June 28, 2010
Off To that Great Klavern In the Sky
Well, "in the sky" might be a little too optimistic:
Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the longest-serving senator in American history, died Monday at the age of 92, a spokesman for the family said.Byrd, a Democrat who served in the U.S. Senate since 1959, had been plagued by health problems in recent years and was confined to a wheelchair. He had skipped several votes in Congress in the past months.
Jesse Jacobs, a family spokesman, said Byrd died peacefully at about 3 a.m. at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Va.
He was the oldest member of the 111th Congress and the last Exalted Cyclops in a long and embarrassing line of "reformed" Ku Klux members in the Democratic Party.
I may have edited that last line a little bit for the sake of accuracy.
Heard radio coverage of his death all morning on the radio. Nothing but praise and admiration, not a mention of his history.
Posted by: Rob Crawford at June 28, 2010 07:54 AMWe need a constitutional amendment preventing ANYONE from being a career politician for 50 years.
Because elections aren't.
Posted by: fdcol63 at June 28, 2010 08:38 AMOne of the better lines I have seen:
The Kleagle has landed! (In Hell)
One of the Charleston, WV newspapers in their front page mentioned his career as primarily one for pork for WV. When he first entered the House in 1952, there were 4 miles of divided four lane road there. Now, there are 2000+ miles, and an endless number of things named for him.
Posted by: Tregonsee at June 28, 2010 08:44 AMCY,
Best reporting on the departed sheet-wearer I've seen all day. After initially not reporting on it, Yahoo News now has this line in their story about Bryd:
"Byrd's accomplishments followed a childhood of poverty in West Virginia, and his success on the national stage came despite a complicated history on racial matters. As a young man, he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan for a brief period, and he joined Southern Democrats in an unsuccessful filibuster against the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act."
Boy, is that an understatement! Forgot to mention that he was in charge of recruting for the Klan.
Tarheel Repub Out!
Posted by: Tarheel Repub at June 28, 2010 09:36 AMFinally, Byrd has gone to a place where they not only say they judge impartially, but where they actually do so. I wish him well on his journey in the hereafter, but I suspect he will be somewhat dismayed at his appropriately impartial place of eternal non bliss.
This is so totally wrong, I need to ask forgiveness in advance, but a song keeps going through my head, from munchkin land. It starts with the words, "Ding, Dong...."
Posted by: TimothyJ at June 28, 2010 10:36 AMWell, we can cross NPR of the list. They mention his Klan affiliation in their front page article:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=81190288
That takes care of the NY times, too. They talk about his Klan affiliation for several paragraphs in their front page obituary:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/us/politics/29byrd.html?hp
The NY Post failed to mention it, which is strange, seeing as how its a Murdoch rag. Usually pretty conservative. Maybe we can write them a letter.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/west_virginia_senator_robert_byrd_5bpwTixHFYzQoI1qSxRWbM
Posted by: Ahenri at June 28, 2010 02:04 PMHe followed the way of the cross. Sometimes it was burning.
Posted by: twolaneflash at June 28, 2010 04:00 PMThe Kleagle Has Landed (In Hell)
Hey, that was my headline! Thanks for the compliment!
J.
Posted by: Jay Tea at June 28, 2010 07:08 PM
