Senator Robert Byrd Dies
Sad news – West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd has died.
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who served in the Senate longer than anyone in the nation’s history, has died.
The senator’s office announced that he passed away at 3 a.m. Monday at a suburban Washington hospital.
The West Virginia Democrat was 92, and was serving in an unprecedented ninth term in the U.S. Senate.
Condolences to his friends and family.
Tags: Robert Byrd, U.S. Senate
Condolences to West Virginians. He was good to his state.
Oh cripes, another special election? Maybe they’ll just wait until November?
The law on the special election is a bit unclear.
Barnicle Can’t Bring Himself To Mention Byrd’s Klan Past
NewsBusters.org
Mark Finkelstein
When Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond died, the MSM was quick to stress his segregationist past. The New York Times ran the headline “Strom Thurmond, Foe of Integration, Dies at 100,” leaving readers to imagine the South Carolinian had remained an advocate of segregation. The very first line of USA Today’s story described Thurmond as “the nation’s most prominent segregationist.”
Strange how the MSM can suddenly become reticent about mentioning someone’s segregationist past when the late politician in question is a Democrat. On Morning Joe today, Mark Halperin and Mike Barnicle used elliptical language worthy of a State Department dispatch to avoid mentioning that Byrd had been a member and leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
but left wing media bias is a myth.
That took five seconds longer than I thought it would take.
In what universe is MSNBC “mainstream media”?
Bryd never ran for office as a racist. Thurmond did…. a proud one, who is now burning in hell. case closed.
But remember, Thurmond wasn’t a segregationist where it counted…in the bedroom.
since price brought up the afterlife…
Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) died early this morning at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Va. Upon arriving in Hell, he was immediately appointed KKK Grand Dragon.
Byrd was greeted at the gates of Hell by long-time friend Ted Kennedy, who made an unsuccessful bid for president of Hell last year shortly after his own arrival.
At least they could have rolled him into the Senate to vote on the Finance Reform bill before they announced he had officially died. Nobody would have noticed. Another Obama screw-up.
AP CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin says he will not appoint himself to fill the U.S. Senate vacancy created by the death of Sen. Robert C. Byrd. Manchin told The Associated Press there is no timetable for him to consider a replacement for Congress’ longest-serving member.
From the New York Times story on his death:
Mr. Byrd’s political life could be traced to his early involvement with the Ku Klux Klan, an association that almost thwarted his career and clouded it intermittently for years afterward.
In the early 1940s, he organized a 150-member klavern, or chapter, of the Klan in Sophia, W.Va., and was chosen its leader at a meeting. After the meeting, Joel L. Baskin, the Klan’s grand dragon for the region, suggested that Mr. Byrd use his “talents for leadership” by going into politics.
“Suddenly, lights flashed in my mind!” Mr. Byrd later wrote. “Someone important had recognized my abilities.”
Mr. Byrd insisted that his klavern had never conducted white-supremacist marches or engaged in racial violence. He said in his autobiography that he had joined the Klan because he shared its anti-Communist creed and wanted to be associated with the leading people in his part of West Virginia. He conceded, however, that he also “reflected the fears and prejudices” of the time.
Stay classy, Ishmael.
The crafty liberal media coverup is on I see. Leave it to the deviously liberal NYT to be so crafty as to disguise the Byrd record coverup by making it seem like they are putting it front and center.
Every article I’ve read on Byrd’s death has included his Klan ties except the early breaking news articles. Let’s not let reality get in the way of a good narrative, though. I’m sure News Busters is a trustworthy organization with no political agenda at all. 🙄
Geezer, MSNBC is mainstream, compared to Fox it’s liberal (but is that a fair comparison? CNN is far left next to Fox as well), and unlike CNN which too often portrays all issues as having two sides, even when the issue isn’t subject to opinion but is a factual matter. If the question was what direction does the sun rise, CNN would have a “scientist” on to claim it really rises from the West to counter balance the claim (fact) that it rises from the East.
Ishmael- I watched Morning Joe this morning, and early in the program either Joe or Mike specifically mentioned Byrd had been a KKK member. It was clearly mentioned, not merely alluded to, and then it was stated that he evolved from being a Klan member to a strong civil rights advocate. They discussed his growth, or evolution on race. It was mentioned that the views Byrd held (when he was in the Klan) were common at the time in the south. This is a sad fact! They didn’t mention, but Byrd specifically admitted in his autobiography that his membership in the KKK was wrong, and he deeply regretted it.
