Down to the crossroads

by | May 5, 2023 | Editor's Blog | 21 comments

When Mark Robinson comes onto the stage at his rallies, his theme song should be “Crossroads” because Robinson has clearly sold his soul. 

Legend has it that blues musician Robert Johnson was just a mediocre guitar player who was more an annoyance than a performer. One night, he went down to a crossroads in the Mississippi Delta where he met the devil. When he came back, he could play, sing, and write music like nobody else. He sold his soul in exchange for talent that gave him fame and notoriety. Of course, Johnson died at 27, probably poisoned by a jealous husband, becoming the founding member of the 27 Club.

Mark Robinson built his career making inflammatory statements that derided and demeaned the people he considers his opponents and taking extreme stands on the most divisive social issues. He called gay people “filth.” And he wants to ban abortion for any reason. Just over two months ago, Robinson said on a radio show, “If I had all the power right now, let’s say I was the governor and had a willing legislature, we could pass a bill saying you can’t have an abortion in North Carolina for any reason.”

Yesterday, after the legislature introduced a bill banning abortions after 12 weeks, Robinson suddenly had nothing to say. When asked about the bill, he told reporters, “I’m not interested in talking about abortion anymore.” Just like that, he’s over it. After years of comparing abortion to murder and telling us what he would do as governor, he’s done talking about it. 

That’s what you call being handled. He’s not himself anymore. He’s become just another politician, doing whatever it takes to get elected.  Just like Robert Johnson, he’s sold his soul. At least Johnson sold out to the devil. Robinson sold his to the consultants who are remaking him in the image of a generic politician, saying what’s right to appeal to the broadest audience. Good luck. 

You may be asking if Tricia Cotham sold her soul, too. After a life time of staunchly defending abortion rights and calling on the legislature to codify Roe just last year, she voted for the 12 week ban. But Tricia didn’t sell her soul because she doesn’t have one to sell. She didn’t believe in abortion rights any more than she believes in the bill she just voted for. She doesn’t believe in the voucher scheme that’s gaining her applause in Republican circles any more than she believed in the public schools she once supported. Tricia doesn’t believe in anything but the applause. 

Normal people would be embarrassed at the dramatic flip-flop, but Tricia’s not normal. She threw away everything she told us she believed in for the cheers of Republicans who would be nice to her. She should be right at home in the party that knows no shame and is no longer embarrassed by anything. 

The GOP inadvertently reminded us of Cotham’s pathetically thin-skin and her lack of veracity when they referenced her in a tweet. The party’s official Twitter account accused Roy Cooper of “bullying and intimidation” for calling on people to put pressure on legislators who pledged to protect abortion rights and then voted to restrict them. The account asked “Sound familiar, @triciacotham?” What a bunch of snowflakes. 

Mark Robinson and Tricia Cotham are two peas in a pod. They’ll say anything for applause. The difference is that Robinson is trying move up while Cotham has probably reached her apogee. They’ll trade everything, their dignity, their beliefs, their honor, for a little attention and power. How pathetic.

“Went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees.” 

21 Comments

  1. Kycowboy

    Not all Christians think homosexuality is filth. Those of us who are progressive are in that group. Jesus did not speak about homosexuality. He was more concerned with social sin not individual sin. Even though a number of books claims Paul as author, modern theologians think half were not written by him. Those that were written by Paul do not mention homosexuality. God made everyone and God does not make mistakes. So God made homosexuals. We are to love God by loving what God has created and that includes homosexuals. So don’t tell me that you are a Christian if you hate people.

    • ringlet86

      What denomination are you? Just curious. I’m not down to debate theology,but you’ve said things I’ve never heard before So I want to see where you got them. Not debating if it right or wrong just where. Maybe I’ll learn something new.

      • Kycowboy

        I am Presbyterian. I read Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Sue Monk Kidd, Richard Rohr, and others. If an act is a sin to your belief then don’t do it. When you condemn the act you are also condemning the person. You cannot separate the two. Jesus commanded us to love one another not ostracize , hate one another. Mr. Robinson does not convey love, care, understanding, empathy towards those who do not think like him. By their fruits you shall know them. I have a hard time reconciling he is a Christian and his actions.

        • ringlet86

          Thanks. I’ll look those guys up and see what they say.

        • ringlet86

          What are you thoughts on this.

          • ringlet86

            BTW I would recommend the Movie Nefarious. Its a very interesting film about the times we are in.

