Jesse Helms

Jesse Helms (born 1921) was a Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina, 1973-2003, and a leader in the conservative movement with special attention to race and foreign policy. He chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, taking the lead in opposing the United Nations and backing authoritarian regimes in Latin America if they supported U.S. policies and opposed the Cuba of Fidel Castro. In the Fifth Party System he played a major role in the realignment of the white South from a Democratic to a Republican stronghold, especially by bringing bringing religious evangelicals (especially Southern Baptists) into the political area by stressing the need to defend their conservative social values in the face of encroaching secularism. He emphasized opposition to abortion and pornography. He was not charismatic or flamboyant, but was an articulate speaker who honed his skills as a radio and television commentator. A systematic organizer, he built a national grassroots network of financial supporters for the conservative cause. He was reviled by liberals as their bête noire whom they called a racist (a charge he denied). None of his positions was original, but he was innovative in putting together a new and successful political coalition. Helms saw himself as the defender of individual freedom and republican ideals of liberty against the encroachments of the federal government as promoted by his great enemy, the liberals.

Conservative coalition

In North Carolina Helms exemplified and defended the traditionalist rural and small-town white culture, as well as its suburban Christian conservatism and economic libertarianism. In the eyes of his voters, Helms stood as the defender of traditional ideals in the midst of unsettling statewide growth.

Foreign Policy

As the powerful and aggressive chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Helms pushed American foreign policy to the right. To the surprise of both, he worked well with Madeleine Albright when she was U.N. Ambassador and later Secretary of State. He argued that the United Nations had usurped power from its members, was becoming a quasi-sovereign entity in itself, and thus threatened American interests. He called for an ultimatum: Either the United Nations reforms quickly and dramatically or the United States will end its participation. The ultimatum was never issued.

Bibliography

• Furgurson, Ernest B. Hard Right: The Rise of Jesse Helms. 1986. 302 pp.
• Link William A. Righteous Warrior: Jesse Helms and the Rise of Modern Conservatism (2008), the major scholarly biography
• Snider, William D. Helms and Hunt: The North Carolina Senate Race, 1984 (1985) online edition

Primary sources

• Helms, Jesse. Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir (2005)
• Helms, Jesse. "Saving the U.N.: A Challenge to the Next Secretary-General," Foreign Affairs, September/October 1996 online edition