The Unhelpfulness of Charlie Crist

Unless you've been living in a cave or something, you've heard that Charlie Crist is running for the U.S. Senate from Florida.

This is supposed to be great news. No credible Democrat will now run. And this will save the national party from investing lots of money in holding a seat in a swing state. The logic is impeccable. 

Except for the fact that with Crist out of state politics, it's open season on the Florida Governor's mansion. And holding on there is far from a sure thing, with old warhorse Bill McCullom the likely GOP nominee going up against much buzzed about Dem CFO Alex Sink. 

We might say that the Governorship of Florida is not Washington's problem -- except this is the same sort of short-term DC-centered thinking that gives us establishment favorites inimical to the grassroots. The GOP's revival will not come from Washington or from the Senate. It will come from the states. From an overarching party balance sheet perspective, we need to evaluate the potential loss of the Florida statehouse before stating whether Crist's move is a good thing. 

Florida is one of the few places left with a thriving Republican state party and multiple plausible statewide officeholders waiting in the wings. I would not have minded a competitive Republican primary between Connie Mack and Marco Rubio -- because either could win the seat -- combined with a safe Crist re-elect. The conservative legislature in Tallahassee has largely restrained Crist from enacting Obamaism in Florida. 

On the one hand, I'm glad that candidate recruitment seems to be going pretty darn well in the Senate. However, my antennae stand on end when these recruits are plucked from useful and key positions in the states, because those officeholders are strategically more important to party revival. The class of 1994 was packed with Newt Gingrich/GOPAC recruits from the late '80s for mayors, county commissioners, and state legislatures. Ultimately, we'll be able to tell more stories about successful Republican governance if we can point to a few jurisdictions we actually control, rather than being a slightly more effective opposition on Capitol Hill. 

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Crist is a RINO

 

I would not have minded a competitive Republican primary between Connie Mack and Marco Rubio -- because either could win the seat -- combined with a safe Crist re-elect. The conservative legislature in Tallahassee has largely restrained Crist from enacting Obamaism in Florida.

There's so much there that scream "Danger will robinson" about Crist.... He's a big spending, anti-drilling, Obama-embracing, RINO, who's done zero good for the conservatives. good gosh, I seriously hope we can upend him in the primary and nominate Rubio.

And if NRSC so much as give Crist one red cent, they will have destroyed the good will for another 2 cycles. NRSC RINO support is DUMB. AS. ROCKS.

NRSC is supposed to support winners, not "Political Purity"

Freedom, as a moderate GOPer I've listened enough to the idiots on the farRight destroy my Party, pillage and burn everything in their sights while claiming to be purging the Party of RINOs and other pre-Reagan type GOPers... it's time to stop it if you really, honestly think of yourself as a GOPer.

The real "Republicans in Name Only" folks in our midst are the 4.1m disloyal, angry soc-cons who stayed home on ElectionDay in some political purity snit, wouldn't vote for McCain-Palin and literally turned the Election over to Obama and the farLeft.

Those are the real folks who are Republicans in Name Only... not Party leaders and constructive candidates like Crist who literally saved the Florida GOP from a farRight takeover and political suicide... which would have hazarded all the hard work of Jeb Bush and the other moderate, center-right leaders in Florida.

Enough with the Club4Greed's nonsense about moderates being RINOs.  Crist can win Florida.  Elections are about winning, not passing some assinine purity litmus tests and being content with a losing campaign well waged.

Elections are about winning.  Crist does that in the Florida.  Purity Political test candidates from the farRight can't win --no matter how much you're willing to waste on them-- in Florida, statewide.  They can't in Michigan, either.

Learn.  Adjust.  Adapt.  But for cryin' out loud, get real will ya?  And become a loyal GOPer instead of a parrot for the farRight purity folks.

What principles do you stand for?

I have been a loyal lifelong Republican,  I stood for 10 hours holding a McCain sign and helped McCain immeasurably even though I knew he would stab me in the back on several issues ... and I must say my attempts for several years now to talk other PO-d conservatives who gave up on the GOP because it didnt live up to conservative principles are very much UNDERCUT by your whiney attitude and your divisive and very unhelpful comments.

... if you even are a genuine moderate and not a lib troll doing the Moby thing.

Ultimately I am a Republican because it advances what I believe and your comment forced me to ask myself why was I a Republican.

Here's my answer:

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-this-american-patriot-bel...

that's what this particular American Patriot believes.

You dont believe in 'political purity'? Well that's a strawman because I support McCain, who was barely at the 60-70% agreement with me, and every single Republican I voted for has some issues.

