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.

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."