I try to avoid giving this child’s outlandish statements oxygen. Master Cawthorn went to Congress not to govern but to do ideological battle and you, the taxpayers, are paying his way.
But consider: Madison Cawthorn faces an 8-way primary; he is reportedly spending his war chest on campaign signs planted all over the most progressive and populous county in NC-11 where even UNAffiliated (independent) voters smoked him in 2020 (by an estimated 56%); and UNAs can vote in the May 17 GOP primary in North Carolina.
So, posting this little demonstration of immature, pretty-white-boy privilege is perhaps not out of bounds. It’s a two-minute video from a traffic stop on October 18.
Transcript via Queen City News:
In the video, you can hear the trooper ask Cawthorn for his license. Cawthorn proceeds to tell the trooper that he doesn’t have his wallet. The trooper asked Cawthorn if he was the registered owner of the vehicle, which Cawthorn confirmed he was.
Trooper: “What’s your name?”
Cawthorn: “Madison Cawthorn”The trooper asked Cawthorn why he was speeding. You can barely hear Cawthorn explain he was on his way back from a meeting before the audio became inaudible due to the traffic conditions.
The trooper returned to his car to run information on Cawthorn’s car. After a few minutes, the trooper returns.
Trooper: “Alright, let me grab your information from you, I think, it looks like it’s registered to, I guess, your dad?”
Cawthorn: “Is it really?”After getting Cawthorn’s official name, David Cawthorn, and his birthdate, the trooper returns to his car to run information on Cawthorn.
A few minutes later, the trooper returns to Cawthorn’s car with a citation.
Trooper: “Alright sir, there’s gonna be this for you.”
Cawthorn: “Alright.”
Trooper: “Do your best to make sure you have your driver’s license on you, it is something we can charge you with. I didn’t do it today. Just make sure you have that on you. It is gonna be a citation for your speed, I clocked you going 89 [mph].”The trooper can then be heard explaining to Cawthorn the details of the citation, including a court date of January 4, 2022, at the Buncombe County-Asheville Courthouse.
Trooper: “They want to talk with you, let you know what if anything they’re willing to do or what the penalty is going to be. You have any questions about the citation?”
Cawthorn: “No sir, is this something I can just go in and pay?”
Trooper: “You have to show up and talk with them. They may be willing to bring it down to something you can pay, but it’s not something you’re going to be able to pay before that date. You’re gonna have to show up and talk to them.”
No license. No request to see registration or proof of insurance. Claimed the car was registered to him and it was not. (He seems not to know.) Odds are good that the trooper recognized him.
Over the years, two people I know (both white men) were stopped in North Carolina for driving on expired out-of-state tags and with expired licenses. They were summarily thrown in jail. One was on his honeymoon. Really.
Queen City News has a shorter video of Cawthorn’s second speeding stop on January 8 in which Cawthorn announces he has a firearm in the car. He was stopped a third time on March 3 and cited for driving on an expired license. “QCN has yet to learn what Cawthorn did to get his license revoked between the time of those first two traffic stops.” Perhaps he failed to appear in court on Jan. 4 for his first citation.
This is a man-child who has skated through life on affirmative action for pretty white boys so baked into American culture that it is all but invisible. Except here on video. No patrolman’s hand on the gun (1st video, daytime). No “Step out of the car and put your hands on the hood.” No jail for driving on an expired license after two speeding stops.
Three times in under six months and he walks away each time. This system has no lessons to teach him. Only voters can do that.
Sen. Thom Tillis has endorsed one of Cawthorn’s seven challengers, state Sen. Chuck Edwards, a Republican from the same county as Cawthorn (Henderson). The word on the street is Edwards is no better, just more discreet about his extremism. A split vote in Henderson will likely trigger a July 26 runoff.
Frankly, Cawthorn might be easier for a Democrat to challenge in November, so soiled is his brand. But NC-11 is red enough that Cook’s does not consider it competitive. Still, Cawthorn won’t be missed if he loses the Republican nomination. Fox News will find him something to do even if he isn’t blonde.
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