Jesse Helms, RIP

[sailaway21]

If the US Senate today was made up of men like Jesse Helms we'd be amazed at what could be gotten done. The man was simply indefatigable. And uniquely, in the most self-aggrandizing of political bodies, Helms had no compunctions about changing his mind. He did so on race and he did so on support for Israel, neither what might be regarded as minor issues. And Helms changed his mind based upon the facts and not the fickle political wind.

A great Senator but the barely known little secret is that the man was not the least bit racist in his personal life and although you'll never here about it in the media, those close to him, both black and white, knew it to be so.

Rest in Peace, Senator.

How Jesse Helms Made a Difference - WSJ.com
Jesse Helms - WSJ.com

[sailaway21]

A proper remembrance of a great senator.
washingtonpost.com

[sailaway21]

More on Jesse Helms as well as a good article on how Washington actually works wherein fighting the bureaucracy is as important as fighting the loyal opposition. Written in 1999.

The American Spectator

[MiVelero]

With all due respect, one does not have to have had a personal interaction with a man like Helms to be able to form an image, or opinion, of the man.
I know he is dead and death is sad and it isn't nice to talk bad about dead people--but how is it possible to ignore the fact that this person was a raging, hateful, deeply commited racist and homophobe? Helms was clearly proud to hold these views when he was alive...why shouldn't they be tied to him now that he's dead? Evil Individual.
Helms was first and foremost an unrepentant racist.
I'm glad the days of people like Helms existing seems to be on the wane. Strom Thurmond, Trent Lott, etc.
among the many left around......

Ok I'm an idiot for even responding to this thread ...

Fire away.....

[camaraderie]

MiVelero...you left out Robert Byrd and mis-characterize Trent Lott quite unfairly I think.

Helms did a lot of good stuff for his country. He stuck to his beliefs which many disagree with...and said a lot of stupid things. A man of mixed blessings, but not SIMPLY the racist bigot he was portrayed as (and was!).

[bubb2]

Jesse believed what Jesse believed! But he was one of the old guard politicians. Spoke his mind and did not play to the polls. It was fitting he left us on the 4th!

[sailaway21]

You also left out similar segregationists such as Sam Ervin and William Fulbright. Helms was a segregationist, which is hardly a surprise for a man born in 1921, but he was no racist based upon the evidence. The radio station he ran in NC as well as his staff in the Senate reflect nothing of the sort. He certainly had no problem ramrodding Colin Powell's nomination through as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. As in many areas, he was ahead of his time-he was anti-affirmative action which even the Supreme Court is now.

As for homophobic, that misunderstood and equally misused term, Helms was certainly not in the meaning used here. He received that reputation for requiring that women testing positive for HIV and their physicians be informed so that pregnant women could be given the vaccine that prevents HIV from being transfered to their unborn child. For some reason this was a huge privacy issue with the liberal minds of the day and denoted homophobia. Helms also, virtually single-handedly, saw to it that far more money for HIV treatment was sent to Africa. Along the way he developed a personal friendship with the rock star Bono.

And while it may be fine for the poster above that he knew the man not personally, those who did, including his political opponents and many who thought they hated him previously, found that the man was unfailingly gracious, solicitous, and a true southern gentleman.

Helms indeed was anti-liberal, but in a way that the vast majority of the American poeple are now. He was a resolute Cold Warrior in an age when all that brought to mind among the cognoscenti wwere scenes from Dr. Strangelove. He preserved Ronald Reagan's candidacy in 1974 for long enough for Reagan to win in a landslide in 1980. Originally not a supporter of Israel he changed his mind on that issue and became one of her staunchest supporters.

It's quite easy to throw charges about based upon stereotypes but, if one is willing, the pursuit of the truth is far more rewarding. And I'll tell you one thing; you wouldn't have seen an embarassment of a Republican Congress spending money as this last one did without a hew and cry from Jesse Helms. He had backbone and he used it.

[camaraderie]

I've been portrayed as a caveman by some. That's not true.
I'm a conservative progressive, and that means I think all men
are equal, be they slants, beaners or niggers.
Jesse Helms, North Carolina Progressive, February 6, 1985,
Sway...think you are dead wrong on this one. He was and continued to be a racist and say
racist things long after most southerners had set that aside.
Sorry for the language but I don't think the quote would be the same with editing!

[sailaway21]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

I've been portrayed as a caveman by some. That's not true.
I'm a conservative progressive, and that means I think all men
are equal, be they slants, beaners or niggers.
Jesse Helms, North Carolina Progressive, February 6, 1985,
Sway...think you are dead wrong on this one. He was and continued to be a racist and say
racist things long after most southerners had set that aside.
Sorry for the language but I don't think the quote would be the same with editing!

And how is the above statement racist? You might say it's rather offensive but racist it is demonstrably not. I'm assuming of course that we're evaluating the statement itself and not your repugnance to the language.

[sailingdog]

Generally, the use of such language means that the person's mindset has people of color as being less than equal, or why would those terms, which are considered derogatory and negative be used??