"firebrand" = wingnutGOP pick for N.C. governor downplayed Weinstein allegations, assault by Ray Rice
Mark Robinson, the firebrand Republican nominee for governor in North Carolina, has for years made comments downplaying and making light of sexual assault and domestic violence.
A review of Robinson’s social media posts over the past decade shows that he frequently questioned the credibility of women who aired allegations of sexual assault against prominent men, including Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Bill Cosby and now-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. In one post, Robinson, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, characterized Weinstein and others as “sacrificial lambs” being “slaughtered.”
Robinson also wrote repeatedly of a 2014 domestic violence encounter involving then-NFL star Ray Rice, who was seen on a surveillance video dragging his apparently unconscious fiancée out of an elevator. In a post directed at Rice’s “lady friend,” Robinson suggested the woman was at fault for the physical altercation.
The ads write themselves. For example:... Robinson has drawn scrutiny for his incendiary remarks on other issues, including about LGBTQ+ people, religion and other political figures. But his comments on domestic violence and sexual assault stand out for their tone and frequency, as well as Robinson’s repeated questioning of accusers.
While Robinson is, in some ways, emblematic of the Republican Party’s turn under Donald Trump toward rewarding inflammatory, sexist language, his dismissals of women threaten to test Robinson’s appeal with voters troubled by that history, in particular female voters....
Maybe the DNC should tie TRE45QN to Robinson in NC and nationally.... In his 2020 campaign for his current position and this year’s race for governor, Robinson has refused to apologize when asked about controversial public comments. Last year, he downplayed past comments about Jews as having been “poorly worded.” Among other things, Robinson has minimized Nazi atrocities in Facebook posts.
Trump and other Republicans have embraced his rhetorical style. Trump endorsed Robinson during his primary for governor, calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
Trump, who has been working to chip away at Biden’s advantage with Black voters, included Robinson in a Black Americans for Trump coalition that Trump announced Saturday.
... Robinson has been open about growing up in a violent household. His official biography page says his father “was an alcoholic who routinely abused his mother.”
During the mid-2010s, Robinson made comments on his Facebook page that downplayed or otherwise made light of domestic violence against women....
He learned nothing from his own parents.
"Domestic" refers to the relationship, not the locale. Moron.
... Robinson won nearly 65 percent of the (GQP primary) vote.
... In 2018 and 2019, Robinson posted memes appearing to mock the allegations by California professor Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault and testified before Congress.
One of his posts appeared to suggest that Blasey Ford’s allegations were fake, along with “those women who accused Roy Moore.” Moore, a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Alabama, was accused of sexual assault or questionable behavior by at least eight women — including one who alleged that Moore initiated a sexual encounter when she was 14 and he was 32. Moore has long denied the allegations.
Robinson similarly shared memes mocking actress Ashley Judd, who accused Weinstein of sexual assault. And he repeatedly suggested that the sexual harassment claims brought against male public figures was the result of a broader conspiracy, claiming, among other outlandish theories, that the Illuminati were involved in publicizing accusations against Cosby.
... An April poll from Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy found Stein and Robinson were in a tight race, with Stein receiving support from 47 percent of registered voters in the state and Robinson getting 45 percent. The result was within the poll’s margin of error. Stein led Robinson among female voters, 52 percent to 40 percent.
Quinnipiac 4/4 - 4/8 1401 RV moe 2.6
Stein (D) 48
Robinson (R) 41
Ross (L) 4
Turner (G) 2
Stein +7
What is wrong with female MAGAts?The survey also found Trump had 49 percent in the presidential race and Biden 43 percent. Female voters were more divided than in the governor’s race, with 47 percent backing Biden and 44 percent supporting Trump, which was within the poll’s margin of error.
The state is crucial for Biden, whose campaign is targeting it as a pickup opportunity after narrowly losing it in 2020. Biden’s advisers believe Robinson will be a key motivator for Democrats to turn out in North Carolina, along with the state’s ban last year on abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy in most cases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFfiPGN67pY
... Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said the Robinson-Stein matchup is “close enough for Stein to keep his foot on the pedal” — and suggested Robinson’s controversial comments may not hurt him as much as some think. Quinnipiac also polled the race in April and found Stein led Robinson by single digits.
“We live in an age of political bombast,” Malloy wrote in an email. “What was once wholly unacceptable to say on the campaign trail, in a bar or at the dining room table is accepted as undisputed fact and not necessarily considered offensive. Robinson has a lot of support. Clearly some North Carolinians have found a voice in his voice.”
GoJoshGo!
Congrats, Gov Stein!
