Best and Worst Senators of the Past 50 Years: North Carolina

[Mr. Smith]

Sanford/Tillis

Tillis may be a xenophobic extremist, but there is an adulterer and an open racist on this list.

The adulterer did that stuff after his time, and the racist, like some of those other 60's Democrats was surprisingly effective, and there was some conviction behind things.

What's Tillis but the epitome self-serving, lightweight, incompetent?

[This account no longer in use.]

Sanford/Helms, although Tillis and Edwards are awful as well.

[Miles]

Have to go with Hagan for best, personally. I like Sanford a lot too, but he was better as Governor.

Obviously Tillis is the worst and hopefully he'll be done disgracing the state in 2020.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Sanford/Helms, although Tillis and Edwards are awful as well.

[Zioneer]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

[Santander]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest himself is a misunderstood figure. The original Klan was not the same organization as the Second or Third Klans of the 20th century. It was more of a Democratic Party paramilitary group, and Forrest disbanded the Klan when it was clear that it had gone way too far.

No- hence why many democrats/Republicans came to accept people like Bryd, and even Thurmond for moderating their views over the year. There's a difference between supporting segregation in the 60's, and being a poisonous turd like Helms.

Supporting Apartheid South Afirca, Rhodesia, Opposing Martin Luther King Day and his entire efforts to stop HIV/AIDs funding shows that Helms was awful.

Reagan and Thatcher both not-so-quietly supported Apartheid South Africa and minority rule in Rhodesia, but I don't see anyone here who defines their careers by that. Same thing with HIV/AIDS. In my opinion, the original concept of Apartheid, separate nation-states, was not itself a bad idea. The problem was that Boers got greedy and wanted all the land, and committed indefensible atrocities to protect their supremacy.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest himself is a misunderstood figure. The original Klan was not the same organization as the Second or Third Klans of the 20th century. It was more of a Democratic Party paramilitary group, and Forrest disbanded the Klan when it was clear that it had gone way too far.

No- hence why many democrats/Republicans came to accept people like Bryd, and even Thurmond for moderating their views over the year. There's a difference between supporting segregation in the 60's, and being a poisonous turd like Helms.

Supporting Apartheid South Afirca, Rhodesia, Opposing Martin Luther King Day and his entire efforts to stop HIV/AIDs funding shows that Helms was awful.

Reagan and Thatcher both not-so-quietly supported Apartheid South Africa and minority rule in Rhodesia, but I don't see anyone here who defines their careers by that. Same thing with HIV/AIDS. In my opinion, the original concept of Apartheid, separate nation-states, was not itself a bad idea. The problem was that Boers got greedy and wanted all the land, and committed indefensible atrocities to protect their supremacy.

oh for the love of god

[Zioneer]

Yeah no, Santander goes on ignore. Defending apartheid and Nathan Bedford Forrest? Nope.

[Mr. Smith]

Closed

Best: Terry Sanford (51.3%)
Worst: Jesse Helms (56.4%)

[SWE]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest himself is a misunderstood figure. The original Klan was not the same organization as the Second or Third Klans of the 20th century. It was more of a Democratic Party paramilitary group,

Given the nature of the Democratic party in the Reconstruction-era South, that's pretty ing terrible.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest himself is a misunderstood figure. The original Klan was not the same organization as the Second or Third Klans of the 20th century. It was more of a Democratic Party paramilitary group, and Forrest disbanded the Klan when it was clear that it had gone way too far.

"Democratic Party paramilitary group."  Which was formed to protect... what, exactly?

Oh, right.  Slavery.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Reagan and Thatcher both not-so-quietly supported Apartheid South Africa and minority rule in Rhodesia, but I don't see anyone here who defines their careers by that. Same thing with HIV/AIDS. In my opinion, the original concept of Apartheid, separate nation-states, was not itself a bad idea. The problem was that Boers got greedy and wanted all the land, and committed indefensible atrocities to protect their supremacy.
[/quote]

Just... what?

[Mr. Smith]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest himself is a misunderstood figure. The original Klan was not the same organization as the Second or Third Klans of the 20th century. It was more of a Democratic Party paramilitary group, and Forrest disbanded the Klan when it was clear that it had gone way too far.

Ah yes, because an anti-Catholic group of frat-boys is quite the thing to defend.

[Intell]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest himself is a misunderstood figure. The original Klan was not the same organization as the Second or Third Klans of the 20th century. It was more of a Democratic Party paramilitary group, and Forrest disbanded the Klan when it was clear that it had gone way too far.

"Democratic Party paramilitary group."  Which was formed to protect... what, exactly?

Oh, right.  Slavery.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Reagan and Thatcher both not-so-quietly supported Apartheid South Africa and minority rule in Rhodesia, but I don't see anyone here who defines their careers by that. Same thing with HIV/AIDS. In my opinion, the original concept of Apartheid, separate nation-states, was not itself a bad idea. The problem was that Boers got greedy and wanted all the land, and committed indefensible atrocities to protect their supremacy.

Just... what?
[/quote]

The Bolded part is absolutely correct, though. Both of them were horrible figures, with ideologies, that ruined the lives of many people, and caused a death-like scenario to live in, especially the case with Thatcher, but you could the say the same thing with Reagan because of disastrous foreign policy.

[Badger]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest himself is a misunderstood figure. The original Klan was not the same organization as the Second or Third Klans of the 20th century. It was more of a Democratic Party paramilitary group, and Forrest disbanded the Klan when it was clear that it had gone way too far.

No- hence why many democrats/Republicans came to accept people like Bryd, and even Thurmond for moderating their views over the year. There's a difference between supporting segregation in the 60's, and being a poisonous turd like Helms.

Supporting Apartheid South Afirca, Rhodesia, Opposing Martin Luther King Day and his entire efforts to stop HIV/AIDs funding shows that Helms was awful.

Reagan and Thatcher both not-so-quietly supported Apartheid South Africa and minority rule in Rhodesia, but I don't see anyone here who defines their careers by that. Same thing with HIV/AIDS. In my opinion, the original concept of Apartheid, separate nation-states, was not itself a bad idea. The problem was that Boers got greedy and wanted all the land, and committed indefensible atrocities to protect their supremacy.

oh for the love of god

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

The fact that there's 4 "best" votes for Jesse Helms is just sad. There are probably better conservative NC Senators who aren't two steps away from being Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Nathan Bedford Forrest himself is a misunderstood figure. The original Klan was not the same organization as the Second or Third Klans of the 20th century. It was more of a Democratic Party paramilitary group, and Forrest disbanded the Klan when it was clear that it had gone way too far.

Ah yes, because an anti-Catholic group of frat-boys is quite the thing to defend.

*Fraternity!