Hoodwinked: Actual ‘First Black President’ Says Robert Byrd Joined the Klan Just to Get Elected
**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers
Speaking at Robert Byrd’s memorial service, in typical Bill Clinton style, Bubba didn’t run from the KKK past of the late West Virginia Senator, but rather with it. In the process, Clinton trivialized Byrd’s onetime membership in an organziation that lynched black people:
Former President Bill Clinton explained the late Sen. Robert Byrd’s (D-W.V.) membership in the Ku Klux Klan Friday by claiming Byrd was simply trying to get elected.
Speaking at Byrd’s funeral in Charleston today, Clinton seemed to criticize newspaper eulogies that dwelled on Byrd’s association with the Klan.
“They mention that he once had a fleeting association with the Ku Klux Klan, and what does that mean? I’ll tell you what it means,” Clinton said. “He was a country boy from the hills and hollows of West Virginia. He was trying to get elected. And maybe he did something he shouldn’t have done, and he spent the rest of his life making it up. And that’s what a good person does. There are no perfect people. There certainly are no perfect politicians.”
Maybe he did something he shouldn’t have? I don’t know about you, but “he wasn’t really a racist… he just pretended to be one because that’s how bad he wanted to be a politician” doesn’t seem like much of a compliment either.
“Fleeting association”? Byrd was an active member of the Klan for at least a year, joining in 1942, and wrote to the Klan’s Imperial Wizard in 1946, saying that the Klan was “needed today as never before.” Byrd fillibustered against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — 22 years after joining the Ku Klux Klan. And yet Clinton waved this all off as a fleeting youthful indescretion, as if Byrd stole somebody’s bike when he was 15.
Not only that, but Clinton seemed to actually be trying to portray Byrd as heroic for being able to overcome his past and go on to do “good works,” as if Byrd had been stricken with polio as a kid but later went on to win a gold medal in track like Wilma Rudolph (who the Klan would have been happy to lynch but fortunately couldn’t catch).
I realize it’s a memorial service and you don’t speak poorly about the person you’re eulogizing, but in Clinton’s haste to defend Robert Byrd, he insulted the intelligence of just about everybody else who cared to see through the BS (anybody who hasn’t sold their soul to the Democrat Party, that is), not to mention gave the back of his hand to all the people who were victims of Klan hatred (it’s almost as if Bill’s telling them, “Your sacrifices were not in vain because we got a good Senator out of it”):
As a side note, the bloom has fallen from the Hope rose, because Bill Clinton got far louder applause at the Byrd memorial than Barack Obama did. But maybe it was just in recognition of the real first black president.
**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
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As a recruiter, I doubt he has a “fleeting association” with the klan. The dems keep bringing his Klan membership up. The only reason I can think of, as far as “why”, is to put their own spin on it, hoping that will be in the history books. You don’t take the position of recruiter, without serious participation. But, it is typical. Our history books are full of spin and false information.
This falls under “not letting principles get in the way of getting elected”.
Does Clinton not grasp the vacuity of his argument? Say and do anything to get elected? How about getting elected because of what you believe and are willing to fight for?
Just like how you can’t teach calculus to your dog, you can’t read virtue and morality to politicians. They speak weasel.
Sure, when he was just a boy in his twenties, Byrd joined the KKK. Then, he remained not just a member, but a Klan official until he was thirty-five years old and wanted to run for an office outside the Klan leadership.
Oh, the youthful indiscretions we commit when in our mid-thirties.
correction (again).
Just like how you can’t teach calculus to your dog, you can’t
readteach virtue and morality to politicians. They speak weasel.Slick Willy is an expert on that subject, but it seems that only democrat politicians are forgiven for their mistakes. Republicans are vilified forever. I would like to see a comparison between what Robert Byrd did to get elected and what Stom Thurmond did that was apparently so much worse.
Its just politics, as usual.
Are you saying that Chelsea isn’t perfect either?
Byrd sure fooled the Klan!
