Robinson tosses fellow GOPer, NCDPI’s Truitt, under the bus
It’s always an adventure when Lt. Gov. Mark Keith Robinson (R) opens his mouth in public. We saw that this week when the alleged GOP frontrunner for governor spoke to the Western Wake Republican Club.
Here’s the video:
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson demands “accountability at the highest levels” of the state’s ED system, then says that failing @CTruittNCDPI shouldn’t be held accountable for her failures
Mark never explained why he skips nearly every Board of Ed vote.
So much for accountability.… pic.twitter.com/zQy4Q2ymub
— Sloan Rachmuth (@SloanRachmuth) January 10, 2024
And here are some key excerpts:
“You’d be surprised how many people come up to me and and have rancor [sic] for the state superintendent. I just kind of back up and look at them and I go ‘gee, what did the state superintendent do?,’ and they say, well, she’s not doing what she needs to do to get education straight in this state and I listen to them and I have to give them the sad report.
You know what? She can’t!” […]
Robinson and incumbent superintendent of public instruction Catherine Truitt are both on the 
March primary ballot. Robinson is seeking a promotion to governor. Truitt faces Michele Morrow in the GOP primary and — if she survives that – a Democrat in November.
So far, Robinson’s comments don’t seem all that helpful to his fellow GOP incumbent. Let’s see if things get any better:
[…] “She can’t. The person that you elected — the person you think is in charge of education in this state is not in charge of education in this state. She is in charge of twelve people on a huge staff at a place called DPI. And before that, the fellow that was in that job, he was in charge of three people. He had three people he could hire and fire.
The current state superintendent has twelve – a whopping twelve people she can hire and fire.
She can’t change anything!”[…]
This is the kind of stuff athletic coaches refer to as ‘bulletin board material.’ I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that we will be seeing this video — and its transcript – on all kinds of ads from Truitt’s primary opponent and her Democrat foe in the November general (if she survives March).
MORE:
[…] I don’t care if you bring Donald Trump into North Carolina and make him head of DPI – the superintendent of North Carolina. His job will be restrained. Because he does not hold the power. The person that you think – the one that you voted for does not hold the cards.
Here’s who holds the cards. The state Board of Education holds the cards. All of them. All of the cards. ”
According to our constitution, they are constitutionally mandated to run education in this state. And here’s the worst part of it. They are appointed – not elected – to eight year terms. And they are untouchable.[…]
Please keep in mind that these comments are coming from a man who has been sitting on the state Board of Education since he took office in 2020. (He’s also on the way to setting a record for missing the most meetings.) One of his primary opponents this year, treasurer Dale Folwell, also sits on the board of education. The last time I checked, both Folwell and Robinson were elected by the people of North Carolina.
Robinson has also been serving as president of the state Senate since 2020. The senate has a lot of influence in funding and setting policy for our public schools. The General Assembly has the last word on just about everything in state government. Have Robinson or Truitt attempted to use the power of Jones Street to push through any changes being blocked by the board of education?
MORE:
[…]”They are not accountable to you, me, the legislature, or anybody else. The state of North Carolina education now is due to the fact we have a state board of education that is absolutely out of control and has no accountability, and that is going to change, folks. [….]”
Has this just been discovered? Or has it been the truth since Robinson took office in 2020, and he’s just now mentioning it because he’s running for governor? His words would have more credibility if he actually made an effort to attend board of education meetings, like his job requires him to do.
Robinson does a great job of painting the NC DPI superintendent as a useless, pointless waste of money. Some could argue the same could be said about the lieutenant governor post.
Since he’s been in office, Robinson has rarely attended the meetings for the committees / commissions his job description requires. He rarely takes part in any of the official business at the state senate. Robinson HAS had plenty of time to write and peddle his memoir. He’s had plenty of time to fly all over the country giving speeches and raising money. He’s even had time to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
But HOW has he used his positions as (1) a member of the state board of education and (2) the president of the state senate to impact state policy and benefit all North Carolinians?
Fat Mark doing what he does best. Showing his ignorance and stupidity every time he runs his fat mouth.
He will have to keep the grift going so expect him to run for US Senate in 2026 and publish a new memoir about the grift. Maybe he will even teach a Masterclass on the grift.
One thing I’m sure of, Catherine Truitt does not represent Conservative families and their children. Her agenda has been completely focused on and directed at supporting equity and inclusion. When the Women League of Voters endorsed her in the 2020 Election I knew we were not going to see any representation for parental rights coming from her Department. Notice I wrote her Department.
The DPI, whomever holds that office, does not have a vote on the state board of elections. That needs to change, and only the general assembly can do that.