Plucky 90-year-old Klansman (D-W.Va) clings to Committee Chairmanship

By see-dubya  •  April 9, 2008 06:24 AM

{See-Dubya here}

The United States Senate’s longest-serving member is slowing down a bit at age 90, and the political sharks are circling. People are saying he’s a little out of touch for one of the Senate’s most powerful slots:

Senior Democratic senators privately considered Tuesday Sen. Robert Byrd’s capacity to handle his spot at the top of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, but the 90-year-old lawmaker won’t be stepping down from the demanding job, his office told CNN.

I am so glad they’re finally worrying that Senator Kleagle (D-KKK) isn’t the best man for the job. Would that the Democratic party leadership had worried about that a while ago.

You know, given all the spontaneous resignations in the presidential campaigns today, one would think that there is no way people would work with someone who had held a leadership position in a terrorist, racist organization like the KKK. Larry Craig is a disgusting tool, but he looks like a saint when you compare him to the foul legacy of ol’ Sheets:

In the early 1940s, a politically ambitious butcher from West Virginia named Bob Byrd recruited 150 of his friends and associates to form a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. After Byrd had collected the $10 joining fee and $3 charge for a robe and hood from every applicant, the “Grand Dragon” for the mid-Atlantic states came down to tiny Crab Orchard, W.Va., to officially organize the chapter.

As Byrd recalls now, the Klan official, Joel L. Baskin of Arlington, Va., was so impressed with the young Byrd’s organizational skills that he urged him to go into politics. “The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation,” Baskin said.

And half a century later, here he is! Still!

Why isn’t the presence of someone who once held the job titles of “Exalted Cyclops” and “Kleagle” in the Klan, and now holds high political office, NOT the subject of daily mockery and scorn on late night shows? Does anyone bother to ask Obama or Hillary what they think about this guy? How about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright?

Exalted Cyclops.

Byrd describes his membership in the Klan as an “albatross” around his neck. Why isn’t his presence an albatross around the neck of his entire miserable party?

____________________________

Michelle took him on for one of his most egregious utterances back in 2001. Front page photo was, I believe, originally by Brian at Snapped Shot.

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Comments


  1. #282443
    On April 9th, 2008 at 6:40 am, bloghooligan said:

    this man is earmark king. if you’ve ever been to WVa, everything – and i mean everything – is named after this man/family. every road. every building. WVa has some of the nicest roads i’ve ever driven on.

    but once again….dems can’t deal with the 90 year old coot in their own party, but expect us to believe they can deal with terrorists.

  2. #282445
    On April 9th, 2008 at 6:44 am, aunursa said:

    From Michelle’s 2001 column…

    The ex-Klansman vowed never to fight “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.”

    What does Obama think about him, indeed.

  3. #282447
    On April 9th, 2008 at 6:47 am, Thunderbird 1 said:

    Why isn’t his presence an albatross around the neck of his entire miserable party?

    There’s the crux of the whole argument.

    Say no more.

  4. #282448
    On April 9th, 2008 at 6:54 am, zorro said:

    The democraps and their lap dogs, the MSM, are blinded by their lust for power and influence. They are pathetic.

  5. #282452
    On April 9th, 2008 at 6:57 am, Tennessee Dave said:

    Within the democratic party lies are “embellishments, misremembered, and the result of being tired.” Inflammatory statements are “taken out of context.” Questionable personal affiliations are “mistakes.” Racial baiting is done in the name of “civil rights.”
    All are examples of “do as I say not as I do.”

  6. #282455
    On April 9th, 2008 at 7:14 am, TMoney said:

    Will this dinosaur go away if we name the sun and moon after his ancient money-grubbing ass?

    It might be worth it.

  7. #282456
    On April 9th, 2008 at 7:20 am, TexasTiger said:

    Q: Why isn’t the presence of someone who once held the job titles of “Exalted Cyclops” and “Kleagle” in the Klan, and now holds high political office, NOT the subject of daily mockery and scorn on late night shows?

    A: Because he owns the ultimate “Get Out of Jail Free” card: the (D) after his name.