Strom Thurmond was no Robert Byrd. They have similarities both from the south, both held racist views at one point in their life. However unlike Thurmond, Byrd acknowledged the error of his prior racists views (and Klan membership), while Thurmond never publicly apologized, or admitted his views were wrong.
Both Byrd and Thurmond filibustered passage of the Civil Rights Act, Thurmond still holds the filibuster record at over 24 hours when he opposed the 1957 Civil Rights Act, Byrd filibustered for 14 hours in opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. However the reasons they provided for their filibusters (in 57 and 64) and their votes against the Civil Rights Act were different (Thurmond didn’t even try to hide his racist opposition to the Act) and their reaction to the 1964 Civil Rights Act passage speaks to how they differed. Thurmond left the Democratic Party after the Civil Rights Act passed, and Byrd stayed a Democrat.
In 1948 as Governor of South Carolina Thurmond became upset with Truman’s desegregation of the army, and ran against Truman as a “Segregationist Party” candidate, where he openly espoused vile racist views. In the 55 years after running for President on a platform of segregation (and white superiority…) Thurmond never publicly denounced his vile statements, or even stated he regretted them.
Despite his vile racist rhetoric, after his death it was learned that when Thurman was 22 he fathered a child with the family’s black maid! The maid was 16 when she gave birth, and presumably 15 at conception, today this would be considered rape. (At a minimum statutory rape)
The media is not giving Byrd a pass, contrary to your claim Morning Joe clearly mentioned his past Klan membership. But unlike Thurmond, Byrd long ago acknowledge his earlier views on race were wrong, and as far as we know Byrd didn’t knock up the families 15 year old black maid, who had no ability (in 1925) to stop Thurmond from doing whatever he wanted with/to her!
Anonone – What are you claiming is “Another Obama screw-up.”Obama’s effort at financial reform, or his failure to engage in the type of dishonest and deceptive conduct normally reserved for a GOP President?
ID, while you are 100% correct, facts and measured arguments are wasted on ishmael. He doesnt care what actually happened or what was said. Like all teabaggers, he only cares about his own Rush/Beckian reality in which he can feel right and the left can be kenyan commies.
Remember, being in america means you can choose to accept whatever you want as reality and overwhelming proof to the contrary be damned… it is probably all a pro-gay conspiracy anyhow.
“At least they could have rolled him into the Senate to vote on the Finance Reform bill before they announced he had officially died. Nobody would have noticed. Another Obama screw-up.”
another tasteless comment
I was hoping the senate could be turned into a “Weekend at Bernie’s” to get Financial Reform passed, but Obama and the Dems once again failed to take advantage of a crisis.
Ishmael in the future I suggest you not rely on Newsbusters as a reliable source. Not only did Joe or Mike (I was reading the paper, and recall the male voice) specifically state that Byrd had been a KKK member in his youth, and then added but he later became a strong civil rights advocate. But Mike’s comments about Byrd were related to his relationship with Ted Kennedy. Byrd had not supported JFK in the primary, and for a long time Ted Kennedy and Byrd were not on good terms (to put it mildly), Mike’s contribution to the discussion related to the evolution of Kennedy’s and Byrd’s friendship.
The only thing more pointless than replying to a wingnut comment is reading a wingnut comment in the first place.
a.price thanks for the agreement, and I understand the idea that someone who is sick enough to write the crap that Ishmael wrote following his first post can’t have his mind changed by facts. However, I guess I hope that others who read his first rant (media is biased because Democrat with racist past [Byrd] receives fair press after he dies, while racist views of GOP racist [Thurmond] are a large part of his post death articles) and Ishmael’s false statement that Morning Joe didn’t mention Byrd’s KKK membership are at least provided with the facts.
Jason: I consider the wingnut comments reminders of how much it would suck to be them.
But after years of opposing and obstructing civil rights legislation, Thurmond’s approach changed in the early ’80s. He supported the renewal of the Voting Rights Act and establishment of the Martin Luther King national holiday. In 1971, he became the first Southern senator to hire a black staff member. As a Democrat he was a racist, but as a Republican he hired blacks.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0306/26/asb.00.html
Wow, Thurmond was such a progressive.
The true test for me was that Thurmond never, ever publicly acknowledged his own daughter while he was alive.
“As a Democrat he was a racist, but as a Republican he hired blacks.”
What makes you think a racist can’t hire blacks?
Does anyone else marvel at how simple minded our Republicans are? Each current event stimulates a single, shallow, predictable response. It is so regular that you could calibrate your cliche meter to it.
