Spring Break
Rest in peace, Jesse Helms
North Carolina has lost a political giant
J.D. Lewis
Issue date: 7/9/08 Section: Opinion
Former Senator Jesse Helms passed away July 4. The first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from North Carolina in the 20th century, Helms was one of the founding fathers of the American conservative movement and one of the last of the old school Southern gentlemen.
One thing is for sure: people either loved him or hated him. Conservatives revere him as a champion for the unborn and the sanctity of marriage and as a voice for the "little guy."
Liberals eschew him for those same reasons as well as his opposition to civil rights legislation, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and AIDS funding.
Into the 21st century, at a time when being a southern, white, Christian male was supposedly something to be ashamed of, Helms stuck to his principles and continued to be a thorn in the left's collective side. He said what he meant and didn't mind whose toes he stepped on, and he was vilified as a racist, sexist and homophobic demagogue.
Those who wanted to crucify him were as bigoted as they claimed him to be, but to the liberal mind, obviously, tolerance is a one-way street.
I never met Sen. Helms in person, but I carried on a years-long friendship with him through the mail. We corresponded on a number of issues, as well as on a personal level. He was always kind and he encouraged my political aspirations. I sent him a Bill Clinton $3 bill for Christmas one year, and he sent me a hilarious thank you note telling me how much fun he was going to have with it and how there were a lot of people in D.C. who would love to print the bills for real.
Last semester, I wrote my senior thesis in history on the 1984 Senate race between Helms and Gov. Jim Hunt and learned of a special relationship between Sen. Helms and this university.
In 1973, when Gov. Jim Holshouser and moderate Republicans in the General Assembly were dragging their feet on funding for the new ECU medical school, Helms convinced conservative Republicans to ally with Democrats for the establishment of the medical school.
One thing is for sure: people either loved him or hated him. Conservatives revere him as a champion for the unborn and the sanctity of marriage and as a voice for the "little guy."
Liberals eschew him for those same reasons as well as his opposition to civil rights legislation, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and AIDS funding.
Into the 21st century, at a time when being a southern, white, Christian male was supposedly something to be ashamed of, Helms stuck to his principles and continued to be a thorn in the left's collective side. He said what he meant and didn't mind whose toes he stepped on, and he was vilified as a racist, sexist and homophobic demagogue.
Those who wanted to crucify him were as bigoted as they claimed him to be, but to the liberal mind, obviously, tolerance is a one-way street.
I never met Sen. Helms in person, but I carried on a years-long friendship with him through the mail. We corresponded on a number of issues, as well as on a personal level. He was always kind and he encouraged my political aspirations. I sent him a Bill Clinton $3 bill for Christmas one year, and he sent me a hilarious thank you note telling me how much fun he was going to have with it and how there were a lot of people in D.C. who would love to print the bills for real.
Last semester, I wrote my senior thesis in history on the 1984 Senate race between Helms and Gov. Jim Hunt and learned of a special relationship between Sen. Helms and this university.
In 1973, when Gov. Jim Holshouser and moderate Republicans in the General Assembly were dragging their feet on funding for the new ECU medical school, Helms convinced conservative Republicans to ally with Democrats for the establishment of the medical school.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 5
Pat Lane
posted 7/08/08 @ 10:56 PM EST
A balanced obituary with the nice bit of ECU history lost on most of us, including me. Great voter observation as well.
Cadogan Square
posted 7/09/08 @ 11:49 PM EST
Are opinion pieces supposed to be balanced?
Jim Johnston
posted 7/18/08 @ 1:05 AM EST
He was a great man. Rest in peace Jesse:
http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cszpe&uc_full_date=20080704
jj aka pf
Mr. Jones
posted 7/22/08 @ 7:21 AM EST
Jesse Helms was great at being despicable. I find it sad that even one person at my Alma Mater is defending this man, but that's ok, I find your ignorance amusing, so let me enlighten you on the real Jesse Helms. (Continued…)
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