Meanwhile, if you say macaca, your career is over because you will be hounded by an indignant media daily.
Dwelled on? Yeah the media has dwelled on that much like they have dwelled on Owebowma’s being directly connected to the Blago scandal.
Democrats. Always going the extra mile for the little guy, the downtrodden, minorities. Oh wait!
I’ve seen two fabulous comments on this that I think are worth sharing.
First, from a guy with the handle GrumpyOldFart:
And in response to that, Newbius said:
Democrats as KKK members … While historically correct, it’s likely not something BJ would like spread around. The KKK was the Democrats own terror wing.
I think Byrd only made it to Grand Cyclops, recruiter for the little band of racist KKK Democrats he led. Grand Kleagle was next up.
It’s awfully hard to hide Byrd’s 40 years of racism, isn’t it. Look what he was doing in the 60s, like leading the filibuster against the Civil Rights act, supporting segregation, Jim Crow laws … Not really what you would call being a nice person.
BTW, what did Trent Lott say? Anybody remember?
(How leftie pols think before running for office)
I’m going out to beat on some Mexicans. Then I’m going to find a Chinaman and kick him in the teeth. If I see any blacks with afros, I’m going to set them on fire.
Why?
Because I’d like to run for office one day.
The worst part is, whenever any liberal speaks about Sheets’ KKK days in the future, they will use the word fleeting.
Someone stick a fork in me. I’m done.
He said that if Strom Thurmond had won, we wouldn’t be in this position today.
Since I can’t read minds, I can’t be sure what that really means. But the racists like Jesse Jackson, et.al. must be able to read minds because they said it was racist speech.
On the other hand, when Sheets Byrd used the “N” word in an interview (2002?), there wasn’t a single word from Jackson and his race baiters.
Liberalism. It truly is a mental disorder.
And that’s the trouble with Mr Byrd and those that whitewash his actions they put themselves and party ahead of people and what is decent. My life has spanned FDR to Bummer and good people did NOT join the Klan and I whole heartedly disagree with Slick Willie. For Byrd to lie in state in the capitol is a disgrace.
Maybe we need to start a KKK branch here in AZ? Then Obama will stop picking on us and calling us bigots?
Bingo!
madmonkphotog, you get today’s Blue Ribbon!
If you remember Bill Clinton’s past his comment makes absolute sense. When Clinton was a graduate student during the Vietnam War he joined Army ROTC to receive a draft deferment, because post graduation he woud be eligible for induction.
When the draft was modified to a lottery based on birth date his lottery number ended up being a very high number; so high in fact that he knew he would never be drafted.
Since, the Vietnam draw down was then underway and the Army was actually encouraging officers and cadets to leave, Clino took advantage of these two fortitous events. He dropped out of ROTC by submitting his infamous letter to his Professor of Military Studies where he said he loathed the U.S. Army. He got off free as a bird.
He saw Byrd doing nothing more that what he had done.
On a personal note, when I left the Army, I received a letter of appreciation signed by President Clinton. Upon receipt, I took it to my backyard and burned it.
He simply praised Strom Thurmond on his birthday.
Welcome to the the Theater of the Absurd.
So, it wasn’t Byrd who was the racist, it was all of those West Virginians who voted for him? Byrd sold his soul to the Klan in order to get elected?
Way to give a pass to Byrd while smearing his constituents as racists!
But the “in order to get elected” excuse provides no cover for Byrd’s words in 2001 when he said “There are white n*ggers”
Actually, I think most of you (and Bubba) have it backwards. He was KKK because that was what he believed in. To get elected (later) he stopped his overt association with the KKK.
This never would have happened, but it would have been interesting if Clinton had discussed how Byrd had grown and changed from the Clinton years to the present…
Back in the Clinton years, Byrd prevented the reconciliation process from being used to pass HillaryCare.
So, did Byrd really change his view, or was he senile when he allowed the reconciliation process from being used to pass ObamaCare?
It would have made for an interesting discussion with both Clinton and Obama there…
Correct. And I think most of understand that.
