In the race for North Carolina’s 13th District congressional seat, Democrat Brad Miller is leading in the polls over Republican candidate Vernon Robinson. This is notable because Brad Miller has a relatively progressive record, but is running in a predominantly rural district in a Southern state. That a candidate such as Miller is doing so well here is a testament to the weakness of the Republican party machine in 2006.

A further indication of Republican weakness in rural North Carolina is the desperation shown by the Republican candidate. Just as Alan Keyes was forced to toss out ever wilder and wackier exhortations (“Christ would not vote for Barack Obama“) just to maintain press attention in the face of an overwhelming impending loss to Barack Obama in the 2004 Illinois Senate race, Brad Miller’s opponent is resorting to wacky and bizarre statements in a wild card effort to gain some sort of traction. The Republican candidate, Vernon Robinson, has pulled out not just one but two fearmongering tactics in his dire radio prediction that “If Miller had his way, America would be nothing but one big fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals.” Robinson’s Republican strategists have also dropped hints that Miller must himself be a ho-mo-sexual (psssst!) because he and his wife have no children. To shut Robinson’s threatening behavior down, Miller was forced on the air to disclose that his wife had suffered a hysterectomy some years back.

It’s crazy, obnoxious, and intolerant behavior on Vernon Robinson’s part, to be sure. But it’s important to note that such behavior is also desperate. The more labels designed to provoke fear and loathing Robinson goes through, the less statesmanlike, the less reasonable, and the less trustworthy he appears. After all, if Robinson will engage in this behavior toward the powerful, how might we expect him to behave toward you and me? To ensure that this hypothetical question does not become actual, to ensure that a loose cannon like Robinson never gets his fingers on the reins of congressional power, and to demonstrate that flailing intolerant attacks are in the end counterproductive, I encourage you to visit Brad Miller’s campaign site, learn more about his positive positions on the issues of the day, and consider sending a modest donation to his campaign.