International Incident Ch 02

August 12, 2024

"Good evening, and welcome to The Breakdown. I'm your host, Mindy Loeb, and tonight we have a guest who's in, shall we say, just a tiny bit of controversy..."

The normally laid-back star of the Roosevelt Network had an extremely high energy level tonight-and who could blame her? This was a major, major get.

"My guest has appeared here before, of course-he was on the night after he won the Iowa caucuses, as well as the night after he swept Super Tuesday. However, this is his first major interview after the revelation last week by Australia's Channel Six-a television network owned, it should be noted, by Brian Dougherty, the media mogul who has repeatedly engaged in fear-mongering about my guest's presidential campaign-that in 2018, my guest had an intimate encounter with a young Australian woman, an intimate encounter that resulted in a pregnancy and later, a child.

"My guest has not spoken publicly about Channel Six's news story. His campaign has, for all intents and purposes, gone radio silent, despite multiple national and international inquiries about this story. Tonight, that silence will be broken. My guest this evening is New York Senator and presidential candidate Mark Robinson. Senator Robinson, how are you doing this evening?"

The handsome candidate tried to put on the bravest face possible. "Well, in all honesty, Mindy, things could be better."

Mindy brushed back a strand of curly red hair and slightly adjusted her black horn-rimmed glasses before responding. She had been accused of giving Mark softball questions in previous interviews, of turning her show into a de facto infomercial for Mark's campaign. She knew that she had to hit him hard this night.

"I can certainly imagine. First off, can you state, for the record, that the claims made by the young woman Channel Six interviewed-a Kylie Maree Connolly of Sydney, Australia-are true? Or not true?"

Mark sighed deeply. "Mindy...I have to tell you and your viewers tonight that the Channel Six story...the Channel Six story is true."

"Wow."

"Back in the summer of 2018, I met Kylie at a bar in Brooklyn, New York. She was a tourist, obviously. We struck up a friendly conversation, we had a few drinks, and..."

Mark pursed his lips.

"At the end of the evening, there was a...there was a very intimate encounter between us. It just sort of...it just sort of happened. It was a moment I'll never forget, a night I'll never forget."

"And a few weeks thereafter, Ms. Connolly notified you that she was pregnant."

"Yes, that's right."

"And in April of the next year, she gave birth to your son."

"She gave birth to our son, yes."

"Did you visit Australia at any time to see your son?"

"Yes, on a number of occasions-all on my own dime, you can check it out. I'm happy to provide receipts. I have never used any public money from my time as a New York State Assemblyman or as a United States Senator to make these trips to see Kylie and Edward."

"The Channel Six story discussed your apparent concerns about the public finding out about Ms. Connolly and your son, so we won't rehash that here. I want to ask you about some of the rhetoric about this report, particularly coming from the campaign of your opponent in the general election, Senator Ray Sherman of Florida. He put out a new ad about this report saying that it proves that you are, and I quote, 'deeply deceptive and cannot be trusted.' Senator Sherman's campaign manager, Peter DeMarco, is now making an issue of the fact that you were endorsed recently by the environmental activist and model Ashleigh Lillian Kirby, who runs Artists United for Climate Awareness; just yesterday he joked that because Ms. Kirby also happens to be white and Australian, you, and I quote, 'probably banged her too, or at least wanted to.' What's your response to all of this fairly intense rhetoric?"

"Well, Mindy, all I can say is: do you notice that Senator Sherman doesn't want to talk about the issues, he just wants to smear my character? He doesn't want to talk about strengthening Social Security, or expanding Medicare, or about climate change, even as Hurricane Terri is ripping his state apart. I'm actually surprised he doesn't want to talk about the issues; in fact, considering his views on Roe v. Wade, I'm surprised he didn't give me credit for not encouraging Kylie to make a different decision. I wonder why that is..."

"That is interesting. But what do you say to those who, right or wrong, do wonder about your character in light of these revelations? What do you say to Americans who do believe, sincerely, that you should have acknowledged this at the outset of your campaign?"

"So this is what I say: even public servants have private lives. I did not feel that this was a matter of public interest, or for public consumption. This was a matter involving my personal life. It was dragged into the public for reasons I do not know. Many lives have been disrupted that should not have been. However, I will defend my record of public service up against anyone-and especially up against Senator Sherman, who frankly has no business judging anybody."

"Unfortunately, Senator Robinson, we must take a commercial break. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be right back."

After the commercial break, Mindy brushed back her hair again and raised her eyebrows above her glasses. "We're back now with New York Senator and presidential candidate Mark Robinson. I want to ask you about a very harsh piece written by New York Times columnist Leon Daniels, who as you know writes quite very eloquently about issues of race and inequality in the United States. He has a piece today entitled 'The Ridiculous Robinson,' in which he writes, and I quote, 'Senator Robinson has effectively disqualified himself as a serious presidential candidate, and he has most definitely disqualified himself as a role model to African-Americans. In fact, he has played into the most pernicious stereotype in American history-that of the shady, deceitful, sex-obsessed black man who wants to bed as many young white women as possible.' What's your response to that sort of assertion from someone who was, up until recently, a strong supporter of yours?"

Mark took a deep breath. "Well, with all due respect to Mr. Daniels, I do have to wonder: on November 5, who will he vote for-me, or Senator Sherman?"

"Maybe he won't vote at all."

"Yes, because that's guaranteed to solve this country's problems."

Mindy chuckled. "Well, before I let you go, I do have to ask you one more question: in the event you win on November 5 and become the next President of the United States, will you invite Ms. Connolly and your son to attend the inauguration?"

Mark paused.

"Yes. They're more than welcome to attend."