Robert Byrd needs to resign Yesterday

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

Robert Byrd needs to resign Yesterday. And yes, Teddy Kennedy should have resigned a good six months before he died.

There is such a thing as sacrifice for the common good.

But the US Senate is our strategic national reserve of preening self-importance, should we ever run short. Always has been. Probably always will be.



(And yes, the governor of West Virginia is a Democrat)

[jwirr]

1. Too late. All we will get then is an empty seat. Hopefully they can

carry him into the Senate chamber on a stretcher if need be. I seem to remember that was done in the past with a Senator who was sick.

[sharp_stick]

2. I think that

was the good ol racist and fortunately now dead POS Strom Thurmond.

[jwirr]

3. LOL - well Byrd was once there to but I think he has changed. I am

pretty sure that Virginia will not move to replace him as fast as Massachusetts did Senator Kennedy. Hopefully he can hold out until he is replace by election.

[Mass]

4. Different laws. WV replaces its senators by governor's nomination, so it

should be very fast (a few days at most).

MA had to change its law to replace its senator in order to nominate an interim senator. It took about 2 or 3 weeks.

[jwirr]

5. Then I think he should think seriously about retiring if he cannot make

it in to vote. We will see - I am assuming that he is being counted in the 60 votes for the HCR bill.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. Yes, the OP is predicated on the assumption he would be replaced before the heavy voting starts

[Lyric]

28. And also on the assumption that the replacement will be useful to us.

Knowing Manchin as well as I do, I'd say that's HIGHLY doubtful. He's the biggest freaking DINO around. He's no friend to progressives, believe me.

[Ken Burch]

36. That's "West By God Virginia".not "Virginia"

Those states were on opposite sides of the Civil War, and West Virginia seceded from Virginia so it could fight for the Union.

[jwirr]

53. I know and I apologize.

[Ken Burch]

35. Read the story of Clare Engel voting for cloture on the Civil Rights Act of 1964

(as told in his Wikipedia entry):

"On June 10, 1964, during the roll call for the historic, successful effort to break the filibuster on what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when the clerk reached "Mr. Engle," there was no reply. The tumor had robbed Engle of his ability to speak. Slowly lifting an arm, he pointed to his eye, thereby signaling his affirmative vote ("aye"). The cloture vote was 71-29, four votes more than the two-thirds required to cut off the filibuster. Nine days later the Senate approved the Act itself.

Engle died in Washington, D.C. a month and a half later, aged 52."

That is commitment. That is heroism.

[Recursion]

52. That was Sumner, who was carried in to impeach Andrew Johnson

He was suffering complications from a treatment to try to repair his legs after his caning on the Senate floor years earlier.

[jefferson_dem]

7. Senator Byrd has more than earned the right to hang around as long as he likes...

n/t

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

9. That is among the dumbest things ever posted here

Senator Byrd has, in your view, earned the right to potentially sink Healthcare reform in America?

Nineteen year old soldiers dive on live grenades to save a few of their fellows but somehow when the topic is access to healthcare for MILLIONS our priorities are supposed to bend to some cretinous sentimental tripe about who has earned the right to sabotage the process out of personal vanity?

Un-fucking-real.

[izquierdista]

14. I agree Kurt_and_Hunter

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

22. PS: my language is too harsh, jeff-dem. sorry

I strongly disagree but shouldn't have gone off so strong

[jefferson_dem]

24. No probs.

:hi:

[jefferson_dem]

23. A half century of public service in the US Senate. The longest serving Senator in US history.

He is a living monument of institutional history.

Meh...who cares.

He fails to satisfy DU poster Kurt_and_Hunter's lofty standards of physical/intellectual vigor and/or health care reform purity...so he must go now.

"Vanity." Indeed.

[cherokeeprogressive]

33. A living monument to institutionalized bigotry.

I'd give both eye teeth to know when the last time he uttered the word nigger behind closed doors in front of people he knew wouldn't quote him. Or dyke. Or fag.

