Meet Ron Christie: Republican Strategist and Apologist

There are some folks that never cease to amaze me and Ron Christie is one of those mind boggling people. Christie, the Black Republican apologist and strategist is forever trying to convince us that White right-wing reactionary Republicans like Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney and Russ Limbaugh always mean just the opposite or something other than what they've stated or written or that they are badly misquoted, misunderstood, or misinterpreted. He sees history quite differently than I remember it, especially the Bush II White House years.

After listening to Ron Christie on various talk shows and news programs, I had to take a minute and find out more about him. Maybe I could learn why he thinks the way he does or at least the way he says he thinks.

A native of Palo Alto, California, he received his B.A. from Haverford College and his J.D. from the George Washington University National Law Center. Christie serves as an Adjunct Professor of Strategic Advocacy at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. He also teaches a course on strategic advocacy at his Alma Mater, Haverford College, where he has been appointed a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science.

Mr. Christie, a veteran senior advisor of both the White House and the Congress, brings years of government relations experience. Most recently, Christie served as Vice President of Navigators LLC, a full service strategic consulting and communications firm. He also has served as Executive Vice President and Director of Global Government Affairs at Ruder Finn and Of Counsel at the DC law firm of Patton Boggs, LLP. From 2002 to 2004, he was Acting Director of USA Freedom Corps and special assistant to President George W. Bush. He began service at the White House in 2001 as deputy assistant to Vice President Cheney for domestic policy, advising the Vice President on policy initiatives in health care, budget, tax and other policy areas.

Prior to joining the Vice President's staff, he briefly served as counsel to U.S. Senator George Allen (R-VA). He also served as senior advisor to former House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich (R-OH), currently OH Governor..

Active in international affairs, he was elected to the Council on Foreign Relations in 2001, a distinguished group devoted to promoting improved understanding of international affairs through the free exchange of ideas. While serving in the White House, Christie was asked by President Bush to lead an American delegation to an international conference on volunteerism and civic engagement hosted by then Prime Minister Tony Blair in London, England. Subsequent to the volunteerism summit, Christie worked with then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to devise an expanded call for civic engagement in Great Britain.

As a frequent commentator on current political events, he has appeared as a political/legal analyst on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Lou Dobbs Tonight, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Fox News Sunday, Hannity, The O'Reilly Factor, and The Tavis Smiley Show. Christie also serves as a weekly Contributor and Panelist on National Public Radio's "News and Notes" program. A noted political strategist and skilled orator, Christie is a contributing columnist for The Hill, a leading Capitol Hill newspaper, and is one of their featured writers on The Pundit's Blog.

All this information lets me know that Christie is well educated, well connected and has worked closely with GOP persons and issues. None of it makes me understand how Christie can defend Dick Cheney or George Bush and their administration or policies, but I guess you don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Ron Christie is Founder and CEO of Christie Strategies, a full-service communications and issues management firm in Washington, D.C. He is also the author of the book Black in the White House published by Nelson Current in January 2006. His next work, Acting White: The Birth and Death of a Racial Slur will be published by St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books in 2010.

"Rather than focusing on so-called "Black issues",  Republicans will continue to gain traction with Black folks by discussing their vision of economic reform, technological advances to compete in the 21st Century, and insisting that teachers and schools be held accountable for results in educating our children." Ron Christie

This Christmas Day the song goes "Do you hear what I hear" and "Do you see what I see?" Well Ron, my answer is no.

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