Best Senator from Minnesota?

[elperromagico]

It occurred to me the other day that Minnesota has been blessed with at least four truly great, progressive-minded Senators. Who do you think was the best?

[JohnKleeb]

1. oh damn you John

So hard to pick. What can I say, I like them all. I'll probably vote for Wellstone since I know him the best of the bunch. Now name me one liberal Virginian senator, hah, cant name a single one, thast because we have never had one, Robb was a good guy but not even in the same league as these guys.

[elperromagico]

3. Heh - Harry Flood Byrd.

Oh wait. He was a racist fuck.

Hell, even Arkansas had Fulbright, Bumpers, and Pryor. Poor Virginia. :(

What about James Monroe? He was a Senator from Virginia. :)

[JohnKleeb]

6. Monroe?

Yeah and Harry Flood Byrd highway is in the next town over. Yeah Fulbright, Clinton's hero. Need I remind you that your state has voted for a dem president in my life time as well, we havent done that since '64 and even then it had been a while, because Virginia voted Ike twice and Nixon in '60.

[elperromagico]

10. Virginia's close this year.

It might not go for Kerry this year, but it could be in play in 2008 (when I hope Kerry is seeking a second term as President).

I think Arkansas is slightly less conservative than the rest of the South, in part because when we did elect a Republican governor in the 60s (Rockefeller), he was a pro-civil rights progressive. In order to get back into office, the Democrats had to run a progressive of their own (Bumpers). But that's just my theory.

[JohnKleeb]

14. Well you know where I live is key to victory

I see Kerry gear everywhre. You're right about your state, the governor who opposed integration in Little Rock, Orval Falbus ran on a pretty progressive platform for a southern governor but he became pro segeration to win higher support. The northern part of Arkansas I hear has always been republican, and when the state suceeded from the union, it wanted no part in that, and I hear the state as a whole was reluctant to do so. Now Virginia was reluctant to suceed to but the confederate capital was here after all, and we started going to the GOP as early as 1952 and I think Dewey had a nice showing here too.

[elperromagico]

18. Faubus went pro-segregation because it gave him a campaign issue

in 1958. Claimed he was just trying to keep the peace. I've never thought much of him as a governor, quite frankly. I've always thought more of Winthrop Rockefeller (one of the few Republicans I'll admit to admiring). He was the only Southern governor to hold a memorial service after MLK Jr's death. That may not sound like much now, but at the time, that was quite a gesture.

[JohnKleeb]

21. well you know there are some republicans I admire

hell ironically enough my union hero was a republican, John L Lewis but he supported democrats mostly. Didnt know that he did, that does say a lot about him. Well that family has become democratic, is Wintrop, Jay's father? or uncle, I know Nelson was Jay's uncle. Nelson Rockefeller wasnt so bad either except on drug issues, Ive heard about the Rockefeller laws in NY.

[elperromagico]

24. Winthrop is Jay's uncle.

Jay is John D. Rockfeller III's son.
Winthrop's son, Win Paul, is Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas.

The other big mistake Nelson made, IMO, was in the handling of the Attica State prison riot. I also think 1964 would have been a far more interesting election (and less of a rout for LBJ) if Rockefeller had been the GOP nominee. It also might have saved the Republicans from the web of conservatism for several elections.

In fact, I've read that LBJ favored Rockefeller as a successor, even over Humphrey. Of course, LBJ was a jackass to Humphrey most of the time, using him when it was convenient - much like he used most people in his political life.

[WI_DEM]

4. my guess is that younger folk will go with Paul

and I don't blame them--he became the conscience of the Democratic party during the 80's and 90's.

But this observer of Minnesota politics will go with Hubert. He was another conscience of the democratic party on a national level since his famous speech on the civil rights plank at the Democratic convention in 1948--a plank which was ultimatley adopted. He was the point man who got the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 passed in the Senate.
He actually, not JFK, was the originator of the Peace Corp. He fought many a good fight during his initial terms in the Senate, 1948-1965 and then again 1971-1978. He saw much of what he proposed ultimately become legislation.

[Fleshdancer]

2. I'm jealous of Minnesotans for having so many to choose from

Too bad they have Coleman right now.

Oh, I voted for Wellstone by the way...I still love and miss that man.

[Hawkeye-X]

5. I was in Minnesota in all of May

and they told me that Coleman is a fat fuck.

[SaveElmer]

7. Humphrey by far

Wellstone was a great man...and it's easy to vote for him as he is fresh in our minds...but think of what Humphrey accomplished...Civil Rights legislation, Peace Corps was his idea, it was Humphreys speech at the 1948 convention that turned the democrats away from being states rights focused, cleaned the mob out of Minneapolis when he was mayor...among many other things. A historans ranking a number of years ago ranked him as one of the top 5 Senators in history...along with Clay, Webster, Calhoun, and ahead of LBJ (I'll try and find a reference for this)

[JohnKleeb]

9. Humphrey was indeed great

I believe it was him who said, "Democrats need to get out of the darkness of states rights and in to the sunshine of human rights", that was HHH right? Wasn't Humphrey only 37 when he made that speech in 1948 as well?

[SaveElmer]

11. You got it

It was at that point that Strom Thurmond and the rest of the future Dixiecrats walked out

[JohnKleeb]

15. yeah, glad we lost em

Very sad that Thurmond ended up outliving Humphrey by 25 years.

[elperromagico]

12. He was the youngest mayor of Minneapolis at the time.

Yes, you've got all your facts right. It was one of Humphrey's greatest speeches (and he made a lot of great speeches). I saw his 1964 acceptance speech for the VP slot, and was just floored by his power as a speaker. C-SPAN will be running his '68 acceptance speech sometime this week, and I hope I get the chance to see that too.

[JohnKleeb]

16. history nerd to the limit heh, my research really helps

He was mayor at that time, didnt know that. Ive been liking the old conventions on CSPAN2, its like ESPN classic heh, only politics of old.

[elperromagico]

19. Yes, he was mayor.

You ought to read Robert Caro's third book about LBJ, Master of the Senate. It has a section dealing with Hubert Humphrey's speech at the '48 convention and his subsequent election (in a landslide against a popular incumbent) to the US Senate.

Humphrey had a hard time in the Senate; he was snubbed by most Senators and openly badmouthed by others. Alben Barkley (Truman's VP) made a horrible crack about him, playing on the names of two other Minnesota senators: "Minnesota is a great state. First they send us their Ball, then they send us their Thye, and now they send us their goddamned ass."

[JohnKleeb]

22. my eyes will kill me if I read that much

hah, I am reading Gulag and Tour of Duty now, but I'll be sure to pick that one up. On a second note, do you know what state McClelland of the McClelland hearings was from? out of curiousity.

[elperromagico]

23. John McClellan?

That would be Arkansas. Arkansas had two of the most powerful Senators in the Senate: McClellan and Fulbright. It also had Wilbur Mills in the House, head of the powerful Ways and Means Committee.

[SammyBlue]

8. Unfortunately, here in Arizona

We have two John assholes. John McCain and Jon Kyl.

I'm glad the two Johns I support are 1 million times better than the two Johns up for election every six years here in Arizona.

At least we have the Udalls, the Babbitts and the Bashas.

BTW, Napalitano RULES!!!!

[AlFrankenFan]

13. Minnesota has been blessed with wonderful Senators

Because he is my hero, I believe Paul Wellstone to be my favorite :)

[mac56]

17. I loved Paul Wellstone. Always will.

But he would have voted for Hubert in this poll!

[mzmolly]

20. I respect them all for various reasons. I won't choose.

:hi: