TJ, I do think that most of your post really does lead to some very tangential discussions that maybe we should take up (again?) below in the Breeze Shooting section.

What I will say that I think is pertinent to Byrd's obit thread is that when an elected official can honestly change his/her views and be true to the values s/he espouses and be open with the voters about it and still keep getting re-elected -- even when the new commitment flies in the face of some of the strongly prevailing attitudes in that state -- that suggests something way beyond the garden-variety politician. It is no surprise to me that someone strongly into the kind of music that Byrd played and sang really did connect with the working people of W VA.