Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, 86, dies

He wasn't a member of Florida's delegation, of course, but Helms shadow was long across the nation. Read the AP story here.

--Joni James, Times state editor

Comments

[lawdawg]

A great person who helped introduce many people to the joy of smoking through his support of the tobacco lobby. Thanks a lot Jesse. Are you enjoying any smoke right now?

A great American patriot.

[neil]

As a rule I see no reason to celebrate the 4th but Now THERE is a reason to toast the grim reaper. I hope that mean, nasty old man has gone to his "great reward"! What a wonderful 4th of July gift.

[The Truth]

What great present for the 4th of July. Too bad that racist pig did not live long enough to see Obama become the first black president.

If this man had had his way, we'd still be living in a segregated society, the federal courts wouldn't be in the individual rights business and the world of his childhood--a racist apartheid regime, would be dominant in America.

Agedness and death are horrible things. God might not have invented them but for that sometimes they are the only way to get rid of some ideas.

12:21 I still witness people in the black and white communities who want to be segregated. I think it is inherent in human nature for some to be idiots. They come in all colors. Wasn't Rev. Wright looking for segregation?

good riddance to this vile old bigot...helms is the true face of the republican party, the true "brand" of that bunch of sunshine patriots and golf cart warriors.

12:25 He was not the true face of Republicanism. Lincoln was you partisan fool.

12:25 He was a vile racist, just as they exist in other ethnic communities that does not mean all R's are like that nor that all D's are like that. Stop lumping people in one pile. There are many white Republicans who stood by people like MLK to support equal rights and to oppose those racist idiots. So don't you prepetuate their type of narrowmindedness

[America just got better]

I'm sure his deserved spot in Hell is right next to Strom Thurmond, another posthumous example of just how far society has progressed despite these Southern racists and their ill-conceived beliefs.

12:26 Been out of touch for quite a while? Lincoln was 100% RINO by today's standards.

12:26 is an partisan imbecile, with no grounding in history.

12:29a Will you be voting for Obama? Did you vote for Bush? Actions speak louder than GOP rationalizations.

12:30 you are out of touch with history. For you to claim that the R party was always the way it is today and not look at history and see that Lincoln was the R party. Then move forward to Goldwater to understand that people like you have hijacked the R parties real platform and mutated it to fit your needs. The real funny thing is that you have NO CLUE what those great platforms were.

12:33 I will vote for neither as they are just a continuation of the same old partisan cr-p I have seen with both parties. How about you? I would guess Obama. Narrowminded Kool aid drinkers come in both parties.

12:33 is 12:26. your party is headed by morons and bigots.
i can tell you are a moron, and i wouldn't be surprised if you were a bigot. shame on you for supporting bush/cheney and all the liars and crooks in your party.

Must be Jefferson and Adams exerting some pull with the Big Guy. A fitting gift to the American People on this day of freedom. He'll be joining Wallace and the other hate-mongers in hell.

12:32 How can you claim that a person who wants neither party , to be partisan? Do you even know what the word means? How old are you? 15?

The D party workers really should get off the net as you are hurting your own cause.

12:33 RINO (Republican in name only)!!!

12:33 you are correct, but your argument goes towards most of the Republicans today. The person that ois posting is clearly a very partisan Democrat who sounds very bitter and does not get your point about the shift in the R party. The R party is nothing like it used to be. Neither is the D party.

12:39 another unoriginal thought from Toady! What happened, did Karl take today off to attend a Klan meeting?

12:40 you made my point. You are a imature Kool aid drinker that has no clue what the real philosophy of the R party is.
Less govt in our personal lives
More personal freedoms
Less taxing the people to death
More personal responsibility
Not being hypocrites.
none of which are practiced anymore.

Go and research Barry Goldwaters speeches, find that he did not allow the religious extremeist take over the parties platforms. You really have no clue. You can name call all you want, but you still have no clue. If a RINO is what Barry Goldwater was, then I am right there with him because I am certainly not the corrupt, hypocite, toe tapping, more intrusion in peoples personall lives, tax the people to death Republican you seem to be.

12:41 Right, In the South the D's were once the racists. Now the GOP has assumed the mantle of hate. Bitter, hell yes, anyone who's not is a member of the very few who have enriched themselves while Reagan and Bush have sold our great nation out to corporate interests.

12:43 There you go again sounding off and hurting the Democrat cause again.

[FS Tate]

Well the Democrats again can not contain their HATE

Do the Democrats want to remind us which party was the party of slavery, of the KKK, of massive resistance to anti-lynching laws, against civil rights laws until the mid 1960s (then only a few Democrats voted for the civil rights acts of 1964 and 65; Republicans voted in much higher numbers) and now they are the party of the bigotry of no expectations of minorities (don't need to read to graduate from high school and such bigotry).

Jesse Helms was very conservative and favored very limited government, but that did not make him a racist.

