Sen. Robert Byrd is my HERO

[The Sushi Bandit]

Watching him on the floor damming the bush administration on how they eliminated all the provisions the senate passed to have a say in the $87 billion - blank check

[genius]

1. He's a Constitutional scholar

He's made some mistakes. But he's also admitted them - such as his vote for USA-PATRIOT. He honored Feingold for his vote and said he wished the rest of the Senate had listened to Russ. I really admire him too.

[JohnKleeb]

2. He brings up history too

History is always something to bring up imo.

[LuminousX]

3. If only the Senate listened to him before we went to Iraq

[McDiggy]

4. What?!?!? A politician admitting his mistakes?!?!

Robert C. Byrd makes me proud to be a West Virginian.

[JohnKleeb]

5. Regular old Virginian here

Can we have him? :evilgrin: lol no keep him, hes yours, I dont steal.

[OneBlueSky]

6. what Byrd should do . . .

is publish a book of his speeches on the Senate floor over tha past year or so . . . my hunch is that it would be a best seller right quick . . .

[Military Brat]

7. Robert Byrd is my role model

I read somewhere that when he speaks, sometimes other members of Congress, particularly the young ones, roll their eyes because of his "baroque" speech. Well, I say, Bring That Baroque Speech On!

He reminds me of Mark Twain. He is the quintessential American, the one who makes mistakes and learns from them, and then goes on to try to teach them to others, so they will not make the same mistakes. He is passionate and resolute, wise and forgiving of sincere misguidance, chastising and damning of mendacity and duplicity. Robert Byrd is the Statesman of America.

I don't say this about just anybody ... God Bless Robert Byrd!!

[joanski01]

8. I agree.

Senator Byrd is my hero, as well. He's the only one to get up there and tell the truth over and over again. It's just so terrible that no one listens. He said today that he doesn't answer to the pResident*, he answers to the Constitution. We wouldn't be in the mess we're in, if Congress stayed true to its oath.

[mmonk]

9. Glad to see a thread on Byrd.

I've enjoyed watching him on C Span ever since the Iraq resolution. Someone with a true since of what our checks and balances are for and how they have been ignored lately.

[DannyRed]

11. I would be interested to hear

Senator Byrd's take on the whole Dean/Confederate Flag brouhaha...

Seems to me that as a former Klan Member, with a history of racism, and a history of ill-advised or misinterpreted (or both) statements...who has completely repudiated his past (while still making remarks that show how deeply such racist/prejudiced ideas run)...

That Sen. Byrd would be an excellent person to ask for an opinion on Dean's statement.

We already have Jesse Jackson Jr. speaking out....

It would be interesting to see what Byrd had to say.

And yes, Byrd deserves a lot of respect for his statements and stands over the last couple of years...

[Name removed]

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[DannyRed]

12. Wrong.

Lott, and Thurmond never did.

Helms is an unreconstructed Bigot.

I lived in NC for years, and Helms is a complete scumbag.

Byrd has tried hard. He still retains a lot of the prejudicial language and ideas - who doesn't?

But he is far far closer than those you named.

By a lot.

get real.

[mmonk]

14. yep

[genius]

13. Bryd's current voting record is anything but

racist. He learned and he's no longer a racist. My objection to Dean is that his stances on the issues are racist and the flag controversy just goes along with his positions.

[DannyRed]

15. That is grossly inaccurate

as well as being false, unfair, and completely at odds with reality.

get real.

You are so blinded by your micro-internal partisanship squabbles that you forget yourself.

Dean is not a racist. No more so than any normal person in our farked up society.

His positions on the issues are not racist. In fact, his positions are refreshingly blunt and open...warts and all.

His language and phraseology are not racist...not a bit.

What is Racism?

Racism is the power of ethnic or racial or religious privilege exerted over sub-populations by other populations...it is a POWER relationship.

Dean is attempting to EQUALIZE the power relationship by addressing issues that various sub-populations SHARE in common....

WHOA! What a RACIST!

WOW!

See how silly that is?

OK?

You are so eager to bash Dean that you let yourself appear completely removed from reality, completely unable to engage in any kind of civil discourse at all.

[w4rma]

17. Sen. Byrd is now one of the LEAST racist people in the Senate, IMHO

…
But Byrd, unlike Thurmond, renounced his youthful participation in a racist cause. See, for example, this exchange with CNN's Bernard Shaw in Dec. 1993:

Q: What has been your biggest mistake and your biggest success?

A: Well, it's easy to state what has been my biggest mistake. The greatest mistake I ever made was joining the Ku Klux Klan. And I've said that many times. But one cannot erase what he has done. He can only change his ways and his thoughts. That was an albatross around my neck that I will always wear. You will read it in my obituary that I was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Contrast that with an interview Thurmond gave Joseph Stroud of the Charlotte Observer in July 1998 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his presidential bid on the segregationist Dixiecrat ticket. Asked if he wanted to apologize, Thurmond said, “I don't have anything to apologize for,” and “I don't have any regrets.” Asked if he thought the Dixiecrats were right, Thurmond said, “Yes, I do.” Thurmond said this four years ago!
…
http://slate.msn.com/id/2075662/

• 2001-2002 On the votes that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People considered the most important in 2001-2002, Senator Byrd voted their preferred position 79 percent of the time.
• 2001-2002 On the votes that the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights considered the most important in 2001-2002, Senator Byrd voted their preferred position 71 percent of the time.
• 2001 On the votes that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People considered to be the most important in 2001, Senator Byrd voted their preferred position 77 percent of the time.
• 2000 On the votes that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People considered to be the most important in 2000, Senator Byrd voted their preferred position 93 percent of the time.

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=S0950103#Civil+Rights

• 2001-2002 On the votes that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People considered the most important in 2001-2002, Senator Frist voted their preferred position 15 percent of the time.
• 2001-2002 On the votes that the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights considered to be the most important in 2001-2002, Senator Frist voted their preferred position 0 percent of the time.
• 2001 On the votes that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People considered the most important in 2001, Senator Frist voted their preferred position 9 percent of the time.
• 2000 On the votes that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People considered to be the most important in 2000, Senator Frist voted their preferred position 20 percent of the time.

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=CNIP7879#Civil+Rights

[roguewolf5]

16. Bryd is the man

I love watching him on cspan and watching him go all off on anything! Its better than late night comedy ;)

Keep it up Sen. Bryd!

[DJcairo]

18. To bad Byrd voted against the McCain-Lieberman emissions bill

Just last week he voted aginst the McCain-Lieberman evnironmental emmissions bill that would have forced companies to cut harmful carbon dioxide emissions.

Yea, he's a true hero except on issues that really matter like the environment.