Greatest United States Senator of All time

[SaveElmer]

Regardless of what you think of their politics or views...who was most effective!

[BringEmOn]

1. Robert F. Kennedy

[Greylyn58]

6. Amen

Bobby was a great Senator and would have made one Hell of a President.

It pains me to think of how different or how the direction of the US could have changed with him as President.

Sigh...

[CountAllVotes]

22. absolutely ...

We lost a lot when RFK was killed, a hell of a lot. Finally almost 30 years later we are witnessing the consequences of this murderous act. :(

:kick:

[nolabels]

2. Paul David Wellstone

Died in the line of duty :patriot:

[BayCityProgressive]

3. Either Wellstone, Boxer, or, McGovern

[MissMarple]

5. Good reasoning.

Tragic subject.

[Mend]

4. John Fitzgerald Kennedy

elected President, died in the line of duty.

[Independent_Liberal]

7. Barbara Boxer

[FSogol]

8. Proxmire?

"In his last two Senate campaigns of 1976 and 1982, Proxmire refused to take any campaign contributions, and spent on each less than $200 out of his own pocket — to cover the expenses related to filing for re-election."

[paineinthearse]

9. Ernest Gruening & Wayne Morse

The only two Senator to oppose the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.

[stevedeshazer]

18. Absolutely.

Wayne Morse got me into politics in the first place.

[Lifelong Protester]

10. Even though I voted for LBJ

I would say I cast a vote also for RFK, and Paul Wellstone. They dedicated the Wellstone Memorial today near Eveleth, MN, where the plane carrying him, his wife, and three close campaigeners, went down three years ago. We miss them terribly.

[Lifelong Protester]

11. Of course, how could I forget...

Sam Ervin, chairman of the Watergate committee (I still cherish my autographed picture of him, a print actually, not a photo) and then there is Senator Robert Byrd of WV. Lots of great folks to choose from.

[WildClarySage]

12. RFK, Wellstone, Byrd...

[SaveElmer]

13. No doubt...and as much...

As I like and admire Wellstone, Boxer et al...in terms of effectiveness while in the Senate...they aren't up there.

Wellstone had the potential to be a Humphrey type leader...but that was of course tragically cut short.

I reality, if effectiveness at using the Senate to make truly historic changes really are the criteria...the order would probably have to be

Clay
Calhoun
Webster
Johnson
Humphrey
Dirksen

[Telly Savalas]

14. Gotta give honorable mention to Bob LaFollette

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lafollette

[blogslut]

15. Albert Arnold Gore Jr.

sigh

[rabid_nerd]

31. second

..

[tinfoilinfor2005]

16. I don't think Byrd is necessarily the greatest senator, but he is the

greatest constitutional statesman I've ever heard. I could listen to him talk for hours.

[porphyrian]

17. Rebecca Latimer Felton - n/t

[SaveElmer]

19. Are you kidding...she was not an admirable person IMO !!!

She was a virulently racist...and pro-lynching...her statement on the matter!!

"If it takes lynching to protect women's dearest possession from drunken, ravening beasts," she said, "then I say lynch a thousand a week."

[porphyrian]

27. Yes, I was kidding.

At least she only held office for 2 days.

[SaveElmer]

28. Thank God...

Pretty cool you were able to pull her out of your hat...not too many have heard of her!!!

[JohnLocke]

20. Charles Sumner!

[SaveElmer]

21. Yeah I considered putting him up there...

Would be on any list of the next 10

[DanCa]

23. I hit clay but i forgot JFK was a senator.

Gotta lay off that pepporoni.

[SaveElmer]

24. JFK was a great Pres...not much of a Senator...

Found the whole thing rather boring!!!

[Arkham House]

25. Robert LaFollette

His opposition to World War One, the speech he made in the Senate opposing Wilson's war declaration, is the single finest moment in the history of the Senate. At that time, the "old" America--of vigorous democracy--was being destroyed by war, and later by anti-Red--hysteria...and LaFollette, more than anyone else, stood up against it. Wilson was the closest thing to a dictator we've ever had in this country, and LaFollette was his most honorable opponent.

[Oeditpus Rex]

26. RFK, no question

I've never seen hands-on leadership like he showed when he was in California to support the United Farm Workers cause. He was out in the fields with them, without a limo or a huge entourage or a gaggle of national media. It wasn't a photo op; he worked for them.

And because of his support — and the Herculean efforts of Cesar Chavez — the farm workers organized and finally won some rights.

I sometimes think about the long-term effects of his assassination. He would've waltzed to the presidential nomination in '68 and might well have knocked off Nixon — in which case we would've had no Watergate (and, likely, far less mistrust of government), would've been out of Vietnam earlier, perhaps would've dodged the '70s recession, maybe pre-empted Reagan...

Sigh. It's nice to think about.

[Yupster]

29. LaFollette and Clay

come right to mind.

For the best intentions, I'll nominate John Crittenden.

[johnaries]

30. David Crockett. "Make sure you're right, then go ahead."

On partisanship:
"I am at liberty to vote as my conscience and judgement dictates to be right, without the yoke of any party on me...Look at my arms, you will find no party hand-cuff on them."

" I would rather be beaton and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog. I have always supported measures and principles and not men. I have acted fearless and independent and I never will regret my course. I would rather be politically buried that to be hypochriticalley immortalized. "

"I have never knew what is was to sacrafice my own judgment to grattify any party and I have no doubt of the time being close at hand when I will be rewarded for letting my tonque speak what my hart thinks. I have suffered my self to be politically sacrifised to save my country from ruin and disgrace and if I am never a gain elected I will have the grattification to know that I have done my duty."

Opposition to the land bill that favored the wealthy:
"Will you not bestow it as a boon upon the unfortunate people who have nothing else in the world? There they are living in peace: they can there make shift to burying up their children. some of them are widows, whose husbands fell while fighting your battles on the frontiers. None of them are rich; but they are honest, industrious, hardy, persevering, kind-hearted people. I know them: I know their situation. I have shared the hospitality of their cottages, and been honored by their confidence with a seat in this assembly; and based and ungrateful indeed, must I be, when I cease to remember it. No sir, I cannot forget it: and if their little is all to be wrestled from them, for the purpose of State speculation; if a swindling machine is to be set up to strip them of what little the surveyors, and the colleges, and the warrant holders, have left them, it shall never be said that I sat by in silence, and refused, however humbly, to advocate their cause".

EDIT: Oh, sorry, you said Senator. Crockett was a Congressman. Oh, well!

[jmowreader]

32. Frank Church

Democrat from Idaho. Four-term senator, was defeated by Steve Symms in 1980.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Church

Frank Church:

* headed the Church Committees, which investigated illegal collection activities at the CIA, NSA and FBI. This is what he said about NSA:

(The) capability at any time could be turned around on the American people and no American would have any privacy left, such (is) the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn't matter. There would be no place to hide. (T)he technological capacity that the intelligence community has given the government could enable it to impose total tyranny. . . . Such is the capability of this technology. . . . I know the capacity that is there to make tyranny total in America, and we must see to it that this agency and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law and under proper supervision, so that we never cross over that abyss. That is the abyss from which there is no return.

* was instrumental in passage of the Endangered Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

* was instrumental in writing and passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. His constituents thought it unnecessary that Church spend so much time on this; Idaho at the time was almost entirely Caucasian and Native American. Church cared about this issue and got it passed.

* was an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.

I believe that if the Senate currently contained Paul Wellstone and Frank Church, the White House would not contain George W. Bush.