Bureau of the Disappeared

 

Robinson, Trump, with Hal Weatherman,
Republican candidate for Lt. Gov.

Last Wednesday, the day before CNN dropped its story on blabbermouth Mark Robinson's habit of sharing all sorts of opinions unrelated to naked flesh on a porn site, operatives in the NCGOP already knew something bad was coming, so Robinson was nowhere in sight -- nor apparently in memory -- at J.D. Vance's rally in Raleigh. By Friday, with the uproar over Robinson's extracurricular activities making headlines nationwide, Robinson was also not present at Trump's rally in Wilmington. Not only was former Trump BFF Robinson not present, Trump didn't even remember his name while he introduced Ted Budd and Dan Bishop.

According to the Facebook page for the Fayetteville Motor Speedway, Robinson was scheduled for an appearance there Saturday evening. That post garnered six approving comments, none of which seemed to know a thing about the news or didn't give a flip. The crowd revealed in video shot by the Fayetteville Observer seemed both sparse and uninspired, and I couldn't help noting that Robinson spoke to the bleachers from behind a very high metal fence. He looked imprisoned by it.

Meanwhile, Sen. Thom Tillis pressed his thumb into Robinson's sorest muscle, suggesting that if the CNN report was untrue -- as Robinson has alleged -- then Robinson should sue the network. Tillis then made it pretty clear that he for one believed the report: Robinson "owes it to President Trump and every Republican to take accountability for his actions and put the future of NC & our party before himself" -- by dropping out of the race. Ouch.

WFAE columnist Tommy Tomlinson made a not unreasonable -- actually logical -- psychological assessment of why Robinson would use a porn site message board for shocking comments:

He says and does all these outrageous things in the desperate hope that someone will notice.

How lonely and removed from society do you have to be to be a regular commenter on a porn site’s message board?

How much do you need to be seen to call yourself a “black NAZI” or comment that you wish for the return of slavery?

Robinson doesn’t have a following like Trump does. All he has is absolute control of Trump’s shirt. And I suspect even Trump’s people are in the process of getting rid of him.

From what Robinson has said and written, he had a difficult childhood, including a stint in foster care. I don’t know if that’s what left him with such a deep desire for attention. For voters, it probably doesn’t matter.

But I wonder what he thinks now about the day that changed his life.

In 2018, as a private citizen, he gave an impassioned pro-gun speech at a Greensboro City Council meeting. That speech went viral, and he was invited to so many speaking engagements that he quit his job. Just two years later, he was elected lieutenant governor. Suddenly, everyone was paying attention to Mark Robinson.

And now, one election cycle later, his private life has been exposed, his reputation is in tatters and his political career is, more than likely, over.

Sometimes the worst day of your life is the day you get what you want.