Enough with your nonsense of ad hominem attacking Club for Growth, and bashing  'so-cons' an the 'farRight'. It's time you learned, adjusted, adapted. Keep Reagan 11th commandment and stop speaking ill of other Republicans. Its divisive and wrong. We want the party to stand up for principle and live up to them. We dont need nor want RINO opportunists like Specter who undercut the party then bolt when challenged. Is that too much to ask out of candidates? I hope not.

This is what the conservative base, the so-cons, the disaffected libertarian leaners, and the Reagan Republicans like me are ALL SAYING IN UNISON - support our ideals and we will support you. Even if they push some differing goals (although the common strong point is limited govt and freedom).

What principles do you stand for? I mean other than the principle of 'win' and 'bash the right', which is counterproductive. If you only push candidates who dont stand for ANY ideals or principles, then you are useless to the party base.

Right, you're a loyal GOPer? Do you have a bridge to sell, too?

Sorry Freedom, but that dodge and spin ain't going to work --unless you're some soc-con farRight Club4Greeder troll here looking for yet another place to dump your angry "voter", piss-filled boots.  But I can understand why you're from Texas --anything that doesn't fit a Texan's peculiar worldview is always suspect to a Texan... it's in the water down there.  Been to the Alamo lately?  That's the Texan mindset in a nutshell --or that's the shell where the last batch of Texan nutcases were taught a lesson.

Political purity idiots is how we got into the mess the GOP is standing in today; just talk with TomDelay --who used to have a sign outside his Congressional leadership office saying "No Moderates Need Apply".  Oh yeah, political purity freaks are just a strawman.

The Club4Greed folks are the vanguards of that movement and themost vocal critics of any office holder who doesn't drink their kool aid.  And it is kool aid; as potent as the stuff JimJones made his followers drink a few decades ago.  Only for the GOP, it translates into political suicide.  And, specifically when it comes to the Club4Greed, Republican canabilism as they target so-called "RINOs" for special extermination.  Oh yeah, political purity freaks and Club4Greed are just strawmen.

Nope, you're deadset wrong; 150%.  Political parties are about winning, Freedom. They ain't beauty contests for political purists.  Crist can win Florida like no other candidate.  If the farRight, Club4Greeders want to do the Alamo thing in Florida, let them and the Libertarian Party support Rubio... that's, to capture your phrase, would be "dumb as rocks" political move... but that concern hasn't ever stopped a Club4Greeder yet.

Just like in PA, Tom Ridge can win that PA Senate Seat over Specter.  Not Pat "Pres4Life" 2Me!!.  He's the architect of the failing strategy behind the Club4Greed.

My Party, the REAL GOP, needs to put some silver nails into the coffin of these stupid, political suicidal moves by the reactionary idiots who say they're inside the Party, that they're a part of the base... I doubt they are.  I doubt loyalty to Party requires one to repeatedly fall on a fake sword in order to prove to others that you're true, blue and pure enuff.  Tax pledge?  Screw it.  Promise to go back to the Gold Standard?  Screw it.  Politics is about winning office, not purity policy purges ala Josef Stalin.

BTW, you quote Reagan on the 11th Commandment? Did you know he said that very thing just before he launched a failed bid to oust incumbent GOP office holder Jerry Ford from the GOP nomination?  Now there's some hyper-hypocrisy if there ever was example to be noted.

Nice try at dodge and spin and trying to turn the sword point onto the "moderate GOPers", Freedom.  It ain't working.  You might want to save it for the next Club4Greed Alamo.

 

 

since only 20% said they

since only 20% said they prefer a socialist economy (which probably nicely corresponds to the size of the progressive/liberal wing of the Democratic party)!

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Socialism" has made socialism

Socialism" has made socialism popular! You can't possibly have forgotten that poll from April, have you? Only 53% of Americans now think that capitalism is clearly superior to socialism. I suspect what is going on here is a lot of people are so turned off by the Right that they think "if they are against it, then I am for it".

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Gov. Charlie Crist and the

Gov. Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe of Florida began negotiating a new gambling compact Wednesday that would bring revenue to the state in exchange for the tribe's right to a monopoly on some of its casino games.

 

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Gov. Charlie Crist ran afoul

Gov. Charlie Crist ran afoul of the state Constitution when he refused to fill an appeals court seat because all of the potential picks are white, the Florida Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday.

 

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As governor, Crist has echoed

As governor, Crist has echoed his predecessor, Jeb Bush, by taking generally conservative positions on a broad range of social issues while diverging from Republican orthodoxy on fiscal management and environmental policy.

