Matthew Holmes
Thursday, July 15, 2004

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That’s right. No more pandering to middle-class Americans, farmers and war veterans by the ambulance-chasing, silver-tongued personal-injury lawyer. No more “Two Americas” sob stories and no more Clintonesque lying and fist-pumping.

North Carolina’s gain may be the medical community’s loss. How long can Senator Edwards survive on his paltry $60 million bank account? He’s a champion of the middle class, after all!

Somehow, I doubt we’ll find him working at Burger King or greeting customers at the Wal-Mart in Chapel Hill. Obstetricians, beware!

But for North Carolina, ridding the country of Senator ECNALUBMA is just the beginning.

The most groundbreaking vote comes way before the November general election.

Next week’s Republican primary for the 5th District Congressional seat has the potential to change the scope of southern politics forever.

The frontrunner for that seat is Winston Salem City Councilman Vernon Robinson. Robinson gives southern Republicans something they’ve rarely, if ever, had: a brilliant black conservative candidate from the South.

If Robinson is elected, he will be the first black Republican Congressman from a confederate state since Reconstruction. He could also be the first in a series of revolutionary changes to old political stereotypes.

Like most black North Carolinians, Vernon Robinson is a God-fearing, patriotic, family-oriented man – the son of a Tuskegee Airman and a schoolteacher, a veteran in the U.S. Air Force and a former Eagle Scout.

And unlike the majority of our government representatives—regardless of their color—Vernon Robinson is not afraid to tell it like it is. He is a staunch defender of the traditional family, the Ten Commandments, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Boy Scouts of America.

In an election year, when all North Carolina Republicans claim to be unabashed conservatives, only Vernon Robinson backs up his rhetoric with actions. It was Robinson who placed a monument of the Ten Commandments out in front of the state building in Winston Salem. It is Robinson who fearlessly touts hot button issues like immigration control, gay marriage, and faith-based initiatives that so many in Washington are busy running away from.

He routinely angers the PC police with his hard-hitting campaign ads. My favorite Vernon Robinson radio commercial goes like this:

“Bill Cosby made the liberals mad when he said black hoodlums need to stop stealing and start getting jobs. That black mothers need to stop having eight babies by seven different fathers. Stop talking street jive like ‘Yo Dog! Peep my bling-bling!’”

The ad continues, “As a Congressman, Vernon Robinson will tell all of America what he tells his own three children: Stay in school. Speak English. And get a job! Don’t have children out of wedlock, don’t take drugs, don’t commit crime, and if you do, don’t pull a Jesse Jackson and blame it on Whitey.”

One of his irreverent campaign slogans is, “The only thing I have in common with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton is a good tan.”

How can North Carolinians not elect this man?

In all seriousness, Robinson understands the unique nature and potential nationwide impact of his election to Congress. In speeches to the North Carolina electorate, Robinson constantly speaks of his special calling, saying, “Believe me, when the only black Republican in the entire Congress keeps raising this issue in the national media, you can bet it will get some attention then. I will not be ignored, and I will not go away until these problems are fixed.”

Mr. Robinson understands the special nature of this opportunity. Year after year, Republicans attempt to persuade black voters that they are the Party that reflects the values of all Americans: hard work, fairness, love of God, and the importance of family.

Liberals have maintained a stranglehold on the minority vote, mostly, I believe, because there are not enough conservative leaders like Vernon Robinson.

Robinson leads a strong class of black Republicans running for election this November in the South. According to a June 14, 2004 article from the News Max.Com Wires, “a record 14 black Republican candidates are seeking legislative seats in the state of Georgia. Two black Republicans are on the ballot in Tennessee this year. And in Florida, Rep. Jennifer Carroll of Jacksonville became that state's first female black Republican legislator when she was elected in 2003.”

These men and women have the chance to become the trailblazers for a new conservative movement. Combine this increase in representation with the rising influence of black conservative groups like Project 21, and the political tide in the black community may soon begin tilting to the Right.

Of course, liberals will try to laugh this off as a dog-and-pony show where old Whitey in the Republican Party attempts to trick black voters into supporting a Party that does nothing to help them.

Bobby Kahn, chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party illustrates my point saying, “Every election cycle, Republicans try to prove they're an inclusive party, notwithstanding the domination by white guys. But then their policies and tactics seem to contradict any effort at inclusion. This is symbolic and nothing more."

This from the party of John Kerry, Richard Gephardt, John Edwards, and Dennis Kucinich. If they were any whiter they would be transparent.

The 5th Congressional District in North Carolina is about to expose Mr. Kahn for what he is: a stereotypically ignorant liberal. Liberals cling to the old days of racism and segregation because without racial hate, minorities in America will see their standard of living increase, their love for America will continue to grow, and they will become conservatives.

I have a better question for black America:

What has the Democratic Party ever done for you?

Even political hacks like Al Sharpton are angry with liberals, accusing Democrats of taking the minority vote for granted and simply using blacks to win elections.

Liberals try to group black America in with lobbyist groups — like homosexuals, environmentalist whackos, and abortion zealots – as though the black community is just another special interest group.

Personally, I find that tactic to be insulting.

Conservatives have a golden opportunity to show the black community in North Carolina – and the rest of the country – that we really mean the things we profess to believe. Mr. Robinson is the best candidate for the Congressional seat, but he may also be the most important person we elect in 2004. Period.

How many times have conservatives wished for a government official that would speak up for us against the established D.C. blabocracy? Someone with the guts to stand for the silent majority in America: hard working, God-fearing, family loving men and women of all colors.

We have the opportunity to elect one on July 20th.

His name is Vernon Robinson.

I hope you’ll vote for him. Matthew Holmes is the owner of Wildfire Politics.Com. He can be reached at http://www.wildfirepolitics.com or by e-mail at blade729@msn.com