I am very very sorry to learn this about Senator Robert Byrd, and believe that he should be accountable for these past actions. However, we also need to remember that he has done more to help the poor backward state of West Virginia than any other person in its history, living or dead..... Without Byrd there would be no "high-tech corridor", no FBI center in Clarksburg, and no hope to move beyond the rust-belt collapse of the mining industry from which Byrd and many other West Virginians emerged. Byrd is a huge part of West Virginia's positive attempt to re-invent itself in another image, and to overcome the sins and mistakes of the past. The current governor, Joe Manchin III, is also part of that movement - may God grant them success, and may Robert Byrd survive for another 5 years at least to help solidify the gains that have already been made.... largely through his engineering and vision. I'm not a native West Virginian, but have been in the state and have seen the good things he has done for all people here - white, black, men, women, and children.... Far preferable to a tire biter like Tom DeLay who is out only for his own, and cares nothing about the people of his state (unless they are rich).....
You know how Byrd elevated West Virginia? Are you familiar with the underhanded political manuevers he allegedly undertook? "______ and beans" + "over a __________" You fill in the blanks.
I think Jay Rockefeller deserves a little credit here. While Byrd, in his youth, joined the KKK, Rockefeller, in his youth, joined both the Peace Corps and VISTA! And to head you off, Carl, I am no fan of Tom DeLay. He should be kicked out of Congress!
When everyone else plays the same game, except for the betterment only of corporate backers, I admire Robert Byrd for doing the same thing and using the same tactics for the benefit of the poor and underprivileged citizens of the state of WV. We used to have a Senator from Wisconsin called Bill Proxmire. Remember him? Remember the "Golden Fleece" award? Well, Wisconsin still suffers from lack of investment, no government / federal dollars/programs, and lagging development because Proxmire tried to take what he thought was the "high road", while all around him other states were grabbing the big prizes. Byrd was intelligent in that he recognized that, under the current configuration of political power and structure, the only way to help his state was to get into the trough and grab for prizes like the rest of the crowd.
Jimmy, We like Jay Rockefeller too..... But Rockefeller and Byrd come from two entirely different points of origin. Rockefeller from a perspective of privilege and noblesse oblige, while Byrd fought his way up from poverty and the coal mines of southern WV. Together they bring a wonderful synergy to WV's significant needs for development, recognition, and advancement....
And as you acknowledge, not everyone plays that game, Carl. In fact, I don't believe anyone does in such a graceless manner as Sen Byrd. The guy's pretty much infamous for it. My brother-in-law, who just graduated from a top-20 law school, served some years ago inside the Beltway as a legislative intern for a liberal Minnesota Democrat. He is, as you would expect, not exactly a dittohead--to put it mildly! And yet, in spite of surely agreeing with Sen Byrd on most issues, he refers to him with a smirk as "Senator Pork Barrel". Those are his words, not mine. The guy's an object of derision even among many of his fellow Senators who sit on the left side of the aisle. And it's not because he looks out for "the little feller"; it's because of the tactics he uses to do it. That grab he makes for the "little fellers" in "Wes' Virginey" comes out of the pockets of the "little fellers" in Alabama and Kansas and Wisconsin. It's not good for America. Corruption and cynical gamesmanship never is.
Well said, little fauss.... OK.... you make some very convincing points little fauss.... Well done and well said.
Re: Well said, little fauss.... I love you, Carl! You never cease to amaze me. I never quite know what I'm going to get from you, you're quite a complex character, like that "box of chocolates" thingie. Takes a real fine feller to concede a point. I hope I do so as gracefully as you the next time you get a good one over on me.
Jimmy, Nick Lampson will run against Tom Delay. Nick Lampson's district (mine) was redrawn awhile back and therefore it swung the pendulum toward a Republican majority. Ted Poe defeated Nick Lampson in the last race (November 2004). Lampson has stated he will run against Tom Delay. Another Democrat who was affected by Tom Delay is Chris Bell. He is going to run against Rick Perry for the govenorship of Texas. Rick Perry maybe in for a dogfight in his own party when he runs against our state comptroller, Carolyn Keaton Strayhorn. I do not for one minute condone Robert Byrd and his past.
