I certainly hope the senior senator from West Virginia will recover, but at his age I think we better be ready for some bad headlines soon. Godspeed to him. But what I want to look at is Robert Byrd and the sheer volume of his career and how we are likely never going to see it again.
- Elected to Congress in 1952: Same years as Dwight Eisenhower is elected President and Richard Nixon is elected Vice-President. Think about that - when Byrd entered Congress neither Ike nor Nixon had embarked on their national careers. The Speaker of the House in the time Byrd was there were Joe Martin and Sam Rayburn.
- He was elected to the Senate in 1958. The majority leader was Lyndon Johnson, the minority leader was William Knowland
- He became Democratic leader and held it for 12 years spanning Carter and Reagan.
- He is the longest serving senator in United States history. The United States Senate has sat since 1789, and its Robert Byrd who has served the longest.
We can argue as Republicans and Democrats all we want about Byrd's career, the choices he made as a young man, but nobody can argue how incredible his career has been. And with this new century that has brought us 24/7 news coverage, instant communications, and a much tighter scrutiny of politicians personal lives we will NEVER see someone last this long in the US Senate. Pretty amazing career, al things considered.
Yes, quite a remarkable career indeed.
Only the Democrat Party could elect a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard to be the Majority Leader of the Senate, and pretend he's just one of the folks. Even gets hugs from Jesse Jackson. Gotta love them Dems.
Posted by: Dan Dravot | June 28, 2010 at 12:03 AM
That didn't take long. The Klan comment came out in the very first comment. The mindless are so very predictable.
Chris, you may have wanted to take a look at the totality of the man's career, but good luck with that. The silly is going to pop right up without a moment's delay.
I'm afraid your comments about the 21st century are all too true. People just suit up in the colors of their tribe and start blathering the same lame predictable stuff. It is very hard to have a serious discussion of anything anymore. And damned near impossible to have a serious discussion of a long term elected official.
Posted by: Nat | June 28, 2010 at 08:32 AM
RIP Senator Byrd. Maybe the Senate's greatest practictioner of parliamentary procedure. You are correct we will never see anyone like him in the Senate ever again.
Posted by: George Templeton | June 28, 2010 at 01:11 PM
BIH old buddy and keep a seat cold for me when I come home.
Posted by: Dick Cheney | June 28, 2010 at 02:15 PM
Nat,
Thanks for letting us take a peek under your hood and sheet. How long have you been waiting to come out of the closet?
Posted by: P. Carnehan | June 28, 2010 at 08:42 PM
Nat,
Do you suppose "Sheets" Byrd would have been acceptable if he was just an journeyman parliamentarian, instead of a great one?
Only a Democrat could think that racism and bigotry is tolerable, as long as Robert's Rules of Order are applied with great skill and cunning.
Posted by: Elizabeth Ross | June 29, 2010 at 06:33 AM
Sen. Byrd's greatest regrets were his mistakes in joining the Klan at 17, and leading the filibuster of the Civil Rights Act.
He lived to lead the charge for civil rights funding as the Chair of Senate appropriations.
RIP.
Posted by: The Donkey | June 29, 2010 at 08:50 AM
I guess the Donkey doesn't realize that "Sheets" Byrd continued to belong to the Klan well into his adult years and rose to become an exalted Kleagle and recruiter of other Klansmen.
Even after Sheets dropped his membership for political expediency, he continued vote against all the prominent civil rights legislation of the 50s and 60s on "constitutional" grounds.
Shame on those forget. I'm sure every bigot and demagogue has some qualities. But in this case, the donkey is an ass.
Posted by: George Bass | June 29, 2010 at 07:20 PM
"I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times ... and I don't mind apologizing over and over again. I can't erase what happened. ”
— Robert C. Byrd, 2005
Posted by: The Donkey | June 29, 2010 at 11:23 PM
If a child molester apologizes a thousand times, decent folks still don't let him around around kids. If a bigot apologizes, decent folks still don't choose them as their leader.
Only a Democrat would do that.
Posted by: Jim Drury | June 30, 2010 at 07:03 AM
They throw their shadows before them who carry their lantern on their back. That I exist is a perpetual surprise which is life. Do you understand?
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