June 26, 2014

"He’s like the Tennessee River... He flows right down the middle."

Goodbye to Howard Baker Jr.

11 comments:

The Drill SGT said...

Classy guy.

"What did the President know and when did he know it".

There certainly aren't any Senate Dems willing to play that role today.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

RIP. I had just mention him on a tweet, two days ago, lamenting the disappearance of his kind.

David said...

Almost Former President Howard Baker.

RIP.

Curious George said...

"The Drill SGT said...

"What did the President know and when did he know it".

There certainly aren't any Senate Dems willing to play that role today."

Today? Have there ever been?

Michael said...

Rest in Peace, Howard Baker.

tim in vermont said...

OMG we need his like now.

victoria said...

I absolutely adored him


Vicki from Pasadena

TheCrankyProfessor said...

I found out from the article that he was almost Supreme Court Justice Baker. That would have been interesting!

The NYT touches on, but don't really understand, how Mr. Baker was the thin edge of the Republican wedge - he was the first Republican to win state-wide office in Tennessee since Reconstruction. His incredible NICENESS as well as his ability to make his moderate positions sound conservative did a LOT to bring around the New Solid South. He himself grew up in a county that tried to secede from Tennessee over secession from the Union - his grandmother was a living witness to that part! But for those of us who grew up Republican in the South 50-40 years ago Howard Baker was a beacon. Not exactly an ideological firebrand - but that something could change.

David said...

He had a hand in Al Gore's loss of home state Tennessee in the 2000 election. For that the nation, and the Democratic party, can be eternally grateful.

Why the Democratic party? Imagine Al Gore as President on September 11, 2001.

tim in vermont said...

You see, Al would have prevented 911 because he would have gotten the PDB with the title "bin Laden determined to strike in the US" and he would have..... Hmmmm. Locked up all Arabs in internment camps? What? What could he have done had he read that PDB?

Larry J said...

The Drill SGT said...
Classy guy.

"What did the President know and when did he know it".

There certainly aren't any Senate Dems willing to play that role today.


Which explains why I will never vote for a Democrat again.