Once Upon a Time

I came across this today as I was perusing internet news and thought it was outstanding and worthy of sharing. It says so much about what we have lost as a nation in terms of our political parties ethics of working together for the common concern. This was left as a comment on a video by David Broder.

Once upon a time there were giants in the GOP:

"In poor health, drained from working fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen-hour days, Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois spoke quietly. Twice he gulped pills handed him by a Senate page. In his massive left hand, he held a 12-page speech he had typed the night before on Senate stationery .

"I have had but one purpose," Dirksen intoned, "and that was the enactment of a good, workable, equitable, practical bill having due regard for the progress made in the civil rights field at the state and local level."

He warned his colleagues that "we dare not temporize with the issue which is before us. It is essentially moral in character. It must be resolved. It will not go away. It's time has come." He quoted Victor Hugo, the historian and French philosopher who, on the night he died, entered these words in his diary: "stronger than all the armies is an idea whose time has come."
Dirksen declared, "The time has come for equality of opportunity in sharing of government, in education, and in employment. It must not be stayed or denied. It is here!" His last words were these: "I appeal to all Senators. We are confronted with a moral issue. Today let us not be found wanting in whatever it takes by way of moral and spiritual substance to face up to the issue and to vote cloture."

Never in history had the Senate been able to muster enough votes to cut off a filibuster on a civil rights bill. And only once in the thirty-seven years since 1927 had it agreed to cloture for any measure. This filibuster had gone on for 534 hours. The clerk proceeded to call the roll at 11:00 a.m.

At 11:15 a.m., Republican Senator John Williams of Delaware replied "aye" to the question. It was the 67th vote; cloture had passed by a vote of 71 to 29. The final count showed 44 Democrats and 27 Republicans voting for cloture with 23 Democrats - 20 from the South -- and only 6 Republicans opposed.”

Everett Dirksen had single handedly delivered the Republican votes necessary to pass Lyndon Johnson's civil rights bill.
...and so the Civil Rights Act came to the floor for a vote and passed.

....truly Country before Party - The GOP supported Lyndon Johnson’s civil rights bill and Lyndon Johnson went against Southern Democrats knowing he was writing off the South for generations.

Where are those GOP giants today?? The dearth of such men is what is wrong with modern Republicanism.

Posted by: toritto | November 1, 2008 1:54 PM | Report abuse