HRC & Byrd

[Dr. Arch]

Put this to rest, please. It's a desperate and sad knee-jerk defense when Trump's campaign was lasered to death in today's speech.

http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/

"It's also true that Robert Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s and helped establish the hate group's chapter in Sophia, West Virginia. However, in 1952 Byrd avowed that "After about a year, I became disinterested [in the KKK], quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization," and throughout his long political career (he served for 57 years in the United States Congress) he repeatedly apologized for his involvement with the KKK."

Byrd's story is a story of someone who woke up and reached for redemption rather than some old washed up KKK member still defending and believing in white nationalism/supremacy to the grave (what Duke aims to do).

[psychprofessor]

With these types of attacks against the good folks of West Virginia, perhaps Hillary should focus on putting that state in play again :-)

[RINO Tom]

Byrd also said nlgger on live TV in the 2000s, LOL.  20 years after realizing the error of his ways, he voted against basic rights for Blacks in both 1964 and 1965.  Did his views change?  Yeah, so did Strom Thurmond's.  Strangely, only one is thought of even remotely fondly on this forum.

No one cares.

[Devout Centrist]

Byrd also said nlgger on live TV in the 2000s, LOL.  20 years after realizing the error of his ways, he voted against basic rights for Blacks in both 1964 and 1965.  Did his views change?  Yeah, so did Strom Thurmond's.  Strangely, only one is thought of even remotely fondly on this forum.

No one cares.

I don't recall Thurmond ever recanting his views. Regardless, Byrd repeatedly apologized for his racism. We shouldn't fault him for that.

We should fault him for the raging homophobia he never had any qualms about.

[Maxwell]

Thurmond actually regularly defended his earlier segregationist campaigns and never fully renounced his earlier point of view.

nice try though.

[Xing]

This is one of the more pathetic forms of the "b-b-b-b-b-but your side is racist toooOOOooooOOOooo!" attack.

[Speed of Sound]

More than anything, this is just another example of how poor the Trump campaign "but Hillary!"s have been and, given the circumstances, have to be. Their response to a whole campaign built, run, and lead by white nationalists is "she hung out with Byrd". Woof. Not everyone will see how faulty that is, but I can you it's more than 50% of America that can.

[Flying Dog]

OMG! Look! That known white supremacist/nationalist Obama is palling around with the KKK's finest.

 

[Lyin' Steve]

Byrd recanted his early racism and had worked hard for decades to make clear that his renouncement and change of heart was genuine before Hillary came along and befriended him.

It's pretty rich to deny a man that reconciliation in one breath and then in the next claim that what Trump says on any particular day is genuine when it's the opposite of what he said just a week earlier.

FWIW, 1970s Robert Byrd was awesome, he knew every trick in the book, had the entire history of the Senate memorized, and was Ted Kennedy's right-hand man for running procedural rings around the Republicans to get the Democratic agenda passed.  He was the epitome of a Senator who loved and respected his job.

[Lyin' Steve]

Also they keep posting this photoshopped picture and saying "it's the spirit of the thing" or "it gets the point across" which sounds an awful lot like "it started a conversation" which they absolutely hate (as do I, I hate dishonesty on both sides). 



Stop posting this picture you asshats, I could photoshop Trump throwing a black person out of his apartment in 2016 and tell everyone it was real and it would be exactly the same thing.

[Seriously?]

Put this to rest, please. It's a desperate and sad knee-jerk defense when Trump's campaign was lasered to death in today's speech.

http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/

"It's also true that Robert Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s and helped establish the hate group's chapter in Sophia, West Virginia. However, in 1952 Byrd avowed that "After about a year, I became disinterested [in the KKK], quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization," and throughout his long political career (he served for 57 years in the United States Congress) he repeatedly apologized for his involvement with the KKK."

Byrd's story is a story of someone who woke up and reached for redemption rather than some old washed up KKK member still defending and believing in white nationalism/supremacy to the grave (what Duke aims to do).

