On September 11, 2013 Ted Cruz recounted a story about how the unapologetic racist and segregationist Jesse Helms received a campaign donation check from John Wayne. According to Cruz, Helms contacted Wayne to thank him and, as he (Cruz) tells the story, Wayne said to Helms,
My question is is there any truth to Cruz’s story about John Wayne and Jesse Helms and, if so, how much?
ETA: For the record, to my knowledge Cruz never referred to Helms as an unapologetic racist and a segregationist.
President Bush mentioned that John Wayne had said that the Senate needed 100 like Jesse Helms. Bush was speaking at a Helms’ fundraiser during the 1990 campaign.
His obituary mentioned that Helms kept a personalized photo from Wayne hanging in his Senate Office.
I couldn’t find anything about the circumstances about Wayne saying it to Helms, but Wayne was a very outspoken supporter of Republicans throughout the 1970’s until his death.
Not sure how this relates to your OP, but Jesse Helms was not an unapologetic racist and segregationist, at least at those terms are commonly used and understood.
So when he called UNC the “University of Negroes and Communists” he meant it as a compliment?
nm
You’re right. It doesn’t relate. It was an easy shot at someone I personally revile.
[ol]
[li]Do you mean that he did apologize? Like George Wallace? I don’t think so.[/li][li]How are the terms racist and segregationist commonly used and understood?[/li][/ol]
Senator Ted Cruz sings the “Jesse Helms Blues!!!”
Good one!
As far as I can tell he never recanted his segregationist views. ISTM that makes him the dictionary definition of an unapologetic segregationist.
There’s no real evidence that he ever said that, but even if he did it would not make him an unapologetic racist and segregationist.
He was not very PC - I’ll certainly grant that.
There’s nothing in that article which indicates that he was ever a racist or segregationist to begin with.
The fact that attempts to depict him negatively on racial issues need to rely on dubious quotes and inferences based on “code words” and opposition to affirmative action and the like would seem to be a pretty strong indicator that he was not an unapologetic racist and segregationist. If he was those things, there would be direct evidence of it, especially given his long career in politics and the media and his tendency to speak his mind.
Do these sound like the words of a man who didn’t think segregation was a good idea?
[QUOTE=Jesse Helms]
The Negro cannot count forever on the kind of restraint that has thus far left him free to clog the streets, disrupt traffic and commerce and interfere with other men’s rights.
[/QUOTE]
Back to the OP: Did John Wayne say that to Jesse Helms or not?
Sounds like the words of a man who didn’t like disruptive civil rights marches and riots.
Again, if he was an unapologetic racist and segregationist, why is it that you can’t find any instances of him saying unapologetically “I am in favor of segregation” or comparable unabashedly racist statements? Why are you trying to slide by with “do these sound like the word of a man …” type inferences?
Moderator Note
If that was the case, then you’ve pretty much poisoned the well with regard to getting a straight GQ answer by including this statement in your OP. Let’s move this to Great Debates.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Does this site have blink tags? I really don’t think mere bolding, italics, and size will do – the willful ignorance is strong with this one:
But did he OUTRIGHT SAY that he “hates dem uppity negroes”?
No?
Everything checks out here. Carry on.
:smack:
Question cleaned up and reposted here.
So in 1950 he supported a guy and that other guy campaigned against racial mingling and therefore Helms is an unapologetic racist and segregationist.
Is this the kind of logic that you apply as a general rule?
I do agree with you that willful ignorance is in play here.
Helms didn’t just support the guy, he developed the themes of the “White People WAKE UP” flyer. So either he supported segregation, or he “just” wrote campaign material in support of segregation (and used particularly nasty racial language) .
You need a better source for that claim (which is itself fairly vague).
According to the Jesse Helms Center