WILL AFRICAN AMERICANS VOTE
MARK ROBINSON FOR GOV?
By Cash Michaels
An analysis
Having announced his candidacy for governor, NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson now stands at the precipice of making history. If elected, he would be the first African American in North Carolina history ever elected to the state’s highest elected office. It would be natural to expect that black voters across the state would help the outspoken Republican reach that goal.
But, as has been undoubtedly documented by now, Robinson brings a lot of fiery rhetorical baggage with him to the gubernatorial campaign. Past divisive statements in speeches and social media postings have made him such a political pariah to moderate and left-leaning voters, that Robinson’s seeming only chance of winning in 2024 is by corralling all of the white conservative and right-wing voters he can get.
To be clear, the polarizing lieutenant governor has entrenched himself in a political cage all of his own making, so much so that even though he is presently seen as the leading candidate in the probable three-way Republican 2024 primary (state Treasurer Dale Folwell has announced, and former Congressman Mark Walker is expected to later this month), Robinson may actually have to either limit what he says, or how many appearances he makes saying anything on the campaign trail, to not further hurt himself politically.
That may work during the primary campaign, where extremist GOP voters may decide to choose Robinson for his “take-no-prisoners” cultural warrior persona, even if he only hints at some of his past outrageous remarks about gun violence, LBGTQ or abortion rights. And his Republican opponents - both moderates by comparison - may allow Robinson to calm down in an effort to display a more “reasonable” Republican Party in an effort to attract as many right-leaning unaffiliated voters as possible.
But in the likelihood that Robinson does become the Republican Party standard-bearer in 2024 against a Democratic moderate like state Attorney General Josh Stein, he and his handlers have already begun setting a less combative tone to inflate his support base.
Right after Gov. Cooper’s March 6th State of the State address before the Republican-led NC General Assembly, a tamed Lt. Gov. Robinson delivered a sober, even-tempered response to prospective voters.
Robinson talked economic policies, not gay-bashing; lowering taxes, not abortion or gay rights. Like a well-made cake, the black Republican cogently shared the potent political ingredients of personal growth through self-sacrifice, hard work, family and education in his well-delivered remarks. Indeed, Robinson revealed that he had recently walked the stage as a graduate of UNC at Greensboro, and presented himself not as a politician, but a “ …public servant who knows what the people of North Carolina are going through and wants to serve them and will fight for them like my own personal journey.”
By positioning candidate Robinson as “reasonable” now, the Republican Party hopes that by the time the GOP primary, and then the general election rolls around in 2024, the black Republican’s imposing-yet-toned -down personality will be reinterpreted as strength, not loud, misguided arrogance, by a majority of North Carolina voters next year.
But will that be enough to attract sizable support from Democrat-supporting African-American voters? Will they turn their backs on likely Democrat standard-bearer Josh Stein, to help make history with a black Republican candidate who politically is opposed to many traditional Democratic issues?
To be fair, Democrat Stein is not known for inspiring much trust or admiration from black voters, even though he has won all of his elections. Stein has a number of public relations challenges he must overcome whether he faces Robinson or not, or else many black urban Democratic voters might decide to stay home in 2024.
Couple that with the black lt. governor going to rural parts of the state, pushing the kind of traditional values issues both white and black voters out there understand and support.
If that happens, Mark Robinson wins.
Robinson’s past vulgarities towards gays, Jews, abortion, and even blacks, may not be enough to damage his candidacy with the people who truly want to see him elected as the next NC governor - white conservatives.
And those vulgarities may not be enough to outrage black urban voters to vote against Robinson, and for Josh Stein. They could just stay home. They’ve done it before. Black Democrats inexplicably stayed home in November 2022, when they had every reason to support a popular Black Democratic candidate, Cheri Beasley.
Now that the Election 2024 gubernatorial table is almost set, pay attention to how the Republican Party will further mold Mark Robinson into a hard-charging conservative “public servant” fighting for North Carolina values, and Josh Stein as a “liberal” Democratic politician who seeks to reverse the tide of Republican “progress.”
Bottomline is, as always in virtually every election, when it comes to 2024, the black vote is key.
With a Republican-led state Supreme Court, Republican-led state legislature, and a Republican-led NC Appellate Court, the black voter will be the one to decide whether a black conservative Republican governor is elected to determine the future of North Carolina.
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ATTY BEN CRUMP TELLS
NCCU CLASS OF ’23 TO
GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
“Are you all ready to go out and represent?’ noted civil rights Attorney Benjamin L Crump challenged graduates in the opening statement of his stirring keynote address at the 141st Commencement Exercises: the Baccalaureate Spring Ceremony of North Carolina Central University in Durham last Saturday.
Affectionately known as “Black America’s attorney general” for his tireless work successfully representing the families of victims of police injustice, Atty Crump, a native of Lumberton, told the NCCU Class of ’23 that “You all are the power.”
Crump told NCCU graduates that with their college education, “You all don’t realize how powerful you are,” he said. “You all don’t realize how powerful you’re going to be. With this great education from North Carolina Central University, you’re going to be able to do amazing things in the world, important things in the world, necessary things in the world. You all are the best and the brightest, the most articulate, the most intelligent, the most resourceful. Y’all are the best that our future has to offer the world, and y’all must remember that every day going forward, and don’t let anybody ever tell you that you are not the best. You are never inferior. You are never insignificant.”
Saying that NCCU graduates were “answers” to the prayers of ancestral slaves who picked cotton in the fields generations ago, Crump said that today’s generation of black students represent the liberation of their ancestors.
“So you all have to live up to that obligation, because there was so much sacrifice.”
Atty Crump noted in his remarks that because African Americans have a long history of overcoming virtually every obstacle to their freedom over the generations, he has confidence that blacks will be able to overcome the obstacles of the present and the future.
But Crump warned NCCU graduates that the challenges they’ll face in life won’t be easy and won’t be fair. The only way to make things fair will be based on what they bring to the table in life.
“If you don’t bring anything to the table, don’t expect anyone to allow you to sit down at the table,” Crump admonished.
The famed black attorney also noted that education is no good if it’s not shared with others, so he challenged NCCU grads to take what they learned at school, back to their homes and communities in order to help uplift everyone.
And Crump urged graduates to never forget the people who supported them through their college careers, “because when you march across that stage, they’re marching across that stage too.”
He also challenged NCCU graduates to “go upstream” to help save young black children who are being “thrown in the river” of a deadend life of crime, poor education, and little or no opportunities in life.
“We count on you to go upstream,’ Atty Crump said.
Crump noted efforts on the part of Republican elected officials who are currently outlawing the teaching of Black history to students in the public schools, their reading of African American literature by Alice Walker, James Baldwin and others, or Black culture.
“Because our children have to know that without Black history there would be no American history,” Crump said.
Atty Crump ended his remarks by urging NCCU graduates to stand up for what is right, no matter what the odds, no matter what obstacles or personal sacrifice they may face.
“And we have to fight for our people’s future until Hell freezes over,” Crump closed.
Atty Crump thanked NCCU graduates for being “co-counsels” supporting his legal team in the court of public opinion through demonstrations, petitions or social media when he sought to bring justice in the May 2020 police brutality case of George Floyd, the black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer put his knee on Floyd’s neck in the street, causing him to die.
Crump said that crucial public support was responsible for the conviction of the three police officers involved, as well as victory in the cases of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kty., and Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia.
“It was because of you all, that we were able to get justice,” Atty Crump lauded the NCCU graduates.
NCCU awarded nearly 1,000 degrees during its Spring 2023 Commencement.
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