On Nov. 3, will WNC send its own Sarah Palin to Washington?
You remember Palin, Sen. John McCain’s stunningly unqualified vice presidential candidate who was prone to embarrassing gaffes. …
Far as I know, Madison Cawthorn, the Republican candidate for N.C.-11, doesn’t claim to see Washington from his house. Otherwise, they have much in common.
Cawthorn has GQ good looks; a high-energy personality; and the 25-year-old has already gaffed his way to unwanted national attention with cringeworthy comments. Consider:
Law and order: [The far-fringe left wants to] “create anarchy so the American people cry out for a savior, and then they can create a federalized policing force that can be all over the country, which is just another step closer to tyranny” (Fox News, June 29).
Family values: “All these kids who have grown up not getting spankings and getting participation trophies [are] going out and rioting in the street” (The New Yorker, June 26).
Social safety net: “The American welfare system is ‘basically incentivizing young women, especially minority women, to not get married, and have more children because they get more welfare checks because of that” (The New Yorker, June 26). …
Still think he’s qualified?
• He’s a D-student, college dropout.
• His … work experience was as a Chick-fil-A manager.
• He [gave a misleading impression] about acceptance to the U.S. Naval Academy.
• Multiple women have labeled him a sexual aggressor.
• He’s spoken … of Hitler [as “the Fuhrer”], spread debunked child-trafficking conspiracies and adopted white supremacy rhetoric.
With this resume, Cawthorn will be lampooned as WNC’s own “green” new deal. He’ll get no relevant committee assignments. And like Ms. Palin, he’ll be a late-night punchline for months, maybe years.
I understand some may find it hard to vote for Moe Davis, his Democrat opponent. So, just leave it blank. It’s a crowded ballot, with many other important races.
Two years from now, we’ll be here again. Plenty of time to recruit someone more qualified. And who knows, with some life experience, that person might well be Madison Cawthorn!
But not this year. For the of sake our WNC community, not this year.
— Stephen Advokat
Asheville
Editor’s note: Xpress contacted Cawthorn’s campaign for a response to the points raised in the letter but received no response. AVL Watchdog (“Candidate’s Claim Creates False Impression,” “Cawthorn Mingles With Far-Right Fringe”), the Citizen Times (“Women Come Forward to Accuse Madison Cawthorn of Aggressive Sexual Behavior”), The Associated Press (“NC Candidate Defends Posts; Says He Despises Racism”), CNN (“GOP Congressional Candidate Madison Cawthorn on the Defensive Over Social Media Post of Visit to Hitler Retreat”) and other outlets have reported on the points above, including the candidate’s responses.
Mr. Advokat is not persuading any regular Express readers. His words need to be heard in Hendersonville, Waynesville, and Franklin. Those are where Mr. Cawthorn’s supporters are.
If he’s elected, we’ll just have to remind those voters that they bear responsibility for who they chose. Because it won’t end well.
Did Sarah Palin have GQ good looks ? McCain was a fool to pick her.