Once a bigot, always a bigot.

[Ken Burch]

37. LBJ used the "n-word" even after he signed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights bills.

He called Dr. King "That N----r preacher" when King made his major anti-Vietnam War speech at Riverside Church in '67.

[elleng]

10. I agree, jeff_dem.

[harkadog]

11. Why has he earned that right?

In a March 4, 2001 interview with Tony Snow, Byrd said of race relations:
“ They're much, much better than they've ever been in my lifetime... I think we talk about race too much. I think those problems are largely behind us... I just think we talk so much about it that we help to create somewhat of an illusion. I think we try to have good will. My old mom told me, 'Robert, you can't go to heaven if you hate anybody.' We practice that. There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time, if you want to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much.

He is the only Senator to have voted against both African-American nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court - Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas. How is the Marshall vote defended?

Another quote: "I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds." ”

— Robert C. Byrd, in a letter to Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), 1944

[Raine1967]

20. -1

FAIL.

[cherokeeprogressive]

31. Go ahead, humor me... why is posting a direct quote a FAIL?

Especially when it's a direct quote from an "Exalted Cyclops"?

[CreekDog]

49. you aren't required to like him or forgive him --but it was 65 years ago

that he said that.

and of all our Senators, he's way down the list in terms of being an obstacle on health care.

so removing him would certainly not be my priority.

you can't just be right, you have to be shrewd.

[CreekDog]

48. 65 years ago he said that

sheesh, if every racist turned out like Robert Byrd, we would have a lot less problems with racism.

the problem is that most of them stay unreconstructed, Byrd didn't. Byrd changed his point of view and his votes on the issue.

and besides, Manchin might give us a Senator not much different than Lincoln, Nelson or Bayh.

[harkadog]

51. 2001 was 65 years ago???

No on my calendar. Was his vote against Thurgood Marshall 65 years ago?

[Raine1967]

+1

I love the sudden haters around here...

[dsc]

25. It isn't sudden and the only Hater is Byrd

[Raine1967]

18. sorry for the double post.

nothing to see here-- move along...

[Garam_Masala]

30. I concur....Sen Byrd is a living legend +1

[ProgressOnTheMove]

34. ...

...

[Hippo_Tron]

8. I think the people of West Virginia can decide that for themselves...

And since they re-elected him last time knowing what age he would be after 6 years I think they pretty clearly have made that decision.

[question everything]

17. Yes, they can if they don't think about the country

Same with Ted Kennedy.

Had he stepped down last winter, we would have his replacement well in place.

Yes, Kennedy, and Byrd and Specter have earned our admiration and respect. But if they do care about Obama's plans to succeed, they have to think of the country and step aside and be replaced while the going is good. The time to have done this was several months ago, when Obama's popularity was till high.

[dflprincess]

61. The last time Hubert Humphrey ran for senate

everyone knew - though no one said it out loud - that the odds of him beating his cancer were slim to none and that he wouldn't survive that term.

When he ran for the Senate in 1970 (after losing the presidential race in '68) his campaign slogan was "Humphrey - You know he cares". When he ran for reelection in 1976 his slogan was "Humphrey - show him you care".

He won, no one could defeat Hubert in this state, but even then I though that was a pretty nervy slogan and not many politicians could get by with it. An election is like a job review - how far do you think any of us would get if we went into one of those and asked our boss to "show me you care".

He died in 1978 after serving a year of his last term.

[depakid]

12. Byrd should never have run for another term in the first place

Personally, I think there should be a mandatory retirement amendment that applies to anyone who reaches age 80. Otherwise, we'll keep wheeling these Senators out on gurneys- or in coffins.

[VMI Dem]

13. Maybe he will die soon.

Bigoted POS.

