Posted on 01/04/2015 11:27:04 AM PST by Olog-hai
Sen. Jay Rockefeller and West Virginia were an odd mix at first—a Harvard-educated native New Yorker from one of the nation’s richest families arriving in one of the poorest states.
Through a half century of public service, he made it work. And as he heads into retirement as the last member of the Rockefeller family dynasty in political office—and the only Democrat—the five-term U.S. senator leaves a blueprint for fighting to fix real-life problems for burdened families and to protect the nation’s coal miners. […]
Rockefeller was the state’s junior senator for 25 years, yet carved his own path of influence in Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s immense shadow. Byrd died in 2010 as the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, winning an enduring reputation for steering billions of dollars over many decades to boost his impoverished state. …
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But is he taking his AR-15 with him?
“Public service” translation personal benefit through a non job and corruption.
Well, bye.
Wasn’t there another Rockefeller in Arkansas?
Who the hell wrote this piece of garbage? The same one that is slobbering all over Cuomo’s filthy legacy?
If you have enough money you can buy anybody.
The communist wing of the Rockefeller family. Don’t let the door hit ya .
30 years in office and he's leaving a blueprint behind to "fix real-life" problems. Sounds like he never opened it in those 30 years or his plans failed spectacularly. I guess there's some restroom at the Capitol that needs toilet paper, at least the blueprint would get some use.
Hey, he landed in a State where they only voted democratic and the going rate was $10 a vote. He had the money, so he took advantage.
Mr. Rockefeller's (liberal legacy).....and those of most of his fellow liberals i.e., The Progressive Party of The U.S.A.
Good riddance. Now, who are the people of the mountain state going to put in his place?
Bush’s fault? (inside baseball comment)
Good riddance! What do we have to show for his years in office?
It probably was cheaper to buy a Senate seat in West Virginia than one of those hoighty-toighty states.
The EPA has been paid off.
Cause NITRO West Virginia is about as polluted as it gets and they keep allowing it to happen.
Rockefeller was born “retired.”
Let's translate into reality:
Sen. Jay Rockefeller and West Virginia were an odd mix at first
He was and is a carpetbagger.
a Harvard-educated native New Yorker from one of the nation’s richest families arriving in one of the poorest states.
To repeat: a carpetbagger.
Through a half century of public service, he made it work.
He made it work...for him. Little has changed in or for the state he purports to represent. His infrequent visits to WV involved the usual rubber-chicken circuit in which he promised to 'fight' for coal mining without ever defining the terms of combat or the end goal. He softsoaped seniors and other dole recipients with promises of increases - but such increases were tied to inflation, CPI, etc. and were more or less automatic with or without Jay Rockefeller.
And as he heads into retirement as the last member of the Rockefeller family dynasty in political office
Buying politicians was less efficient and less of a guarantee of results than buying offices outright.
—and the only Democrat—the five-term U.S. senator leaves a blueprint for fighting to fix real-life problems for burdened families and to protect the nation’s coal miners.
Pure fantasy. Coal is on its last legs, besieged by the coastal environmentalist elites who think windmills are a substitute for BTU content. Coal has been targeted by Rockefeller's party comrade and current president.
The only 'protection' involving Rockefeller and coal miners were the dues paid to a corrupt union who in turn bankrolled a corrupt senator who didn't really need the money but would accept it anyway. These same miners, acting on union orders, cast their votes for Barack Obama, a man they wouldn't trust to take $2 to the store to buy a loaf of bread.
Rockefeller was the state’s junior senator for 25 years, yet carved his own path of influence in Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s immense shadow.
Byrd openly looted the public treasury to build monuments to himself throughout the state and to move, for no good reason then or now, entire departments and offices out of DC to WV. Rockefeller had to be a bit more subtle but there was definitely influence involved - but not the kind the writer implies.
Naturally, such a shameless apple-polishing article will not mention Rockefeller's brazen, constant attempts to undermine George W. Bush and the Iraq War and the War on Terror by leaking vast quantities of classified intelligence data. It was treason, pure and simple, for any American to act in such a manner but for a US Senator it was a violation of his oath of office and unambiguous grounds for impeachment and removal.
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