Robert Byrd, who actually did use the term "white n****r" endorses Obama.

[IndianaJones]

Watch as the racism concern is switched to its default "off" position.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DJ13]

Are you SURE you're a Democrat?

You sound more like an ex-Bush apologist.

[iamthebandfanman]

6. nah! theyve got the word 'left' in their name. n/t

[Tesha]

31. So does the "Left Behind" book series. (NT)

[leftofcool]

11. I don't like Byrd or his racism

You can keep him

[DevonRex]

25. Seems to me that if he endorsed the black candidate, he's

not racist anymore. Isn't that what we all want, for racists to change?

[leftofcool]

51. You really think a leopard changes his spots that

quickly? Sorry, I just find it hard to give an ex KKK member the benefit of the doubt.

[Occam Bandage]

55. So you believe he endorsed Obama because he is racist?

[leftofcool]

58. I think he is a racist period

I have no idea why he endorsed Obama. He has been known to use racist slurs in this century so you'll forgive me if I just don't like him or his racism

[reflection]

66. I support Obama

and I find Byrd to be reprehensible as well. Whether or not he endorsed Obama doesn't affect my opinion of either Byrd or Obama. Byrd is a joke. The only thing he did lately worth mentioning is coming out against the war while everyone was scrambling to get on the IWR train.

[ecstatic]

85. You don't understand what racism is

Byrd's past is disgusting, no doubt, but he is obviously a changed man.

On the other hand, you have many so called liberals using every bullshit excuse they can think of for why they won't support Obama if he's the nominee. Some even go as far as saying they will vote for McCain. But of course, those types will act highly offended if you call them prejudiced.

THAT is the type of racism that is more insidious and harmful to society. The people who hate but try to act like they are so anti-racism. It's always a vague, cloudy excuse. They can't pinpoint what it is they hate about Obama. :eyes: I would have dinner with BYRD over those types ANY day.

[DevonRex]

60. I think a racist NEVER would endorse the black candidate. nt

[terrell9584]

84. Not entirely true

In elections where you have two black candidates, you really have no choice if you are of the racist mindset, other than not voting.

There are many people who are racist on balance, but who will vote for a particular black candidate for whatever reason. When New Orleans was under black government, the elections often broke down racially, with one candidate representing "white interests" and one representing "black interests" even when both were black. Incidentally, Ray Nagin was originally elected as the "white candidate"

Byrd may very well be endorsing Obama because of the fact that one of his daughters married someone of Middle Eastern origin (and by default, his grandkids have this heritage) and as such, he may be of the belief that Obama for whatever reason, might take a more even keeled approach towards the Middle East.

[gmudem]

67. Well it's not "that quickly"

I believe he left the KKK more than 50 years ago. It's not like this is some overnight conversion.

[Honeycombe8]

76. He was in KKK in the 1940s. Fought Civil Rights Act in early 1960s. Long time ago.

No, I don't think people change very quickly. But 40 years ago is a long time. Long enough for people to have a change of heart and have their eyes opened.

For the record....millions of people were against the Civil Rights Act, hard as it is to believe NOW.

[NotThisTime]

38. Agreed...

[Hieronymus]

75. It seems popular among certain Hillary supporters to dredge up crap

about Sen. Byrd today. No, not real Democrats.

[thewiseguy]

13. Yay!!! Its Byrd's turn to be thrown under the bus

[Marrah_G]

He has never been unanimously liked on this board or even close to that.

[tridim]

16. You might want to do a bit of research on Byrd's history

I'm guessing you wont, but it would help if you want to avoid sounding like an idiot.

[otohara]

35. WTF ?

Do you ever think before you post?

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[marmar]

3. And this post will add to the already enlightened dialouge in GD-P......

:eyes:

[NYCGirl]

4. Under the Hillarite bus for you, Senator Byrd!

:rofl:

[oldpol]

8. Robert Byrd added to the 'dead to Hillary list'

someone needs to update that thread. lmao

[Divernan]

27. Where the elite (informed, educated, smart people) meet !

Seriously, there are some of our very best Dem leaders under that Hillarite bus. Senator Byrd, who fought a valiant fight against Bush/Iraq, will be welcomed.

[bigtree]

61. saw Obama folks trashing him here when WVA held their primary

while Clinton supporters defended him.

What you're laughing at is your own divisive invention. Good luck with that.

[NYCGirl]

65. I didn't trash him. So do I forfeit the right to comment? NT

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

So you're saying Byrd's racist against white people...

and he endorsed Obama because Clinton's white.

Is that what you're trying to say? You're not making much sense.