[Raine1967]

19. nice--stay KLASSY

[cherokeeprogressive]

32. Shouldn't that be KKKlassy? Like Byrd was KKKlassy when he filibustered THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT?

n/t

[jefferson_dem]

39. You're boring.

Sorry, but you sound just like Hannity, who ignores current realities by tossing out the trusty old "KKK" red herring any time Byrd does something productive.

Fact is, bigotry can be overcome. I know this. I've seen it happen. My family has 200 year-old roots in the south.

[VMI Dem]

40. So he hasn't used the n-word recently? Like in this century?

He hasn't railed against gay marriage recently?

LMAO.

[Garam_Masala]

42. Most intelligent people are capable of changing and

evolving as they mature.

[VMI Dem]

43. Byrd has not evolved worth a shit.

[jefferson_dem]

47. You know this, how?

Don't be a hater.

[VMI Dem]

50. Wasn't he apologizing for using the n-word a few years back?

Or on the floor speaking out against gay marriage too?

[Garam_Masala]

54. Byrd is a product of the south

if he uttered the n-word it was nothing more than a slip of the tongue
based on years of growing up in the deep south. If you are going to crucify
Byrd for that, what is your take on Jesse Jackson calling New York the Heime Town?

[VMI Dem]

55. Byrd is a bigoted POS and his apologists are just as bad.

A slip of the tongue? LMAO.

[Garam_Masala]

56. So by your POV LBJ was also a POS?

Since he is on tape uttering the N-word after her became president.

I still recall some comedian making a joke about it on TV.

[VMI Dem]

57. You keep bringing up other people. Your Byrd love not strong enough?

Start a thread on them and people will post there. Robert Byrd has uttered bigoted statements in the last ten years. Who the hell is talking about decades ago? Hell, Byrd was uttering racist crap then too. And decades before that too. That old POS hasn't changed.

[Garam_Masala]

59. Whattttever....you have obviously

made up your mind about the senator, and I don't want to try
to to change it anymore.

[harkadog]

62. He used the n word in 2001

When is he going to "mature"? When he is 110?

[Dinger]

26. Sick (nt)

[lynne]

15. It's up to the people of WV. They seem happy to keep him in office -

- so the ball is in their court.

[Freddie Stubbs]

41. Or at least they were happy with him three year ago

[question everything]

16. Agree on both counts, also add Specter

What will happen if he steps down? Special elections or appointment?

And aren't they having elections in VA like next week, or so, when a Republican may get it?

[Inuca]

38. Why Specter?

He seems as sharp as ever in spite of his health problems, and like him or hate him SPecter is a good (which does not of course mean liberal) senator, smart, knowledgeable and active.

And what has Virginia have to do with anything? Byrd is from WEST Virginia. Facts before opinions maybe?

[Sebastian Doyle]

21. The problem is, who will replace Byrd?

This is West Virginia we're talking about, and I'm sure they'll tell us that only another useless Blue Balled Coward will be able to hold the seat. Byrd's not exactly a liberal, but he was one of the few who took a stand against the Chimp a few years ago, and shouldn't be replaced by a DINO.

[Lyric]

27. As a West Virginian--Manchin is the doggiest Blue Dog you could imagine.

He'd appoint an Evan Bayh, not a Barbara Boxer. No, we really DON'T need yet another Blue Dog attention whore in the Senate right now. Why hand another Democratic vote to the Repukes? Thanks anyway, but NO. Worry about your own Senators and leave ours alone.

[hollowdweller]

58. Totally Agree

Manchin would appoint someone very friendly to big coal and big pharma.

[JVS]

60. Yup.

[SKKY]

29. We really need age limitations for elected officials...

...I mean, 142 years old is just a bit much if you ask me.

[WI_DEM]

44. I agree at 92 and in bad health and not present most of the time, Byrd should have not run again

the last time. When he does pass away can we gurantee there will be a democratic governor there to replace him?

[grantcart]

45. I agree

[tekisui]

46. There should be an age or term limit on House and Senate members.

Age limits on Supreme Court Justices, too.

Issues are too important to rest on whether one elderly person can get out of bed.