[Political Junkie Too]

Claude Pepper was never a Senator.

Yes, he was.

-PJ

[Tall_Texan]

Okay, I stand corrected. He was a U.S. Senator from 1936-1951. But I wasn't born until 1957 so the only thing I recall of Claude Pepper were his years in the U.S. House.

Now, getting back to your original point, what interest would the GOP have in bringing up Pepper's term in the Senate if he had not been a member for over 50 years?

If he was a segregationist then, is it in any way relevant to what he is today (which is maggot food - he's been dead since 1989)? Surely there's a more comtemporary example you could find.