Mark Robinson, the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, is an unabashed Christian nationalist and virulent anti-LGBTQ bigot who has made no secret of his plans to run for governor of the state in 2024.
Robinson was among the speakers at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, where he declared on Saturday that he doesn't actually "want" to be governor of North Carolina but has been called by God to serve his country, just like the soldiers who fought in World War II.
"Back home in North Carolina, one of the most poorly kept secrets is that a guy named Mark Robinson may run for governor," Robinson admitted. "God is in control, and what he has for me, no man can stop. I'm not saying that I'm ordained to be the governor, but if it's his will for me to be, it will be and no one can stop it."
"Why do I want to be governor?" Robinson continued. "I thought about it real deep, and I came to a conclusion: I don't want to be the governor. ... We have too many people who decide to run for office because they want to be something. They want to be a congressman. They want to be a senator. They want to be a governor. They want to be president. They want to be a big shot who pops his collar and looks down on the people, tells them what to do, and has doors opened for them. They have a title, they have armed guards, and they'll have a legacy of their fantastic political career that will follow them for life. They want, they want, they want."
Robinson then directly compared his plans to run for higher office to those who put their lives on the line during the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, saying that if you asked the soldiers serving that day they why they "wanted" to fight this battle, they would have said they didn't want to but had an obligation to do so.
Likewise, Robinson suggested that he also has an obligation to run for governor for the good of the nation.
"This is not about want, this is about service," Robinson thundered. "My nation is in trouble. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and Hitler is murdering his way across Europe. I cannot sit at home and watch this world burn and have my nation in trouble. It's time for me to stand up and serve, up-to-and-including giving my life if necessary. This is not about want, it's about service!"
As lieutenant governor, Robinson has ranted that Christians must take control of public schools because children are being abused by being taught about the LGBTQ community. He came under fire after Right Wing Watch captured video of him declaring, “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.”
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