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Not sure why...

...you would want the FL Governorship in the hands of someone who has to be restrained by the conservative legislature from implementing "Obamaism."  Doesn't that defeat the whole rationale behind "renewal from the states"?  Methinks you'd be better off with Rubio or another "pure" conservative in the Governor's post... As Freedoms Truth states, why would you want a RINO in the party at all?  Purge the Party of these unbelievers!

The 44th governor of Florida,

The 44th governor of Florida, Charlie Crist was elected in November 2006 after winning 52.2 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Jim Davis, who drew 45.1 percent. Sworn into office on Jan. 2, 2007, Crist promised a new era of open and inclusive government.

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Rubio

I wrote here that a vote for Crist is a vote for a Hagel or Chaffee. If I had a vote, I'd be voting for Rubio & it wouldn't be a difficult decision.

Stupid is as stupid does

To compare Crist with Hagel is utter stupidity parading as informed opinion.  Someone needs to find the hook and get your sorry butt off the stage, dude.

The Club4Greed's Rubio will appeal to a certain segment inside the Party and a far greater, more vocal, more rabid but still small segment inside the LibbieParty.

Frankly, like the PA Senate race, we don't need another Club4Greed loser foisted upon the GOP as some sort of Politically Pure, 4th Reich candidate for Wall Street greeders.

What we need, like in the PA Senate race with the likely entry of GOP moderate Tom Ridge, is a winner in Florida.

Crist is certainly that.  Rubio ain't got the balls, the intellect or the skills to win a statewide seat as dog-catcher.  GMG425, you say "Rubio for Senate"?  Stupid is as stupid does.

ridge canceled.

kos had the update last week.

sucks for you guys when someone like Ridge doesn't think that he can beat Toomey.

Stupid is attacking other conservatives

Rubio is a great candidate who can win the Senate race.

Crist is not a 'winner'. He's another RINO who gave pro-stimulus support to Obama. We need that like we need a hole in the head. It will ruin the GOP brand, dilute the message of clear alternatives, and lead to grassroots revolt. Crist is a bad call on many levels.

 Stand with Rubio:

http://marcorubio.com

 

Not at all... stupid is tossing an election to a loser

It's gotta be the hallmark of typical soc-con hyper-hypocrisy when they get all upset and stuff when practical political considerations like... oh, I don't know... something like actually winning the election... get in the way of their political purity, litmus test nonsense.

Rubio's a loser in a general election just like Club4Greeder Pat2Me!!! up in PA.  I'm predicting that Rubio is also a loser when it comes to a GOP primary, too... but that is coming up for a real, pragmatic test.

The only RINOs left are the disloyal SOBs who deserted the Party on 2008 Election Day and turned the election into a mandate for the farLeft and Obama.  For soc-cons to now hold that a candidate is suspect for taking Stimulus $$$ is another case of hypocrisy and the mirror... look into the mirror first, there's the real RINO.

I honestly hope, Freedom, that Rubio wages a robust primary campaign for the nod.  Because at the end of the day, when he's roundly defeated, it'll be yet another loser-notch to add to those gleaming silver pistols of the Club4Greed... pistols that look good as prop but don't a bullet that fits.

There you go again .. (11th commandment)

... as Reagan would say. 15 yard penalty for multiple infractions of the 11th commandment:

1) Name-calling a good conservative group (club for growth)

2) Yelling at the disaffected voters as if doing so does any good; again, loyalty goes from public servant to the voters not the other way around!

3) Engaging in the self-fulfilling prophesy of calling a good Republican candidate and leader a 'loser' Rubio is a good leader, if you have to tear Rubio down to build up Crist, you are arguing very wrongly and showing how weak your guy is.

4) getting upset over voters not concerned enough with winning elections. Have you considered that voters care about what the person does AFTER the election? you know, this stuff:

http://travismonitor.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-this-american-patriot-bel...

Those are my principles. What are yours? And why are you ignoring that factor in these so-cons? Can you consider that so-con voters or *any* voters balk BECAUSE THE CANDIDATE IS NOT GIVING THEM WHAT THEY WANT. Any yelling at those voters wont do much good.

I have EXCELLENT reasons to not want Crist as a GOP nominee. He is IMHO wrong on drilling and wrong on cap-and-trade and wrong to stand on stage with Obama and tout the phony trillion dollar stimulus boondoggle bill. Mistakes all. I'll stay in GOP despite it but ...

