So NC is like a third world enclave...yea, that's what I was going for...sure...

I don't think what I said sounds like Hamas...Sounds like you're saying that because I said that Helms was great at constituant relations, because I said that was a big part of why he was re-elected. Well, as far as constituant relations...welcome to politics 101. You're up there to govern and also to represent your constituants. You're supposed to listen to the concerns of your constituants and help them. It's nice to a certain extent that Hamas has figured this out...it's just that 'round these parts (meaning...the western world) it's pretty much standard. Once again, I'm not a big believer in many of Helm's view (I'm a democrat for one), but I have to completely admit that Helms had brains enough to know that taking care of his constituants would help him politically. Some of our senators from the state now should have figured that out by now. If they did, maybe Liddy Dole might not be in such great danger of having to head back to Kansas soon...

Although I have to stress that Helms even though may have been more conservative than a lot of people, including those who voted for him, there were still a decent amount of things people agreed with him on that he could do something about. Many people by the time he went to congress disagreed with him on his views on basic civil rights, but by that time, it was done, he wasn't going to be able to change that. If he was going to be able to change that, I think it might have changed things a lot. However, people who voted for him generally agreed with him on opposing affirmative action and some of the programs that was part of extending the civil rights act. That he could do something about. I would also add that they also agreed with him on a number of other things he was big on. Limited government, lower taxes, opposing giving public money to the arts (that one was certainly contriversial though) were also other ones. All big '80's issues, don't care where you were.

I may have not stressed that enough in the earlier post, making my view sound like it was all about the constituant relations...but this is what happens when I try to write a friggin disortation on a complex subject that would make a good-sized book (seems like I always do that when posting here...it's a habit, don't know why). Of course, that whole post was kind of a reaction post to a number of posters who speculated on how someone who openly opposed the civil rights acts could be elected to the senate, with the conclusion that North Carolinians are racist. It's just more complicated than that. That's a big part of what I was trying to get across.

Anway, to get back to Helms=Hamas, it's not exactly like he just did things for people and they just voted him in just because of that. I will still maintain that consituant relations were a big part of his success, but many of his general political views was a reason as well.

And of course, once again, I cannot stress enough that it's not like a Helms election was just a case of everybody votes for the good ol' boy. He wasn't the only game in town. It isn't like Hamas, who unfortuantly because of Fatah's weaknesses did make Hamas about the only game in town. And I will stress again that Helms didn't necessarily represent the beliefs of everybody. The Helms elections are probably some of the most contentious races in modern times. Many times they were close, and they were usually contraversial.

I think I'm also saying this to address the quote of "North Carolinians are not as conservative as their politicians." Once again, hate to burst people's bubbles, but not all our elected politicians are that conservative. Look up Gov/Sen Terry Sanford. Probably was the reason JFK won NC in '60. Or Gov Jim Hunt, or Sen John Edwards. All of whom were democrats and at least fairly liberal on most issues. Then you look at the fact that the state democratic party is still the dominant party in NC. Nope, I'm not talking about the Dixiecrats, they're all republican now. I'm talking about the democrats, that of Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt.

Also, certainly I'm not saying that everybody in SF is necessarily rabid left liberal. However, it was and still is to a certain extent more liberal than most places in North Carolina, which as I said in the earlier post, unfairly or not, that perception was (still sometimes is) a political factor you can't completely ignore.