I think they may have told him that staffer was a slave and jsut didnt let ol’ Strom know they were getting paid.
ID, Thrumond DID get fair press. He made a HUGE part of his political identy by being a vile piece of crap white trash racist. Bryd was in the KKK and rest assured he will pay some post-life justice for that.
However, he had for decades been atoning for that sin, and through his work as a senator he worked to correct some of the wrongs he endorsed as a klansman. Strom just kept ignoring what one can only extrapilate was an embarassment for him… that is his daughter he had by raping a young girl who’s people he fought so hard to oppress. (yes, rape. she was 15)
im honestly shocked the first comment on this thread wasnt some “i guess now the Dems need a new Klansman DEYDOOKERDERBS!” type thing.
GOP David: Both Byrd and Thurmond voted in support of the MLK holiday (22 GOP Senator’s John McCain being one) did vote against making it a federal holiday, and they both renewal of the Voting Rights Act, however they both opposed it in 1965, and they both voted against the 1957 and 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Thurmond did not become the first Southern Senator to hire a black staff member. It’s true in 1971 he hired he an African-American staff member, but that was 68 years after Mississippi Senator Pat Harrison hired an African-American staff member in 1937. Thurmond was the first Senator from South Carolina, not the entire South, to hire a black staff member. Most importantly Thurmond, unlike Byrd, never publicly renounced his earlier racist sentiments, and instead defended his positions on the basis of state’s rights (as opposed to his earlier explicit racist support). Had Thurmund at any point prior to his death apologized, or said he was wrong, his vote in 1983 in support of the MLK holiday, and the renewal of the Voting Rights Act might carry some weight regarding an actual change of heart.
Unlike Thurmond, Byrd made it clear (repeatedly) he was wrong about his membership in the KKK, and earlier positions on race. And even more important than his words, his voting record changed. Thurmond opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, but Byrd supported it.
In the 1970’s (after he hired his one black staff member!) Thurmond strongly opposed desegregation of schools in the South, praising Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” of delaying desegregation. Byrd was one of only 16 Senators who received 100% rating during the 2003–2004 congressional session from the NAACP for supporting all 33 bills regarding issues of concern to the NAACP.
You state regarding Thurmond “As a Democrat he was a racist, but as a Republican he hired blacks.” Whether he hired a black, or blacks isn’t determinative on whether Thurmond was once and always a racist. Thurmond’s overall voting record, and his refusal to publicly renounce his racist pronouncements, especially in light of the post death revelation that he had fathered a child with a young black maid, make it hard to argue that he some how became enlightened when he became a Republican, especially considering Thurmond left the Democratic party in 1964 because of the Democratic parties passage of the Civil Rights Act.
On Monday, June 28, 2010 former Ku Klux Klansman and Senator Robert Byrd passed. In a strange twist of fate the senator’s passing occurred on the anniversary of the repeal of the Fugitive Slave Act. According to Michael Zak, The Fugitive Slave Act was written by a pair of Democrats, Senator James Mason (D-VA) and Senator Andrew Butler (D-SC), had written the Fugitive Slave Act. The bill repealing the Fugitive Slave Act was written by a Republican congressman from Ohio, Rufus Spalding and signed into law by Republican President Abraham Lincoln.
a.price I never meant to imply Thurmond’s press was unfair, frankly I think because he was over 100 when he died he got better press than he deserved. I was trying to point out that it was Ishmael’s contention that Byrd’s press wasn’t bad, and Thurmond’s was because of party ID, which is complete and utter nonsense.
It also shows that the GOP doesn’t seem to understand people can evolve and mature in their worldview. If a GOP leader changes a position on a social issue (from right to left) too many conservatives fail to see this as the person having evolved in their view, but instead proof that they always were a RINO, and have now been exposed. But when someone’s ideology progresses (or regresses) from liberal to conservative these same people see that as the person waking up to the (their) truth!
Also I believe that Thurmond raped the black maid, but was more cautious in my statement, because I know nothing about the actual relationship, and I’m basing my view of what happened on my own assumptions. I assume the young black maid was not attracted to Strom, and did not want to be with him, but felt helpless to do anything to prevent it, I consider that rape. But again I can’t actually accuse someone of rape on assumptions. Regardless of whether the young maid was smitten by the 22 year old son of her employer, and feel for the cad, Thurmond’s actions after his daughter’s birth, both in not publicly acknowledging his child, and even worse in acting in a manner to harm his daughters race is unconscionable!