Yo Mike. Remember some time ago when I suggested that the term "black conservative" was bad and that it should be reversed to "conservative black?"
I'm seeing "conservative black" more and more these days. Have you noticed this?
Posted on 10/10/2003 2:46:57 PM PDT by Amish
Fiery Black Conservative Running For Congress in North Carolina By Jimmy Moore Talon News October 10, 2003
WINSTON-SALEM, NC (Talon News) -- Another conservative black man from the South has thrown his hat into the political ring to run for the United States Congress as a Republican.
As reported last month by Talon News, Herman Cain, a conservative black CEO formerly with Godfather's Pizza, is running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Georgia currently held by retiring Democrat Sen. Zell Miller.
Now, in North Carolina, Winston-Salem City Councilman Vernon Robinson is running for the 5th Congressional District seat.
The Winston-Salem Journal describes Robinson as the "black Jesse Helms." FOX News calls him "the next J.C. Watts" and "the new face of the Republican Party. The Wall Street Journal says he is "the next black Republican Congressman."
A conservative political activist and community leader, Robinson has been endorsed by key conservatives such as Alan Keyes, Jesse Helms, Elizabeth Dole, Dick Armey, Gary Bauer, Jack Kemp, Bill Bennett, Pat Buchanan, Jeb Bush, the National Right-to-Life and the National Rifle Association.
He currently resides in a heavily Democrat district, where he has garnered an astonishing 70 percent of the white vote as well as capturing 20 percent of the black vote in his city council races.
Robinson was the first black candidate in North Carolina to ever receive one million votes from white voters. In fact, in the 2002 election, he received even more votes than Sen. Dole received in common precincts.
He defended Rush Limbaugh during the media assault on him last week regarding comments made about a black quarterback.
"The syndrome Rush has referenced is very much alive and well," Robinson expressed in a press release on his campaign website. "Every time an NFL owner hires a white coach, here comes Johnnie Cochran threatening to sue, claiming white racism."
He bluntly added, "The people bringing these specious allegations and demanding that Rush be fired are the same whiners and malcontents who demand reparations for slavery, and who try to excuse every failure of black Americans as a CIA plot."
In a recent e-mail to supporters, Robinson described his philosophy about his life in politics.
"I put my trust in God, not my finger to the wind, and my record proves it," he declared.
He jokingly says the Democrat Party is comprised of "the Old Left, the New Left, and the What's Left."
On the issues, Robinson is pro-life, a fighter for religious liberty, a defender of the Second Amendment right to bear arms, against illegal immigration and opposed to gay marriage. He rejects the radical left media and Hollywood elite who bash the United States and its leadership.
On the issue of education, he says he has already provided leadership in his home state.
"I authored North Carolina's Charter Schools Act, and founded two non-profit corporations," Robinson continued in the e-mail. "One promotes school choice and the other provides scholarships to private schools for poor children from inner-city homes."
He describes public schools in the inner-city as a precursor to life as a criminal or as a dependent on the government.
"Most of the public schools serving the inner city are nothing but pre-prison, pre-welfare programs for the students sentenced to attend them," Robinson lamented. "The answer is market-based reform, not 'Midnight Basketball' and more wasteful spending."
Robinson says he will not be afraid to speak out against liberal Democrats because the media cannot label him like they have white Republicans.
"As a black Republican, I will be especially reviled by the left," he said. "That's because I will be able to say the kinds of things many conservatives are afraid to say out of fear that the liberal media will brand them racist."
Giving an example of something he could get away with saying that traditional Republicans cannot, Robinson stated his belief that the greatest threat to young black families is illegitimacy, which he says has risen to 71 percent of blacks.
"A lack of morality and personal responsibility is at the root of the problem," he added. "And we have a federal welfare system that encourages and rewards such behavior! This must change."
Speaking on the issue of affirmative action, Robinson believes race should not play a role in the admissions process of any school.
"I was so outraged by the Supreme Court's recent ruling in the Michigan law school case that I am already working with legal scholars to devise a lawful means for Congress to withhold federal funds from any institution, private or public, that uses race in its admissions process," he stated.
Speaking passionately on the idea of a family, Robinson abhors the distorted picture that those on the political left have done to this sacred institution.
"[A] family can be everything from 'Hillary Clinton's Village' or 'Heather's Two Mommies' or 'Daddy's Roommate' to a transvestite, two lesbians, a pedophile, and a partridge in a pear tree," he expressed. "In my opinion, that does not make a family."
He added, "My concept of family is the same as the one God ordained in the Garden of Eden thousands of years ago -- one man, married to one woman, with so many children as God should see fit to entrust to their care."
Robinson is so committed to the idea of family that he and his wife Helene adopted two children after their mother tragically died of cancer a few years ago. They have one other child and are raising them in a Christian home.
"Because of my strong Judeo-Christian upbringing, I can assure you I will not bow to the forces of political correctness on social issues," he assured. "I'm proud of my beliefs, and I will vote accordingly."
On taxes, Robinson said he has never voted for a tax increase and would fully support abolishing the income tax and the Internal Revenue Service. Instead, he favors a national sales tax.
On immigration, he calls the Immigration and Naturalization Service "corrupt and incompetent."
