Your opinion of Former Sen. Fritz Hollings?

[nickshepDEM]

Poll question: Your opinion of Former Sen. Fritz Hollings?

Please post some comments. Id like to know what you guys/gals think about him

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hollings

[Zynx]

1. He's not Senator anymore.

[nickshepDEM]

2. I know. I guess I should have put former.

[KoKo]

3. Why do you ask? he's out of office, retired...

:shrug:

[nickshepDEM]

4. Just curious. Not very familiar with his politics. Looking to learn.

[izzie]

5. Seems to me this

He was one of the men in the South that said we have to make our state come into the 20th century so worked at getting every one educated etc. It was not a thing to do in the South when he first came in but he did not want SC to be like Al., Mi. and Ga. I can recall SC people I knew who were not ready to educate blacks. I once told some one, 'well do it now or you will just have to do their children so why put it off'. I learned fast to shut up my Northern ways.

[autorank]

6. Great guy, man of integrity, terrific speaker. Positive pretorian.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hollings. He was the last of that wonderful generation of speakers that began with Everett Dirksen, R, IL. Just a magnificant man.

I remember him objecting to Bush strenuously at the start of Bush's 1st term. A reporter said, are you saying people should go to the streets and Hollings looked at the reporter like the reporter was nuts and said "I don't know why people aren't in the streets" and then said something just awful about Bush. He knew, and he knew well that the country had been betrayed.

[chieftain]

7. Hollings was as good as a Southern Senator could be

and still get reelected.
My two favorite things about him are:
He accompanied Bobby Kennedy on a tour of South Carolina which exposed the poverty that was rampant in the State. He caught a lot of grief from Conservatives but he helped RFK open the eyes of the nation to the plight huge numbers of people face.
Another great moment in his career was when Sam Donaldson asked him on one of the Sunday talk shows where he bought his suits, following up on a negative story about how much money Fritz spent on his clothes. The Senator shot back that asking him where he bought his wardrobe was as rude and impertinent as asking Sam where he bought the rugs for his bald head. Anyone who could silence Sam Donaldson is aces in my book.