Democrats keep up the hate and lose votes.

12:47 I agree with some of what you say, but for you to lump in all the citizens who belong to the GOP as hate mongers, that is very wrong. There are many GOPers that are appauld by that which you describe. So be fair.

12:47 OK, let's make this simple. I was in agreement with you. Lincoln was a great man but so much water under the bridge that it doesn't matter what party name he called himself by 150 years ago. Yes, Goldwater was the last of the GOP breed that a DEM like me could have sat down and had a sensible political discussion with. Mainly because he cared about America and not the current GOP wingnut ideologies that dominate the party at present. McCain had a chance to revive some Goldwater ethics, but has sold out for the Bush endorsement and the voting bloc he needs to have a chance in the election. In other words, a hypocrite.

12:50 Will you be voting for Obama? If you really don't consider yourself a hate monger, what other choice do you have, given the current candidates who dominate your party?

12:50 FS Toady - good luck with that twisted strategy. It's easy to tell when you're flying solo, cause Rove and Norquist, while more evil, wouldn't serious propose to spin such hogwash.

bush/cheney have increased government in all our lives, destroyed our economy, started a stupid war and have spent money like it's going out of style. keep repeating your stupid party mantra. not many people believe your b.s. any more.
lincoln and goldwater would not be welcomed by the theocrats and fascists controlling the republican party today.

Well it certainly didn't take long for the left wing Democrat hate mongers to come out of their slimy pits!

Ding Dong the witch is dead!

12:55 That is exactly my point. But I also recognize that the D party is almost the same. I have been in politics and I know first hand that both parties operate the same way. The issues they bring up are not really part of it all. That is all for show to get the votes. I have been on the inside and I know what they try to sell to the hard grassroots workers of their respective parties is pure hogwash. The people are not getting the representation they deserve from their governemnt and I attribute much of that to partisanship and the fact that there is no campaign finace reform at all.

[Earth to Toady]

1:16 Do you extract your otherworldly political non-sequiturs from some parallel universe where DEMs and not Republicans are the party of evil?

1:01 Wake up and read/understand what I wrote. I am saying the same thing about what the Republican party has become and what it is not anymore. But you have to be blind to think that the Democrats are any different. You are far too partisan and that is the real problem. This is not a sports event that requires competition between the teams. It is time to realize that both parties do not run on the same platforms that once existed. R's and D's are really the same and they want power because of the money that goes along with it.

1:20 I agree, but I'm keeping those thoughts in check while I work to counter the immediate threat to our nation. Bush, Cheney, Rove, and all the other neo-cons who are selling us out for their private gain. Just like the the 2006 election was more important becasue of what it halted, rather than what the slim DEM majority has accomplished since.

[neil]

As a rule I see no reason to celebrate the 4th but Now THERE is a reason to toast the grim reaper. I hope that mean, nasty old man has gone to his "great reward"! What a wonderful 4th of July gift.

1:30 I understand. But we as a society must send a message, soon, to stop this partisan nonsense. A loud message that says we will no longer tolerate the selling out, and the only way to get real and well thought out public policy we need is to , I believe, start by kicking both these parties out. That will be the only driving force to, maybe get them back on track. I think, and truly believe that most people in this country are not as partisan as our party leaders are. I think they know that sometimes a move toward the left or right is essential. It not as simple as "liberal" or "Conservative". I do understand that we are smack in the middle of a Presidential election, but what better place to send the message?

1:30 I also agree that Bush, Cheney and the Bush administration in total, have lied to us. They have acted as authoritarians. I am so sick over what they have they have done to our country, and the Republican party, and I am a Republican. I will soon be a NPA (no party affilition). But I still beleive in most of the old Goldwater Republican philosophies, not these pseudo conservatives that have taken over the party and agree with the hypocrisy and corruption.

[Tom McKeon]

I used to live in NC and Jesse Helms was a disgrace to the state. I'm glad he's finally dead.

[Lin Young]

I'm not a mean-spirited person, but I am relieved that this racist man is dead and won't cause any more problem. But we have made some progress. Despite Jesse Helms's efforts to stop the voting rights act it eventually passed. And now, only a few long decades later we have the very real prospect of having a black president in the White House next.

oh my gosh, now our little repiggie blog hog is starting to distance himself from the bush/cheney madness. it's a little late for that, isn't it? it's stupid bozos like you who put bush/cheney in power twice that are responsible for the mess that we are facing. your assertion that the dems are worse is as retarded and stupid as your own personal politics. go do penance for sins.

[July 4th observations]

Interesting that wingnuts need to reach back so far in history to find a respectable Republican.

Listen to them screech as they realized that man of mixed racial origin will soon enough lead the country. Lincoln would be proud.

Always remember--liberal heroes are murdered by insane assholes; fascist heroes die in their beds surrounded by their money.

Strom will welcome Jesse in Hell later today, in a touching ceremony.

