Black Jesse Helms' battles for GOP votes

Wash Times ^ | 4/13/04 | Ralph Hallow

[paltz]

A North Carolina newspaper meant to chastise Republican Vernon Robinson when it declared: "Jesse Helms is back! This time, he's black."

Now that quote has become Mr. Robinson's campaign slogan as he battles seven other 5th District congressional candidates in the July 20 Republican primary.

[Bikers4Bush]

No more moderates, we have enough wishy washy panzies in the GOP.

[hobbes1]

"Jesse Helms is back! This time, he's black."

Coming Attractions for more Liberal Hysteria.....

[NeoCaveman]

I met Mr. Robinson at CPAC this past year. He'd be a terrific Congressman.

[Redbob]

Sounds like y'all have a bounty of conservatives; the rest of the country should be so fortunate.

[GulliverSwift]

Any NC FReepers care to enlighten us on his record? If he's got a good one, it would be nice to have the only black person in the Senate be a Republican.

[eyespysomething]

Woohoo.

We have a great black conservative running for Zell Millers' seat here in GA, Herman Cain.

http://www.cainforussenate.org

Of course, there are those who think we need to propel one of the 2 US Reps also running from House to Senate, even though they haven't done diddly for all their years in the State and National positions.

Weak-kneed RINO's suck.

[ModelBreaker]

No more moderates, we have enough wishy washy panzies in the GOP.

I agree with your general sentiment. But I note Pat Buchanan supports this guy. That would concern me if I were a constituent. Pat Buchanan is not a conservative. He left our ranks a long time ago.

[NCPAC]

Good lord, is that a dream-come-true GOP primary or what?!

Considering the remnants of Jesse Helms'"machine" are still active and the Broyhill name, I'd wager Ed Broyhill is the next Congressman, though.

[Preachin']

Herman Cain definitely has my vote. I love his radio ad.

[rrrod]

whoa!!! buchanan supports vernon??? proof?...if vernon doesnt publicly distance himself from buchanan he has lost my vote no matter what!

[eyespysomething]

NO!!! We in GA are going to have the only black senator, who will be a republican!!! (Herman Cain)

Think if there were 2 blacks in the senate, both republican, and both from the south!

[eyespysomething]

I'm assuming you are a fellow Peach Stater then! Please see our locale board, and the 3 or so people there who are not supporting Cain. They are worried he is too extreme, what with his anti-abortion, pro-FairTax, cut the budget/pork, pro-God views and all.

[cyborg]

I thought jesse Helms was still alive.

[ModelBreaker]

whoa!!! buchanan supports vernon??? proof?...if vernon doesnt publicly distance himself from buchanan he has lost my vote no matter what!

From the article

'The two-term Winston-Salem city councilman and Air Force Academy graduate's brochures cite praise from . . . conservative commentator Pat Buchanan.'

[BibChr]

Hope Helms isn't following the Goldwater decline template.

Dan

[rrrod]

i saw that.. i meant a quote from buchanan or something. thanks!

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

He is. He retired, and his seat was won by Elizabeth Dole in the last election.

[cyborg]

thanks!

[JohnnyZ]

As far as I can tell, Buchanan has not endorsed Robinson in this race, but has in the past. Of course, Buchanan was a conservative in the past.

Vernon highlights Kemp, Keyes, Tancredo, Barr, and Aldrich on his endorsements page.

[TaxRelief]

Sounds like y'all have a bounty of conservatives; the rest of the country should be so fortunate.

Or maybe there's only one conservative, and the rest are copying because that's the only way to get elected these days?

[rrrod]

I peronally like vernon but ....and this is not an attack he has a tendency to botch things up. should he win the primary i hope he can take a deep breath and think his campaign thru. Vernon will stay true in his beliefs of that I am sure. RELAX VERNON!!! smile ol buddy!

[TaxRelief]

Do I really look like this Mr. RRRod?

LOL! Thanks.

[alancarp]

Okay, I'm getting ready to finish up my tax return (okay, I'm really stalling), so it's time for my Ed Broyhill Rant.

Ed Broyhill is all about "jobs" -- that's what he's made the centerpiece of his campaign. However, he's already proven to be a lousy businessman -- having bankrupted the "Edgar B" mail-order furniture biz he had operating out of Clemmons from 1978-95. His website omits this little tidbit in his resume. But others have ranted thoroughly about that, so I'll refrain (www.BankruptBroyhill.com). But that cost up to 140 jobs that were never recovered.

But the thing that really gets to me are his ads: "Faith, Family, Friends, Freedom" is the theme. He shows his family singing in church (angled so that you don't notice that it's staged). He talks about the church his grandfather helped build. However, when asked for use of spare building space to use for a temporary home for a fledgling church in Clemmons, he offered it... at full retail rental price. This was an out-building -- four rooms, poor shape, lots of junk. We would have cleaned it up, carpeted, and painted, plus (likely) added numerous other upgrades. But the comment I still hear from that episode is "I'm a businessman."

Now Broyhill didn't have to do this. He owns (or maybe his father does, after the $16 million or more pumped into Edgar B) the space and has the ultimate right to do with it as he pleases. Yet he's now touting himself as a community leader, a man of faith, and a man of action. I didn't see any of those traits that day -- what I saw was the character of a used car salesman - trying to make a buck.

I am a pragmatist: I will almost always vote for Republicans, whether I like them or not. This man would be an exception to that rule, for if he should happen to win the GOP nod in the NC 5th district, I would not vote for him -- and would actually strongly consider a vote for the Democrat candidate in this extreme case.

End rant.

[Tax-chick]

My son Patrick has a butterfly plush toy named Vernon. This is just a strange coincidence, not intended to mean anything politically.

many of the 5th District's 3,500 families who home-school their children

That's a lot of homeschooling families in one congressional district ... maybe more than we had in Oklahoma 1st. Suggests that the public school stink.

[TaxRelief]

The only beefs I'd seen about Broyhill were from customers who'd pay'd deposits that were not refunded. Is that part true?

[alancarp]

I believe that to be true, for I've heard this from multiple sources - including print media. That's actually not terribly unusual for a company in receivership, for the "customers-in-waiting" simply get added to the end of a long line of creditors waiting for satisfaction... and while I don't know the NC law in this regard, it is typical that the biggest creditors (banks, etc.) get satisfied first.

[Windom Earle]

Rrrod is exactly right. Robinson is a staunch conservative. You know exactly where he stands, and he will not waver. I believe it's possible for such a conservative to attract 50 percent plus 1, but I wonder if he can do it.

[Huber]

For the record, there are few, if any, stronger conservatives than Vernon in the country. There are others in the race who have learned to talk the talk, but Vernon's conservative track record is phenomenal. He has been a veritable Conservative "Army of One" in Winston-Salem.

(Actually, Vernon would probably prefer that we use the term "Air Force of One." As he likes to say, "The best offense is a good air strike!")