrd’s death brings that into the limelight in an almost unavoidable way for a few days. I wonder how the media will spin this.
slowly but surely the old racists are passing on, and being replaced by the new racists. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Someday Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will pass away too, but the song will remain the same.
If you’re a leftist, then joining the KKK is no big deal.
If you’re a Republican and you misspell “Potato”then your career is ruined…
Does Dana Bash speak for CNN?
As a conservative who was born and raised (and currently lives) in West Virginia, I’ve always had mixed feelings about Byrd. While the man was a prime example of why we should implement Senate term limits, he did bring a lot of funding to our state for needed projects, money that we probably wouldn’t have received otherwise. I’m currently working towards a college degree using money from a scholarship named after him and drive on roads that bear his name.
A lot of this money is pork-barrel spending that I’d decry otherwise…but when that pork is benefiting you directly, it’s hard to turn Byrd down for reelection. It’s why he’s been continually put back in his Senate seat all these years by the people of West Virginia.
For all his faults and failings, Byrd really did care for this state, unlike other scum-bag politicians that only want power and prestige and move to a new state as soon as they smell an easy power grab (*cough*Clinton*cough*). There’ll be plenty of time to discuss and argue his politics later, but this state is in mourning for the loss of one of her native sons.
Pork — Def: Other people’s money.
Lets call it what it is – I doubt you are much of a conservative with that point of view as it pertains to ‘pork’.
I’ve had friends who think I’m stupid for opposing Obamacare – I will benefit by it when it becomes effective.
You’ve just highlighted the differences between you and I. And you are no conservative in any stretch.
Byrd and people like him are not the problem. It is YOU Sesker – and people like you who are the WHOLE problem. (I am trying not to get my blood pressure up.) You don’t care what he did as long as he brings home the bacon. You justify ANYTHING as long as he brings home enough pork. Wow. This country will survive people like Byrd. It may not survive people like you who have no part of their personal integrity that is not for sale. How do you explain this to your kids? (Well sure Bubba Jr., he wuz a recruiter for the Klan – but look at that purdy new post office he brung us!!)
I might have a tiny bit of respect for you if you said you supported him, his policies and positions. But… you didn’t. You and your cronies just kept voting for the person you believed could rip off the rest of most effectively.. If he could do that… what is a burning cross or two among friends?
You sir, are nothing that approaches conservative.
First, it goes without saying that the immediate wake of Sen. Byrd’s passing is not the proper time to hammer him for the the troubling personal and political elements of his life (as they relate to his Ku Klux Klan membership, his pro-segregation stance & his vote against Civil Rights in 1964). Obviously, the Democrats and the public relations wing of their party — i.e., the media — will attempt to casually rewrite Sen. Byrd’s history. They shouldn’t be allowed to do so without a fight. And conservatives need to be vigilant in preventing the Left from pretending as if its hands didn’t get dirty from its longstanding relationship with the Senator — after all, it lasted long past the Dixiecrat/Jim Crow era. If the Republicans’ (admittedly troubling) association with one-time segregationist Strom Thurmond unequivocally defines the GOP as irredeemably racist for eternity, the same should hold true for the Left’s/Dems’ half-century love affair with the one-time Klansman/segregationist Byrd (BTW, same applies to Senator Fritz Hollings, who served in the U.S. Senate until 2005, and who, as Governor, placed the Confederate flag atop the South Carolina statehouse in 1962 to protest the forced integration of S. Carolina’s schools).
But now is no time to hammer the late Senator. Condolences are in order. And since Senator Byrd was a man who liked to quote scripture, let us hope, for his sake, that he truly did atone for his (considerable) sins, and that he’s found forgiveness in the hereafter.
As for the media narrative, it’s good to hear that MSNBC is at least acknowledging the late Senator’s time as a Klansman. I’ve heard several ABC & CBS news reports and have read multiple news accounts of his death. Not one has mentioned his association with the Klan, or his history with regard to segregation and Civil Rights. And Huffington Post, Daily Kos and Democratic Underground are — predictably — eulogizing him without so much as a mention of the Klan, segregation, or Civil Rights (although in fairness, many of the comments at Daiy Kos do make mention of those issues, despite ultimately offering high praise for Byrd).
