Jesse Helms, longtime senator from North Carolina, was not a man who tread lightly in any situation.
With his strongly conservative views, outspoken nature and antiquated ideas about race relations, Helms often raised the ire of colleagues and voters alike. Although he never won reelection with more than 56% of the vote, Helms felt he had a mandate from his loyal Republicans and “Jessecrats” in North Carolina who kept sending him back to Washington.
In his tenure, Senator Helms helped to get the data recorder of KAL-007 that was shot down by Soviet aggressor aircraft, and called attention to the American POWs who were still being illegally held in communist prison camps long after the end of any conflict. He opposed illegal immigration and got the nickname “Dr. No” from opposing every sort of stupid funding request under the Sun.
Most people call Senator Helms a racist, and those people are correct. He was a consistent and unapologetic racist. As a human, Helms was as fallible as the rest of us. Most of all, he was a determined and impassioned conservative who really believed in America and this nation’s founding ideals. Too bad he’s among the last of his kind.
Rest in peace, Senator Helms.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:53 am
Give it up for old school Helms! W00t!
July 7th, 2008 at 1:53 am
Ms Mancini let me thank you for being the very first conservative I have read who was willing to call Helms what he was in life a tough opponent in the Senate and an unapologetic racist.
July 7th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Yes– other than being wrong on the Civil Rights movement, his despicable support of Augusto Pinochet, his blatant and unapologetic bigotry towards homosexuals, his refusal to provide federal money for AIDS research, his support of right-wing death squads in Central America, his raiding of the federal treasury for Big Tobacco, his knee-jerk and embarrassing anti-communism, his unwavering support of armament manufacturers and militarists and death squads alike– Jesse Helms still was a atrocious human being. He was a proudly and unapologetic bully who sided with militarists, mass murderers, bigots, and racists.
If there is a God and a Hell, Jesse Helms is surely rotting with his arthritis along with Reagan and his Alzheimers. Rest in Pieces, you racist crackpot.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Good riddance to racist garbage. Rot in hell Helms.
July 7th, 2008 at 11:49 am
LOL! I knew Ron wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut. Way to show what a fine upstanding load of crap you really are Ron.
As for Mr. Helms, we could really use more conservatives like him in DC right now.
July 7th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Ron is such a douche.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
LOL! I hear you Yolanda.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:23 am
M&Y,
Are you two a little touchy because Just because your hemorrhoids are acting up?
Care to defend Helms record instead of engaging in personal attacks, you two morons?
July 8th, 2008 at 11:29 am
No. It’s more fun to just attack you. Not only that, even if we did decide to defend the record of Helms you’d just ignore it and say we were attacking you.
Have fun with your boyfriend out there in San Francisco.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
My guess Mike is that you couldn’t defend the record of any political figure– let alone someone as repulsive as an unreconstructed racist like Jesse Helms.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Like I said Ron, whatever is put on here would go in one ear and out the other with you. My 12 year old pays better attention than you.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
A tribute to Hems? Jeez, I thought I was a conservative. Lisa, you are one right-wing lady.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:41 am
HELLms was a hateful, white-trash, cracker scumbag… but, less obviously, the real shame is that the US has become a place where garbage like him actually has supporters. This is the rot, from the inside, that is eroding the foundation of america and will lay it finally down to the ground. Selah.
gp