  8. #282457
    On April 9th, 2008 at 7:22 am, Phiber0p said:

    I don’t like this guys any more than the next person, but…. well…. who do you think will be in his position after he dies/retires? No one any better from the way things have been going.

  9. #282460
    On April 9th, 2008 at 7:27 am, almeehan said:

    You people got it all wrong. Obama has him slated for the appointment of Homeland Security Director.

  10. #282462
    On April 9th, 2008 at 7:42 am, DanME said:

    If he was a Republican,the media would have destroyed him long ago. Have you seen him on CSPAN lately? He can barely work or talk straight. He’s an example of what’s wrong with our government. We need TERM LIMITS !!!

  11. #282463
    On April 9th, 2008 at 7:42 am, ACHefty said:

    Makes Trent Lott’s idiotic comments seem awful tame, yes?

  12. #282467
    On April 9th, 2008 at 7:59 am, rooster said:

    One of the things I despise about McCain is his imitation of the vermin called democrats.

    I agree, Byrd would have been bounced long ago if he were a republican. Just like Obama would have lasted maybe a week, after his racist ties to a deranged reverend were exposed if he were republican.

    I am one who will not excuse, or give a pass to a confused black/white person’s allegiance to such a disgusting bigot like rev Wright.

    “Remember the Chicago trinity”
    sorry texas

  13. #282470
    On April 9th, 2008 at 8:05 am, meatpieandtatters said:

    Good ole boy Byrd, stealing the silverware to help feed his shoe-less West Virginia brethren. This liberal white haired bandit has been given a freaking pass on just about everything because he’s a democrat. Trent Lott gets drummed out of the Senate over a platitude directed at Strom Thurmond while Byrd is using the N word on national TV…not even a peep!

    Until the public starts demanding more from their elected officials they’ll just sit back and continue to swallow the smelly, stale and way-past-its-born-on-date brand of politician. They don’t know what fresh organics is like probably because the stale, smelly news media keeps pushing these crappy old goods on us trying to rotate their stock.

  14. #282473
    On April 9th, 2008 at 8:10 am, almeehan said:

    What does Obama think of Byrd? Typical white senator!

  15. #282475
    On April 9th, 2008 at 8:10 am, docflash said:

    So what’s the problem?After all he is a Democrat and we all know they can do no wrong.

  16. #282476
    On April 9th, 2008 at 8:14 am, terrig said:

    I agree this man would have been gone long ago if he was a Republican. I wonder what took the dim dims so long to figure out that maybe he wasn’t the man for the job.

  17. #282478
    On April 9th, 2008 at 8:17 am, bit_boy said:

    If we’ve got room in the Senate for a member of Jeremiah Wright’s congregation, thieves and liars such a Hillary Clinton, charlatans like John McSame, and members of the Muslims cult, why not a little old time D-KKK (let them noose). Looks like Bob Byrd is king of the ‘hill’ and the only way he’ll give up his power is when it’s pried from his ‘cold dead hands’.

    Hey you know, Democratic/liberal/Colmesism equivalence justification is fun!

  18. #282481
    On April 9th, 2008 at 8:26 am, DaveC said:

    The other senators can have his committee chairs when they can pry it out of his cold, quivering hands..

    Another reason why I hate congress..

    can you imagine anyone in the private sector hiring anyone at 90? besides a wal mart greeter..

    All Trent Lott did was pay a compliment to a friend of his.. and ‘Sheets’ is still in office..

    betcha the last movie Byrd saw was ‘Birth of a Nation’

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004972/

  19. #282488
    On April 9th, 2008 at 8:50 am, Boomer said:

    I was privileged to attend Air Force training conducted by the Air National Guard and met some folks from the West Virginia Air National Guard. They told us they had more infrastructure on their base then they knew what to do with thanks to the pork projects of good “old Sheets” and most of it was named after the “Grand Poobah” too. Here is hoping either he is finally sent out to pasture or better yet joins the ranks of statesmen. My Dad always told me a statesman was a dead politician, and he always told me we need more statesmen. ;)

  20. #282492
    On April 9th, 2008 at 9:04 am, tarpon said:

    A bigger question is why are blacks voting for the very people who prevented them from voting for so long? The KKK was started by the Democrat party right after the civil war, partly to insure blacks wouldn’t vote, and partly to terrorize the rest of the population to vote Democrat.