“in order to get elected”
That is the m.o. of the left however. Some on the right too. Obama perfect example. Presented himself one way to get elected, found out all too quickly he is not what he appeared to be….
I made a cut and past editing error in my 4:24 comment. It should have read:
So, did Byrd really change his view, or was he senile when he allowed the use of the reconciliation process to pass ObamaCare?
…and my 4:25 comment should read:
Correct. And I think most of us understand that.
“Fleeting,” as in two ships, passing in the night?
Here’s Jonah Goldberg’s take.
Wow, I didn’t realize that the KKK was comprised of Republicans.
Thanks, Mainstream Media.
That one-word headline is worthy of Mark Steyn (high praise). Not only is it a clever pun but it’s le mot juste, i.e. Clinton excused Byrd’s hood with a wink, hoping he’d hoodwinked us.
I wonder if the other 49 states will get a full accounting of what our taxes bought for West Virginia and can submit a bill for repayment?
Has anyone considered the possibility that Slick Willie may have also had his own dalliances with the Klan?
Yes he joined the Klan, but he didn’t inhale.
I’m thinking that Obama being sold as a uniter and a leader and a centrist who was going to bring us “Hope and Change” was way more of a hoodwink than Byrd only being in the KKK to get elected.
It is so funny how some people, like Bill Clinton, think that they are authorities on everything under the sun. For example, he explains WHY Robert Byrd joined the KKK. I mean, Bill has such vast historical experience in that area, being such an astute two-year-old at the time.
Well Billy Jeff, your first proposition is correct. The second is debatable. If we accept the definition of politics as: “poly” meaning many – and “tics” meaning blood sucking parasites, there are many perfect politicians in Washingtoon as we speak.
Billy Jeff is just giving us all the Byrd once again. Move along – nothing to see here.
To be fair to Byrd, his assessment of the Clintons was far more accurate than their (public) assessment of him.
Some how, the “He was only a racist because it suited his purposes” doesn’t really strike me as a positive thing…
Are they all this clueless? Seriously.
Just another typical leftist blunder while the microphone was on. Oh wait, maybe he knew that this time around…
Byrd showed extreme political foresight, that or his good friend and 1st unofficial black president, Bubba Clinton is a liar…no, no tell me it ain’t so. Byrd joined the KKK at the age of 24, ran for his public office W.V state rep, at age 28. Had nothing to do with the fact Byrd was a racist, begotten red neck…a lot like Bubba, oh by, while Bubba was Gov. of Arkansas, those eight years the Confederate flag flew over the state capital building. Now you know why he’s called the president that has done more for the blacks than any other president.
I’m not sure if that’s the case or not about doing the most, but I will agree he did a lot more than the actual 1st black president, Urkle, has done for them…unless you call enslaving them to the chains of the government a positive on Urkle’s part.
***
In 1966 a good engineer friend left the U.S. Army–he was stationed in California. He took a job with a large aircraft manufacturer in Georgia.
***
During his drive through the South he was stopped in the middle of nowhere late at night by police–and he was driving carefully. The California plates on his car made him a target.
***
He is White–when he showed the cops the letter from his employer and showed them his military separation papers they told him to have a nice day–and to “keep your nose clean, boy!”
***
He said that he felt that if he had been Black or had been a Civil Right activist he would have been toast–he suspected a few of the cops were probably Klansmen. This happened 2 or 3 times before he reached Georgia.
***
I remember the T.V. news showing Civil Rights workers bodies being dug out of a dam site. And I remember the photos from the 1930′s showing the lynching of Black Americans by the Klan.
***
Anyone who “cuts slack” for those who belonged to this organization should never be elected to office. And the Left Wing Media thinks that this is O.K. if the former Klansman supports their liberal / socialist / marxist agenda!
***
John Bibb
***
Obama won’t show up at a military hospital to check on the wounded but honors a Klansman. Any further questions?
Bill is campaigning early in West Virginia for Hillary 2012.
