Jesse Helms, 1921-2008

I wasn't planning on a post memorializing Jesse Helms, who died today at the age of 86, but I thought better of it after seeing the left's hatred of late North Carolina Senator.

At the "mainstream" Daily Kos, we see this:

Rather than a moment of silence in respect of the memory of Jesse Helms it is more appropriate to bellow a jingoistic, racist, msogynistic, homophobic inconmprehensible diatribe that pushes all the wrong buttons and increases the forces of intolerance because Jesse would have wanted it that way.

Also, from the comments to that post:

* There are some dead of whom nothing positive can be said. I suspect this diary won't get near the attention is should...

* Hey Helms, I will pour a beer over your grave but not before it has been filtered through my kidneys!

Here's a sample at Lawyer, Guns and Money:

* All I can say it's a good day for America. Happy fourth!

* R.I.P my ass. Helms was an evil racist and homophobe who contributed to the deaths of many ... My only regret here is that his doctor said he died 'comfortably.'

But see also, Think Progress, which takes Helms' passing as a chance to recount Helms' politics of race, allowing a few choice words in the comments:

* SO? Am I supposed to be sad about this?

* Ding dong the witch is dead.

Note, significantly that Huffington Post took preventive action against the evil, closing their obituary to comments.

I think any self-respecting person would cringe at this kind of hate.

I wrote recently about Helms' political legacy, "Jesse Helms, the Far-Right, and the GOP." The truth is that for all of Helms' racial politics, many unbigoted Americans were moved by the late Senator's willingness to tap into genuine grievances on issues such busing and affirmative action.

Helms' style of political conservatism left a lasting mark on American politics. It was a style that many denounced, but the issues Helms raised are no less important today.

May he rest in peace. My best wishes go out to the Helms family.

See also my earlier entry, "On Death and Decency: The Absence of Divine Soul on the Contemporary Left."

Photo Credit: New York Times

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UPDATE: See also, "The Official Grave Dancing Thread for Jesse Helms":

There’s little that a good, progressive thinking person on the Internet likes more than the death of a conservative.

UPDATE II: For more examples of the grave dancing, see:

* AmericaBlog, "Racist, Homophobe Jesse Helms is Dead."
* Carpetbagger Report, "Former Sen. Jesse Helms Dies at Age 86" (the comments in particular).
* Comments From Left Field, "Jesse Helms Departs (Finally)."
* Down With Tyranny, "Happy Fourth of July."
* The Impolitic, "Jesse Helms: Dead at Last."
* Martini Revolution, "Jesse Helms Dead" (which included the lead, "Good f**king riddance").
* Matthew Yglesias, "The Dead."
* Orcinus, "Goodbye, and Good Riddance."
* TBogg, "Hell Gets a Little More Crowded.
* Whiskey Fire, "Bastard of an Ex-Warhorse Kicks."

These are the most disrespectful posts at Memeorandum.

Yglesias begins his entry stating, "I've never been 100 percent clear on why you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead..."

I think common decency might provide a clue.

At least Pam Spaulding gets it.