Judson Cox, April 11, 2005

Judson Cox:

Senator Helms, thank you for granting this interview. The North Carolina Conservative is a newspaper devoted to fostering conservative, Christian values and politics in our state. Given your background in media and politics, The The North Carolina Conservative considers you a hero and a role model.

Jesse Helms:

Thank you for your generous profile in the March issue of your publication. It still surprises me when I find something in any North Carolina newspaper that isn’t mad at me about something.

As you may know, I’ve just completed my memoir for Random House. Many of the questions you’ve asked are discussed at length in there. But you do not have the space to publish a book, so I will keep my responses for your paper brief.

Judson Cox:

Describe the state of North Carolina politics when you worked in the media.

I worked in the media from the late 30’s through the early 70’s. Politics in general became more liberal both nationally and within the state as the years passed.

Judson Cox:

What led you to become a Republican?

Jesse Helms:

I became a Republican when a very wise young lady asked me how I could remain a Democrat when I didn’t agree with what they stood for and did agree with what the Republicans supported. I changed my registration when I realized that I had no good answer to her honest question.

Judson Cox:

How influential were the Congressional Club and the Young Republicans in your election, and in transforming North Carolina politics?

Jesse Helms:

There was no Congressional Club for my first campaign. There was no organized state group of Young Republicans, but there was a dedicated core of young people who volunteered to do anything my campaign needed. They were indispensable. In subsequent years the groups you named had important roles in educating people about the real issues in Washington and Raleigh, and within the Democratic Party. That knowledge brought people into the GOP.

Judson Cox:

What led North Carolina to change from a solidly Democratic state, to a Republican leaning state? Has North Carolina ’s political transformation been a social phenomenon, or a movement led by visionaries such as yourself, President Reagan and Sen. Thurmond?

Jesse Helms:

North Carolina has not really changed its politics. This has been a conservative leaning state for generations. It was the Democratic Party that changed and in effect drove the conservative voters away.

Judson Cox:

How can Republicans win at the state level?

Jesse Helms:

The big secret to winning elections is to get more votes than your opponent. My friend Representative Robin Hayes is a good example to study. His district was drawn to favor Democrats, but Robin decided he’d go directly to voters and let them know he shared their concerns and wanted to work hard for them. Then, when they elected him the first time he proved he was a man of his word. So, even though they redrew his district to make it even harder for a Republican to win, Robin continues to be reelected. He wins because he’s honest and he works hard as a campaigner and as a Representative.

Judson Cox:

What are the greatest challenges facing North Carolina ?

Jesse Helms:

We have to be a state where business is welcome and jobs are created. We have to demand value for what is spent and we need to continue to resist a lottery. Such schemes take money from people who can least afford to spend it to support an unneeded bureaucracy that eats money people thought they were providing for education.

Judson Cox:

What are the greatest challenges facing our nation?

Jesse Helms:

The challenge is always before us. Whenever we lose sight of the principles that mattered to our founders we run into trouble.

Judson Cox:

What is America ’s role in the world?

Jesse Helms:

America must be the moral leader. It is not enough to have power. Power must be used to protect freedom and give all people hope for the opportunity to see the fruit of their own labor. We must stand against tyrants and on the side of growing democracies.

Judson Cox:

Should America remain a member of the United Nations, and why?

Jesse Helms:

It may surprise people to know that I advocate the reform of the United Nations, not its abolishment. If such an organization did not already exist nations of good will would move to create it. The interests of the United States are better served by demanding reform and seeing that reform takes place than by removing our influence from the UN.

Judson Cox:

How has being a North Carolinian affected your personal and political values and beliefs?

Jesse Helms:

My values and beliefs were imparted to me by loving parents, committed teachers, demanding mentors and wise elders. All of the people who helped mold me as a child and as a young person happened to live in North Carolina. I hope, and in fact I know, that they didn’t just represent what is best about North Carolina. They represented what is best about America.

Judson Cox:

Who was the most colorful North Carolina political figure you ever encountered, and why?

Jesse Helms:

This is an area where North Carolina does excel. I have known more colorful North Carolina political figures than I have colorless ones.

Judson Cox:

How has your faith in God affected your personal and political values and beliefs?

Jesse Helms:

I have tried at every point to seek God’s wisdom on the decisions I made, and I made it my business to speak up on behalf of the things God tells us are important to Him. That is why I fought against government funding of disgusting images that people dared to define as art. That is why I fought against abortion and that is why if I were still in the Senate I would be doing everything I could to defend the sanctity of marriage.

Judson Cox:

Has conservatism become the dominant philosophy in America, and if so, why?

Jesse Helms:

It has become more acceptable to describe yourself as a conservative, but not everyone who uses that term about themselves really is truly conservative. I’m not comfortable with all the categories people want to sort themselves into to explain how they can be a conservative and support liberal ideas. Conservatism is a hard choice for a society that has become accustomed to big government and big entitlements promoted by liberals.

Judson Cox:

What is your vision for the future of our state and our nation?

Jesse Helms:

My vision of the future would be a state and a nation where we were united in our desire to stand firm on our foundations. I want our young people to believe as we did that there is no goal too high to reach if they are willing to work. I want our government to encourage and protect freedom as well as our traditions of faith and family.

Judson Cox:

What can we do, as individuals and as conservative North Carolinians to make your vision for the future a reality?

Jesse Helms:

We can live our own lives in a way that does not bring reproach on the principles we claim to support. We can commit ourselves to care for our neighbors in need instead of expecting the government to do it. We can protect our own marriages and train our own children so skeptics can see that we are sincere in what we believe. Then, we can advocate for what we believe and support those who share our values when they seek office. What I am suggesting is hard work and it can be slow work, but the rewards are well worth it.

Judson Cox:

Again Sen. Helms, thank you for your time, your leadership and your service.

Judson Cox is a political columnist from the mountains of North Carolina. Mr. Cox is President of the Foundation for Conservative American Values and Editor-In-Chief of the North Carolina Conservative.

Copyright © 2005 Judson Cox