Remember, no matter how simplistic or ridiculous it may sound, for members of the Left/media/Democrat party, having a “D” next to one’s name means that one can do no wrong. Thus, in nearly every case (Rod Blagojevich notwithstanding), Democratic elected officials are cast as heroes, and Republicans are cast as villains. Or as Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times back in March, Democrats are “angels” and Republicans are “devils.”
Conservatives need to set the historical record straight, and shred the Left/Democrat party to pieces over their unsavory historical ties to slavery, segregation, and the Ku Klux Klan — it’s long overdue that conservatives deconstruct the paradigmatic lies on which the Left/media/Democrats base their claims of moral superiority. But today is not the day to drag Senator Byrd’s name through the mud. He did a good enough job of that himself over the course of his life. And although we’ve got to make sure that the ugly elements of Senator Byrd’s personal history aren’t conveniently paved over as his legacy becomes cemented, there should be a day-long moratorium on Byrd bashing out of respect for the late Senator’s family. If only for today, let’s let him rest in peace.
he did bring a lot of funding to our state for needed projects, money that we probably wouldn’t have received otherwise. I’m currently working towards a college degree using money from a scholarship named after him and drive on roads that bear his name.
Come to think of it, Byrd was a titan of pork-barrel politics, so maybe Bash as a point.
So..I won’t speak ill of the deadly. Simply: I liked hearing about his little dog Billy.
“they ought to get a 48-hour reprieve”
That’s exactly what I do when someone dies.
For two days I say nothing but good things, out of respect for the dead, then I tear into them (if they merit it).
I’m afraid that I have nothing to say about Byrd at this time. On Wednesday I expect to have a few things to say.
Bury him in a pointy headed white sheet and let’s get on with appointing his successor, the next power-drunk, bought-and-sold, Senator-for-life, man-of-the-people, advocate for the welfare state. Tradition demands to be served.
While “each man’s death diminishes us” and all that; Byrd was an unsavory character who represented all that is wrong with our political class. In his later years he was a ludicrous figure making absurd overly emotional speeches that made one question his mental competency. If the Senate resembles a chorus of hyenas, he sang lead alto. History will only diminish his reputation.
I just have to address this:
As a conservative who was born and raised (and currently lives) in West Virginia…[I think Byrd was] a prime example of why we should implement Senate term limits, he did bring a lot of funding to our state for needed projects, money that we probably wouldn’t have received otherwise. I’m currently working towards a college degree using money from a scholarship named after him and drive on roads that bear his name.
A lot of this money is pork-barrel spending that I’d decry otherwise…but when that pork is benefiting you directly, it’s hard to turn Byrd down for reelection. It’s why he’s been continually put back in his Senate seat all these years by the people of West Virginia.
In other words, you’re no conservative. My intent here is not to start a fight in the wake of the demise of a statist, but to point out that home-state welfare is antithetical to conservatism and no amount of terminal economic localism is going to change that.
The US is collapsing for a number of reasons. One of the primary reasons is viewing your pork barrel politician as beneficial. Stealing from the other 49 isn’t friendly and moreover, clearly it’s not sustainable.
do not lump Thomas with Marshal. That is a completely false comparison. Anyone with half a brain can see that Thomas was not qualified and is solely a product of affirmative action. Byrd did vote for a hispanic justice and several jewish justices. I do not think people will shy away from his bad past. Lots of people make mistakes. I thought it was Christan to forgive mistakes. I think the man is a testament to change. How people can turn themselves around. Why is it that this site seems to be stuck in the 1960-70s. Is the author of this article incapable of writing about the last 20 years. Attacking the Media you do not like is not news. It is just whining. Bryd gave a beautiful speech about why it was unamerican to invade Iraq. I think he will mainly be remembered for his more recent liberal turn. However, I think we should all recognize that if he could turn around from being in the KKK and a conservative, there is hope for you people.
