by Frank James
A lot of murmuring this week on Capitol Hill about Sen. Robert Byrd, the 90-year old Senate legend, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The West Virginia Democrat was having health problems even before he fell and injured himself in February. So there's been plenty of speculation that Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, and other members of the Senate leadership might move to replace Byrd. Reid has denied that's the case. Still the talk persists.
This morning, the Hill newspaper reports that Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, has expressed an interest in assuming the Appropriations panel's chair. Leahy chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee but Appropriations is where the money and thus power is so it makes sense that he'd want to switch.
Sen. Patrick Leahy is privately indicating interest in taking over the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee from an ailing Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) if necessary, four Democratic sources said Thursday.
The Vermont Democrat, third-in-line on the panel, strongly denied those claims. But all four sources said Leahy has sent several signals to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) about the move.
“It’s been going on. There have been lots of whispers in Reid’s ear,” said one Democratic source.
Leahy “has tried to meet with Reid several times” about Byrd’s chairmanship, according to another source.
There've been reports this week that Senate Democrats fear Byrd can no longer handle the demanding workload that comes with chairing such an important committee. There's a war spending bill the committee must dispose of as well as other spending legislation of the sort that typically takes a strong, energetic chair to choreograph.
The problem for Reid and other Democratic strategists is that Byrd is a beloved son of West Virginia who has brought a lot of federal money back home over his many decades in Congress. To say the least, ousting him would not go over well with West Virginians.
That matters because the state voted decisively for President Bush in the last two presidential elections even though it's still a heavily Democratic state and it had not voted for a Republican in an open presidential election since 1928.
And not only is Byrd a hero to West Virginians, he also has a place in the hearts of those opposed to the Iraq War since his orations against the war before the war's start captured the feelings of millions of people.
So, any move by Reid and the rest of his leadership team to pry Byrd from his chairmanship is going to require incredibly delicate political maneuvering.
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Comments
Oh Kiss MY Grits Leahy you old faht. LIke you could be Robert Byrd. Retire---or apologize to Hilary for suggesting she fold when it's the junior senator who should fold.
Posted by: golden oldie | April 11, 2008 11:36 AM
The KKK will lose its biggest supporter! Seriously, why is the exalted cyclops hanging on? Wasn't he one of the ones who called on Strom Thurmond to retire? And didn't Byrd personally filibuster the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for 14 hours? Along with Strom?I can't wait for the made for TV movie starring Byrd and his senate staff, "Not Without My Pork!"
"Beloved son of West Virginia," are you kidding me? Most West Virginians just line up and vote for Byrd every six years because of the earmarks he brings the state. Contrast his shameful career of unconstitutionally appropriating federal money to his state compared Senator McCain who has never taken an earmark in 20 years in congress.
If he were ousted West Virginia conservatives would get over it and vote in a pro-gun rights, pro growth republican who would better represent the state than Big Byrd has in the last 8 years.
The new river gorge is done. Even pork won't keep you popular with the voters at home forever, Kleagle
And don't any of you libs come at me with how "reformed" Byrd is. This is him in 2001:
"There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much." Byrd is the only Senator to have voted against the nominations of both Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas to the United States Supreme Court, the only two African Americans to have been nominated to the court. He also opposed the nominations of Condoleeza Rice and Janice Rogers Brown. It seems no African-American nominee is good enough for Byrd.
While filibustering that landmark piece of legislation the Klansman Byrd vowed never to fight "with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."
Judging by his recent words and recent votes it's hard to believe that he's changed beliefs. Don't any of you Byrd apologists wonder why he hasn't endorsed a candidate for president yet?
