The proposal by Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to rename the Russell Senate Office building in honor of his late U.S. Senate colleague John McCain isn't the first time some have called for scratching the name of U.S. Sen. Richard B. Russell from what was once known as the Old Senate Office Building on Constitution Avenue in D.C.
Several initiatives have been launched over the last few decades, only to fall on deaf ears in the change-averse Senate. One of the most recent back-and-forths suggests one way the upcoming debate could shake out in the months ahead.
In 2015, Syracuse University professor David Bennett and his son Matt Bennett, co-founder of the left-leaning think tank Third Way, called for renaming the Russell building in honor of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., who had died six years earlier.
In an op-ed in the Washington Post, the Bennetts argued Russell's legacy as an arch-segregationist made him "unworthy." They wrote:
Russell not only filibustered civil rights legislation for decades, he twice proposed a bill of his own for a federal commission that would relocate Africa- Americans living in the South to other parts of the United States. His core legislative legacy was built on massive resistance to racial equality.
(Russell's "relocation" proposal in 1964 was an unserious -- yet highly insensitive -- rhetorical flourish intended to underline the hypocrisy of those demanding the South change its segregationist ways.)
RELATED: Who is the Russell Senate Building named for?
Nonetheless, a week after the Bennett suggestion, Russell's former press secretary weighed in with the counter argument.
Milledgeville native Powell Moore would go on to work on the White House staff of Presidents Nixon, Ford and Reagan. Moore died just this month. A memorial service was held Saturday in Milledgeville.
In that 2015 reply, Moore said that even though the former Georgia governor “inherited” the stain of segregation, the rest of his accomplishments, from national defense to school lunches, spoke for themselves:
"The factor that separated Russell from other senators was his exceptional trustworthiness. His colleagues knew they could rely on his integrity, patriotism, intellect, knowledge, diligence and sense of honor. He was revered in the Senate.
Over the weekend, as several senators began lining themselves up behind Schumer’s proposals, we also saw Russell’s defenders starting to rev up their defense.
Former Georgia congressman Buddy Darden, who knew both McCain and Russell and serves on the board of the Russell B. Russell Foundation, said it would be "unwise" to rename the building "without a lot of careful thought and consideration."
“I for one don’t believe in tearing down every monument and trying to change the past,” he said.
McCain had many friends on Capitol Hill, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who more than anyone else will decide the fate of Schumer’s resolution. But so did Russell, who is widely viewed as one of the most powerful senators in U.S. history.
This is what separates Russell from the likes of former Gov. Eugene Talmadge, who has a bridge in Savannah named after him, to the consternation of many local residents.
Russell’s support was crucial to the establishment of the federal school lunch program and the interstate highway system. He is one of the reasons that Lockheed-Martin has a factory in Marietta.
But yes, Russell has come to symbolize the Southern establishment opposition to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. In the 2016 biopic "LBJ," Russell became the crucial foil for President Johnson, played by Woody Harrelson, as he sought passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Watch a clip here:
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Jamie DuPree of WSB Radio sends word (and photographic proof) that the U.S. flag was raised to full staff over the White House this morning, presumably evidence of President Donald Trump's reluctance to join in the mourning over the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The flag over the U.S. Capitol, Dupree notes, is at half staff. Same at the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Washington Post reports that Trump nixed issuing a statement in praise of McCain's life, issuing instead a Tweeted condolence to family members. Republicans in Georgia uniformly praised McCain over the weekend, but they are beyond primary season. On Arizona's GOP campaign trail, McCain is a pariah in the primary contest to replace U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake.
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Here's what we know of the week's schedule regarding services for the late U.S. Sen. John McCain:
Wednesday: A private ceremony at the state capitol, followed by public viewing from 1 to 8 p.m. local time. Former Vice President Joe Biden will deliver the eulogy.
Thursday: A 10 a.m. funeral service in Phoenix.
Friday: McCain's body will be flown to Andrews military base in Maryland, then will be taken to the U.S. Capitol.
Saturday: A 10 a.m. service at the Washington National Cathedral. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama will deliver eulogies.
Sunday: Burial at the the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
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In an interview with Doug Richards of 11Alive, Georgia first lady Sandra Deal hints she could be Exhibit A in a test of the impact President Donald Trump has had among women voters:
"I'm an independent voter in some ways but I'm basically a Republican," she said. Asked if she voted for Donald Trump for president in 2016, she laughed. "You can ask me but I won't answer you."
"I vote my conscience. I don't even tell Nathan who I vote for," she added.
Mrs. Deal says she has gotten to know Brian Kemp, the Republican nominee for governor, and Stacey Abrams, the Democrat. "I like both of them. I think they're both fine people," she said. "And I think they'll both do a good job. So I feel pretty good about the possibility for the state."
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Word is going around that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will announce details today about the administration's aid package for farmers hurt by President Trump's trade war with China and other nations.
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As we posted over the weekend, the state Democratic convention, held in downtown Atlanta on Saturday, was the largest and clearly most energetic the party has enjoyed in years. Some highlights:
-- It was so large and so energetic that party officials decided not to draw delegates into any fight over a Democratic platform that hasn't been updated since 2011. Some issues have changed, others – such as voting rights protections – need to be added, members of the platform committee noted. Even so, it was decided to tackle the job after the Nov. 6 election.
-- Fred Swann, who faces Republican incumbent Gary Black in the race for state agriculture commissioner, identified rural food deserts – which require a 45-minute drive for a quart of milk, as one of his issues: "Want good health care? Start with food access."
But he also gave us something that will need exploration. Said Swann:
"There's one thing many people don't know about me. I have been dealing with my own diagnosis with autism, and with my own children's autism."
-- The two Democratic candidates for the state Public Service Commission gave rousing introductions of themselves. Dawn Randolph, who faces GOP incumbent Tricia Pridemore, noted that she won more Democratic votes in the May 22 primary than anyone other than gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams.
She made this reference to the never-ending cost increases afflicting those two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle: “I’m tired of being used as a blank check,” Randolph said.
Democrat Lindy Miller faces Republican incumbent Chuck Eaton in her PSC race. Something we didn’t know about Miller: Her mom and dad were anti-apartheid activists who moved to the U.S. from South Africa. “I see families that are forced to choose whether to turn on the air conditioning or put food on the table,” Miller said. “Georgia today has the third-highest [utility] bills in the nation. Yeah, our rates are low – but are bills are high.”
As we’ve point out before, neither Democrat called for Georgia Power to walk away from its massive nuclear project, which currently employs 7,000 workers. Wandering the halls outside the convention, we came upon Ben Meyer, a retired IBEW leader and current chair of Sixth District Democrats. I asked him how many of those Vogtle workers were union members.
Ultimately, 100 percent will be, Meyer said.
-- Charlie Bailey, running against Republican incumbent Chris Carr, unloaded the harshest personal attack. Said Bailey:
"My opponent, he's a nice guy. I think I'm a really nice guy. But unfortunately, that's not a qualification to be attorney general. My opponent has never prosecuted a traffic ticket. He's never tried a case. He's never argued a motion in front of a judge, he hasn't practiced law in 17 years. If your grandmother, if your niece, if your favorite cousin needed an attorney, would you ever – in your right mind – hire an attorney who had never tried a case or practiced law in 17 years?"
But Bailey’s standing ovation came when he promised to set up a civil rights division within the attorney general’s office.
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One sign of the building coordination between the state Democratic party and the gubernatorial campaign of Stacey Abrams: The party's new communications director is Seth Bringmam, who comes from Ohio -- where he worked with Abrams campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo.
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