The mention of Justices Marshall and Thomas is an excerpt from a 2001 article by Michelle Malkin, not Ed. Those indented paragraphs you see are indented precisely so that readers can make that important distinction. Moreover, the “lumping” of the two by Malkin is/was quite apt, in that Byrd opposed both of their nominations…and hey, Brian, guess why? In the paraphrased words of a likely hero of yours, Mean Janeane Garafalo, “racism, straight up”.
“Attacking the Media you do not like is not news. It is just whining.”
Feel free to apply that axiom to your own blathering from time to time.
Thank you, but I understand quotations. I do not tend to randomly quote thing in papers I write. If I put a quote into a piece of writing it is with purpose. Anyway, my comment was directed at the use of the quote and at the subsequent comments regarding the topic. If it is racism straight up why did he vote to confirm Jewish Justices. Last I looked the Klan does not like Jews. I propose that he was definitely a racist, but is not longer one(especially as he is dead). I would like someone to find me some evidence from the last 20 year that he is still a racist.
I love the way that liberals declare that anyone who isn’t a liberal can’t possibly be smart.
It’s long been recognized, that Thomas is one of the brightest members of the current SC. But to most liberals, he will always be described as dumb, because he doesn’t agree with their agenda.
It is not based on the fact that I disagree with his interpretation of the constitution. I respect both Scalia and Roberts. My opinion is based on the fact that he does not answer questions, I think his opinions are poor, interviews, and what I have heard from clerks and other people who have interacted with him. Unlike some people I do not base my decisions on pure ideology, but on an examination of many factors. Also, it is documented that he was accepted into yale through its affirmative action program. He was put into SCOTUS to replace Marshel empty seat. He was selected as a black conservative.
So you don’t hate him because he’s a conservative, you hate him because he’s a race traitor?
First, I have nothing against the man personally. Also, I did not say he was dumb or lacked intelligence. I just do not think he is qualified to be on the SCOTUS. There is a lot of gray area there. I do not see why you feel the need to A. put words in my mouth and B. only see the world as black or white. As I previously state, I have no problem with him being conservative, and this includes his dislike of affirmative action. All I said was that he an affirmative action justice. I mean he was only put in to replace a Black justice, and I was using that fact to support my thesis that he is not qualified. Normally when one makes an argument, you back it up with some kind of fact. I know this confuses you as you just like to write things irregardless of any factual backing, but try and keep up. I take issues with him when he says that in addition to the bill of rights we should have a bill of duties, and the fact that he has not asked a question since 2006. When I have seen him in court he always looks board.
He’s not qualifed because to you, he looks bored.
Now that’s an insightfull analysis.
I am getting guff from the guy who cannot tell the difference between South Carolina and West Virginia. But yes, I would hope one of the most powerful people in the country would not look bored and about to fall asleep when he is supposed to be paying attention to the arguments. Like I said before he has not asked a question in the last 4 years. This fact disturbs me. You have clearly given up on learning anything new, but I do not want that in a Supreme Court Justice.
I know that you, like Obama consider yourself to be an expert on geography, but there are times when one forgets which state a particular Klansman calls home.
First you claim that Thomas looked bored, now you claim he was falling asleep. As usual you see what you want to see.
As to falling asleep, I leave that up to your gal Ginsburg.
You should probably learn how to use a question mark before you criticize other people’s handling of questions.
“Anyone with half a brain can see that Thomas was not qualified and is solely a product of affirmative action.”
OK – just like Obama eh?
I suppose you think the only qualified blacks are those that are liberal?
Sorry but I think your bias is showing. Thomas isn’t the dumb black conservative you think he is.
“Anyone with half a brain can see that Thomas was not qualified and is solely a product of affirmative action.”
However, all of us with whole brains realize that’s a lot of tosh, unlike you half-brainers.