          • Kycowboy

            Ringlet,
            His thoughts are based on his belief that the Bible is the word of God. I don’t believe the Bible is the word of God. I also don’t believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible.The Bible is a collection of stories, poems, and essays of how man related to God. There are three stories of creation. The first begins Genesis 1:1 and ends at Genesis 2:4. This one dates back to 650 BC. The second finishes the second chapter and dates back to 950 BC. The third is found in the first chapter of John. All three are different.
            The verses the speaker quotes of Paul are found in books not written by Paul and thus do not reflect Paul’s thinking. Plus I do not subscribe to Paul’s writings as words from God.
            Just because someone says God says this or that does not make it true. Even Billy Graham said he never heard God speak.
            I think we can evolve as a society in becoming more thoughtful and aware of our actions and beliefs and their impact on others.
            There was a Vatican II. I think we need a Canonization II where the Bible is re-edited. For too long it has been used as a weapon to hurt others and control others. Thomas Jefferson created his own version of the Bible where he basically just included the words of Jesus. I think he was on to something.

    • ringlet86

      Again Its HOMOSEXUAL ACTS. Not homosexuals per se. You know lover the sinner, hate the sin. That is where Robinson is coming from.

  2. Peter Harkins

    To Shel – a simple “NO”.

    To ringlet – hmmm, when attempting to criticize Thomas regarding “compromises”, just what kind of changes to women’s health do our stalwart feminist-supporting, “proud and brave” representatives (not to forget senators) in the Legislature propose for our Governor to accept?
    I wonder that if our national ranking on education (January, this very year), NC is 43rd overall: [35th in student success, 43rd in student safety and 40th in school quality], and that over 60% our adults (55-64) in NC read at (or below) a 6th grade level … might account a bit for an occasional error-in-judgement exhibited by our legislative majorities over the decade or so? After all, they do reflect our electorate, being selected from representative districts, right? 🙂

    To Thomas – this t’will be a looong decade I fear.

    Uncle Grumpy

    • ringlet86

      …To ringlet – hmmm, when attempting to criticize Thomas regarding “compromises”, just what kind of changes to women’s health do our stalwart feminist-supporting, “proud and brave” representatives (not to forget senators) in the Legislature propose for our Governor to accept?

      Overall? Not much different than what Women today. Abortion is still available to whoever wants it. Which is probably why Robinson was so salty about it. He lost.

      • cocodog

        Ring- Copying a portion of the Harkin posting and then laying a one liner on us is so amateurish. Try summarizing as best you can, then commenting. It might make you sound more like a serious commentator and less like an internet troll suffering from an inferiority complex.

        • ringlet86

          Ok I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks

  3. ringlet86

    As for Abortion. Robinson has made it clear how he feels. If Governor he told everyone what he wants if he had a willing Legislature. He doesn’t have one and won’t. So it is literally a waste of his time to talk about it. He is not going to get what he wants, and never will. Again here Mills is ingenuous in that he does not mention that some in the Republicans wanted 6 WEEKS and they INCREASED time out to 24 weeks for certain circumstances. and settled on 12 weeks. Bash Republicans all you want but be honest and be fair about it.

    Tricia Cotham: get over it, you guys screwed up with her, threatened her family, and now you a reaping the whirlwind for allowing your “crazies” free reign. Don’t do that anymore and you’ll have no more defections.

    What is the saying ” Hell hath no fury like a women scorned.” Who knew? Its true!

    • Peter Harkins

      ringlet86 – sorry, I forgot to forward this link to you from today’s issues of the Guardian. I know, it’s not Fox, but it actually does carry a relatively high regard among readers, internationally, for the past coupl’a centuries.
      Interesting background on our somewhat rotund gubernatorial candidate. No paywall – just an exceeding long url 🙂

      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/05/mark-robinson-republican-north-carolina-governor-race?utm_term=6454efc2d6295adc35db063f79753d8b&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUS_email

      Uncle Grumpy

      • ringlet86

        I’d say its a fair article.

        I don’t think robinson will win if he gets the nod.

    • cocodog

      I cannot believe what I am reading. Ring you make noises like a Republican, who claims to be a Democrat saying Robinson will not have the support of a Republican legislature. Talk about being ingenuous!
      Speaking of ingenuous, how could Robinson express antisemitic views! He must have skipped that part of his world history classes at University of North Carolina at Greensboro where seven million Jews were systematically brutalized, murdered and their property taken by the state to satisfy the quirks of a demonic tyrant who could not make it as an artist. Or bitterly scorned “spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN” who survived the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and became advocates for gun control. Robinson is a plethora of contradictions.
      Folks like you routinely show up on this web site before entering an election cycle, spewing lies and misinformation, gas lighting and otherwise disrupting the open exchange of information among serious folks interested in discussing factual issues. The only function you perform is to utter misinformation which allows others to counter with the truth. In a sense, you perform somewhat of a useful service to Democrats.

      • ringlet86

        …”Robinson will not have the support of a Republican legislature.”
        In this particular case ( Abortion) he doesn’t If he did there would be a total ban as Robinson wants. There isn’t, so he doesn’t. In this case only. Other stuff remains to be seen.

        As to my Republican/Democrat etc…What can I say I’m an independent conservative Democrat. ( Conserve demopublican? lol) I’m not totally in the bag for any “team” I tend to vote a split ticket.

