This Man Must Not Take Charge of North Carolina
Behind-the-scenes video of Mark Robinson in the NC Senate
In North Carolina the Lieutenant Governor is President of the state Senate and presides over daily sessions. He’s also on the State Board of Education, the Board of Community Colleges, and the Economic Development Board. That’s a lot of influence.
Today that man is Mark Robinson, and what he brings to the job is a mastery of the vicious insult. He preaches love for his AR-15’s, for men leading women, for all-Christian schools, conspiracy theories, and the wisdom of fascist strongmen.
He wants to ban science and history from schools, women from voting, and all abortions. Once a woman is pregnant, he said in 2021, “it’s not her body anymore.” And he despises minorities of all kinds.
Fortunately, he also has a reputation for not showing up much at work. Still, I take him seriously, and he and his supporters worry me.
As a woman, I can’t imagine standing up to this man.
But I don’t have to imagine it, because I’ve met two women who have stood up to Mark Robinson. They are NC Senators Natasha Marcus and Julie Mayfield. I wrote a post in May about the rally where they both spoke.
In hearing their stories that day, I learned about a video that Senator Marcus had the presence of mind to make in the Senate hallway on November 29, 2021. It went viral because it showed the Lieutenant Governor’s style when he’s not in front of a congregation or a news camera.
First, though, I will begin with another short video that Marcus recorded on the Senate floor that same day. In it, you hear NC Senator Julie Mayfield speak the words that irritated the Lieutenant Governor.
In the photos below, Senator Mayfield is speaking; Lieutenant Governor Robinson presides over the session.
Mayfield is talking about a ceremony she had recently attended in Asheville, NC, where three historical markers were unveiled by members of the Buncombe County’s Community Remembrance Project. She says the markers honored
three African-American men in Buncombe County in the late 1800’s. They are three of thousands of Black people who were beaten or killed by racist white mobs, as less than human and undeserving of respect.
And we know they acted with the support of law enforcement and elected officials.
In the video, Mayfield continues her address to the Senate,
That ceremony reminded me that as elected leaders, we have a responsibility to serve all our constituents, not just those who look like us or think like us, or worship at the same church as us. ... And, yes, even if they love differently from us. …
If we can’t respect our constituents, rather than viciously attack some of them, then maybe we’re in the wrong job.
I [feel] a solidarity with LGBTQ North Carolinians because for me, silence is complicity. I hope all of you who believe in fairness and equality will join me in agitating for equal protection under the law, and the fundamental recognition that all people are human beings, deserving of these things.
It turns out that, sitting there at the head of the chamber, Lieutenant Governor Robinson recognizes himself in her words. Her speech is here.
Shortly afterwards, Senator Mayfield and Senator Marcus are outside in the hallway. The Lieutenant Governor approaches Mayfield. Marcus videos what happens.
Robinson admonishes Senator Mayfield, saying,
Next time before you get ready to say something on the floor, come see me.
Ignoring Mayfield’s reply, he walks past Marcus who is holding her phone, and leaves.
On her Twitter account, Senator Marcus introduces this video of Robinson, saying,
My colleague Senator Mayfield made statements in support of LGBTQ Equality during session tonight. The Lt Gov was so mad that he berated Sen Mayfield outside the chamber. I caught the tail end of his rant on video.
You can watch this video of Robinson in the hallway here.
But it was not over yet. A few days later, Senator Mayfield was interviewed by WLOS News about the incident. She told the reporter she did not take what Robinson said as a threat. She said,
He has no power or authority over me. I don’t have to clear anything with him before I say it.
… He is our lieutenant governor. If he were Mark Robinson 'Joe Blow' citizen he can obviously say whatever he wants, but we have a higher obligation in my view as elected officials to represent and have an open door to all of our constituents.
Now, in 2024, Senator Julie Mayfield is running for another term.
Now, Senator Natasha Marcus is running for NC Commissioner of Insurance.
And as for Robinson, I would be so relieved knowing that his term ends this year - except that now he’s running for Governor.
But that’s how democracy works. Sometimes we’re not paying attention, and one day we’re jolted into realizing that the character of our leaders really matters. Then, we Americans have an amazing chance to go do something about it. At the polls.
Every time I see the political ad with Robinson saying that women need to keep their skirts down, I fume at him. He obviously thinks men have no responsibility for unwanted pregnancies, that incest and rape should be acceptable to women, and that women are responsible for all pregnancies. What about the abused woman who has no say so when her husband or boyfriend wants sex? What about the women who are unknowingly drugged and raped? What about the women whose birth control failed to work?
Robinson is full of hate for women and should not represent anyone as a state official, especially not as governor.