You liberals will do *anything* to smear uppity black folk who escape the libetral plantation- in particular, making false and scurrilousd charges of astupidity.
By the way, nothng says “affirmative action” like the words “Barack Obama.”
Byrd was just a harmless old KKK grand dragon.. yeah thats it! In fact, it is the Tea Party Patriots and critics of Obama who are the racists!
Yes, welcome to the world of liberal double-think! A wonderful place where the KKK are senators, terrorists are freedom-fighters, atheists are intelligent, homosexuals are cool, illegal mexican immigrants have more rights than US citizens, drug-addled Hollywood airheads are to be admired, lazy people are to be rewarded, successful to be punished, govt employees to be given raises and pensions (and taxes raised) during high unemployment, State laws to be challenged, US military and Border Patrol to be condescended to, Jews to be exterminated, oil spills to be used as political tools, thugs like Hugo Chavez to be exalted, and facts are only around to be aggressively resisted. It is a great way of thinking! Im sure it will really make the world a better place!!!!!
NYT headline when Strom Thurmond died:
Strom Thurmond, Foe of Integration, Dies at 100
By ADAM CLYMER
Published: June 27, 2003
Now let’s see how the NYT remembers Byrd
Robert Byrd, Respected Voice of the Senate, Dies at 92
By ADAM CLYMER
Published: June 28, 2010
Hmmm.
Yes, and Adam Clymer was always a major league asset, according to GW Bush (former MLB team owner).
Oh yeah, big time.
In fairness, headlines are generally chosen by the editor. The fact that these articles have the same author doesn’t mean their headlines do.
I find it interesting that no one has commented on the fact that Byrd, who was probably intellectually unable to actually carry out his duties as a Congressman for quite a few months or years before his death, was still “voting” on various bills, and I suspect that it was his staff who was in reality doing the voting; he may have put his little card in the voting machine, but they wheeled him in and told him which slot to put it in.
Next, on the issue of Byrd’s past history, forget about this “speak no ill of the dead’ thing, I believe that we need to remember who people really were—all of it, particularly people who wield power and can effect the lives of all of us.
In Byrd’s case, in the early 1940’s he was a KKK Kleagle, an active recruiter for the Klan, later in the 1940’s he dropped out of the Klan when it was politically convenient but, as his writings quoted above show, he still supported the Klan for many years afterward. His filibustering of the Civil Rights act and his opposition to Thurgood Marshal and Clarence Thomas should also not be forgotten, and his hagiographers should not be allowed to get away with portraying him as a champion of Civil Rights for all, because he wasn’t.
Similarly, Teddy Kennedy, whatever good he might have done, should also always be remembered for Chappaquiddick and Mary Jo Kopechne trapped underwater in his car and drowned, while he swam away to call his political advisors, and spent all night plotting and planning how best to spin this “unfortunate accident,” before he even bothered to notify the police the next morning, and how he got off—thanks to a Kennedy-friendly Massachusetts legal system–Scot free. Moreover, the recently released FBI files, that detail how he tried to make deals during the Cold War with our enemies in the U.S.S.R. that would benefit him politically, are a betrayal of the U.S. that should also not be allowed to be pushed down into the “memory hole.”
It is only by remembering who these people really were and what they really did—not just some of it, not just the good parts, but all of it—that we can hope to pick better leaders in the future.
“Byrd, who was probably intellectually unable to actually carry out his duties as a Congressman for quite a few months or years before his death, was still “voting”…”
Kind of like “Weekend at Bernies”?
OOr like South Dakota senator demontrash Tim Johnson, who was still “voting” in spite of having a stroke and literally being unable to function. Funny how his name never gets brought up.
“His colleagues have elected him to more leadership positions than any senator in history.”
____
There are no more telling words of Byrd’s legacy than this statement – and can be backed up with statistics. His racist stance (known to all – ignored by the left) dovetail with the stance most on the left hold.
