Dodd praise for Byrd hit by GOP

Washington Times ^ | 4/08/04 | Ralph Z. Hallow

[kattracks]

The top Senate Democrat yesterday defended a colleague's assertion that Sen. Robert C. Byrd, a former Klansman, would have been a great leader during the Civil War.

Sen. Tom Daschle said there was "no parallel" between Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's praise of Mr. Byrd and Republican Sen. Trent Lott's praise of former segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond.

[FairOpinion]

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[taxesareforever]

Sen. Tom Daschle said there was "no parallel" between Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's praise of Mr. Byrd and Republican Sen. Trent Lott's praise of former segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond.


Daschle has never seen a parallel in anything concerning Democrats and Republicans. The head must come out into the light in able to be cognizant.

[Fledermaus]

Wow...Daschle has gone totally insane.

[kattracks]

"I wasn't on the floor when Senator Dodd made his comments," Mr. Daschle told reporters yesterday. "I don't know what he said.

Which makes whatever else Daschle said, a joke.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

My tagline says it all. Thank God for talk radio and FR. Too bad that "conservative bias" in the media never shows. BTW, anyone have a link to John Kerry speaking? I can't sleep.

[ChiMark]

Gee,Iwonder what Jesse and Al think of this. Where's the press? Dodd should resign.

[sixmil]

Same old media bias, but I must admit that Dodd's comment did not make me cringe like Lott's. Lott's comment could be taken as 'civil rights has caused us a lot of problems'. Dodd's comment is only going to be taken as 'a former Klan leader would have made a good president during the civil war'. Sadly, I doubt enough people will be able to connect the dots on that one. Civil rights is much nearer history, and no one outside of the south knows anything about the civil war or Byrd being a Klansman. It sucks, but the Dems will get the usual get-out-of-jail-free race card.

[Fledermaus]

Lott's comments didn't make me cringe because of the content...I cringed because he is so stiff he couldn't deliver a comical line. Which is what it was.

Dodd's comments were no different. To think a Grand Poohbah of the KKK (in his 40's, not his youth) would have been welcome during the Civil War isn't a joke.

Besides, I'm sick of this "Republican's are racist" lie. The Democratic Party is the party of racism and slavery and Jim Crow. The only reason the GOP exist was by splitting from the Whigs because they weren't abolitionist and promoted slavery just like the Democrats.

Talk about revisionist history by the media.

[kattracks]

It sucks, but the Dems will get the usual get-out-of-jail-free race card.

Which would be the case, regardless of what the Dims said. Their friends in the lamestream media would see to that.

[sixmil]

Lott's comments didn't make me cringe because of the content...I cringed because he is so stiff he couldn't deliver a comical line. Which is what it was.

Another problem with Lott's statement, besides his being a kiss ass, is that there was a kernel of truth in it. That's what really gets people, when you say something bad that has even a hint of truth. PC says you are supposed to be for civil rights and for the civil war. Lott violated this directly, Dodd, violated this indirectly and remotely.

[montag813]

Gee,Iwonder what Jesse and Al think of this. Where's the press? Dodd should resign.

Dodd is up for election THIS YEAR! Who have we got in CT?

[BigSkyFreeper]

"I wasn't on the floor when Senator Dodd made his comments," Mr. Daschle told reporters yesterday. "I don't know what he said. But I would think even he would tell you there's no parallel."

If I wasn't paying attention to C-SPAN2 as much as I do, I would think Daschle was never on the floor of the Senate. He's always saying he wasn't "here" or "there" when he's backed into a corner.

[FlyVet]

LOL, too funny.

I wonder if ol' Bobby B. witnessed any lynchings. Bet somebody knows.

[bayourod]

"Several Republican senators were asked for comment on Mr. Dodd's remarks but none replied."

I hope none were from Texas.

[nathanbedford]

To those of us who railed into the wind at the Rupublicans' fecklessness and cowardice in failing to defend Lott, the utter injustice of letting Dowd skate invokes no shadenfreud, no feeling of 'I told you so,' no hope that the world is wiser, only the dross of a bitter cup.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Dodd is up for election THIS YEAR! Who have we got in CT?"

