Wednesday, May 24, 2006

His Boots Are Empty

Former Senator and Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen died yesterday at the age of 85. Too bad there is no one left to fill his boots. People here in Texas, Democrat and Republican alike, all say he was a good man. A classic Southern Democrat he was strong minded fiscally and financially. After all it was his work as the first Treasury Secretary in the Clinton administration that brought about the balanced budget. Anyone able to do that now? He was also committed to civil rights. He will obviously be remembered for dashing Dan Quayle's chances to become President by saying Quayle was no Jack Kennedy. Those in politics should learn some lessons from him, but his boots are too big to fill.

3 comments:

cube said...

I heard about this yesterday. I must admit I was saddened a bit. He had more integrity than the Democrats of today.

Duez said...

I can't say that I am super excited about the prospects of a Democrat revival in Texas. When you look at the gerrymandering that was done with the map... it might never happen again.

But, with the way guys like DeLay, Hastert, Abramoff, Ley, Cunningham... (the list goes on) have discraced the republican party... it gives me hope of a revival nationally in this year's election and in 2008.

I just can't see Hilary yet as the candidate. I still think someone that didn't vote for the war has a better chance. Many are starting to think Al Gore could make a huge comeback? But, more likely Dems could decide to go with a safer pick. We'll have to see.

Oh and Dan Quayle kinda shot himself in the foot time and time again. P-O-T-A...

Tom Harper said...

I wonder if Dan Quayle made any public statement expressing regret over Bentsen's death. Whatever his public statements were, his private thoughts must have been totally different. Quayle was so humiliated during that 1988 debate, he's probably spent hundreds of hours reliving it and thinking "I shoud've said..." and "why didn't I say..."

I never knew much about Bentsen. It seemed like he was considered a sleazy wheeler-dealer back in the '70s and '80s, but everything is relative. He was Ward Cleaver compared to the lowlifes in Congress now.