        I don’t utter misinformation.(Unless it simply means stuff you don’t like) That why I parse articles written here and often quote directly. So everyone knows EXACTLY what I am referring to. I don’t see much exchange here, just some comments to the choir. Everyone agrees already so there is no need for exchange. As I said I’m not in the bag for anyone. Since I’m not a “true believer” I guess you think I’m not honest?

        Regardless If I can act as crucible and have you guys burn away the rhetorical dross. I’m happy to serve. And I know nothing I write here will ever change a single mind. Everyone here has their minds made up already.

        • TC

          If I remember correctly Ring, you commented somewhere in here previously that you had an engineering background. In that regard sir, I think you are overlooking the devil in the details, which runs counter to the inherent traits of an engineer. Right now, Robinson isn’t governor. Right now, Republicans in their “super majority” in the House and Senate are enjoyed by a margin of one each.

          The compromise you relish in a different thread is one amongst themselves. They didn’t compromise with Pro-Choice groups or Democrats. They compromised with themselves. The time factor was cut for abortion in 2021. It has been cut again in 2023. True to his word, if Mark Robinson becomes governor, abortion will be banned. And yes, my crystal ball is broken as I state that. But it follows a progression of repeatedly stricter and more regressive policies across time. Mark Robinson doesn’t want to talk about abortion now since it is a non-starter for Republicans. The head of the RNC is encouraging Republican candidates not to engage on the topic or get drawn into debate. They know they can’t win with a majority of the electorate. They are doing the same thing with education. Start small and ease your way in totalitarianism. Done slowly across time and fed a steady diet of feigned plausibility in small doses, well, people will believe quite a bit. This sir is all about political strategy and how the game is played.

          Republicans have learned they can’t do all they intend all at once. First, you gerrymander to the districts. That’s how you assure you maintain power. Then you implement policy you want incrementally across time to maintain your power, don’t produce a backlash, and pander to your base. After all, Republicans waited for how long to re-assume power in the South? They don’t intend to surrender it so easily this time around.

          You may be okay with that. But as everyone who has something counter to say about what Thomas writes about likes to point out and yodel over, “…well, Democrats did X, Y, and Z…” No one denies it; it is hardly a rational cause of action for political demagoguery and regression, however. I like to suppose that Democrats learned they were wrong, but in admitting that, showed a weakness to be exploited by Republicans. That seems to be where the eye on the prize is focused, exploiting and hammering the political weaknesses of the other. Or as I’ve stated here before, “divide and conquer.”

          Is this all about Republican strategy? No. All politics tends to spiral down the same rabbit hole at some point. We as a nation have been able to correct our pathway across time in order to do what is right. That means an adherence to what is best for the nation. The majority, simply because it is the majority, isn’t always right. We are not nor should we allow ourselves to become a cult of people or parties.

          I’m not writing this to lecture you. I’m simply trying to facilitate your understanding. Something you didn’t solicit, but, we can disagree and still be civil. That is the intent. To facilitate that debate, even if it means you disagree and don’t see things as I do.

  4. Shel Anderson

    Will people really forget the awful things Robinson has said?

    • ringlet86

      Yes because he never said THE PEOPLE WERE FILTH He said WHAT THEY DO (sodomy) IS FILTH. I am sure people here have enough reasoning to see that.
      Mills is perpetuating a lie.https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/10/09/north-carolina-lieutenant-governor-mark-robinson-orig-ak-kj.cnn
      Pretty clear he said any of “THAT” filth.

      Frankly you guys should give the guy credit. He spoke the unspeakable he was filmed and knew it. And then when called on it, when 99.99% of politicians would have ran for cover. He didn’t. Its kind of refreshing to see a man of convictions, Even if you don’t agree with him. You have to respect it.

      I’m sure many here can see it but would be afraid to say so. Lest they get “Cothamed”

    • ringlet86

      If properly attributed. Yes. It properly here wasn’t here. He is allowed to have an opinion. He was speaking for himself. He thinks Homosexuality, etc…and what people do sexually in that lifestyle Which is known as sodomy, or buggery (thus they sodomites) is filth. He is talking about ACTS not people. Although I am sure this crown here won’t care about the obvious difference.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodomy

      Every Bible based Christian faith, Protestant, Catholic,(Coptic, Orthodox and Roman) Muslim, Buddhist, and the Jews etc all Thinks so too. Most religions regardless do.

      This is the mass BULK of all humanity. and the vast Bulk in the USA and the vast Bulk in NC. So Robinson has done nothing but speak the minds of Millions. Just because Homosexuality is tolerated does not mean its accepted.

      If it costs him an election, I’m pretty sure he won’t care.

Related Posts

GET UPDATES

Get the latest posts from PoliticsNC delivered right to your inbox!

You have Successfully Subscribed!