Push Crist through and you just push millions of independent conservatives off the ledge who see this as another GOP Elite Cram-down.  (Dont ask me, just go to FreeRepublic, HotAir, Redstate, etc. for sampling of view) As for me, I will stay loyal to GOP but their Crist support has cost NRSC any $ from me.   The "He's Electable" card was played for the RINO in 2008 and it didnt work.

 

Reagan's 11th Commandment? He failed his own loyalty test.

You know, when you invoke the spirit & rule of Reagan as some mechanism to instruct others about appropriate conduct for a GOPer, you miss the truth behind Reagan's real message. on the 11th Commandment: Do as I say, not as I need.

Reagan dishonored his own line about "Speak no ill of a fellow GOPer" when he challenged an incumbent GOP Pres (Ford) for the 1976 GOP pres nomination... and then continued to challenge Ford until Ford's main defender, Dick Cheney, remarked that Reagan helped elect JimmyCarter because of Reagan's fundamental disloyalty to the GOP standard bearer, GOP practices and --just like the soc-cons in 2008-- disloyalty had a huge, huge price: the election of a farLeft Liberal who proved to be a horrible leader and experience for the US.

I don't know whether you're just being intellectually dishonest, Freedom, in referencing Reagan on the infamous 11th Commandment or woefully ignorant of history.

Whichever it is, don't lecture someone by referencing one of Reagan's least admirable, most dishonorable, disloyal, disingenious moments in his entire political career --except maybe for Iran-Contra and that whole "Clear & Present Danger" episode in the WH.

I'm not the one bringing up the old canard about purging the Party of RINOs because they dilute the Aryan purity political purity of the farRight GOP base.

And I certainly wouldn't use Reagan's 11th Commandment, one of his most dishonorable contributions to the GOP, as a vehincle to instruct those who take issue with the ruinous leadership the soc-cons and farRight have brought upon the GOP brand.

 

What's your point with this attack on yet another Republican?

Reagan had primary opponents in Gov race and ran against Ford. I knew that history. In detail.

In response to a gentle prod that you should advocate more by saying GOOD things about the guy you like instead of BAD things about other Republicans ... you light into the most beloved Republican leader of the past generation.

Nice job of missing the point and losing your audience.

I'm not the one bringing up the old canard about purging the Party of RINOs because they dilute the Aryan purity political purity of the farRight GOP base.

Which is indeed a canard (and the Aryan crack is beyond offensive, tone it down). I responded to your challenge of what constitutes a Republican by writing up what I believe:

http://www.thenextright.com/freedoms-truth/what-this-american-patriot-be...

Instead of personally attacking other personalities, I simply invite you to do the same ... tell us on what ground YOU stand and why YOU want what you want for yourself, the GOP and the country. I believe in center-right coalition-building but I dont believe in principle-free dishwater politicians. What are YOUR principles?

A new poll shows Republican

A new poll shows Republican Gov. Charlie Crist has a sizable lead in his campaign for Senate.

A Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. telephone survey taken June 24-26 shows Crist leading primary opponent Marco Rubio by a 51-23 margin.

 

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Charles Joseph "Charlie"

Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. (born July 24, 1956) is an American politician of the Republican Party and the current Governor of Florida. Crist was Florida's attorney general when he won election as governor, thus becoming the first Florida cabinet official in 95 years to be elected governor (since Park Trammell).

 

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Fta 

You Right, It Isn't Fair

I should apologize to Sen. Hagel for lumping him in with a liberal like Crist.

Gov. Charlie Crist on

Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday signed into law new rules that will limit state employees' ability to collect a paycheck and a pension from the same agency.

 

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Resisting pressure from a

Resisting pressure from a chorus of large and politically influential industry groups, Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday vetoed legislation aimed at enticing large property insurance companies to write policies in Florida.

 

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Right over your heads

It's amazing that what Ruffini is trying to explain went right over your heads.

Rubio's pyrrhic victory over Crist in a primary might wake you up if republicans lost both the senate seat and governorship.

Gov. Charlie Crist's personal

Gov. Charlie Crist's personal bottom line barely budged in 2008, a year in which he remarried and maintained his status as the least-affluent statewide officeholder in Florida.

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This matter has to do with

This matter has to do with the connectivity of this state. Well there must be a good organization between the involvements of their leaders there to avoid misunderstanding that causes noise. Do some credit repair, and cook Mom something good for her day.  You could try out some vegetarian recipes (especially if your mom is vegan); there are plenty of them that taste good and are good for you.  A small payday loan wouldn't be a waste for this recipe for a delicious vegetarian lasagna for Mother's Day.