[jeff]

Helms is dead - now THERE'S a reason to celebrate! This man spewed nothing but hatred and intolerance. He was an incredible embarassment and delighted in working against any kind of progress be it education or prenatal care. His heart was as hard as granite and void of compassion especially if your skin was a different color than his. He was a waste of oxygen and I'm glad he's dead.

[David]

Glad that old b*stard is dead, he was a mean sob.

Obama has let down the Democratic progressive party. He wants to keep troops in Iraq, he wants to make church a part of government. What change is he going to inflict on us next?

Abandon Obama, Go GREEN in '08

Bleat Bleat Bleat McToads got some new warts to share with us in '08

4:54 You sound like a racist yourself. There are many Republicans who have been very respectful and caring. You have no clue and you sound like you are young, inexperienced, and have a chip on your shoulder. Racist come in all colors and the black communiyty has shown they are not immune from it either. For you to make such a statement says much about you. Obama is white, and black. Which side of him are you supporting?

I am ashamed of you partisan, racist morons.

4:54 I expect that Farrakhan , when he dies, will join these racist in hell also. But somehow I don't think you agree. Could it be that he is black and a double standard exists?

Jesse Helms is they Loni Guaneer never made it as Attorney General. Jesse Helms blocked Commies from infiltrating the State Department. Jesse Helms held up UN funding in the 1990s.

Jesse Helms was a principled man who took polls, crumpled them up, wiped his fanny with them - then went out and won the issue.

He was a great American.

[jeff]

Jesse Helms was the opposite of a great American - he did everything he could to divide Americans. He was without principles and stood for everything that was wrong with America. He is rotting in hell and good riddance.

11:05 In other words, Helms was a paranoid Republican partisan fascist wingnut racist. I'm glad to see that other Republicans don't agree with you and recognize that his type of ideology will ensure DEM dominance for years to come. Thanks, Jesse. Thanks, George. Thanks a lot.

12:40 It has been my experience that the person that usually resorts to name calling, such as you did with "RINO" is very small not only in thinking, but usually in the manner that gives the boy a real phychological problems. You know the kind, that if left untreated, could have you tapping your toes in restrooms. Get it? Also I am so sick of the RINO crap thrown out there by young Kool Aid drinking fools who have no education on the history of the Republican party.

RINO is a complement!

RINO is someone who has their values in the right place, and their party affiliation in the wrong one!

11:14 You are right. I do take it as a compliment. The idiots who claim to know what the Republican philosophy is, have no clue. As a matter of fact they are the ones who are; (if they want to throw names around)

RINO= Real idiots negatively obstructing

Noogies= Nabobs opposed (to) opportunity, genuine intelligence, (and) elemental solutions

Cowsh-t= Conservatives opposing wisdom, science,intelligence (and) truth

RINOS= regressive imbecils never offering solutions

I am sure I can come up with more.

11:42 That makes no sense whatsoever. Are you a Republican who thinks that wingnuts represent the party philosophy. Actually, there is no Republican philosophy, just a bunch of polar opposites who have agreed to hold their noses while working together for their mutual financial gain.

code blue...code blue....there a bag full of vile, worthless dog krap to pick up...code blue....code blue!!

11:51 I know the party has been hijacked by nuts who continually call thinking Republicans RINOS. And if you don't know that the Democrats are the same bunch of ..."polar opposites who have agreed to hold their noses while working together for their mutual financial gain" then you are quite niave.

Sorry about the spelling. Sent it too fast

Both parties su-k!

11:55 Your disgusting.

[Clyde]

Jesse Helms was one of our finest 19th century politicians. He represented his racist, bigoted, jingoistic constituents very well. It is unfortunate that his beliefs are very much alive and well here in the 21st century. Foregoing comments are the proof. God help the United States of America.

that's "you're", 12.00, you bag of vile, worthless dog krap...

caint even spel, cain ya??!!

check out wonkette for the BEST EVER obit for the krapsak!!

"i hope when they bury him, the earth spits him back out!"

cant get better than that, can you??!!??

In the tradition of Presidents Jefferson, Adams and Monroe -- who also passed on July 4th -- it is fitting that such a patriot who fought for free markets and free people would die on Independence Day. As we celebrate the birth of our nation, I thank God for the blessings we enjoy, which Senator Helms worked so hard to preserve.
-Billy Graham today

Agree 100%

3:37 Who cares how it was spelled? It was sent quickly and with real meaning that you are a low life and just because you think your spelling is better, does not mean you are. You show your hatred and your sick bottom dwelling mentality.

3:37 You are disgusting. When your time comes, the earth won't even accept you in it.

Both parties still su-k and racists come in ALL colors.

At least Helms retired - Senator Robert Byrd (D, yes that's D - West Virginia), still represents the state and the party in Congress - and still remians the only member of the Senate to also once belong to the Ku Klux Klan