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The Senator and Me
By Bill Marsh | July 7, 2008
At Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh tomorrow morning, mourners will gather to worship God and celebrate the life of former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms. 25 years ago this week, my parents dropped me off at a boarding house in Washington, D.C. so that I could work in his office there for the rest of the summer. At some point in the service, the presiding minister will note that they have gathered to remember the life of Jesse Alexander Helms. To most North Carolinians, he will be remembered as “Jesse.” To a few thousand fortunate enough to have worked in his government or campaign offices over 30 years of public life, though, he will always be “The Senator.”
I had met Senator Helms earlier in that summer while working for his re-election campaign. He was in his early 60s at that time and was my political hero. As I got to know him, mostly through the campaign, my admiration turned into warm personal regard. He could be gracious and prickly, principled and stubborn, thoughtful and thoughtless — all rolled into one. I loved the man. When I returned to Chapel Hill that fall, the Daily Tar Heel printed a particularly nasty op-ed piece about him. I responded with an 1,000 or so word rejoinder, which they published. A few weeks earlier, I had written the Senator a note, thanking him for the summer experience in Washington. A few days after my op-ed piece appeared in the Daily Tar Heel, I received a nice thank-you note acknowledging the summer internship; across the bottom of the letter, the Senator had hand-written a couple of sentences thanking me for my DTH piece. It was, and remains, one of my prized possessions.
The next year (1984), I was back working for the campaign, driving Mrs. Helms around the state through the fall. A few years before Morgan Freeman was “Driving Miss Daisy”, I was driving Miss Dot. She was delightful and we enjoyed those months together, typically leaving Raleigh on Tuesday morning and returning late Thursday night. Through that season, I got to know Sen. and Mrs. Helms well. They were great folks and I came to enjoy them very much.
Lessons learned from Senator Helms:
1. A few convictions, strongly-held, should guide everything else. Words the Senator said in 1959 never fail to stir me: “Compromise, hell! That’s what has happened to us all down the line - and that’s the very cause of our woes. If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?” You can argue for preferences and feel OK, he famously counseled, but compromise your principles and you’ll never get over it.
2. Getting things done requires different approaches at different times. Senator Helms brought the United States Senate to a standstill at times. I still recall the Christmas 1982 Gas Tax debate and Alan Simpson’s asinine response to Senator Helms’ courage. On the other hand, I recall standing outside a phone booth at the Raleigh Civic Center as Senator Helms talked to someone back in DC about negotiations over a farm bill. He knew when to filibuster, but also when to horse-trade.
3. Personal kindness to one’s opponents, indeed to everyone, is everything. Jimmy Broughton has told the story in recent days of the Senator’s concern over observing in a Capitol garage the near-flat tire on the car of liberal Illinois Democrat Senator Paul Simon. It rings so true. I recall standing in a hallway of the Dirsken Building outside the reception area of SD-402 as two elderly constituents of Sen. Chuck Percy’s shuffled to a public elevator. Senator Helms walked by them and asked if they were going down. When they responded affirmatively, he said to them, “Come with me.” Walking around the corner, he ushered them onto a “Senators Only” elevator. It’s just the kind of guy he was. Strong convictions require strong honor.
4. Dignity without pretense is important as you rise higher in the world. He was old-school, but he was not pretentious or pompous. He struck a wonderful balance of senatorial dignity and personal warmth. Watching him with children was particularly fun.
5. Lest I be accused of hagiography, greatness was also tinged with blindness. The great free-market conservative was also a staunch defender of agriculture price supports. The defender of Christian culture was also insensitive to racial appearances. His inconsistencies were not as studied as most peoples’. Lord, make us humble.
It is a testament to his humility that he retired to the same house on Caswell Street in Raleigh after 30 years in Washington. Most politicians stay in DC; it’s such a natural habitat. Senator Helms was different, though. After his 2003 retirement, I dropped him a note of appreciation. A few days later, he called my office and left a message. I called him back and we chatted. I mentioned that I wanted my three children to meet him one day and he encouraged me to bring them by the house the next time we were in Raleigh. A month later, we stopped by on a gorgeous fall afternoon. Another of my most-prized possessions is a photo (which sits in my office today) of Will and Ben standing on either side of the Senator’s recliner and Anna Scott seated on his lap. He was a great man. I hope my children grow up to be like him.
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July 8th, 2008 at 10:03 am
[...] The Senator and Me …to us all down the line - and that’s the very cause of our woes. … 4. Dignity without pretense is important as you rise higher in the [...]
July 9th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I will forever remember with fondness my internship for Senator Helms in Raleigh as a student at N.C. State. He was a great man who will be missed, as we could use a few Senators like him today!
July 10th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Bill, enjoyed reading ” The Senator and Me “- I had the pleasure to speak with him several times when I lived in Pinehurst and Raleigh and he was truly a gracious Southern gentleman- fyi- there will be a documentary about Helms tonight at 10 o’clock - hopefully, you will use your lessons learned from Senator Helms for a future sermon- thanks , Don McLean
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