Battle of the Senators, round 3, vote 1

[JSojourner]

Harkin
Dodd

[JSojourner]

I like them all except Byrd. 

[JSojourner]

I like them all except Byrd. 

Interesting, why don't you like Senator Byrd?

Is it because of his past, or is there some other political reason?

I must confess, he is my absolute favorite senator

Byrd's opposition to the war is great and I remember his speech about it -- it was outstanding.  I am not particularly pleased with his reputation as "King Pork".  I realize some of that is unfair, because every Senator does it.  Even Tom Coburn, who claims he DOESN'T do it.  They all bring the bacon home and Byrd is just better at it than the rest.  But you all know how I feel about pork.  If we're talking road improvements, help for children or poor people, a cleaner environment or creating new jobs -- I'm all for it.  But I'm not for spending federal money on "The Lawrence Welk Homestead" in North Dakota or construction of historically accurate Hawaiian canoes. 

That said, my main object to Byrd is his highly offensive stance on school prayer.  I remember his Senate floor speech in favor of school prayer and it basically amounted to insulting every non-theist and non-Christian theist in America.  He never dealt with the harder issues involved, like minority religions, the rights of Atheists, separation of church and state, and the failure of parents and churches to take their proper role in the religious instruction of their children.

Byrd's not my least favorite Democrat.  But he's near the bottom of the list.  Just my take -- like I say, I've been wrong before and if I am confident of anything, it's that I will be wrong again.

[JSojourner]

I like them all except Byrd. 

Interesting, why don't you like Senator Byrd?

Is it because of his past, or is there some other political reason?

I must confess, he is my absolute favorite senator

Byrd's opposition to the war is great and I remember his speech about it -- it was outstanding.  I am not particularly pleased with his reputation as "King Pork".  I realize some of that is unfair, because every Senator does it.  Even Tom Coburn, who claims he DOESN'T do it.  They all bring the bacon home and Byrd is just better at it than the rest.  But you all know how I feel about pork.  If we're talking road improvements, help for children or poor people, a cleaner environment or creating new jobs -- I'm all for it.  But I'm not for spending federal money on "The Lawrence Welk Homestead" in North Dakota or construction of historically accurate Hawaiian canoes. 

That said, my main object to Byrd is his highly offensive stance on school prayer.  I remember his Senate floor speech in favor of school prayer and it basically amounted to insulting every non-theist and non-Christian theist in America.  He never dealt with the harder issues involved, like minority religions, the rights of Atheists, separation of church and state, and the failure of parents and churches to take their proper role in the religious instruction of their children.

Byrd's not my least favorite Democrat.  But he's near the bottom of the list.  Just my take -- like I say, I've been wrong before and if I am confident of anything, it's that I will be wrong again.

Oh I was just curious, I wasn't trying to call you wrong or convince you otherwise.

I agree, his stance on school prayer is something I don't really like.

I suppose my admiration of Byrd is based somewhat more on the man himself, and his life story, than politics in general. Although, Byrd has many political stances that are absolutely great (Iraq, and his speech, as you mentioned)

Anyway, thanks for answering.

You bet.  And I don't really trip over his racist past.  He disavows it now.  I have a pretty racist past, too.  But people can and do change.

Yeah - I thought his anti-war speech was one of the best ever.  And it came very early, which I thought took real guts.

[JSojourner]

I have a pretty racist past, too.  But people can and do change.

I realize the Second Klan was strongest in Indiana, etc., etc., but still...that's interesting.

LOL -- Actually, it's weird.  I was born to very bigoted parents.  My sisters are each older and bigoted...and married to bigots.  So I came by it naturally.  They still are, more or less.  I am not.  The story of what changed me and how is pretty intense, a tad on the mystical side and probably not for a forum like this.

I won't get into the details except to say Jesus Christ changed me.  I was a Christian before the change, so it's not like becoming a Christian was the answer.  It was more like realizing that every time I hated someone because of their color, religion or sexual orientation...I was hating Jesus Christ, who I claimed to love.  The clouds parted, as it were.

I can't figure out why it never happened for the rest of my family, who also claim (sometimes rather loudly) to be evangelical Christians.