#ncpol: A little Rob-on-Rob love

Rob “RielleWho” Christensen is exactly what Rush means when he speaks of “the driveby media.”   For decades, he’s covered up and apologized for the likes of Jim Hunt and John Edwards while tying himself up in knots to screw conservatives at every turn.  Republican primary voters should know to be very wary of any Republican  Christensen speaks kindly of.  Here Rob is trying to save Robert Pittenger:

If you want an example of just how empty and dispiriting American politics has become, all you have to do is look at the Republican congressional primary in the Charlotte-centric 9th district.[…] 

You have to looooooooooooooooooove hearing a leading driveby moan about how important stuff doesn’t get covered in elections. MORE:

[…] The race features two well-known Tar Heel political figures, U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger and his challenger Mark Harris. The contest involves real issues, such as the recent bipartisan budget deal signed by President Donald Trump.

But instead of a serious debate, we are getting the usual soul-sucking name calling that has become the trademark of modern politics. The object seems to be to move as far to the right as you can, while denouncing your opponent as a closet liberal.

Harris is compared to Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi, while Pittenger is described as a Republican liberal.[…] 

Yep.  A 55% (F)  conservative rating will earn you the designation of “liberal.”

MORE:

[…] If you believe either of those ridiculous assertions, I’ve got some exercise equipment to sell you that I promise will make you thin in 30 days.

Pittenger, a real estate investor, served in the state Senate in Raleigh and was the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor in 2008 before being elected to the 9th District congressional seat where he is serving his third term.

Never mind that — throughout his career in Raleigh — Pittenger’s use of his senate office to benefit said real estate business was one of Raleigh’s worst kept secrets.  Oh, and said business also got probed by the FBI and IRS. (All the Jesus-talk in the world can’t gloss over that.)

MORE:

[…] His challenger, Harris, stepped down as senior pastor of Charlotte’s First Baptist Church last year to enter the congressional race. The former president of the North Carolina Baptist Convention is a telegenic, good-on-his feet, politician/preacher who is essentially now involved in his fourth political campaign.

Harris was a leader in 2012 of the Amendment One campaign that successfully passed a state constitutional amendment that reaffirmed North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriages – a ban that became moot after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing such marriages.

He finished third in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate in 2014 in a race won by then-state House Speaker Thom Tillis. In 2016, he unsuccessfully challenged Pittenger in the Republican primary, losing by a mere 133 votes. They are now at it again.

Because the state’s congressional districts have been so gerrymandered, there hasn’t been a competitive race in any recent general election. But there can still be competitive primaries, where the object is to ideologically outflank your opponent, portraying him or her as insufficiently conservative.

In recent days, Pittenger and Harris have been attacking each other regarding the massive budget deal passed by Congress and signed by Trump, all Republicans, that ended a brief government shutdown.

The $300 billion deal raises the debt ceiling, increases Pentagon spending by $165 billion and domestic spending by $131 billion over two years; includes $10 billion a year for infrastructure spending, $2.9 billion a year on child care and $3 billion a year to battle the opioid and substance abuse crisis, and $90 billion for disaster relief for the victims in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

The measure passed the House 240-186, with 73 Democrats voting for it and 67 Republicans voting against it. It passed the Senate 71-28.

Pittenger joined the House GOP leadership in voting for it. Harris blasted him for “mortgaging the future of our kids and our grandkids.”

Harris sounds just like Rand Paul.  (*What a commie!*)

During the Thatcher years,  the British Conservative Party was actually about limited government conservativism. Now it’s a slightly more mellow flavor than the leftist Labour Party.  We’re seeing something similar in DC and Raleigh now.  “Conservative”, the establishment now tells you, means voting with your party leadership rather than the conservative principles in the party platform that you campaigned on.

MORE:

“Every special interest was funded in this budget that left Chuck Schumer and Democrats walking away smiling. It’s unfathomable that even funding of Planned Parenthood was included after a promise from Republicans in Congress to defund them after the controversy that they reportedly kept babies alive to harvest their organs.” (The House Oversight Committee and several state investigations cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing.)

The last time I checked, the House Oversight Committee was not part of the judicial branch.  A Google search actually shows the committee was frustrated with the editing of details in the final report.  No talk of ‘clear”-ing.  Also, the ‘state investigations” focused more on how the dirt was gathered against PP rather than  the substance.  They WERE marketing baby parts.

Oh, and let’s not forget the notorious video where Pittenger admitted he was not interested in repealing ObamaCare.  (You also had to love how he told some constituents who questioned his support of ObamaCare  that they “just don’t understand politics.” )

Pittenger has also been a solid supporter of amnesty for illegals — something the president he is hugging so tightly to NOW strongly opposes.

MORE:

“Robert Pittenger showed us yet again why he consistently voted as one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress,” Harris wrote.

This is nonsense. According to ratings issued by the respected American Conservative Union for 2016, Pittenger is not even close to being among the more liberal Republicans – not by a country mile. (He had an 88 percent rating out of a perfect 100.) In fact, there were far more members of the Republican caucus to his political left than there were to his political right, according to the ACU.

Wow.  Two year old ratings from a GOP establishment standard-bearer that, as I said before, equates “conservatism” with standing by leadership — no matter HOW MUCH they spend.

I had my qualms about Harris back in 2014.  In 2018, he’s a lot better choice than Robert Pittenger.  Knocking off Pittenger will be a good start at fumigating that swamp that is choking our culture and our economic well-being.