A Republican said this, and he died today.

[cali]

Ok, it's true, I'm trying to get a little love going for Senator Stafford who I really admired. A post on his death has sunk like a stone, and most of the posts on it are mine anyway. But the thing is, he was a remarkably good man.

Here's what he said in 2000 when the aftermath of the enacting of civil unions was truly wreaking havoc in Vermont:


"I consider that love is one of the great forces in our society and especially in our state of Vermont," Stafford said days before the election. "It occurs to me that even if a same-sex couple unites in love, what harm does that do anybody or any society? So I felt compelled to come here and say that."

It still brings tears to my eyes that this aged man who very rarely addressed the public after his retirement in 1989, ralllied himself to address Vermonters on this.

[Syncronaut Seven]

1. Old school.

The Stafford Loan Program is the name for the former Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) Program and honors this Senator from Vermont.

Edit: Senator Stafford also served in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

[cali]

4. Not to mention

a true champion of the environment. The mold for this kind of republican has, sadly, been thrown on the dust heap of history.

[Warpy]

8. New England pubbies were a different party

and I voted for a few of them pre 1980, back when they were more liberal than some of the Democratic candidates and could manage to do some good in Congress.

1980 and the delivery of the GOP to the religious lunatics changed all that.

[flyingfysh]

28. Massachusetts had Edward Brooke

For those who don't remember him, he was a liberal Republican, and he happened to be black.

[buddysmellgood]

26. Amen

[Pab Sungenis]

2. Not all Republicans are stupid and/or evil, you know.

Stafford was one of the good ones. Ev Dirksen knew his stuff. Goldwater was bright as hell, even if wrong on nuclear weapons. Gerry Ford did the best he could with what he was handed.

It's just today's bunch of Republicans that tend to be stupid and evil.

[Branjor]

3. RIP Senator Stafford

n/t

[Virginia Dare]

5. It is truly tragic what has happened to the Republican Party...

the xenophobes and the demagogues have completely hijacked them, to the extreme detriment of this country.

I hope this good man rests in peace.

[aquart]

6. You're right to bring this to our attention.

A good and decent man has left us.

[cali]

7. Thank you.

It's funny how touched I am by his death- he was 93 and had been in failing health for some years, so I'm glad for his release. I really loved how he stated the obvious in such simple terms about love and equality- and I think it did make a difference. He was much revered by Republicans, as well as others.

[JNelson6563]

10. Hear, hear!!

My thoughts exactly.

Julie

[Nite Owl]

9. If the Republican party ever

wishes to become a true force for America they need to look to him as a model it seems and instead of promoting hatred, as they now do, promote love.

[cwydro]

11. Nice of you to post a tribute.

:kick:

[question everything]

12. The good old days, when Republicans believed in

small government, in live and let live. Before it was taken over by the bible thumpers, the Dixiecrats, the evangelicals who decided that they talk to god and their god is the one to determine how the rest of us should live our life.

This, in my opinion, is the greatest legacy of Reagan and while I will never consider him a great president. Only in his last years, giving prominence to Alzheimer's did he slightly redeemed himself.

[cali]

To be honest, he really

wasn't a small government kind of guy. He favored significant spending on the environment and education, and he fought for funds for those causes.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. One of the last good decent Republicans

in office. There were, once upon a time, even LIBERAL Republicans running around-and they looked askance at the conservatives. Hey, even conservative Barry Goldwater would look askance at what the neocons are doing today.

[fooie]

14. Why bigotry?

Why is bigotry now a prerequisite for membership in the Republican Party?

[cali]

15. The influence of

the religious right, I guess. The thing is, I'd be thrilled to hear a dem Senator speak out as clearly as Stafford did.

[fooie]

18. Religious right

Turning Jesus into a bigot. That's quite a trick, but it's happened often enough throughout history.

[brer cat]

21. You got that right, cali! You were so right to

give Stafford this honor on DU. He should be respected by all for his service, and willingness to speak his mind and make a difference.

Thanks for the post.

k&r

[bobbolink]

16. I picture him meeting in the clouds with Sen. Heinz, another very good man,

and doing some speechifying together. :hi:

Job well done, Senator Stafford. RIP.

[skygazer]

17. RIP Senator

Vermont has a tradition of producing people who think for themselves. Another who comes to mind is Jim Jeffords who left the Republican party because he couldn't stomach the direction they were going.

My father was friends with both men - good, honest people with an interest in serving the people of their state.

Thanks for posting.

[JohnnyLib2]

19. Recommended, and thanks.

This reminds me that there really have been people of honor and bravery in both parties, historically. Maybe in the future?

[AlienAvatar]

20. I regret and confess that I was not

that familiar with Sen. Stafford. From reading your posts it sounds like he must have been a decent man and a "good" Republican. I'll remember his name now.

"It occurs to me that even if a same-sex couple unites in love, what harm does that do anybody or any society?" Why do people have difficulty understanding this? His words are so sane.

[Kurovski]

22. A K&R in memory of the Honorable Senator Stafford.

[StClone]

23. A lot of good posts are sinking

Thanks for noting the words of Stafford.

Don't feel bad about sinking posts....a lot of soft posts are up on the Greatest page. Go figure.

[PaDem]

24. My family knew him........

as we know most politicians from Vermont past and present. Stafford was a great man, a true champion for public education and the environment. Vermont has contributed so much to national politics in the past in the form of Stafford, Jeffords, Leahy, Bernie Sanders and Howard Dean.

God Bless his family.

[wicket]

25. God bless Senator Stafford

:patriot:

[Independent_Liberal]

27. RIP Sen. Stafford

"I consider that love is one of the great forces in our society and especially in our state of Vermont," Stafford said days before the election. "It occurs to me that even if a same-sex couple unites in love, what harm does that do anybody or any society? So I felt compelled to come here and say that."

My thoughts exactly.

[NewJeffCT]

29. Rest in Peace, Senator Stafford

Would any Republican in today's Senate dare say something like that? I don't think so... quite a contrast between him & the now ex-Senator Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum.

[divineorder]

30. His Greatest Legacy

Is the millions of Americans who have gotten the opportunity to benefit from higher education because of him. True, we should be moving away from the loan-based way of funding higher education, but despite the debt, people have gotten an education-and the knowledge can't be taken away. And millions of families live far better lives both financially and otherwise because their breadwinners could work at better jobs in better industries. And having millions exposed to more modern and freer ideas, and more diverse people over all those years, has added to society's tolerant and open society. Few other investments in human capital or even traditional capital has had more of a payback in dividends for America as a whole. Think of the tech boom. How many people who have provided that boom were poor to middle class kids who were able to get advanced exposure to innovations in technology, and then worked to create a few more?

It's also a sign how deteriorated the Republican Party has become that they not only don't really commemorate this man, but are working to make College less affordable for those who aren't millionaires. If Stafford were younger, he would have had to become a Democrat because he couldn't possibly have stood for the Republicans of today.

And it seems that when Vermont has a politician go national, their politicians seem to have a knack for trying to do good for everyone else in the world. Outspoken, compassionate, sensible.

[wicket]

31. kick

:kick: