Corporate Cash Is Bankrolling Radical Conspiracy Theorist Mark Robinson

This is another frightening development on the political scene, the fact that Mark Robinson got the GOP nomination to run for governor in North Carolina against attorney general and Democrat Josh Stein. Robinson is a hot mess. “He has a well-documented record of promoting conspiracy theories, maligning LGBTQ people, using anti-Semitic tropes, and demeaning women,” in the words of Judd Legum, an independent journalist who authors a blog called Popular Information. This is a must read article. As bad as Robinson is, or perhaps because he’s so bad, a lot of big corporate money is backing him. First, a sketch of who Robinson is.

Robinson is also notorious for his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. He has previously called LGBTQ people “devil worshiping child molesters” and, in 2021 during a church appearance, said that “transgenderism, homosexuality” were “filth.” Following outcries over his comments, Robinson claimed that his remarks were “targeted at LGBTQ-themed books that he wants out of school libraries and aren’t against any individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.” But even after the incident, Robinson continued to go on tirades against LGBTQ people. At another church event, he questioned the “purpose of homosexuality” and argued that “[i]t creates nothing.” Straight couples are superior to gay couples, Robinson added. This year, at a campaign event, he suggested that trans women should be arrested if they use women’s restrooms.

Robinson also holds various other fringe views. He believes climate change is “pseudoscience,” thinks Obama’s birth certificate is fake, and once accused a Parkland shooting survivor of being a paid actor. Muslims, Robinson said in a 2017 Facebook post, are “invaders.” He also previously defended Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, both serial sex offenders, saying that they were part of a left-wing conspiracy and that “everyone’s got something in their past.” He said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the moon landing was faked and 9/11 was an “inside job.” And, during a campaign event in 2020, he said he would “absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn’t vote.”

When it comes to abortion – which Robinson has called a “moral evil, like slavery” – Robinson says that he doesn’t “care if you’re 24 hours pregnant.” He would ban abortions entirely. Once a woman is pregnant, Robinson claims, it’s not their “body anymore.”

It is not your body anymore, ladies. Whose body is it? I guess it’s the Big Republican Daddy’s body, because the *logic* near as I can follow it, is that once you’re pregnant the state has more to say about your body than you do. This is ostensibly to protect your unborn child. And if in fact the state was totally willing to be so uber protective of the actual child, once it is born, as it is of the fetus, then maybe that might make some kind of sense. But let’s see the reality of the situation for what it is, shall we? The state has no interest in feeding, clothing, housing, educating or providing medical care to your child once it is born. It only uses the child’s unborn status as a means to subjugate and control you. That is what is really going on.

And who is backing a lunatic who thinks like this? Would you believe Microsoft? Alphabet (Google’s parent company)? Amazon? Coca-Cola? Are you falling off the chair? They are doing this by contributions to the Republican Governor’s Association, a group which apparently views Marc Robinson as a terrific addition to their club.

It is a stark contrast. Just not in the way you frame it. Hopefully NC will reject the MAGA man with a history of abhorrent comments and statements.

— Eric (@crazykanoiy) March 6, 2024

The RGA is one of the most powerful 527 political organizations in the country. It routinely spends tens of millions of dollars on key races. Robinson will face Attorney General Josh Stein (D) in the general election in what is expected to be one of the closest contests in the country. The RGA has already paid for a slick website attacking Stein.

The RGA has plenty of resources because, unlike many political entities, it can accept unlimited amounts of money from corporations. This is not money that comes from corporate PACs, but funds that are transferred directly from corporate treasuries.

Many of the nation’s most prominent corporations have donated 6-figure sums to the RGA — money that can and will be used to help Robinson’s win.  Major corporate donors to the RGA in 2023 included Microsoft ($400,000), Alphabet (Google’s parent company) ($378,000), CVS ($300,000), Pfizer ($300,000), Amazon ($275,000), Coca-Cola ($259,287), Deloitte ($151,000), and DoorDash ($125,000).

Of course, the RGA will be supporting other candidates this cycle as well, and some are significantly more moderate than Robinson. That’s why making large donations to the RGA is such an attractive option for corporations. It allows them to support candidates like Robinson — who may soon be a powerful elected official — without the scrutiny that comes with a direct contribution.

Robinson isn’t getting there alone. Nobody ever does. He’s got some powerful helpers, some big money donors. Maybe it’s product boycott time. If this is who Coca-Cola is giving money to, maybe it’s time for the yous and mes to stop giving money to them.

Follow the money is always the watch word in politics and this trail of bread crumbs is really something. I wonder how these corporations justify this to their boards and how the boards justify this to their shareholders? What I wouldn’t give to read the minutes of some of those meetings.

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