rob christensen

Courtesy of Rob Christensen, via the Dome. This is good stuff.

The General Assembly is considering dumping an 82-year-old institution into the ashcan of history. It's an anachronism, the critics say. Discriminates against blacks, others say. Hurts Democrats, declare some.

B-A-L-O-N-E-Y, says Charles Bullock, the Richard B. Russell professor of political science at the University of Georgia, and perhaps the nation's leading expert on primary runoffs. Bullock thinks people base their opinions on myths, rather than facts. If North Carolina abolishes the primary runoff, Bullock says, the Republican Party could be opening the door to control by groups such as the Christian Coalition, and Democrats would be risking nominating more left-wing candidates.

I found this 1997 column really helpful in understanding the dynamics of primary runoffs. I wonder if or how those dynamics have changed over the past ten years.

Rob Christensen's December 2 column has an analysis of what he considers the state of civics education in the United States, based on a test created by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Christensen's column wraps with a link to this test, which I found hard, somewhat bizarre, and dramatically tilted in favor of knowing all about the kind of dead white men these people adore.

And what does Christensen have to say in the interest of full disclosure?

ISI is a conservative-leaning organization founded in 1953.

If you follow my link to the ISI website, you will discover that "conservative leaning" describes ISI about as well as "objective reporter" describes Christensen himself. The website features The Conservative Mind as part of its top-level navigation, Clarence Thomas, as an honored lecturer, with links throughout the site to Townhall.com.

When I promised Justice Bob Orr I'd work hard to be my kinder-gentler self, I forgot that I'd find my self reading things written by our old friend Rob Christensen every now and then. And today I came across this column about how hard it is to get elected to higher office from the State Legislature. Rob focuses his analysis on Kay Hagan and Beverly Perdue.

Who knows what goes on in the mind of a veteran reporter who has to crank out stories day after day, week after week. But whatever is going on in the mind of Rob Christensen, it's pretty damn sad.

As you may remember, Christensen's column last week was an ode to the Legend of Liddy Dole, filled to the brim with all her talking points and spin. There was no legitimate reason for the column, no news hook, no immediacy. It was just Rob Christensen at this worst, being played like a fiddle by our very senior Senator.

This week's column is even worse.

RALEIGH - In a move that surprised no one, N&O political reporter Rob Christensen today officially joined Elizabeth Dole's reelection campaign. N&O editor Melanie Sill could not be reached for comment, though it appears Christensen will be allowed to stay on the newspaper's payroll.

Christensen, it must be said, wasted no time exploiting his newfound status to deliver the goods on behalf of the very senior Senator. In a sweet little column about Dole's legendary political skills, he dutifully covers all the key talking points assigned to him.

I've been hoping Rob Christensen at the N&O would weigh in on the 2008 US Senate race for some time now, thinking he'd dig in behind the scenes of one of the biggest contests to hit North Carolina in a good long while.

Well, he did weigh in today, but it was a waste of time and ink. Not only did Christensen have nothing interesting to say, he dutifully parroted worn-out GOP talking points about Liddy's legendary prowess on the stump. From all I can tell, Rob is either a secret member of Senator Dole's campaign staff, or he left his brain back in 2002, when our very senior Senator could actually walk and chew gum at the same time.

The Liddy Dole that Rob Christensen wrote about in this column doesn't exist today. And that's a fact.

Rob Christensen must have a thing for Art Pope. Why else would he go out of his way to make a glowing report on another fundraising event the Puppetmaster is holding for the North Carolina Party of Torture?

Former state Rep. Art Pope is hosting a fundraiser next week to help Republicans regain control of the state House, bringing together the two warring factions in the GOP. The special guests at the event include two of his political rivals -- former House Speaker Harold Brubaker of Asheboro and state Rep. Danny McComas of Wilmington. Two Pope allies -- Reps. Leo Daughtry of Smithfield and Ed McMahan of Charlotte -- are also listed as special guests.

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Pope, a wealthy Raleigh businessman, has financed an independent campaign that criticizes the faction of the GOP that formed a power-sharing agreement with House Democrats. The feud has divided the state GOP in recent years.

According to Rob Christensen at the News and Observer, the head of the N.C. Black Leadership Caucus wants Mickey Michaux of Durham to be the next House Speaker if Jim Black does not seek a fifth term. Based on comments made by Michaux, however, he's the wrong guy for the job.

Carnell Robinson, chairman of the political group, wants to make sure Michaux is in the mix when people talk about the next speaker. Michaux was founding chairman of the caucus. "It appears that there is going to be a leadership void," Robinson said in an interview. "Mickey Michaux is on point on the issues affecting poor folks and black folks in North Carolina."