By Victoria Williams
Current North Carolina Lieutenant Governor and Republican nominee for North Carolina Governor, Mark Robinson is the epitome of right wing conservatism. Much to my dismay, “everything I know about Mark Robinson has been against my will”. While this story should focus on the direction of legislation he may have for the state, instead I will be discussing his scandalous digital footprint.
Recently, Robinson has come under fire for comments that he allegedly left, but denies leaving, on an adult website. The problem is not the idea of him leaving comments or even being on a website that is for adult content. But it’s the fact that at one point government figures regarded their jobs, and values to much higher standards than what we’re seeing today. CNN was one of the first few outlets to break the news of his verbally provocative screen time, with information collected over the span of a few months.
According to CNN, “Mark Robinson, the controversial and socially conservative Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago, in which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI!” and expressed support for reinstating slavery.”
Comments like those should not be excused or dismissed especially when they come from political leaders. A Huffington post article discusses his connection with, Donald Trump. When Donald Trump first endorsed Robinson he said, “This is Martin Luther King on Steroids. To Mark I said, I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.” This is not some blanket—statement of opinion but it’s actually a slap in the face to Martin Luther King and all his efforts. To be compared to someone who to the best of my knowledge hasn’t achieved a fraction of what MLK did. To be compared to someone who’s rhetoric is using information as a way to leverage perceptions is extremely insulting.
With information provided by the Pew research, when we consider that out of 20% of the black population who resign in NC, 75%-79% of them are Democrats. We must pivot the conversation toward the topic of false representation and a lack of reflection in those who represent blacks. With it being an election year, it’s even more important to emphasize why seeing data like this is so disappointing.
Mark Robinson clearly doesn’t speak for the general population of black Americans, in fact his political affiliation isn’t even a reflection of the majority of black people in the state. Yet he was successful because those he did represent voted purely off of what they’ve seen. His audience holds similar beliefs because of shared experiences; losing a job to outsourcing, living in low-income or poverty stricken neighborhoods, or having a complicated home-life. Even still, Mark Robinson by no means is someone who is fit enough to be in a position of leadership. Everyone has their views and opinions which they are entitled to, but If morality is nowhere to be found in our politicians or leaders then we have to find an entirely new way to address this recurring problem.
Another thing I want to mention is his commentary on women. I do not absolve myself from falling for media rage bait, with that being said, I do have the knowledge to know when a fact checking is in order. With a video from a Huffington Post article which reads, “Mark Robinson’s Bizarre Ramble: ‘I Absolutely Want To Go Back To The America Where Women Couldn’t Vote’”, I was able to understand the anti-feminist claims people have given him. Both in-context and out, it’s hard to defend someone saying they would go back to a time that is indicative of women having less rights. However, I will try to explain what he meant. He was referencing a question someone had asked right wing tv personality Candace Owens.
At a panel hosted by Owens, an audience member Candice Owens made the following statement: “What America would you want to go back to that’s making America great again; the one where women couldn’t vote or black people were swinging from trees,” Robinson then responds to his audience with how he would answer, “I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn’t vote. You know why? Because in those days we had people who fought for real social change and they were called Republicans and they are the reason women can vote today.”
After some quick digging and research I found that Robinson is correct; the majority vote for the 19th amendment was indeed with a majority Republican Party. However, that amendment was ratified at the 63rd congressional hearing in the early 1900’s. Our own two system political-party has changed enormously since then as it has with the conception of our government. Not only have Democrats and Republicans taken on completely different ideologies, the president at the time was Woodrow Wilson, a progressive Democrat. So under Democratic leadership and republican majority vote, the law was finally passed. I feel as if this highlights something a bit more on the pulse: America’s two party system needs to actively work together and not against each other.
As someone who considers themselves an independent when casting their vote, even I, as a bystander, think that it’s unfortunate that the Republican Party has been reduced to a group of people who are seen as spewers of hateful and dangerous rhetoric. His image has been so tainted that his own political party doesn’t even want to support him. As the election comes to a close, I’m happy to say, Mark Robison will not be North Carolina’s governor.
Photo from Mark Robinson’s campaign website.