[iamthebandfanman]

12. if it means what it does here in kentucky

hes probably referring to white kids who 'act black' ...
you know because they dress , talk , or listen to a certain kinda music.
pretty sad people are passing judgement on so many people, especially when they claim they are christians(Gods the only one to do the judging)

[leftofcool]

15. Do a bit of reading on old Byrd

[Occam Bandage]

17. Yes. He used to be quite racist against blacks. That makes this endorsement

all the more remarkable.

[dana_b]

26. right, he's changed!

People are capable of that, thank God.

[Divernan]

32. Not ALL people are capable of Change - witness the HRC diehards

But yes, Senator Byrd has changed, along with the times, as intelligent people do.

[leftofcool]

54. Used to be?

[Occam Bandage]

57. I don't understand why you'd reject a step towards reconciliation.

[leftofcool]

59. Don't trust him at all

[otohara]

40. You Do The Same

old Byrd has quite a history, which now includes supporting the AA candidate.

[leftofcool]

63. A very bad history

[martymar64]

79. An interesting note

Your avatar, Mr Costello, used that very term in his song "Oliver's Army".

Not a criticism, just an interesting factoid.
I applaud Byrd for endorsing Obama. It shows that people can and do change. Every George Wallace had a late in life epiphany about his earlier positions.

Besides if people wanted to go that far back to find something to criticize Byrd, we can bring up Hillary's time as a Goldwater Girl.

[oldpol]

28. scholarly article on the phrase

What Is a "White Nigger" Anyway?
By Andrew D. Todd
Mr. Todd is a graduate student in history at West Virginia University.

There has been a more or less considerable furor over Sen. Robert Byrd's (D-WV) usage of the term "white nigger." Everyone seems to think that they know what this means. But do they? Before one can decide if the words are offensive, one must first know what they mean. Mary Mostert, at Banner of Liberty, thinks Byrd meant "poor white trash" in general. However, this has a somewhat dubious fit to the context. I should like to explore an alternative possibility.

Classificatory terminology has to do with identifying social groups. In the early South, biological race tended to be interlinked with servile status, occupation, education and social class. The word "nigger" per se probably meant a member of a group of rural field slaves, of comparatively pure African descent and recent arrival, living on a large plantation. Interestingly, William Byrd of Westover, in the early eighteenth century, does not refer very much to "negroes" or anything else that one might recognize as a racial term. He refers, over and over again, to "my people," a reflection of his patriarchal orientation.(1) The invention of the word "nigger" probably had to wait for the growth of the lower South, with its big cities (starting with Charleston, South Carolina, and running out to New Orleans), and its comparatively rentier-like slaveholders. By the time Fanny Kemble, the wife of an archetypal absentee landlord, visited Georgia, in 1838-39, the word was apparently in common use. (2)

The term "white nigger" is a marking, or qualification, of "nigger," a means of describing a group which resembles "niggers" in some respects but not in others. There seem to be two major bodies of early usage: 1) a white person who is conspicuously exploited. and 2) a member of the concubine class, intermediate between black and white.(3) This latter usage is characteristic of the slaveholding plantation regions, and is probably not directly relevant to West Virginia.

To account for what a West Virginian means by "white nigger," one should look at usage in economically similar regions. For example, in Edward Eggleston's late nineteenth century The Hoosier Schoolmaster (chapter four: "Spelling Down the Master") we find: "But to their surprise 'ole Miss Meanses' white nigger,' as some of them called her in allusion to her slavish life, spelled these great words with as perfect ease as the master."

The setting is a public spelling competition, in which Hannah, the put-upon "bond-girl" finds herself more or less involuntarily obliged to demonstrate her worth, to the mixed admiration and scandal of the neighborhood. George Elliott Clarke has pointed out a body of rather less amiable usages, in the works of early-nineteenth century Nova Scotian writer Thomas Chander Haliburton. Haliburton was writing in a Fitzhughian vein, and his story "The White Nigger" is about the auctioning off by the parish overseers of aged paupers and orphans to the lowest bidder. These are collectively usages deriving from predominantly white regions, as distinct from the slave-oriented south. Most recently, I have found the usage "white nigger" used as a self description by "B. Lokey" an anti-abortion activist born circa 1940. (4)

West Virginia is something like 95 percent white, and and only 3.2 percent black (2000). If the Ohio valley and the cosmopolitan college towns were left out, the percentage of whites would probably be considerably higher. I should add, however, noting the work of Duke Talbott, that a lot of people have escaped slave ancestors a long way back, the same as they have Native American ancestors a long way back. Among other things, the frontier was about escaping from the ownership of the tidewater aristocracy. The odd escaped slave got absorbed. West Virginia not like Mississippi, where Trent Lott's constituents are the declining white 61 percent, trying to stay on top of the growing nonwhite 39 percent.

