Monday, June 28, 2010

I take it everybody's heard about the Byrd?

The Grim Reaper invoked cloture on Robert C. Byrd's filibuster today.

You know, driving through West Virginia will feel slightly more normal now, because all those bridges and highways and such named after a living dude always struck me as slightly awkward and maybe even a bit gauche.

17 comments:

pdb said...

Like Ted Kennedy's passing, this is truly a terrible tragedy. They both died in their sleep like honest men, instead of at the hands of an angry mob.

Ed Foster said...

pdb wins, hands down, regardless of how many other comments get posted.

When Kemal Attaturk died, they said "Now there is no shade".

With the "loss" of monumental leeches like the above mentioned, the day becomes a bit more sunny and the breeze a tad sweeter.

og said...

Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow


The Klan will never be the same.

staghounds said...

Ataturk was a serious person who did serious things.

And who ultimately made Turkey a much better place.

Byrd was parasite trash, a fungible Senate tick. He shouldn't even be in the same paragraph with Mustafa Kemal.

RIH, Senate's last Klansman.

And yes, PDB does win.

Joel said...

(Sniff) I'm so sad.

Paul said...

Here in the PRNJ, every time I drive by the train station Lautenberg named for himself, a tiny moment of joy flares up and is immediately crushed. I gotta move to the free world at some point.

Rob K said...

It is a red letter day for the Republic!

Bubblehead Les. said...

Byrd's gone, we won McDonald, any chance we can have something come out today that'll lead to impeaching BHO and allow us to win the Trifecta? Oh well, as Meat Loaf sang, "Two out of Three ain't bad."

wv: scres: the sound made by the Brady pukes tires as they slammed on the brakes when they heard about McDonald on the New People's Radio.

The Jack said...

In bad news no election.

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/06/28/surprise-west-virginia-says-no-election-to-fill-byrds-seat-until-2012/

Stupid rubes, we can't have you upsetting the machine.

And we can tell the Gov will be unbiased in his appointment... himself.

One giant bannana republic.

NotClauswitz said...

Flippin' Byrd is the Word.
Dig him up and put him posed on a surfboard catching a gnarly wave of greenbacks - his legacy of pork.

Tam said...

The Jack,

Sorry, but Senators aren't supposed to be picked by plebiscite.

See "America pre-1913".

The Jack said...

Even then it was still an ellection, just in the state legislature, not govoner appointment.

Unless the gov's pick has to pass statehouse approval.

On a larger point, does that mean it's okay when the pols whimsically ignore the rules because they want to retain more power?

If the status they temporarilly shift to happens to match a better way in the past?

Tam said...

The Jack,

"When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct."

Don't hate tha playa, hate tha game.

Dixie said...

It angers me that Southern Dems like Byrd, Clinton and their ilk get free passes, while those of us who aren't actually racists (Rand Paul, Spessard Holland, myself) get tarred and feathered.

The DNC-- Copperheads *then*, Copperheads *now*.

The Jack said...

Dang. *Bows*

I do agree that having direct senate pick did remove a very handy tool of federalism (hmmmm.... funny that it went aay.)

And it would be nice if federalism was used in ways that weren't just to adavance the game, but as you said...


Well, Dixie, the real race card is a Dem Party membership. With it you can do anything and you're okay.

Just look at Demi-Illithid Byrd

deadcenter said...

good riddance to the most recent poster child for term limits. 35+ years in the Senate sucking off of the public teat is not an accomplishment worthy of pride.

Tam, take a drive thru Texas to see the Republican version of West Virginia and why given the chance I'd enact the law that would prevent the naming of anything after anyone that hasn't been dead for at least ten years.

Radley Balko had an observation regardind the passing that is spot on.

Michael said...

Shamelessly stolen from Larry Correia, who shamelessly stole it from Mike Williamson: So, SCOTUS rules a black man can have a gun, Robert Byrd keels over dead. Coincidence?