Robert Fisher (New Hampshire politician)

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Robert Fisher

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| state_house = New Hampshire

| district = Belknap 9

| term_start = December 3, 2014

| term_end = May 18, 2017

| predecessor = Beth Arsenault

| successor = Charlie St. Clair

| birth_date =

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| death_date =

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| party = Republican

|otherparty = Democratic (2012) {{cite web|title=Robert Fisher|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Robert_Fisher|website=Ballotpedia|accessdate=April 25, 2017}}

| relations =

| children =

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| alma_mater = Winnisquam Regional High School{{cite web| title=Representative Robert Fisher (r)| url=http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/member.aspx?member=377225| website=State of New Hampshire House of Representatives| accessdate=May 10, 2016}}

| occupation =

| profession = Politician, Computer repairman

| religion =

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|termend=May 17, 2017}}

Robert Fisher is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He represented the Belknap 9 district, which includes the town of Belmont, NH and the city of Laconia, from December 2014 until his resignation in May 2017.

Political career

In 2012, Robert ran as a Democrat for the New Hampshire House of Representatives, but was unsuccessful. In 2014, he ran for the House of Representatives again, this time as a Republican. He won the 2014 election, and was re-elected in 2016.

As a representative, he served on no committees by his own request.

After the discovery that he founded and moderated the controversial subreddit r/TheRedPill, Fisher resigned from political office on May 17, 2017.{{cite news|last1=Zadrozny |first1=Brandy |author-link1=Brandy Zadrozny |last2=Bacarisse |first2=Bonnie|date=May 17, 2017|title=New Hampshire State Rep Who Created Reddit's 'Red Pill' Resigns|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/05/17/new-hampshire-state-rep-who-created-reddits-red-pill-resigns?source=TDB&via=FB_Page|work=Daily Beast}}

r/TheRedPill controversy

In 2017, The Daily Beast reported that Fisher was the founder and a moderator, under the alias pk_atheist, of the subreddit "/r/TheRedPill", known for its misogynistic content.{{cite news|last1=Bacarisse|first1=Bonnie|title=The Republican Lawmaker Who Secretly Created Reddit's Women-Hating 'Red Pill'|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/04/25/the-republican-lawmaker-who-secretly-created-reddit-s-women-hating-red-pill|accessdate=May 25, 2017|work=The Daily Beast|date=January 30, 2017}} According to Daily Beast, Fisher used several pseudonyms, including "redpillschool" and "Morpheus Manfred", which was used for several media interviews on behalf of the forum.{{cite news|last1=Marche|first1=Stephen|title=Swallowing the Red Pill: a journey to the heart of modern misogyny|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/14/the-red-pill-reddit-modern-misogyny-manosphere-men|accessdate=May 25, 2017|work=The Guardian|date=April 14, 2016}}{{cite news|title=US Supreme Court considers gay marriage, Newshour - BBC World Service|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p015y2kw|accessdate=May 25, 2017|work=BBC Newshour|date=March 26, 2013|time=47:48}}

Speaking to WMUR, Fisher admitted to writing at least some of the material attributed to him, which he characterized as "some injudicious things about the opposite sex following a bad breakup",{{cite web|url=http://www.wmur.com/article/state-lawmaker-admits-saying-some-injudicious-things-about-women/9562347|title=Updated: Sununu says resignation 'in order' for GOP lawmaker connected to misogynistic online messages|first=John|last=DiStaso|date=April 26, 2017|publisher=}} including, from a 2008 post:

Rape isn't an absolute bad, because the rapist I think probably likes it a lot. I think he'd say it's quite good, really. ... . I think rape is bad, I'm not arguing for it. I'm arguing against the idea of an absolute truth.

Fisher also told WMUR:

That was an out-of-context quote from a nearly decade-old debate about the failings of moral relativism."

Following bipartisan comments calling for him to resign from his state House of Representatives seat, Fisher stated in April that he did not plan to do so.{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/04/26/lawmaker-accused-starting-red-pill-forum-reddit-won-resign/RD057SBlGTwLoOMC9lLVLM/story.html|title=N.H. lawmaker accused of starting 'Red Pill' forum on Reddit won't resign|publisher=Boston Globe|date=April 26, 2017|author=Ebbert, Stephanie}}

On May 17, a Republican-led House committee voted 8-6 along party lines to recommend no disciplinary action against Fisher. Less than an hour later, while an investigation for perjury was getting started, Fisher resigned under social and political pressure.{{Cite news|url=http://www.wmur.com/article/nh-house-committee-recommends-no-action-against-two-controversial-lawmakers/9867162|title=Updated: 'Red Pill' creator Fisher resigns from NH House after committee recommends no action|last=DiStaso|first=John|date=May 17, 2017|work=WMUR|access-date=May 18, 2017|language=en}} House Minority Leader Steve Shurtleff had called for a perjury investigation by the state attorney general's office, but said that Fisher's resignation made this no longer necessary.{{cite news|last1=Metler|first1=Katie|title='Shame. Shame.' N.H. lawmaker resigns after outcry over his 'woman-hating' Reddit forum|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/18/shame-shame-n-h-lawmaker-resigns-after-outcry-over-his-woman-hating-reddit-forum/|accessdate=May 25, 2017|newspaper=Washington Post|date=May 18, 2017}}

Personal life

Fisher is an atheist.{{cite news |last1=Stedman |first1=Chris |authorlink1=Chris Stedman |title=Too Many Atheists Are Veering Dangerously Toward the Alt-Right |url=https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/3k7jx8/too-many-atheists-are-veering-dangerously-toward-the-alt-right |accessdate=July 11, 2020 |work=Vice.com |date=April 2, 2018}}

References

External links

Category:American atheists

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:Republican Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives

Category:Reddit people

Category:21st-century members of the New Hampshire General Court