Give me a break. As if you'd support Duke if he found Jesus, ran for Senate and stayed there long enough to be President Pro Tempure.

I'll tell you this much, as a Republican, I wouldn't.

Astroturf it all you want, but Clinton's "mentor" was a racist KKK member. She has no moral authority to lambast anyone -- including a good man like Trump -- on race.

[Famous Mortimer]

Put this to rest, please. It's a desperate and sad knee-jerk defense when Trump's campaign was lasered to death in today's speech.

http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/

"It's also true that Robert Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s and helped establish the hate group's chapter in Sophia, West Virginia. However, in 1952 Byrd avowed that "After about a year, I became disinterested [in the KKK], quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization," and throughout his long political career (he served for 57 years in the United States Congress) he repeatedly apologized for his involvement with the KKK."

Byrd's story is a story of someone who woke up and reached for redemption rather than some old washed up KKK member still defending and believing in white nationalism/supremacy to the grave (what Duke aims to do).

Give me a break. As if you'd support Duke if he found Jesus, ran for Senate and stayed there long enough to be President Pro Tempure.

I'll tell you this much, as a Republican, I wouldn't.

Astroturf it all you want, but Clinton's "mentor" was a racist KKK member. She has no moral authority to lambast anyone -- including a good man like Trump -- on race.

David Duke: National leader of the KKK in the 1980s

Byrd: Leader of the KKK in a town with a hundred people in the 1950s.

[RINO Tom]

Put this to rest, please. It's a desperate and sad knee-jerk defense when Trump's campaign was lasered to death in today's speech.

http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/

"It's also true that Robert Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s and helped establish the hate group's chapter in Sophia, West Virginia. However, in 1952 Byrd avowed that "After about a year, I became disinterested [in the KKK], quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization," and throughout his long political career (he served for 57 years in the United States Congress) he repeatedly apologized for his involvement with the KKK."

Byrd's story is a story of someone who woke up and reached for redemption rather than some old washed up KKK member still defending and believing in white nationalism/supremacy to the grave (what Duke aims to do).

Give me a break. As if you'd support Duke if he found Jesus, ran for Senate and stayed there long enough to be President Pro Tempure.

I'll tell you this much, as a Republican, I wouldn't.

Astroturf it all you want, but Clinton's "mentor" was a racist KKK member. She has no moral authority to lambast anyone -- including a good man like Trump -- on race.

David Duke: National leader of the KKK in the 1980s

Byrd: Leader of the KKK in a town with a hundred people in the 1950s.

And both guys suck because of it.

[Gustaf]

Of course, Trump can change his views every week and it's fine.

You Trump hacks are really sad. Just own your racism, that'd at least be more honest.

[MasterJedi]

Of course, Trump can change his views every week and it's fine.

You Trump hacks are really sad. Just own your racism, that'd at least be more honest.

Come on Gustaf, didn't you know, liberals are never allowed to change their minds but conservatives are and are just being prosecuted by the liberal media.

[Devout Centrist]

Put this to rest, please. It's a desperate and sad knee-jerk defense when Trump's campaign was lasered to death in today's speech.

http://www.snopes.com/clinton-byrd-photo-klan/

"It's also true that Robert Byrd was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s and helped establish the hate group's chapter in Sophia, West Virginia. However, in 1952 Byrd avowed that "After about a year, I became disinterested [in the KKK], quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization," and throughout his long political career (he served for 57 years in the United States Congress) he repeatedly apologized for his involvement with the KKK."

Byrd's story is a story of someone who woke up and reached for redemption rather than some old washed up KKK member still defending and believing in white nationalism/supremacy to the grave (what Duke aims to do).

Give me a break. As if you'd support Duke if he found Jesus, ran for Senate and stayed there long enough to be President Pro Tempure.

I'll tell you this much, as a Republican, I wouldn't.

