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A great man has died. One of the greatest North Carolinans ever. This was a man of unprecedented principle and leadership. One of the few greats in politics. And a man the left made every election into a gigantic contest between evil and good using their pressure groups, their money, and their lies. They never beat him.

Jesse Helms put Sister Boom Boom and the San Francisco gays in the middle of his commercials against Jim Hunt in 1984. He ran the famous “hands” commercial in 1990. The left screeched and squalled. The media showed their fangs and campaigned for his opponents. He took their best shots. He beat “them,” meaning the political left’s establishment of evil and wickedness every single time.

In 1976, Gerald Ford had beaten Ronald Reagan in every single presidential primary. Ford was smugly repeating at campaign stops that Reagan should pull out of the race. Jesse Helms toured North Carolina with the Gipper, using the resources of his famed Congressional Club. Reagan won the NC primary, and beat Ford regularly from there on, barely losing at the convention.

The Gipper returned the favor. In 1984, the libs thought they had the good senator beaten at last. Jim Hunt was a very popular Democrat, a supposed centrist with a national following who had raised money from New York to San Francisco to defeat Jesse Helms. All year long, NPR ran interview with so called Republicans voting for both Jim Hunt and for Reagan. It was nothing but the usual media cheerleading for Democrats.

But as the Reagan tide began to build, Hunt made a prophetic statement. “If Mondale doesn't keep it under a twenty point loss, I'll lose. Every point over twenty is one point between Jesse and me.” Reagan won the state by 26 points, and swept Jesse Helms home by six, just as Hunt had predicted. Dan Rather publicly snarled when he announced the results. After one of his wins, Old Jesse gave it back, saying, “Hello Mr. Rather. Is tonight a good night for ya?”

The media will heap their snide and cruel insults into their stories. We won't get a week of tributes and accolades like when Ford or Tim Russert passed. When Ted Kennedy dies not only will we never hear the end of “the liberal lion” and such rot, but some liberals will probably gather at the grave to see if he rises on the third day.

I remember my late grandmother's opinion, “I vote for Jesse Helms because he's a Christian man.” The people of the towns and small cities of North Carolina never failed to come out for him, because he was for them.

Rest in peace, Senator. Say hello to the Gipper for all of us. We are eternally grateful.