Checking all the, um, “right” boxes: NC’s Campaign 2024 and identity politics

I can just imagine some political strategist sitting out there now:

“Okay. I’ve got BLACK, FEMALE, and AMBIDEXTROUS covered.  Now, if you can give me all three of those PLUS a disability, we’re good.”

It’s not as far-fetched as you might think. Roy Cooper’s pick to replace Beth Wood as state auditor is being trumpeted as “the first black female on the Council of State.”  Not one word about her qualifications for the job.  (Probably because she has none.)

Jessica Holmes, Cooper’s apparent affirmative-action hire, is an attorney.  You can throw a rock and hit at least five of those in downtown Raleigh.  (According to her voter registration, Holmes resides on Diversity Way — which adds a stitch of dark humor to this pitiful tale.) 

Republicans could have some real fun pointing out the irony of this affirmative-action appointment’s home street.  But the NCGOP is basically doing the same thing — playing the check-the-boxes affirmative action game —  with their “desired” gubernatorial choice for 2024.  

In 2019,  congress-critters Elise Stefanik and Kevin McCarthy campaigned in overdrive for Republican Joan Perry in the special election to fill the vacant Third Congressional District seat. They didn’t say much about her stands on the issues.  They harped about her female DNA and anatomy.  They expected us to pick a representative based on the physical and chemical qualities she was born with.

Back to this year.  Raleigh Republicans have displayed an inordinate amount of excitement over state House members Tricia Cotham and Erin Paré.  Neither have anything substantial in their CVs.  That didn’t matter, we were told.  Look at the women!  Real-live Republican women!

Democrat Rachel Hunt is being trumpeted for her potential as the second-ever FEMALE lieutenant governor of North Carolina. (Never mind the disaster the first turned out to be.)

The wackos on the left have spent so much time compartmentalizing and pigeon-holing people in school and at work based on their physical attributes.  Stuff they were born with.  Why is our side playing that game now?

 SOMEHOW, it makes one more significant if they fit into certain categories the ruling class finds most acceptable.  Personally, I thought we did away with that kind of thinking in the 1860s and 1960s.  Moving on to the whole “content of their character rather than the color of their skin” dynamic. 

If you didn’t know — I am a white man.   There are PUH-LENTY of white men I really want nowhere near the inner workings of government.   I still have that, um, *old-fashioned* belief that the way you view the world matters a whole lot more than your physiological or physical makeup. 

If your Diversity Bingo card has BALD, MORBIDLY OBESE, and LOUD on it, you’re looking good as far as the GOP  lieutenant governor and governor primaries go.  (You’re covered.)

But IS this the way to pick leaders?  Especially at a time when our country and our state are facing such dire straits?  Why not look past someone’s physical appearance and anatomy and get details about how they plan to get us out of this mess? 

It astounds me to watch so many normally sane, lucid Republicans absolutely lose their minds over the prospect of a black American either registering or — *Lawd have mercy* – running as a Republican.

Followers of this site know that I do not drink the Mark Robinson kool-aid.  I’ve had some longtime political friends cut ties over that fact.  Anyone who has followed this site knows that I call things as I see them.  And what I see here is NOT a serious leader for our state – but a man with few if any significant personal or professional accomplishments in his life story.

His life story is peppered with financial and professional failures. Court action for failure to pay debts. An admission that “anyone who wants him to work with numbers will end up in jail”. 

His tenure as lieutenant government has been marked mainly by pursuit of a bachelors degree while traveling around the country to raise money for this 2024 campaign. He’s stayed out of General Assembly debates. We’ve heard little to nothing from him about the pressing issues on Jones Street.  (He announced his opposition to casinos AFTER the fight was over.)

WHEN and WHERE has he been a leader in a policy fight?  What does he want to do as governor?  Is there any evidence out there that anyone at the legislature at all even pays the least bit of attention to him?  

We’ve got a guy who is basically a carnival side show attraction being used by professional political grifters to shake loose a whole lot of extra cash from people.  Lots of politicos are getting rich off of this dude.

Some people dismiss my position as sour grapes due to loyalty to another candidate. Not even close.  Some have accused me of making stuff up or regurgitating  Democrat hit pieces.  Everything I’ve written about him and his family has “receipts.”  (Many of said ‘receipts’ have Yolanda’s — Mrs. Robinson’s — name signed to them.) 

Take time to read for yourself.  You can’t  bury your head in the sand forever.  Keep thinking that what hasn’t yet hurt you won’t hurt you later.  The stuff we’ve found on Mark Robinson is tough to ignore.  It at least deserves some explanation or clarification.

The Robinson family business involves passing-along government welfare checks to daycare centers. (How conservative is that, by the way?)  Will that keep rolling right along after he gets inaugurated and put in charge of the NCDHHS? 

Our reporting has uncovered some record-keeping and accounting issues that could lead to scrutiny and – possibly – charges from: the IRS, the state Department of Revenue, the US Department of Agriculture, the US Department of Justice AND the NC Department of Justice — just to name a few.

Continuing to be silent demonstrates a clear lack of respect for the people the Robinson machine claims to want to serve.

Some may say “Why respond?” when the Democrats and the media have been so silent. If I found all of this through some simple search of public records, Democrats and their media friends have too.  It’s going to be much more fun for them to bombard Robinson post-primary when the NCGOP is stuck with him.  

Filing for office starts tomorrow.  There will likely be three GOP names on the primary ballot for governor.  Do your due diligence.  Don’t fall for the fad of cheering on the chubby, bald black man with a tendency to rant.  That might have been great qualifications for a guest on the late Jerry Springer’s talk show.  But NOT for leading our great state.