    The civil rights act of 1994 was filibustered by the very same Democrat Sen KKK Byrd. And now, blatant racism is alive and well inside the Democrat party. Figures doesn’t it.

  21. #282498
    On April 9th, 2008 at 9:16 am, twiggman said:

    I really need to understand why the dem’s/liberals get away with this crap? WHY? How can it be stopped..I’m serious, help me get this …

  22. #282499
    On April 9th, 2008 at 9:17 am, Larraby said:

    On the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s murder, it is important to look back at what Senator Robert Byrd had to day about Dr. King. The year was 1971 and Robert Byrd had just become the new Senate Majority Whip. Byrd appeared on Face the Nation, the CBS interview program then moderated by George Herman. Herman had done his homework and confronted Byrd with some of the nasty things Byrd had said about Dr. King. One of them was Byrd’s accusation that Dr. King was “a selfseeking rabble rouser”. He asked Byrd if Byrd wanted to take back this statement or anything else Byrd had said about Dr. King. Byrd replied by saying that he (Byrd) would not take back even one word that he had said about Dr. King. Nobody in the MSM will ever go back and watch this old interview which is still available BTW or actually read the racist things that Byrd had to say about Dr. King. If Bob Dole had made these remarks thirty five years ago, the MSM would be quoting them today and demanding that Dole be removed from public life. But with Byrd, since he is a pork barrel Democrat, it’s all forgivable.

  23. #282500
    On April 9th, 2008 at 9:18 am, misterbee241 said:

    if you’ve ever been to WVa, everything – and i mean everything – is named after this man/family. every road. every building.

    A few years ago we drove from Virginia to visit friends in Wisconsin. The only place we had to pay toll during the entire trip was on the Robert C. Byrd Highway in West Virginia. I’d have thought that enough of my tax money was going to WVa to pay for these things that I shouldnt have to pay a toll.

  24. #282509
    On April 9th, 2008 at 9:29 am, pressto said:

    Democrats and minorities can not be racists so how dare you print this article. :-)

  25. #282535
    On April 9th, 2008 at 10:03 am, Rinoalert said:

    Many of our older senators are demented. With the exception of Byrd and McCain, most left before they started drooling on themselves.

  26. #282550
    On April 9th, 2008 at 10:19 am, Brian72 said:

    I’m sure some of you have seen this before, but this post must be linked to Le
    Tour De Sheets
    at RushLimbaugh.com

    A dittohead and his dog traversed West Virginia in search of all things Byrd. They found alot, and took photos. Here is a brief summary:

    Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health

    Robert C. Byrd Drive

    Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center of WV University

    Robert C. Byrd Bridge (over the Ohio River)

    Robert C. Byrd High School (Clarksburg, WV)

    Robert C. Byrd Center for Hospitality and Tourism

    Robert C. Byrd Highway

    Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse (Charleston, WV)

    Robert C. Byrd Center for Pharmacy Education (University of Charleston)

    Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center (Marshall University)

    Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam

    Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center (WV University)

    Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway System

    Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (Huntington, WV)

    Robert C. Byrd Academic and Technology Center (Marshall)

    Robert C. Byrd Institute Composites Technology and Training Center (Bridgeport, WV)

    Robert C. Byrd Clinic (Lewisburg, WV)

    That may not be all of them, but it’s certainly enough to make the point. Someone said he was a butcher in the 1940’s before he became Grand Cyclops Kleagle Dragon or whatever. Might explain his pork affinity, no?

  27. #282560
    On April 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am, emjem24 said:

    Sen. Byrd is yet another long-standing joke for what is wrong with both the state of West VA, and Washington politics in general. This “gentleman” make one question what in the world West Virginians consider good leadership.

    Byrd himself is a good reason why a)we don’t need 90 year olds about to drop dead of old age from inhabiting political office in perpetuity, b)we need TERM LIMITS, and c)change the emphasis on campaign cash/special interest groups buying elections and politicians.

  28. #282569
    On April 9th, 2008 at 10:42 am, emjem24 said:

    Brian72 #26 said…

    Somebody seems to either have a really big ego or is entirely too much in love with himself. :roll:

  29. #282579
    On April 9th, 2008 at 10:54 am, FirstSkirt said:

    This racist senator is all I need to defend my case for term limits. NO ONE should ever be allowed to become a career politician. Anyone who buys into the argument that it takes years and years to become “seasoned” enough to handle the job must not work. No employer I ever had gave me years and years to figure out how to do my job!

  30. #282585
    On April 9th, 2008 at 11:02 am, Brian72 said:

    Senior Democratic senators privately considered Tuesday Sen. Robert Byrd’s capacity to handle his spot at the top of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, but the 90-year-old lawmaker won’t be stepping down from the demanding job, his office told CNN.

    Yes, ego plays a part, but the main issue is money and power. This is why this man continues to be re-elected. He has used our tax dollars to buy himself an iron-clad political base. Don’t you think the beneficiaries of his pork back home will want to keep their guy as Appropriations Chairman, to bring home the bacon? He holds the gavel for everyone else’s pork in the Senate, too.
    The house has Jack Murtha in charge of all Defense related appropriations. He might not be slapping his name on everything, but he is just as bad.

  31. #282600
    On April 9th, 2008 at 11:17 am, Brian Paasch said:

    The two operating rules of today’s Democrat Party are:

    1) The end justifies the means.

    2) By ANY means necessary.

    And “the end”, the goal, is any power with a -D after the name. Once you understand that, then everything they do makes sense. Even Byrd.

  32. #282667
    On April 9th, 2008 at 12:36 pm, palani said:

    While watching the Star Wars saga this weekend on Spike, I was struck by the physical resemblance between Byrd and the Dark Lord Chancellor Palpatine… Coincidence? – I think not!

  33. #282701
    On April 9th, 2008 at 1:10 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Obama is a uniter! The KKK and Rev. Wright all in the same party. Gotta love it.

  34. #282720
    On April 9th, 2008 at 1:29 pm, bolivar said:

    I truly hoped this demented drooling old senile bastard would have pulled the pin long ago but, power is a powerful thing isn’t it? I cannot fathom any human voting for this senile old bigot but, they will have to answer for his senility and incompetence – won’t they? Wake up West Virginia!!!!

  35. #282795
    On April 9th, 2008 at 2:54 pm, right_on said:

    I love this! If this isn’t a great example of where the path of liberalism leads, then I don’t know what does.

    Robert Byrd, a Racist, able to spend small fortunes in a single bound, wrapped in partisan politics his entire life, apologist for Democrat mis-behavior and law-breaking, is nearly as incompetent as is Nancy Pelosi, and the Dem’s continue to place these types of personas in positions of authority. Ha!

    They talk a good talk, but have shown time and again, they cannot govern to the masses, and only care about POWER and PARTY.

    I say, hooray for the Democrats! Keep up the good work. You are making our jobs that much easier. Now, if we could only manage to give the liberals in this country have a brain, they would be twice as smart as they think they are now.

  36. #282869
    On April 9th, 2008 at 4:32 pm, PBoilermaker said:

    On April 9th, 2008 at 1:10 pm, AlohaGuy said:
    Obama is a uniter! The KKK and Rev. Wright all in the same party. Gotta love it.

    A paradoxical fact which is conveniently ignored by liberals.

  37. #282876
    On April 9th, 2008 at 4:44 pm, graysonret said:

    What does Obama think of Byrd? He campaigned for Byrd during his last reelection. I guess all is forgiven. Funny though, if you look at the history of the forming of W. Va., it is actually an illegal state. But, due to the confusion and trauma of the Civil War, it is forgotten. It all goes to show that Obama supports anyone and anything that will get him into the White (?) House.

  38. #283011
    On April 9th, 2008 at 7:03 pm, John Ansell said:

    A: Because he owns the ultimate “Get Out of Jail Free” card: the (D) after his name.

    Yeah just think what would have happened to Senator Lifeguard if he were a Republican.

  39. #283476
    On April 10th, 2008 at 12:00 pm, DBNinKY said:

    As long as Sheets is successful in intertwining the financial fortunes of his constituents to his own political fortunes (see post #26 for just how he has accomplished this feat), he will forever remain a U.S. Senator.

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