In the eyes of a thief all the world’s a thief…
Like the old saying goes – Byrds of a feather…
Under SC law, how does Byrd’s seat get filled for the remainder of this congress. Especially any lame duck session that may be called by Reid and Pelosi?
Heard on the radio this morning on Laura Ingram that the WV guv was thinking of appointing himself.
Senator Byrd represented West Virginia, not South Carolina. We have our
enough characters here without having to import them.
Mark, get your facts together. South Carolina and West Virgina are different states. I guess this is just a prime example of how on top of the news you are.
My one to your one hundred.
Good riddance — and, might I add, timing. Say hey to Teddy while you’re down there.
Use his sheet for a shroud…
Only men of integrity and character deserve accolades upon their passing for the life they have lived.-Robert Byrd is NOT one of them. His voting record ALONE is a politician is an affront to our liberty. I will not praise a man who has willfully sought to restrict and destroy my freedom.
The whitewashing of former Senator Byrd, which has already started, adds more credence to the premise that official history is at odds with what actually happened.
Maybe his family will miss this man..
I say..”good riddance to bad rubbish”.
It’s about time!
Well, now sheetz face Byrd can join Ted the swimmer in the confines of hell. One good thing there Sheetz face Byrd-I guess the swimmer hasnt had a drink since last August.
Well, more bridges and historical markers will soon be named after this lifetime politician. Why do we name our buildings, monuments, and historical markers after politicians? Oh yea, politicians get to name the damned buildings, monuments, and historical markers. My bad.
Bye bye, Senator Byrd. I’m sure you will be missed by your constituents.
Maybe a line of nice white sheets would be appropriate…
Thanks to this pompous boob, WV has more highways than West Virginians have teeth. Nice to drive through, but stopping is scary! Banjos,………you get the picture.
Yes, that crazy left. Its not like the hagiographies that right-wing nutballs write about Reagan, who prolonged several Central American civil wars while burying our economy in debt.
I love the way the far left calls the fight against communisms as nothing more than prolonging a civil war.
As to adding to the debt, Reagan’s tax cuts paid for themselves. It was the spending programs that your Democrats passed, many over Reagan’s vetoes that caused the growing debt.
Beyond that, given the way you give Obama tongue baths, complaining about anyone else adding to the deficit is funny beyond belief.
(BTW, according to the left, anything biography that doesn’t conclude that Reagan was the devil incarnate qualifies as a hagiography.)
I just love the way The Messiah is paying down Ronnie’s debt.
Get a clue – and get your facts straight too – Obama has spent more money faster than any president – EVER.
So he had mainstream racist beliefs in the mid-1900′s
This is news?
There was nothing mainstream about racism, even in the 90′s.
I keep my own personal checklist for goals I want to obtain before I die. A kind of a twisted bucket list. One of the goals is the “outlive them” goal.
Let’s see,
Kennedy- check
Byrd- check
Michael Jackson-check and check for the monkey too.
OJ- not dead but in prison, pretty close. “Hey OJ tell us again how you ran for two thousand yards, but this time bend over and pick up the the soap for me, will ya’?”
Pelosi- not yet but she is seventy.
Reid- nope, but it’s hot in Nevada and he’ll be pounding the streets looking for work soon, maybe he’ll do a GE CEO thing!
Frank- negative at this time, but he’s seventy also and he looks like he eats the wrong stuff, so here’s hoping.
Well, there is always tomorrow.
The man’s dead, and I feel the same as I did about Teddy K’s death – now’s the time and opportunity to start repairing the damage done, not tear up a guy who can no longer do any harm. There is no point in hanging a corpse.
The only point in hanging this corpse is as an example to those who would follow in his footsteps
A. The greatest single argument I can make against your lame bullsh$$: I’m not a Democrat. I doubt your capable of forming an argument that doesn’t rely on this stupid pointless dichotomy.
B. As to adding to the debt, Reagan’s tax cuts paid for themselves. It was the spending programs that your Democrats passed, many over Reagan’s vetoes that caused the growing debt.
LOL… See A. I really wonder how you managed to learn to type. That requires at least average intelligence.
