If Mark Robinson is your standard-bearer, you might reexamine your standards

A lot of people now know about Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina. Some national and international outsiders looking in were shocked at his Super Tuesday win. But I always thought the Donald Trump-endorsed Robinson was a shoo-in. That’s the red-versus-blue country we live in, when many times the “D” or “R” label means more than the person wearing it.

Yet, I find myself glancing side to side at my fellow North Carolinians, realizing that with Robinson’s win, they either don’t know much about the man other than his party affiliation, or they know him and approve of what he says and how he says it.

And as loud as he screams his repugnant views, there’s no excuse for anyone within state lines pretending he’s an unknown quantity. I swear you can hear him roar from the beach to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

His voters won’t be able to hide now, though, since national newspapers and cable networks are all doing their “Mark Robinson” stories in the same way gawkers slow down for a better look at a car crash on the side of the road.

So, what exactly has Robinson said to make national media finally notice? Take your pick, since the list of racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic comments and personal insults is long.

The civil rights movement that provided the path for Robinson, a Black man, to rise to his current post of lieutenant governor? He has said it was “crap,” called the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an “ersatz pastor” and a “communist,” and disavowed being any part of the African American community. “Why would I want to be part of a ‘community’ that sucks from the putrid tit of the government and then complains about getting sour milk?” he wrote, employing every offensive stereotype that would be right at home at a white supremacist get-together.

Women? Robinson’s message to a North Carolina church was that Christians were “called to be led by men,” that God sent Moses to lead the Israelites. “Not Momma Moses,” he said. “Daddy Moses.”

Robinson reserves especially toxic rhetoric for members of the LGBTQ community, unapologetically, and often in sermons. “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” Robinson preached in one of them.

And though Robinson has tried to clean up his record with a trip to Israel, the Hitler-quoting candidate wrote in 2018 on Facebook: “This foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is a bunch of hogwash.”

There is plenty more, but you get the idea.

Local News Roundup: Myers Park sexual assault trial; Controversial Cotswold Chick-Fil-A plan approved; AG Josh Stein throws his hat into the ring for NC Governor

The trial of a former Myers Park High School student against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the city of Charlotte after an allaged sexual assault started this week. The former student alleges her Title IX rights were violated after she was sexually assaulted in 2015.

Charlotte City Council approves a controversial rezoning on Randolph Road to allow the rebuilding of a Chick-fil-A to become a drive-through-only business. While the decision goes against the 2040 plan, some council members say it’s the best solution to alleviate a traffic nightmare in that area.

Attorney General Josh Stein throws his hat in the ring, announcing he’s running for North Carolina Governor in 2024. He’s the first major candidate to announce in a race that promises to be competitive as the governor’s seat will be open with no incumbent for the first time since 2012.

Now that the Carolina Panthers season is over and a widespread head coach search is on, can Steve Wilks get the top job permanently? We’ll talk about why this hire is getting attention, and get an update on who the Panthers are talking to.

And Bojangles is entering the adult beverage world with an alcoholic version of its famous sweet tea!

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Shamarria Morrison, WCNC reporter
David Boraks, WFAE climate reporter

POLITICAL WRAP: North Carolina Congressional Redistricting; Louisiana Governor’s Race

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This week, the fight over North Carolina’s congressional redistricting continues. There’s a lawsuit challenging the replacement map approved by the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

The new map would threaten the re-election hopes of two current Republican house members. But Democrats say the re-draw still isn’t fair.

A three-judge panel blocked the current map from being used again in 2020, saying it favors the GOP.

Meantime, John Bel Edwards will be Louisiana’s Governor for four more years. The Democrat narrowly won Saturday’s runoff election against Republican challenger Eddie Rispone, who was heavily backed by President Donald Trump.

Clock above more with WCCB Charlotte Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis.