It doesn’t surprise me that the best obituary for recently deceased Senator Howard Metzenbaum would appear in the Washington Post. “The Washington Post calculated that in 1982 alone, Sen. Metzenbaum blocked the passage of bills that would have cost the Treasury or consumers about $10 billion.” Or this quote: “Sen. Metzenbaum had some notable losses, including an unsuccessful two-week filibuster in 1977 against a bill that lifted price controls on natural gas.” (I remember that filibuster, with hundreds of amendments, requiring votes on each one. He believed in it passionately and at this point in our lives, with fuel prices skyrocketing, how would we view it now?)
I also like this quote from the AP story on his death. It quotes a former Senate colleague on Metzenbaum’s penchant for what I would call pit bulling everything:
“….Former Sen. David Pryor, D-Ark., once compared Metzenbaum to an airport security guard: “You know he’s going to X-ray your baggage, so you have to be clean.”
His filibusters and stall tactics were so successful that the mere threat of Metzenbaum opposition was often enough to win concessions….”
He was born the same year as my Dad, 1917. He exhibited his ability to make money early; he sold flowers, scalped tickets and notably to me, rented bicycles to make money as a kid. Notable to me because years later when I crashed my bike on a trail on Beach Road in Bethesda Maryland and thought I was dead for sure (I ran into a tree), lo and behold, he was the first one who found me. Imagine looking up and seeing your home state Senator, already in his seventies, rescuing you from certain death lol. He also made a lot of money in parking lots….certainly not the prettiest part of any city landscape. He was married for 61 years, no small feat. No matter what your politics, the sheer longevity of his career and influence has to be impressive. I know it is to me. Rest In Peace, Senator Metzenbaum. 3C
4 responses so far ↓
1 monika // Mar 15, 2008 at 3:47 pm
May he rest in peace! Gas prices are totally crazy! We could use him now.
monika’s last blog post..Real Estate’s Paradigm Shift
2 Carole Cohen // Mar 15, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Yes we sure could; I think the art of fillibustering is dead too! Thanks, Moni
3 Roman // Mar 17, 2008 at 7:38 am
Unbelievable, we are supporting a guy now because he supported price controls. If there was any reason to believe this blog wasn’t a socialist front, it doesn’t exist anymore.
Let me take you to this fantasy world of yours where natural gas price controls exist. The natural gas companies first step would be to severely limit the amount of gas it sells to US consumers, because it would be able to sell it for its fair price on the open market internationally. There would be a gas shortage and heating systems would not be reliable.
If you forced the natural gas companies to sell a certain amount of natural gas at a certain price to US consumers, it would be one of the worst things the US govn’t has ever done. First of all, it would be unconsitutional to force a private company to sell you something that is private property. (Property rights, who needs them, right?) Second of all, it would drive most of the smaller natural gas producers out of business, taking away thousands of jobs. Finally, it would severely limit the resources the natural gas companies that survive this will have for exploration, further exascerbating the shortage problem.
But why care about economics and free market principles when wee can create our own imaginary economy, where bad evil China, India and Russia (whose demand is driving up prices) don’t exist.
4 Carole Cohen // Mar 17, 2008 at 9:05 am
Hi Roman, and geeze I haven’t been called a socialist since well, ever! I appreciate that price controls are controversial, and also your economic thoughts; My exchange with Moni was more about the passion he had for an issue — right now, to me, it’s not about price controls but alternative fuels and figuring out a way not to be so heavily invested in natural gas and oil. Metzenbaum was not as good at compromise as I would have liked, but on pocketbook issues now, I wish we had some Senators and Congressmen who were willing to fillibuster for weeks on issues about which they were passionate. Maybe we’d have more of us involved in a regular debate.
And I’m glad you stopped by to share your views…
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