---

We've got wealthy businessman Jack Orchulli:

http://www.jackforsenate.com/home.shtml

I've been saying for months that our only chance of defeating Chris Dodd is to run RINO Congressman Chris Shays against him, and now that Dodd has put his foot squarely in his mouth, maybe Shays can be convinced to run. If Shays pulls off the upset, he would be a less liberal Senator than Dodd, so that would be an improvement. But the best part is that, irrespective of whether Shays wins or loses, at least it would get him out of the House and allow us to elect a better Republican in a district that is one of the two most Republican in the state (Bush got 43.4% even with Lieberman as Gore's VP candidate, and the district usually votes heavily Republican). While it is certainly possible that another RINO could get the GOP nomination and thus the House seat, what are the odds of him or her being more liberal than Chris Shays?

Another possibility is that former Congressman Gary Franks gets into the race. Now, I know that Franks suffered a humiliating defeat in his Republican-leaning House seat in 1996 and got shellacked in his underfunded Senate race against Dodd in 1998 (Dodd won 65%-32%). But as a black Republican, he might be better able to make hay of Dodd's racist statement than any other candidate. While Franks is not pro-life, he is in favor of some restrcitions, such as the PBA ban, and is fairly conservative on other issues; unlike Shays, Franks is no RINO. I know he's blown it in the past, but I would be willing to give him another chance this time around, especially given the dearth of quality candidates interested in the race.

But in any event, if neither Shays nor Franks runs, Jack Orchulli will be the GOP Senate nominee. I don't think he has much of a chance of unseating Dodd, but I sure hope he at least tries. This is Orchulli's press release regarding Dodd's stupid remarks about former Klansman Robert Byrd (not as strong as one would hope, but a good start):

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 2004
CONTACT: JOHN HEALEY--(860) 209-4549

DODD REMARKS INSENSITIVE, DESERVE APOLOGY

Jack Orchulli, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Wednesday called upon Senator Chris Dodd to repudiate his remarks recognizing Democrat Robert Byrd’s record on Civil Rights.

“Chris Dodd is out of touch and his racially insensitive remarks show he doesn’t get it,” said Orchulli. “That is why we need change in Washington to rid ourselves of this get along-go along culture.”

This week, Dodd praised Byrd, an admitted former member of the Ku Klux Klan, for his years of service to the nation and the role he would have played in public debate no matter what era the West Virginia Democrat served.

"You would have been right during the great conflict of Civil War in this nation," Dodd said in remarks seen on C-Span and reported widely in national media.

Sen. Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan prior to joining the Senate, and a vigorous opponent of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

"These foolish comments clearly illustrate that nothing changes in Washington unless you change the leadership,” said Orchulli. “Chris Dodd owes Connecticut an apology for digging up a painful chapter in our history and glorifying someone who symbolizes racial division and bigotry.”

Orchulli added, “These statements are just indicative of a larger problem-a career politician who has spent far too much time skulking in the halls of power and not enough time walking the streets of real life. It's time for change, and it can't come soon enough.”

[PhiKapMom]

You have it right -- only way to defeat RATs in parts of this Country are to run moderate Republicans. Conservatives cannot win in some states. Shays needs to get in this race IMHO!

Thanks for the info!

[AuH2ORepublican]

"You have it right -- only way to defeat RATs in parts of this Country are to run moderate Republicans. Conservatives cannot win in some states."

---

Connecticut is one of the few states in which a conservative candidate would be at a significant disadvantage. In an open-seat situation, our best bet would be a true moderate (in the Bobby Ehlrich style)---not a liberal RINO like Chris Shays. But Dodd is such an entrenched incumbent that only someone with very high name ID and political capital could pull off the upset, which is why our only choice may be Chris Shays. Plus, we would have an additional dividend due to the fact that he would have to leave his House seat in order to run. Similarly, I would have loved it if liberal-to-moderate Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest had run against Barbara Mikulski in Maryland, especially since Gilcrest's district is now ridiculously Republican and a true conservative would be favored to replace him).