The Death of Jesse Helms: A Potential Minefield for Obama in a Possible Swing State
Barack Obama will appear in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday to talk about jobs and the economy.
It is certain that reporters in North Carolina will ask him to comment on the death of Jesse Helms, the former North Carolina senator who held strong beliefs on the inferiority of the Negro and had a long history of opposing equal opportunity for African Americans. Nevertheless, Jesse Helms has been a political and social icon beloved by hundreds of thousands of voters in North Carolina.
OEW suggests the wisdom of the Jimmy Carter precedent. When Carter heard of the death of segregationist Alabama governor George Wallace in 1998, he said: [We now paraphrase.]
“The American South has lost one of its favorite sons. His political career both helped to define and reflect the political life of the region.”
As to Jesse Helms, there is an equally discreet alternative: “The South, and especially North Carolina, has lost a hero.”
North Carolina has 15 electoral votes that are usually counted in the GOP column in presidential elections. But very large blocs of unregistered black voters remain in North Carolina. A huge push to increase black voter turnout in the state could tip the state to Obama.
Avoiding a gaffe or misstatement on Helms is important to Obama’s prospects of winning North Carolina in November.
Could someone please explain how “The South, and especially North Carolina, has lost a hero” counts as discreet? It is certainly not discreet to call someone who spent his career pushing an agenda diametrically opposite one’s own a “hero.” I would go no further than “North Carolina has lost a longstanding public servant and I express my sincerest condolences to Senator Helms’s family and friends.” Even “favorite son,” which is still too far for me, is more discreet than “hero.”