Trent Lott has the best of reasons to do a bit of discreet race-baiting, but Robert Byrd does not have anything resembling a motive. I very much doubt whether senators have anything resembling racial prejudice in the ordinary sense of the word. They have one overriding prejudice -- an odd insistence on being reelected. Given the right circumstances, Strom Thurmond is capable of saying both "I have a dream..." and "we shall overcome." The balance of probabilities is that Senator Byrd was attempting to convey to blacks that they are not by any means the only poor people, and to invite them to make common cause, rather than becoming lost in racial separatism
http://hnn.us/articles/1220.html

[dkf]

5. Times have changed...thank goodness!

[ellacott]

7. He was a KKK also

Please explain yourself. Once a racist always a racist?

[IndianaJones]

20. he was KKK in the last century...he was still using racist slurs in this one. I think he is. nt.

[Occam Bandage]

24. So you believe he endorsed Obama because he is racist?

[anigbrowl]

44. I'm inclined to agree, but he knows he has to act otherwise

If he still holds onto to those views privately, he can express it in the voting booth in November. Meantime he's walking the walk.

[endarkenment]

9. His history is fair game, however he speaks for that WV demographic

that according to Clinton and her supporters here, cannot possibly mark a ballot for a black man.

[Occam Bandage]

10. I still hate his past. However, I can recognize and appreciate his belief in reconciliation. Anyway,

what does racism have to do with this endorsement? Do you believe Byrd endorsed Obama because he is racist?

[ellacott]

18. I feel the same thing

He did despicable things. I also appreciate people's willingness to accept that reconciliaion.

[dsc]

30. It isn't just his past

he has, by far and away, the worst gay rights record of any Congressional Democrat.

[Occam Bandage]

34. I thought we were talking about his racial beliefs.

As an ancient Appalachian, he isn't that hot on any civil rights progress, really. Still, this is a rather powerful sign of reconciliation on one front. The fact that he has yet to come to similar terms with another one of his failings shouldn't take away from that.

[dsc]

74. spoken as someone who apparently isn't affected by his failing

must be nice.

[LSK]

14. no idea what you are trying to say

:shrug:

[DevonRex]

19. Senator Byrd gives us the hope and knowledge that people

CAN change. I would have thought you'd applaud that. Guess not.

[IndianaJones]

22. when is he going to change? next century? nt.

[ellacott]

36. Uh, one big step was this endorsement

[DevonRex]

48. Yep. It sure was. nt

[rucky]

21. Sweet!

That oughta put all the WV-inspired concerns to bed.

[Crazy Dave]

23. Funny

Everyone loves Byrd and wants to suck his dick when he's speaking out against the war and saying crazy things about Bush.

Al Gore's father voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 so I can't wait to hear the same bullshit when he gives his endorsement too.

[cali]

33. in all honesty, Byrd's racist past

has always been a big mark against him for me. I appreciated his stance against the war, and I'm glad he endorsed Obama, but he's not high on my list of favorite dems.

And Al Gore is not his father. FAIL.

[Crazy Dave]

43. "And Al Gore is not his father"

True but Hillary supporters and the right wing seem desperate enough to use any type of guilt by association. I'll bet money on it that you'll hear it on Hannity and Limbaugh.

[Rob_4_Obama]

29. Oh my god

This is tremendous and heartwarming news. Robert Byrd, with all of his failings, sees the promise that we have in Barack Obama. Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cant trust em]

37. So if he endorsed Clinton, you wouldn't accept it. Right? NT

[Douglas Carpenter]

39. This is truly a great day for America when a former leading Segregationist and Racist endorses an

African-American for the Presidency of the United States!

It almost brings tears to my eyes!

"2007 - Senator Byrd supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 87 percent in 2007."

http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=53359&type=category&category=13&go.x=13&go.y=9

[cali]

41. Yes, I think it is.

it's symbolism alone is of great value.

[trashcanistanista]

45. Absolutely. Good post.

This is very big, especially in WV. Byrd went with his conscience and not with his constituents which is what a leader should do. Hopefully, it will have a huge impact on the General in WV. Byrd has done some remarkably good things as a senator and has overcome his past, we should appreciate that.

