RIP Sen. Robert Byrd

Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!! · Jun 29, 2010

Charleston Gazette editorial

Sen. Byrd was much loved by people who voted for him again and again, who turned out to hear and cheer him when he told stories or fiddled. Some of the appeal was habit. It was the comfort of the known and even the self-interest of keeping a senior senator in power. Some of his popularity came from genuine gratitude for good work -- either in helping constituents when they called, or winning federal funding for projects that stimulate local economies. Certainly the lure of a winning streak -- and even participating in it -- had its appeal. How long could he go?

Still, there was more.

Throughout his life he demonstrated a great capacity to learn and to change. He repudiated the racism of his youth. Perhaps it was politically expedient to do so at first. Later, he spoke in the same breath of two votes in his Senate career that he regretted -- his vote against the Civil Rights Act and his vote for the Tonkin Gulf resolution, both in 1964. The statute he opposed outlawed racial segregation in schools, workplaces and public spaces. The one he supported opened the way for the long, protracted and deadly war in Vietnam.
Click to expand...

http://wvgazette.com/Opinion/Editorials/201006290035

Log in or Sign up

RIP Sen. Robert Byrd

Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!! Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

RIP Sen. Robert Byrd

Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!! Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches