Quotable? Bloody unbelievable!!!
Go here and scroll down to "quotable" and just be stunned. Though I wonder where the ellipses in this quote lead, it appears that even Jesse Helms thinks Bush has taken tax cuts too far.
Okay, I'm not one to leave you in suspense, here's the quote:
"I would not have voted for [President Bush's] tax cut, based on what I know. . . . There is no doubt that the people at the top who need a tax break the least will get the most benefit. . . . Too often presidents do things that don't end up helping the people they should be helping, and their staffs won't tell them their actions stink on ice."
Needless to say, this isn't some little throwaway line to add to an otherwise totally unrelated Washington Post article about convention speakers. This is something to spend an entire editorial section on. As a North Carolinian, my jaw dropped. When did my former Senator become Teddy Kennedy? About a year ago, Jesse apologized for his opposition to AIDS research, now this?! What's next, support for affirmative-action?
What's interesting about Helms suddenly having religion (for real this time) on taxes, is that it's about as diametrically opposed to the current North Carolina GOP as you could possibly be. One Republican running for Richard Burr's 5th District Congressional seat proudly proclaims that she has never voted against a tax cut. Not that she merely opposes tax increases and additional government spending, but that she basically will agree to any tax cut, regardless of consequences. Granted, this is in the midst of the parallel universe that is a Republican primary (every candidate has subtly decided to not proclaim that end times are nigh, and the Lord is Risen in showing how much they support Christian values), but I'd hope even the most anti-tax conservatives can do the math to figure out that not every tax cut is a smart tax cut.
Apparently Jesse can. And I'm happy for him. In fact, in many ways North Carolina Democrats owe a debt to Jesse Helms, he's led the Republicans here towards the cliffs of political oblivion. And it looks like, while he was able to keep running like the roadrunner, the rest will follow Wile E. Coyote. Instead of opting for Elizabeth Dole's camouflaged as compassionate conservatism, the GOP continues to pursue GOD, GOD, GOD and more GOD, which means they scare the daylights out of moderate North Carolinians. A nasty little secret of this "red" state is that precious few GOP candidates besides Helms have been able to garner more than 52% of the vote in statewide elections. All but two of the current statewide offices are held by Democrats, and Helms clone Lauch Faircloth was dumped by a then relatively unknown John Edwards. While North Carolina voters gave Helms the benefit of the doubt, as attitudes shifted through the 1980s and 1990s, they haven't given the same to his conservative followers. (And this is not simply because of race. Incumbency is the biggest asset Helms has, and even the far right candidates running for the GOP are afraid to be as blatantly racial in their campaigns as Helms.)
Unfortunately, the GOP primary has become extraordinarily more focused on conservative bonafides such as opposition to abortion, gay marriage and tax cuts at any cost. There really has been no other Republican hero in this state besides Jesse Helms,
ever. So his strategy is the template for most GOP candidates and his endorsement is the greatest bounty in primaries. However, this makes the mistake of seeing North Carolina's political trajectory as headed towards the right side of the political spectrum, following more conservative states in the deep south and the rural west. In truth, the history of this state is one of rather stable balance in the middle of the spectrum, a state more concerned about economic progress than conservative piety. There's no reason to expect that history of moderation to change, especially as North Carolina becomes more dependent upon the sorts of industries that require highly educated workers and voters than places like Mississippi or Montana.
In gerrymandered districts (especially those stripped of Democratic votes because of majority-minority districts) Helms' conservatism can win the day. But statewide, a moderate Democrat is starting from a strong advantage over a GOP candidate either anointed in Pat Robertson/Franklin Graham sort of conservative beauty contest or mortally wounded as a moderate pragmatic choice in the same.
There are a lot of complaints I have about the current state of the North Carolina Democratic Party, and ways in which I think it could be more effective. This state still has elements which retard social progress. But thanks to Jesse Helms, this state is only Red in the imaginations of beltway pundits.
Okay, I'm not one to leave you in suspense, here's the quote:
"I would not have voted for [President Bush's] tax cut, based on what I know. . . . There is no doubt that the people at the top who need a tax break the least will get the most benefit. . . . Too often presidents do things that don't end up helping the people they should be helping, and their staffs won't tell them their actions stink on ice."
Needless to say, this isn't some little throwaway line to add to an otherwise totally unrelated Washington Post article about convention speakers. This is something to spend an entire editorial section on. As a North Carolinian, my jaw dropped. When did my former Senator become Teddy Kennedy? About a year ago, Jesse apologized for his opposition to AIDS research, now this?! What's next, support for affirmative-action?
What's interesting about Helms suddenly having religion (for real this time) on taxes, is that it's about as diametrically opposed to the current North Carolina GOP as you could possibly be. One Republican running for Richard Burr's 5th District Congressional seat proudly proclaims that she has never voted against a tax cut. Not that she merely opposes tax increases and additional government spending, but that she basically will agree to any tax cut, regardless of consequences. Granted, this is in the midst of the parallel universe that is a Republican primary (every candidate has subtly decided to not proclaim that end times are nigh, and the Lord is Risen in showing how much they support Christian values), but I'd hope even the most anti-tax conservatives can do the math to figure out that not every tax cut is a smart tax cut.
Apparently Jesse can. And I'm happy for him. In fact, in many ways North Carolina Democrats owe a debt to Jesse Helms, he's led the Republicans here towards the cliffs of political oblivion. And it looks like, while he was able to keep running like the roadrunner, the rest will follow Wile E. Coyote. Instead of opting for Elizabeth Dole's camouflaged as compassionate conservatism, the GOP continues to pursue GOD, GOD, GOD and more GOD, which means they scare the daylights out of moderate North Carolinians. A nasty little secret of this "red" state is that precious few GOP candidates besides Helms have been able to garner more than 52% of the vote in statewide elections. All but two of the current statewide offices are held by Democrats, and Helms clone Lauch Faircloth was dumped by a then relatively unknown John Edwards. While North Carolina voters gave Helms the benefit of the doubt, as attitudes shifted through the 1980s and 1990s, they haven't given the same to his conservative followers. (And this is not simply because of race. Incumbency is the biggest asset Helms has, and even the far right candidates running for the GOP are afraid to be as blatantly racial in their campaigns as Helms.)
Unfortunately, the GOP primary has become extraordinarily more focused on conservative bonafides such as opposition to abortion, gay marriage and tax cuts at any cost. There really has been no other Republican hero in this state besides Jesse Helms,
ever. So his strategy is the template for most GOP candidates and his endorsement is the greatest bounty in primaries. However, this makes the mistake of seeing North Carolina's political trajectory as headed towards the right side of the political spectrum, following more conservative states in the deep south and the rural west. In truth, the history of this state is one of rather stable balance in the middle of the spectrum, a state more concerned about economic progress than conservative piety. There's no reason to expect that history of moderation to change, especially as North Carolina becomes more dependent upon the sorts of industries that require highly educated workers and voters than places like Mississippi or Montana.
In gerrymandered districts (especially those stripped of Democratic votes because of majority-minority districts) Helms' conservatism can win the day. But statewide, a moderate Democrat is starting from a strong advantage over a GOP candidate either anointed in Pat Robertson/Franklin Graham sort of conservative beauty contest or mortally wounded as a moderate pragmatic choice in the same.
There are a lot of complaints I have about the current state of the North Carolina Democratic Party, and ways in which I think it could be more effective. This state still has elements which retard social progress. But thanks to Jesse Helms, this state is only Red in the imaginations of beltway pundits.
posted by SebbyMan at 9:30 AM
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