"Over 400,000 foreign students have overstayed their student visas, and we simply have no idea where they are," Robinson exclaimed. "Over thirty thousand of these are from Muslim countries. Do I have to spell out for you why that is a problem?"
He said the problem with illegal aliens has even affected our military.
"The United States Air Force Academy recently found it had 23 illegal aliens working for it -- more than the number that carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks," Robinson expressed. "But these illegal aliens were actually working for a military service academy!"
He added, "As a Congressman, I will work ... to address these shocking failures in federal immigration policy. Enough is enough."
Robinson has raised over $250,000 in his bid for Congress. He has been supported by more than 15,000 conservatives who believe he would be a great Congressman.
According to Politics1.com, Robinson faces a myriad of Republican opponents in his race for Congress, many of whom are millionaires spending their own money to get elected.
They include Lou Baldwin, Jr., a realtor and political activist, Ed Broyhill, a furniture company executive and son of a former Senator, Joe Byrd, a former county commissioner and Army veteran, John Cosgrove, a party supply store owner and Army veteran, Virginia Foxx, a state Senator and Landscaping Company Owner, Jay Helvey, a former J.P. Morgan Managing Director, Jimmy Meyers, a District Court judge and minister, Ed Powell, a former state lawmaker and attorney, Jim Snyder, an attorney, and 2002 Senate candidate and J. Nathan Tabor, a sales executive and radio talk show host.
Referring to Foxx, Robinson says she would be about as liberal as most of the Democrats in Congress if she is elected.
"My principal opponent is a self-described 'feminist' obsessed with gender quotas who lobbied for Teddy Kennedy's so-called 'Equal Rights Amendment'," he explained. "As a state senator, she voted to fund blacks-only scholarships, and raised taxes and fees more than 100 times. She even admitted that she voted for a bill without ever reading it! That's frightening!"
He continued in his warning about Foxx, "Even more frightening is that she voted to create special rights for homosexuals, and has supported the adoption of children by homosexuals. A millionaire herself, she has been funded by the trial lawyers and the militant homosexual PAC's. I am alarmed at the prospect that this woman may represent you and me in Congress!"
Robinson said Foxx is being funded by big contributors who give her an average of more than $600 each. He said his campaign donation average is $40.
"The bottom line is that she gets most of her money from the Country Club Republicans, and I get most of my money from the Wal-Mart Republicans," Robinson stated. "There's nothing wrong with either group; it's just that I need a whole lot of skinny cats to make up for her fat cats!"
Robinson believes he would be a key ally for President Bush in Washington if elected to serve in Congress.
"I know that President George W. Bush can sure use my help and I would be honored to fight for you on Capitol Hill," Robinson humbly stated.
He asks for "prayers for my family and this campaign" which he calls a "valuable and precious gift."
The Vernon Robinson for Congress campaign website is located at www.vernonrobinson.com.
Copyright © 2003 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
How can I help him from the left coast?
Snyder did indeed lambast Dole as a carpetbagger. However I think he used to and still lives in Lexington, which is in Mel Watt's gerrymandered district. I don't know that he's moved into NC-5 or plans to, although I don't get a lot of Snyder news. FReeper cphine is tight with him so I'll ping but he's been AWOL from FR for a while.
He uses as a defense the fact that Sue Myrick did not live in NC-9 when she first ran, and Walter Jones Jr. may not have either(?) in his district. And he lives very close to NC-5. I say run against Watt, he needs some series challengers, although Dr. Ada Fisher, another black Republican, is running this year.
If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)
Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.
[As i mentioned, the B/C & JD! lists are going to float into and out of whack over the forseeable future, while I try to cobble a rig back together for myself. My apologies for any incovenience or misunderstandings in this time frame. New signups/removals may be flaky in this time-frame as well; please bear with me, and keep in mind you may have to FReepmail me more than once for me to get it done. Thanks again!]
Yo Mike. Remember some time ago when I suggested that the term "black conservative" was bad and that it should be reversed to "conservative black?"
I'm seeing "conservative black" more and more these days. Have you noticed this?
Several years ago there was a great cartoon about how Watts' district got its shape. It showed a Dem poltico launching a load of tobacco juice at a North Carolina map. The resulting splotch and dribble down the map was Watts' district.
Natural black districts in eastern North Carolina were never created because they had been gerrymandered years earlier to protect white DemocRat congresscritters.
Yep. (and I'm one of the folks using the term more as well...)
Here's how I decided; Jim talks the talk, Vernon walks the talk.
It's always difficult to know how a candidate will actually perform in office once elected. Peer pressure. lobbying and media attacks frequently have the effect of separating the official from their stated principles.
I have seen how Vernon performs under fire, and he has demonstrated that he is as solid as Senator Helms was. It's really a very easy choice in the 5th!
You've got it, I think I can find a few bucks I can send your way too. This guy sounds great!
Favored by whom? Once some of these guys really get some exposure, things will change.
I hope so. Favored = "predicted by me to have the best % chance to win"
I'd say Vernon has a good shot, also Cain (depending on whether he catches fire, how much $$ he spends, how well Collins does), followed by Glenn and Winters -- but all of these folks are going up against established politicians (Broyhill, Foxx, Westmoreland, Collins, Isakson) with more existing support. They'd need a good campaign to win. Luckily 3 of them only have to worry about the primary, but LeSueur and Winters would have uphill general elections.
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