[DevonRex]

49. This gives me hope for a better America. nt

[anonymous171]

42. Byrd is awesome.

[cjsmom44]

50. RE: Byrd Endorsement

What good news...
I think he deserves some kudos here...to risk the backlash he is going
to get from the WV folks...
Obama mentions him in his Audacity of Hope book....
Thank You Sen. Byrd.... :applause:

[bluestateguy]

46. Byrd hates Bill Clinton

I think he respects Hillary, but I remember him being very adversarial to Bill Clinton during his presidency. He almost voted to convict him in the impeachment trial too.

[anigbrowl]

47. I'm not surprised - I think he had to, given his reputation

although he could have said that we was going to vote the same way his state did, he knows people will judge his vote in the light of his past. I'm glad he did the right thing by setting a positive example.

[dionysus]

52. flamebait fail...

[WildClarySage]

53. Robert Byrd's past

is just that- his past. I have used the N-word before, when I was young and stupid and didn't know better- when I was surrounded by peers and adults who used the word themselves and nobody considered it unusual. When I grew up and was removed from that environment by moving to WV, I discovered that I was, in fact, a racist and had never known it. I was shocked at myself when I was far enough away from who I had been. I didn't know any different.

Now that I do, I have made it a point to embrace diversity. I've shunned stereotyping as much as I can and refuse to use hateful language. More importantly, I will call others on it when I hear them use it.

Robert Byrd is a human being who has a history of racism who has denounced the racist attitudes that he once held. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a man of his generation to admit he was wrong? Not only does his endorsement of Obama reiterate his commitment to putting racism behind him, it sets a marvelous example for his constituency. And his endorsement carries a lot of weight around these parts, where Byrd is practically third in line behind Jesus.

[genna]

56. Accepting Byrd's endorsement is one thing, his past behavior is along the same lines

I would say this has more to do with political expediency than it has to do with ardent belief.

These superdelegates who have endorsed in the last couple/few weeks are accepting the political landscape.

The ones who held together throughout the Rev. Wright media barrage and came aboard during the biggest possible shift (ie. Bill Richardson) showed a hell of a lot more courage and belief than Byrd.



ALSO, what does dissecting the word white n*gger have to do with this endorsement? The word wigger is just as much a slur together and it is separated.

The people who use the word to describe white children are not giving them a compliment. It means they got too close to those black kids.

Byrd bandying that word about with his long history does not make him seem like a reformed segregationist. It just makes him more tolerant comparatively.



Endorsing Obama has to be taken into account for someone with a long group of historical words and deeds. I'm sure autobiographer will appreciate the fact that it hasn't been all bad. His Iraqi protests make him look better too, but the sum total of a person's life experience is never limited to one moment.

NT!

[mrreowwr_kittty]

62. Byrd voted against the IWR. Your candidate voted for it.

Racial slurs, as offensive as they are, pale in comparison to a willingness to bomb brown people without bothering to fully research why you are doing it.

[NashVegas]

64. Even Better

Why don't you tell the kids who the "white n____r" comment was interpreted to be about?

[bullwinkle428]

68. I'm sure Sean Hannity will devote a segment of his show to this topic,

given his obsession with Byrd...because we all know how VERY CONCERNED Hannity is on the topic of race!

[muryan]

69. If he had endorsed Clinton, you wouldn't have a problem with it

In fact, you would cite it as Obama's new "white" problem. Can we please stop with the foolishness?

[IndianaJones]

70. search my username and Robert Byrd. nt

[Catherina]

71. Byrd apologized profusely for that and explained he joined as a young man

trying to get ahead because that's how it worked back then. He never engaged in any hate crimes.

I'm able to cut some slack to people who grew up in Byrd's paleolithic era and used those organizations for political advancement but today's racists have NO excuse.

Catch up to the 21st century IndianaJones! Robert Byrd apologized and had the fucking balls to vote against a racist war against those dark Ayrabs.

God are you ever dense.

[Catherina]

72. Robery Byrd - PETA's Person of the Year

Senator Who Was Once a Meat Cutter Praised for Giving Animals a Voice

For Immediate Release:
December 26, 2007

Contact:
Matt Rice 757-622-7382

Washington -- For his passionate defense of animals throughout six decades of public service, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) has today been named PETA's Person of the Year. The senior senator, who was a meat cutter in his youth, has evolved into a tireless advocate for improving legal protection for animals, including animals who are slaughtered for food. The following are a few of Byrd's many efforts in behalf of animals:

* When the Michael Vick scandal broke, Byrd made a stirring 24-minute speech on the Senate floor condemning dogfighting as "barbaric."

* In a hearing to determine how to prevent a reoccurrence of 2007's massive pet-food recall that may have killed hundreds of cats and dogs, Byrd said, "Our pets are our companions, our soul mates, and our hedge against emotional turmoil."

