[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17822-17823]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING SENATOR JESSE HELMS

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I join with my colleagues in the Senate and 
the House, and with the people whose lives he touched all across the 
Nation, in saying how sorry I was to learn of the passing of Jesse 
Helms on July 4. He was a remarkable man, and he has left his mark on 
the United States that he loved so very much and the State of North 
Carolina that he served with great pride. He will not be forgotten.
  Jesse Helms was an American in every sense of the word--one who was 
firmly and staunchly dedicated to the principles upon which our country 
was founded. Those principles guided him through his life and helped 
him to make every difficult decision that confronted him in his 86 
years of life.
  Jesse Helms was an established force in the Senate by the time I 
arrived. As a freshman Senator I knew I had a lot to learn and I was 
able to learn a lot from him as we served together and worked on 
several issues that meant a great deal to us both. We didn't always 
agree, but I always found him to be a man of his word who said what he 
meant and meant what he said. You always knew where you stood with him 
and when he said ``Yes'' you knew that you could count on him to do 
what he said he would.
  Many of us come to Washington hoping to change Washington. Then, with 
the passage of time, we find that instead of changing Washington, 
Washington has changed us. How we are changed says a lot about us and 
our commitment to the principles and values that motivated us to run 
for the Senate in the first place.
  That kind of change is only natural and, for many of us, the changes 
that occur help us to see other viewpoints and perspectives and make it 
possible for us to work with Members on both sides of the aisle so we 
can achieve common goals and work for the best interests of the United 
States and the American people.
  Like so many of us, Jesse Helms was changed by his experience in the 
Senate. One of the most notable examples was the President's foreign 
AIDS relief package we worked on together.
  For years Jesse was opposed to providing any assistance to countries 
fighting the AIDS epidemic. Some thought he would always oppose any 
kind of relief. Then, Bono, who is a powerful advocate for the cause, 
made an appointment to see Jesse Helms so he could share the human side 
of the problem with him.
  I guess no one had been able to put a human face on the AIDS epidemic 
for him before. However Bono was able to do it, he was able to touch 
Jesse's heart and convince him that the need was real--and the right 
thing to do. In response, Jesse was big enough to admit that he had 
been wrong. After Bono's presentation, Jesse decided to work on a 
proposal that would provide the needed funds to fight AIDS in Africa. 
The proposal was passed and signed into law, and thanks in part to his 
support, countless lives were saved. It is no coincidence that the 
reauthorization of this legislation that he worked so hard to pass was 
recently enacted into law by President Bush. It is a part of his legacy 
that will continue on after him and make a difference all over the 
world for many years to come.
  That is but one facet of his character, and one we are all familiar 
with. And, now that he has been taken from us, we will all take with us 
many more memories that come from our service with Jesse Helms in the 
Senate.
  A lot of what we remember about Jesse Helms and his service in the 
Senate would surprise those who only knew him by reputation because 
people thought he was a tough guy. But when you met him, you quickly 
came to see that he was a friendly person. He enjoyed greeting the 
tourists he met in the Halls and he made them all feel welcome because 
he always had a kind word for everyone he met. Those who worked here in 
the Capitol liked him because he treated them all with kindness and 
respect.
  At the top of Jesse's list were those who work with us to help the 
House and Senate function as it should--especially the pages. I don't 
think Jesse Helms ever missed a chance to say ``Thank you!'' to the 
pages for their service to the Congress. That was just one of the ways 
that Jesse honored the Senate's traditions and respected the office he 
was elected to hold.
  I remember a story he told me about his first Senate race. The 
campaign was in full swing, but Jesse's numbers didn't look too good. 
Then one day he ran into a fellow Mason who handed him a Masonic lapel 
pin. ``Here,'' he said. ``Wear this during your campaign and I 
guarantee you that you will win.''
  He took his friend's advice and wore the pin every day. Then, when 
the votes were counted, Jesse was the newly elected Senator from North 
Carolina.
  He told me that story while we were in the cloakroom and I was 
watching him put a new back on the pin that now showed a lot of use. I 
told him that I was a Mason, too. As he put the pin back on his lapel, 
he told me that he had worn that pin every day since his friend gave it 
to him during that first Senate campaign.
  As I came to know him, I saw that Jesse and I shared a great fondness 
and appreciation for the youth organizations that are recognized by the 
Congress. He knew that they were teaching our kids things they weren't 
going to be getting any other way. He knew that these groups were 
helping our kids learn how to be good citizens and good students and to 
stand up for the things they believed in. He knew that they were 
helping to prepare our young people for the challenges they would face 
in school and later, in life.
  One organization we both worked to support was the Boy Scouts. He was 
a strong supporter of Scouting and he stood up for them whenever they 
were unfairly criticized or attacked. His response to each attack was 
to craft a bill that protected the promotion of volunteerism, values 
and faith to ensure those valuable lessons would continue to be taught 
to the Scouts.
  That is just one example of Jesse's commitment to the values that 
meant so very much to him. That is why he was able to get a lot of 
things done over the years. His success was based on his strong 
foundation of values and beliefs that he would stand fast on and that 
was enough for him to win on most occasions. Watching him in action on 
the floor or in committee taught me that conviction counts, especially 
when you are firm and comfortable in what you believe.
  Jesse was a kind, soft spoken, effective, persistent and successful 
individual. He paid attention to people and they responded to him--in 
North Carolina and across the country. Another of his great political 
secrets was his understanding that a problem always appears bigger if 
it is your own. That's why the people of his State sent him back to the 
Senate for five terms. He

[[Page 17823]]

listened to the people of North Carolina, he understood them, and he 
made their problems his own.
  Now that the last chapter of his life has been written, Jesse Helms' 
record speaks for itself. It reflects the fact that he was never 
concerned with being popular or taking positions because they mirrored 
the results of the latest poll. His focus was always on doing what was 
right--because it was the right thing to do. I think he owes his 
perspective on life to some advice his father gave him that helped to 
shape his character and point him toward his destiny. Jesse would often 
share his father's words with others, ``The Lord does not require you 
to win, but he does require you to try.''
  Jesse never forgot what his father told him. In fact, he lived those 
words by putting them into practice every day. No matter the odds or 
how impossible the situation was, Jesse stayed true to the life lesson 
his father taught him many years ago.
  Now that he has been taken from us, it will be for others to judge 
his place in history and the impact his life had on the Nation. 
Whatever is decided, for me and for so many others, the record will 
show that Jesse Helms didn't always win, but he never let the fear of 
losing keep him from fighting for a cause he believed in. For Jesse 
Helms, the glory came not from victory, but from giving all he had in a 
noble effort in support of a worthy cause.

                          ____________________