The Senate's Senator: Robert Byrd

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This post originally ran on Nov. 19, 2009, in honor of Senator Robert C. Byrd's long tenure with the U.S. Senate. Byrd died early this morning at the age of 92. YPNation is sharing this piece again as a tribute to this influential and unwavering congressional mainstay.
 
On Wednesday, Nov. 18,  2009, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia became the longest serving member in Congressional history, overtaking Arizona's Carl Hayden. Although I can hardly claim to be an avid follower of Byrd's policies, I admire the man for his philosophical consistency, especially when it comes to preserving the sovereign integrity of the Senate.
 
Unfortunately, Senators like Byrd are a dying breed. I am talking about the individuals who are not just willing to extend a hand across the aisle, but who are also stoic defenders of the Senate's sovereignty and the principles laid out in the constitution.
 
It's hard to imagine a senator other than Byrd who would be willing to confront a president from the same party and lambaste him for exceeding his constitutional authority, as he did when President Obama appointed his various policy czars without confirmation hearings. Obviously, as expected, there was a great deal of opposition from the Republicans, but apart from Byrd most Democrats did little more than shrug their shoulders.
 
Now that's not to say this is only indicative of a supine Democratic Party --recall the manner in which the GOP rolled over for former President George W. Bush when the Executive accumulated near unprecedented powers in the absence of an official declaration of war. Byrd, citing the constitution, stood up for the Senate when very few others had the political spine to do so. And, before it became fashionable, Byrd refused to kowtow to Bush over Iraq, when many of his Democratic colleagues appeared hell bent on demonstrating their hawkish side. He was obviously more than happy to remind Code Pink of this fact.
 
Sure, to many his propensity to nitpick and lecture his colleagues on parliamentary decorum and procedure can seem a little anachronistic and persnickety. On the other hand, it demonstrates a member's love and respect for the chamber, and the procedures and traditions that have stood the test of time. For Byrd, representatives don't have to respect each other's politics per se, but they should be prepared to respect the chamber in which they serve--and why shouldn't they?
 
Following the death of Ted Kennedy, I asked a good friend of mine a hypothetical question: If the U.S. government appropriated land for a new Senate staff building, could he think of a member of the upper house worthy of having his or her name adorn the facade? With Russell, Hart and Dirksen already taken, the only other name we both agreed on was Byrd. This wasn't because there have been three noteworthy Senators with the surname Byrd in the last century, but because not since Everett Dirksen has the upper house witnessed an individual who has consistently defended the Senate's constitutional integrity.
 
56 years, 321 days and counting. Long may that last.
 
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