Posted by: Jeff | April 11, 2008 11:48 AM
Senator Byrd will be sorely missed. He has been a champion of our Constitution most of his adult life! Unfortunately, he does have a serious blemish on his, otherwise, sterling record. As a young man, he was a member of the KKK, that most heinous society of disrepute in American history. I believe he struggled all of his adult life to undo that great mistake, from his youth. I am thankful, for all of these years that he has served in our Congress. He has constantly reminded America to stay within the confines of our great Constitution and he has championed the civil rights of all Americans. I wish him a speedy recovery. We need him back in the Senate, providing that constitutional vigilance, he so often provided. Don't forget, christian America:" To forgive is human, to forget, Divine. "
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | April 11, 2008 11:54 AM
Don, defend this idiot statement: "He has been a champion of our Constitution most of his adult life! "
Where in the constitution does it give senators like Byrd the right to earmark and appropriate money for their pet projects?
Most earmarks are only written into the conference reports of appropriations bills - not the actual laws that are voted on by members of Congress. They're never voted on! Especially the appropriations committee ones that Byrd and his staff are stingily clinging to. The Congressional Research Service says that when earmarks are not in the law, they do not have the force of law.
Federal earmarks are unconstitutional and no one's been a bigger user of the corrupt practice than the Klansman. The Klansman was 29 years old when he joined the KKK. How is that "his youth?"
Posted by: Jeff | April 11, 2008 12:05 PM
How much pork could actually fit in Vermont?
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | April 11, 2008 12:29 PM
I think Senator Byrd should endorse Senator Barack Obama for president, then he can leave smiling the good smile...
Posted by: RuthieM | April 11, 2008 12:46 PM
Jeff,
Who is the injured party? The taxpayers? Why don't you take this case on? If it would get your whiney, cry baby voice of the Swamp, I'll give you a pro bono brief.
Posted by: jackson | April 11, 2008 12:54 PM
Jackson, are you a lawyer? You speak like one. A crybaby like you would totally be the worst type of ambulance-chasing attorney.
Did you see the implication above? Endorsing Barack Obama would somehow absolve Byrd of filibustering the voting rights act of 1964, fighting against the integration of the Armed Forces, belonging to the KKK and writing letters praising the KKK three years after he supposedly left it. Wow.
I think all you lefties should hold your breath until Byrd endorses Obama. Keep holding it. C'mon, wait for it.
Posted by: Jeff | April 11, 2008 1:59 PM
Sen Byrd will claim that he is too ill to go to the Dem Convention as a super delegate. Thus he won't have to endorse or vote for Barak. That way he won't have to violate is Kleagle oath. It's beyond me why 'Sheets' Byrd is adored and slavishly kow-towed to when he has been ripping off the taxpayer in an industrial strength manner and is the only remaining Klansman in the Senate.
Posted by: Perch Rapala | April 11, 2008 2:55 PM
I wish Mutt and Jeff would quit hiding behind phony names. Their nonsense is still nonsense, regardless of what name they use!!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | April 11, 2008 3:47 PM
Lefty Don, bad news, all these posts are by different people. The only posts that are mine have my name on them.
You can call me Mutt or any other name you want. It won't make Robert Byrd any less of a thief of the american people's money. It won't make him any less of a Klansman, either. Nothing can hide the shame of the man you ridiculously call "a champion of our constitution." Please.
You can tune me out, but you can't tune out the truth.
Posted by: Jeff | April 11, 2008 5:31 PM
News flash--there's a History channel 2 part documentary (I think Bill Kurtis did it) on the KKK.
It was like the chamber of Commerce in America. Until the murder of a girlfriend on a pullman car from Indiana to Chicago by whatever the leader nationally of the klan was called (grand poobah) americans proudly wore klan garb!
And they went after catholics (Itals poles and irish) in middle america too around the time Oswego NY was burned to the ground for being too catholic.
learn your history.
Byrd was a good man.
this is the problem with the Obama supporters and its staff--OFF THE DEEP END comments. I don't like wing-nuts of either variety.
Posted by: geraldinetoo | April 11, 2008 5:50 PM
Hey, Jeff, see if you can handle the truth. Here is an unbiased history of your "boogyman " or is he!! That is, if you are serious about the truth!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byrd
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | April 12, 2008 12:45 AM