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It most certainly is the end of an era particularly on the Senate side of Congress. Earlier this morning in a hospital in Fairfax, VA, Senator Robert Byrd (D) WV passed away. You heard me right the pork king, former KKK member, and ultimate senatorial power player has finally passed away after becoming the longest serving and eldest member of the Senate body. However, I cannot just say negative things about Bob I have to say something good about the man too, because I am sure, he had to have done some good, or why else would he be undefeated in every election he ran in.
One good thing I can say about Mr. Byrd is the fact the he was a stalwart defender of the U.S. Constitution and recognized as the foremost authority on matters of constitution within the U.S. Senate. Another good thing I can say about Senator Byrd is the fact that he fiercely defended the right of both the Senate and the House of Representatives to keep any Presidential administration from usurping any Congressional powers. That is right it did not matter whether the President was a Republican or a Democrat he kept their hand out of the cookie jar.
Make no mistake though Robert Byrd is most certainly a Democrat although at one time he was considered the most conservative of that party. What does the loss of Byrd mean politically though? I do not think it means much since the Governor of West Virginia will appoint a person to replace Byrd until the 2012 election and the Governor is a Democrat. However, it does lose a critical vote for the ruling Democratic Party in the Senate for a bit, and it also puts on hold legislation that both the administration as well as the majority party in both houses of Congress consider necessary to advance their agenda.
My personal opinion is that now that Robert Byrd has passed away that the U.S. Senate will lose some of its prestige. However considering the current political climate after the mid-term elections this year I do not think that either Byrd’s Senate seat and vote would have mattered anyway. What does matter with regard to the passing of the Senates greatest orator is that both houses of Congress have lost their greatest and toughest defender. I think that not only will the administration now attempt to gain control even more, but also I think that the Democrats in the Senate will further slip into mediocrity.
That is all for now form Simple Man Politics, but I will be back again soon. Have a marvelous Monday my friends, CIAO4NOW!!!!!
P.S. Rest in Peace Mr. Byrd.
Well I got some good news today. Alaska Senator Ted Stevens as officially lost his reelection bid for his seat in his home state. This man who has been in the senate since 1968 and has a reputation for getting earmarked federal funds for his state and his conviction on seven felony conspiracy counts gave his last speech on the senate floor today.
In his speech he spoke much about his time in Washington DC. He acknowledged leaving the senate a wounded man, but said he did not have a rear view mirror and was looking ahead. He stated that he believed that god still had something for him to do. After the speech he was spoken fondly of by several notable senators such as Harry Reid, Robert Byrd who turned 91 today, Daniel Inouye, and Larry Craig who recounted his story of how he started referring to Ted Stevens as Uncle Ted.
His motto which is "to hell with politics, just do what is right for Alaska" slipped up and did what he thought was right for himself instead. His conviction in federal court on seven counts of felony conspiracy helped to mark the end of his long running career in the senate. Whether he will or will not be missed in the senate is up to the individual his violation of the trust of his constituents in Alaska should not go unpunished. I hope that this result serves as a notice to all those other corrupt politicians in DC who are committing or are thinking of committing a crime against the American people by violating our trust.
Have an excellent day my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!
I wrote a blog yesterday dealing with racism and that the only racism I saw was on the Democratic side of the Presidential race. I thought today I might write something about the two Presidential candidates going to Washington to help with the passing of a bi-partisan bill for the bailout of Fannie Mae, Freddy Mac, and AIG, and whether or not their presence there other than as Senators would really matter.
However I saw this piece of news on one of the cable news networks and I could not believe my eyes or ears, or perhaps I should not be surprised. I heard another Democrat politician who is not only apparently a racist but black as well. Democrat Florida Representative Alcee Hastings made the racial comment at a panel discussion hosted by the Jewish Democratic Council.
At the event, Alcee Hastings warned two minority groups by saying of Sarah Palin “anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much what they do with Jews and Blacks” a very racist comment. He went on to say “if Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention”. Obviously this man is also a fear mongerer as well as a racist. Fortunately there are some within this mans party who do not condone the remarks he made today. Democrat Alabama Representative Artur Davis is one of those who denounced Hastings comments.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I would really like to know why all these racists are coming out of the wood work in the Democratic Party and why all of them seem to be black. I really am surprised that the party that claims to be for the people would tolerate individuals such as these within their ranks. Don’t forget the Democratic Party is the same party that also has West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd a former member of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan as one of their senior Senators. It seems to me that they can’t even decide on which ethnic group to hate.
That’s all I have to say on the subject today and I promise I will try to write about something else tomorrow. I hope you all have a great day, CIAO4NOW!!!!!