It seems Robeson County has made the political big time, gotten caught in the spotlight of national politics.
As this editorial was being written, news that President Donald Trump was to hold a rally at the Robeson County Fairgrounds today was just beginning to scorch social media and be disseminated breathlessly by regional news media outlets. Well, maybe not breathlessly, but with a degree of excitement, or disgust depending on the political leanings of those journalists who are not as neutral as they should be.
Regardless, the president’s rally will be the fourth time in recent months that a Trump has stopped and, let’s be honest, campaigned in Robeson County. The Biden camp was in Pembroke recently shaking hands and making promises to leaders of the Lumbee Tribe, among others.
All of this is evidence the two major political parties have taken notice of this poor, mostly rural county, and let it be known it’s worth fighting for, politically speaking.
A question the above statement may spark is, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing.”
It might be a bad thing for two reasons.
The first is that such attention could further inflame emotions already made hot by the vicious nature of the campaign season. It could cause more stress in the minds and souls of political observers and activists, and in people who just can’t learn to tolerate members of the opposing party. We’re talking hissy fits, name-calling and many bad words.
To them: Try to relax. The world we live in might change a bit, but it won’t be burned to a cinder no matter who’s sitting in the Oval Office in February. At least we hope not.
Reason number two: National media attention. With increased political importance comes the attention of the national news media. Reporters from major newspapers and talking heads who lecture us from our from television screens and computers might descend on our county like a biblical swarm of locusts, pressing local leaders and residents for comments, digging into the county’s political and cultural history, and generally making a pest of themselves.
On the flip side, the attention could be a good thing. It certainly has been for the Lumbee Tribe. Already the Biden camp and President Trump have thrown their support behind the federal Lumbee Recognition Act. If either makes good on their words the legislation might make it out of at least one chamber of Congress before being forgotten.
Robeson County as a whole may benefit if both parties decide to find ways to send more of our tax dollars back to us, hoping to influence our collective vote.
“Never would such a thing happen!” you say.
Fifteen million dollars. That’s how much North Carolina’s state government, led by a Democrat, just dropped like a Christmas present on the Public Schools of Robeson County. This is money meant to help build a technical school that has been in the “planning phase” for at least 10 years. Can you say “coincidence?”
The timing is at the very least suspect. But, we are talking about the PSRC and the state grant application and approval process. Neither are known for swift action and bureaucratic nimbleness.
That being said, Robeson County is in a national spotlight. Let’s try to enjoy it, and not get burned by it.