Yes I too think the Clintonistas are positioning themselves to push Miss Hillary to the forefront of the 2012 run-she being the
adulteressadult in the room and Bambi faltering. Janet Reno and Miss Lewinsky are working on staff as we speak.Miss Hillary “ain’t no way tired“. Urkle is oblivious.
Democrat=Do anything to get elected?
Let us remember that those members of KKK were union members, and Democrats. Clinton’s analogy that Byrd only joined the KKK to get elected is hardly re-assuring. Our ex-President stating that Byrd was only catering to his ‘racist’ base by recruiting for the KKK merely shifts the label of racism to those that voted for him, and suggests Byrd found the organization distaasteful.
To quote Bill’s wife, “a willing suspenson of disbelief” would be required to buy that.
Southern Strategy?
The WaPo article on Byrd’s life is worthwhile. Byrd went from butcher, to exalted cyclops of the KKK, to shipyard welder, to radio station hellfire preacher, but then he found his true calling — the “prince of pork” learned how to bring home the state’s bacon.
“I want to be West Virginia’s billion-dollar industry.” —Byrd, as chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
Hey, it’s in the genes — his father “spent much of his time trying to build a perpetual motion machine,…”
Things that make you go hmmmm. I think you’re dead on target.
“a willing suspension of disbelief” from she who claims to have dodged hostile fire in Bosnia-sorry Miss Hilly but my disbelief is beyond suspension-but I do believe the Secretary does a lot of dodging as it were.
Now I need an Englishman to shoot this fine Forth of July; any volunteers?
A “fleeting moment,” the time it takes for a skillful lynching.
democRATS have always been anti-black since day one whether it be the KKK. blocking black children from entering first rate schools, promoting black illiteracy, promoting black abortion, keeping honest black americans unarmed so they can be more easily murdered, and on and on. The only difference between democRATS now and in 1860 is better PR and near universal takeover of the media (combined with near ZERO IQ among journalists). Anyone who says they are a democRAT today is evil: a enemy of freedom, justice, and equality, and is a cockroach. I am quite content Byrd is dead and Ted Kennedy too. These men did more to harm all Americans but especially black Americans than almost any other politicians in modern times. Unlike today, back in the 1940′s the KKK was killing blacks in numbers, and it took a massive FBI crackdown to stop them. The Kennedys illegally wiretapped MLK for years and Ted snuffed Mary Jo. Murderers and filth. All of us are safer with them dead.
What will really be a hoot is Clinton’s eulogy for the soon to be dead Castro who has fleetingly murdered tens of thousands of Cubans, kept his nation in abject poverty and starvation, actually- really- truly- tortured countless thousands. I guess Clinton will be thinking that Castro got to do what Bill couldn’t – not with term limits!
Should a guy from Arkansas be lecturing folks from West Virginia about morals? Or calling them a bunch of toothless, inbred banjo pickers?
Irony, thy name is Slick Willie.
I am just trying to figure out what the frequency, in gigaHerz, would be of Byrd spinning in his grave while he is eulogized by a (half) black president…
Hertz, I meant.
Let’s see Democrats tell us Bryd wasnt a racist because he only joined the KKK to get elected, but on the otherhand the Democrats tell us the Teaparty supporters are all a bunch of racists even though they have zero evidence to back it up….Yep sounds like the normal ravings of a liberal mindset.
LOL@the “Byrd spinning in grave Hz.”
Wonder if anyone wore a “bolo” tie as an allusion to lynching?
So Clinton is saying that Byrd had to join the Klan because a Republican was running against him?
I can see how Byrd recruiting new members for the KKK and getting a cash bonus for each one that joined an organization dedicated to murdering black Americans, Jews, Catholics etc, is no big deal to democRATS. Who knows how many black Americans were murdered or injured by the “men” Byrd recruited? Democrat=hate crime.
Byrd was a True Believer. Make no mistake.
And anyone from places like that know it’s called a ‘holler’.