* In 2005, Byrd coauthored the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which prohibits the transport, purchase, and sale of horses for human consumption. The bill was publicly supported by PETA ally and singer Willie Nelson. Byrd also introduced a bill that would prohibit the commercial sale and slaughter of wild horses and burros.

* In 2002, Byrd led an effort to convince the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide $5 million--a record amount--for improving enforcement of the Humane Slaughter Act.

* In 2001, Byrd gave a moving oration in defense of a bill addressing cruelty to farmed animals, saying, "Our inhumane treatment of livestock is becoming widespread and more and more barbaric. Six-hundred-pound hogs--they were pigs at one time--raised in 2-foot-wide metal cages called gestation crates, in which the poor beasts are unable to turn around or lie down in natural positions, and this way they live for months at a time. ... These creatures feel; they know pain. They suffer pain just as we humans suffer pain."

"Sen. Byrd is never shy about making his strong belief in the importance of animal protection heard," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Much animal suffering has been alleviated thanks to Sen. Byrd, and this year we are proud to honor him for giving a voice to the voiceless."


For more information about PETA, please visit PETA.org.

Note: PETA does not support or oppose any candidate for public office or any political party.

http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=10694

Senator Byrd. You rock for this and for standing against the war.

[theboss]

73. So....do you think Byrd is racist against white people?

I'm not really sure what your point is?

[Bensthename]

77. Byrd gives thumbs up to fellow racist considering Obama..

I guess that is good.. :shrug:

[Terri S]

78. What is wrong with people?

Does something a person does in his twenties outweigh his entire life? This man was one of the few coherent voices pre-Iraq war --- in case everyone has forgotten...

US Senator Robert Byrd
Wednesday ~ March 19, 2003
Speech delivered on the floor of the US Senate


Today, I Weep for my Country...

I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marveled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great Republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength.

But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.

Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.

We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat UN Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split.

After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe.

The case this Administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence. We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice.

There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11. The twin towers fell because a world-wide terrorist group, Al Qaeda, with cells in over 60 nations, struck at our wealth and our influence by turning our own planes into missiles, one of which would likely have slammed into the dome of this beautiful Capitol except for the brave sacrifice of the passengers on board.

The brutality seen on September 11th and in other terrorist attacks we have witnessed around the globe are the violent and desperate efforts by extremists to stop the daily encroachment of western values upon their cultures. That is what we fight. It is a force not confined to borders. It is a shadowy entity with many faces, many names, and many addresses.

But, this Administration has directed all of the anger, fear, and grief which emerged from the ashes of the twin towers and the twisted metal of the Pentagon towards a tangible villain, one we can see and hate and attack. And villain he is. But, he is the wrong villain. And this is the wrong war. If we attack Saddam Hussein, we will probably drive him from power. But, the zeal of our friends to assist our global war on terrorism may have already taken flight.

The general unease surrounding this war is not just due to "orange alert." There is a pervasive sense of rush and risk and too many questions unanswered. How long will we be in Iraq? What will be the cost? What is the ultimate mission? How great is the danger at home?

A pall has fallen over the Senate Chamber. We avoid our solemn duty to debate the one topic on the minds of all Americans, even while scores of thousands of our sons and daughters faithfully do their duty in Iraq.

What is happening to this country? When did we become a nation which ignores and berates our friends? When did we decide to risk undermining international order by adopting a radical and doctrinaire approach to using our awesome military might? How can we abandon diplomatic efforts when the turmoil in the world cries out for diplomacy?

Why can this President not seem to see that America's true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire?

War appears inevitable. But, I continue to hope that the cloud will lift. Perhaps Saddam will yet turn tail and run. Perhaps reason will somehow still prevail. I along with millions of Americans will pray for the safety of our troops, for the innocent civilians in Iraq, and for the security of our homeland. May God continue to bless the United States of America in the troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which for the present eludes us.

=========

Reason did not prevail. The Iraqi people are paying for that. Our troops are paying for that. The world, I fear, will be paying for that for a long time to come. The man did some stupid things when he was young. So did I. So did you, I'd be willing to bet. But Robert Byrd has more than made up for his youthful ignorance in the totality of his life. If nothing else, his voice could have saved 4,000+ American lives and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi lives.

[Azathoth]

80. self-delete

n/t

[Dinger]

81. No Shit

[MadBadger]

82. And he endorsed the black man

So whats your point?

[ecstatic]

83. I'm sorry. Does concern about racism bother you?

Poor poor troll.

[barack the house]

86. So you would much prefer his endorsement then. Byrd is a very good friend of Obama.

What should be asked is more why Hillary does not have similar support of co-workers.