Strom Thurmond RIP

[KRSESQ]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/06/26/thurmond.obit/index.html

Love him or hate him, he was a character.

Best line of the day: "They're going to play REO Speedwagon at his funeral: Riding The Strom Out."

(Sorry. Not my joke.)

Kevin

[Dr Mordrid]

He certainly changed with the times, moving from being a racial segregationist back in the 40's to being the first Senator to hire blacks in his office and management staff.

His voting record also followed this change in that he voted for Martin Luther King's birthday as a holiday and for a lot of social legislation one would never have expected him to support 30 years ago. In his last re-election effort in 1996 Thurmond perplexed Democrats by getting 22%+ of the black vote, amazing for a Republican candidate in itself, but even more so given his past history.

He definitely did live and learn....

Not to mention that until his retirement late last year he was President Pro Tempore of the Senate, putting him third in line for the Presidency at the age of 99; a position he held for 13 of the past 22 years.

Dr. Mordrid

[paulcs]

Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
He certainly changed with the times, moving from being a racial segregationist back in the 40's to being the first Senator to hire blacks in his office and management staff.

[snip]

He was actually one of the first southern senators to hire a black aid (in 1971). He was by no means the first senator with African American staff. There was already an African American with a seat in the Senate in 1971. You may be thinking of a political appointment he made in 1950 while governor.

The first African American US senator was Hiram R. Reveis, who briefly held Jefferson Davis' old seat (1870-71). The second, Blanche Kelso Bruce, was also from Mississippi (1875-81). That, of course, was during reconstruction. I believe first African American elected to the Senate by popular vote was Edward W. Brook of Massachusetts (1967-79).

In 1957, he staged a one man filibuster of record length. He took steam baths to dehydrate himself, so he wouldn't have to go to the bathroom, and he did not yield the floor for 24 hours and 18 minutes. All in an effort to block what I believe was the first civil rights bill since 1875.

In fairness, he had been back and forth on race since the Forties. Maybe before. He seemed to despise Kluxers and Nazis, but would eventually claim integration was part of a communist plot. Like many segregationists, he claimed his opposition to integration was based upon the philosophy of states rights, but his rhetoric was extremely racially charged.

And despite his conservatism, there was some romancing of junior staff as well.

Lester Maddox and Strom Thurmond in a single week. The devil must be sharpening his pitchfork.

Paul

[Gurm]

The devil must be sharpening his pitchfork.

Ayuh.

There is some indication that his racism persisted until his dying days, regardless of his voting history. He was a politician - they vote for whatever they need to vote for to get re-elected... something "ol' incontinence" was exceptionally good at.

- Gurm