That Reagan’s tax cuts paid for themselves is proven by looking at the tax data. I’m sorry that you would rather spout propaganda than learn the truth, but then you’re a liberal, that’s what you’ve been taught to do.
As for your claiming that anyone who disagrees with your propaganda is dumb. That’s another thing liberals are taught to do.
Lie and hate, the liberal legacy.
I am sure Byrd figured he could kill and destroy more Blacks as a democrat Senator than as a KKK recruiter. No doubt he died a happy man.
He was one sick perverted sob and the world will be a better place without the likes of him. Not only was he a racist of the lowest order but he was also deeply involved in the MKultra mind control project, child slave handler and pedophile. All that makes his KKK days fade in comparison. Our government is run by perverts and devils. He was just one among many. Cathy O’brien was one of his child sex toys sold into the MKultra as a child. She wrote all about this in her book TranceFormation of American. You can also hear her tell her sad story on google. I am glad the bastard is dead.
How will Byrd ever be replaced? Although I believe David Duke isn’t busy….
If you are making a list, ABC mentioned his KKK connections, showed a quick clip of KKKers in the night, and another quick clip of Byrd talking about how much he regretted joining the KKK.
His fellow Senators from both sides of the aisle at the Judiciary hearings were all (at least the ones I heard) paying tribute to the legend.
What I want to know is how long it will be before some lefty declares that bringing up Byrd’s KKK past is “racist.”
At that point, the “racist” charge will officially have jumped the shark, and I will laugh uproariously.
How about spelling jornalist with an “a”? That’s the right way, ain’t it?
Google “Journolist”. The capitalization should’ve been a tipoff.
One thing — As disturbing as any KKK affiliation is, notice the dates of affiliation. Think of the area, the history, and his age – how he grew up — AND notice how the last reference noted as proof was from 1964 — Um .. it’s 2010.
Prejudice is wrong PERIOD. Its not partisan. But s the post if specifically calling Democrats hypocrites, and as humans some of them are which is not OK, let me point one thing out. ‘Democrats’ seem to realize that people are human. And just lie Jesus taught, mistakes can be made but then one can realize their mistake and choose to change their lives. And this isn’t a religious point in itself – just another little hypocrisy I keep seeing from the far right “Pro-Life Christians” who are also Pro war- Pro death penalty, and revel in the failings of others, never allowing any human error to be forgiven or forgotten if it fits their needs.
For Example ..
‘As recently as 2001, the West Virginia Democrat was forced to apologize after blurting out during a nationally televised interview, “There are white n****rs, I’ve seen a lot of white n****rs in my time. I’m going to use that word.”
In 1972, Byrd pushed to have the Senate’s main office building named after Dixiecrat Sen. Richard Russell – a leading opponent of anti-lynching legislation who Byrd called “my mentor.” ‘
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1324731/posts
Now THIS Is disturbing …
It’s just a matter of time until they change the name of the state to “West Byrdginia.”
Robert Byrd, Grand Kliegel, R.I.P.
“He once had a fleeting association with the Ku Klux Klan, what does that mean? I’ll tell you what it means. He was a country boy from the hills and hollows from West Virginia. He was trying to get elected. And maybe he did something he shouldn’t have done and he spent the rest of his life making it up. And that’s what a good person does. There are no perfect people. There are certainly no perfect politicians.”
Thus spake the impeached and disgraced 42nd president of the United States, despoiler of the Oval Office, known predator, admitted liar William Jefferson (Blythe) Clinton at the obsequies of the late Senator Robert Carlyle Byrd of West Virginia.
We should all allow the dead to rest in peace. However, we also should not whitewash their lives with lies dismissing as “a fleeting association” KKK Byrd’s commitment to that hate group.
He joined in 1942, at age 24, was elected to lead his KKK chapter, and went on to earn the titles of Grand Kliegel and Exalted Cyclops before he says he resigned in 1943.
He wrote in 1944, . . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1766)