Astroturf it all you want, but Clinton's "mentor" was a racist KKK member. She has no moral authority to lambast anyone -- including a good man like Trump -- on race.

David Duke: National leader of the KKK in the 1980s

Byrd: Leader of the KKK in a town with a hundred people in the 1950s.

And both guys suck because of it.

No sir. As early as 1952, he regretted his Klan membership and apologized for it.

I'm sorry if those whole "forgiveness" bs is weak mindedness on the part of a bleeding heart liberal.
Hell, I even forgive George Wallace because he apologized before he died in the 90's.

[Seriously?]

But.. yeah... Republicans are the racists.

[Maxwell]

Look, even people like RINO Tom - who doesn't support Trump - are calling you out on this. You can't defend racism because an individual changed their views for political gain.

if you think the NAACP liking Robert Byrd helps him win elections in West Virginia of all places then you are incredibly naive.

RINO Tom is a classic "Democrats are the real racists!" poster because he has ridicolous fandom of the Republican Party despite no longer supporting even a majority of the party's positions anymore.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Zombie Robert Byrd would be way better than either of these losers.

[Bojack Horseman]

They served together in the Senate for Christ's sake.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Byrd was a mainstream liberal at the end, when he was trying to be West Virginia's #1 Industry, luring Federal Facilities to West Virginia's panhandle.

Byrd was not a liberal until the 1980s.  He was one of the most conservative Democrats, even when he upset Ted Kennedy to become Senate Majority Whip in 1971.  (Kennedy was caught napping.)  Despite being in the Senate Leadership, he did not endorse McGovern in 1972, although he did not come out for Nixon and he was a big McGovern backer in McGovern's 1980 Senate campaign. 

No one gives Hugo Black grief about Klan membership, or for his love of the song, "I'm a Good Ol' Rebel".  Black was one of the staunchest advocates of forcing the SCOTUS to actually enforce ". . . with all deliberate speed . . ." in school integration in 1969 (source, The Brethren, by Bob Woodward).

As for Hillary:  She's not a bigot, but neither is Trump.  And if we're going to go after Trump because David Duke, unsolicited, runs his mouth, what do we say about the Clinton's decades of silence on Jesse Jackson's referring to NY City as "Hymietown" in 1984?  That sort of thing is supposed to render folks persona non grata in Democratic circles, but Jackson has managed to remain a Democratic VIP without so much as an apology, or a refuting of Louis Farrakhan.  But, hey, special rules for special people.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Did his views change?  Yeah, so did Strom Thurmond's.  Strangely, only one is thought of even remotely fondly on this forum.

Strom's views didn't change. His party did.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Did his views change?  Yeah, so did Strom Thurmond's.  Strangely, only one is thought of even remotely fondly on this forum.

Strom's views didn't change. His party did.

Strom Thurmond, however, got a surprising amount of black support in his elections, for a Republican and a Thurmond. 

In 1993, in response to Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", Thurmond was asked to compare the Gay Rights movement to the Civil Rights movement, and he stated that the Civil Rights issues were a settled matter.  This doesn't erase 1948, but Thurmond wasn't a bitter-ender, either.

[RINO Tom]

Look, even people like RINO Tom - who doesn't support Trump - are calling you out on this. You can't defend racism because an individual changed their views for political gain.

if you think the NAACP liking Robert Byrd helps him win elections in West Virginia of all places then you are incredibly naive.

RINO Tom is a classic "Democrats are the real racists!" poster because he has ridicolous fandom of the Republican Party despite no longer supporting even a majority of the party's positions anymore.

No.  I'm not.

Insult me or my lack of knowledge on a LOT of stuff, but I'm pretty well-versed in the political history of civil rights and how complicated it was.

[RINO Tom]

Did his views change?  Yeah, so did Strom Thurmond's.  Strangely, only one is thought of even remotely fondly on this forum.

Strom's views didn't change.  His party did.

Was he still pushing for segregation in the '90s?  Because if he wasn't, then his views had likely changed...