RIP 2010

[scaeagles]

I always doubted his true repentance. He was using the N word in interviews....how along ago? Maybe 5-6 years? I forget exactly how long ago. He also has said he primary reason for joining the KKK in 1943 was their anti-communist stance.....I find that unlikely because at that point the commies were our allies in WWII. Even though he said he lost interest in it a year or so later, he was in leadership, and still voted agains the 1964 civil rights act.

Definitely political motivations. I personally believe the man was a racist through and through and never could quite understand why he was held in such high regard.

[flippyshark]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I always doubted his true repentance. He was using the N word in interviews....how along ago? Maybe 5-6 years? I forget exactly how long ago. He also has said he primary reason for joining the KKK in 1943 was their anti-communist stance.....I find that unlikely because at that point the commies were our allies in WWII. Even though he said he lost interest in it a year or so later, he was in leadership, and still voted agains the 1964 civil rights act.

Definitely political motivations. I personally believe the man was a racist through and through and never could quite understand why he was held in such high regard.

There is no question that he was motivated by fear and racism back in the day, and I share your doubts about his motivations for joining up with the Klan. He recanted repeatedly, and honestly, it doesn't much matter whether he meant it or not. He got in it for bad reasons and said and wrote things that rightly plagued him the rest of his days. His more recent comments, as Alex mentioned, were apparently meant to raise consciousness, but they were clumsy and probably a bad idea. I have never met anyone who thought Byrd blameless and totally wonderful. His history has always caused deep misgivings for me.

If you are really wondering why he was held in high esteem, well, go and read something other than the Washington Post. Even his Wikipedia entry will make clear why. He doggedly championed his views, which were sometimes conservative and sometimes liberal, so lots of people can say he was right some of the time.