I would have much Rather Marco run for Governor

 Watching Bill McCollum lose to Alex Sink is going to suck big time. Rubio is wasting his time: despite the movement crowd's distaste for Crist, he will win the primary and the Senate race. Rubio would have had a better chance using his Cuban base to run for Governor.

Crist is about Crist, not party building. That was always the difference between him and Jeb.

Section 9 needs to take a Section 8 and go to the home

Section 8... opps, I mean Section 9 offers: "Crist is about Crist, not party building".

Um, fact check that fly-by-your-ass opinion Section 9.

Florida GOP registrations up 17% since Crist stepped up to the plate and carried on for Bush.  Florida GOP fundraising up 11% since Crist assumed the mantle and continued a stellar Party-building effort by Jeb Bush.  More voters voted for Crist in his first run for Gov than voted for Bush in his first run for Governor.

Get real, Section 9.  Crist may be an ego-centrist but he also has worked hard to keep the GOP strong in Florida and has given as much to the Party as Jeb did... and that's saying a lot, given Jeb Bush's loyalty and leadership of the Party there.

Great suggestion, Pat.

Now all we have to do is run the whole thing past McCullum? Any takers?

 

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Crist is a disaster waiting to happen

... if people want to dress it up as a "moderate" problem, that's fine... but with the movie Outrage set to drop shortly, Crist's problem isn't just his politics.

That's nothing new

Crist's primary competitor in 2006 went for anti-gay ads and innuendo, and lost by 30 points. Which way Crist's door swings is probably at the level of state inside joke in Florida, and they don't really care, as given by his election and job approval numbers.

If anything, older voters would go for Crist, because although he *might* be gay, he is an experienced and successful politician, as opposed to Rubio, who is half their age, if we're talking personal likes or dislikes, as compared to policy.

not new, maybe... but also not dead.

As long as Crist can't put the matter to bed (er, this stuff just writes itself, eh) it's not dead; Rubio doesn't - and won't - need to go the route of saying it himself: he'll have Outrage and fairly loud whispers to do the work for him, and post Mark Foley, Florida sending anything similar to DC is a dice roll I think some may want to run from... and enough to derail his chances.  Regardless...  it's the sense that Crist "has something to hide" - be it personal, or RINO - that's got Republicans divided. My point is, really, less about the innuendo than the larger point: Crist can't heal the divides within the Florida GOP, not with so much baggage; the only way he could fix things would be to bridge the gaps with some real, honest and open connections... and that seems all but impossible for him (which is where the personal baggage meets the political problems). And that means he can beat Rubio (in a way that's bound to leave bad feeling, and get the NRSC a lot of bad conservative rap)... and lose to the Democrat; or he can lose to Rubio... and we'll watch Rubio lose to the Democrat (that version seems fairly certain only one way)... or a hobbled Crist manages a wobbly victory in the general... and goes on to be a problem for the national party and its rep. That is why Dems seem so pleased: if he wins, he loses... and if he really wins... then the GOP really loses.

So it was with McGreevey

Which way Crist's door swings is probably at the level of state inside joke in Florida, and they don't really care, as given by his election and job approval numbers.

McGreevey was a known quantity to a few insiders in Trenton (some journalists knew but never reported it), until it all blew up one day.

How can we get to a position of not having a Foley/McGreevey risk while being fair and not subjecting a man like Crist to innuendo?

The closet isn't helpful.

If he's gay then he needs to come out with it.  If he's not, well...ummm...I've never made any Charlie Crist gay jokes so my conscious is clear.  It's not fair to him to play this smear campaign about his sexual identity behind his back...but you don't want it to blow up in your face three weeks before election night or getting caught with some gigilo further down the line.  Maybe this movie will help persuade/force closeted politicians out of the closet, which will be healthier for all involved anyway.

If there are details or

If there are details or intracacies here that I’m missing, please let me know. From what I understand at this moment, this is not a difficult situation that Crist is in, with regard to whether or not he should sign or veto the tax increase. thanks, cheap web hosting

since only 20% said they

since only 20% said they prefer a socialist economy (which probably nicely corresponds to the size of the progressive/liberal wing of the Democratic party)!

 

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The conservative legislature

The conservative legislature in Tallahassee has largely restrained Crist from enacting Obamaism in Florida. regards, games

Political purity idiots is

Political purity idiots is how we got into the mess the GOP is standing in today; just talk with TomDelay --who used to have a sign outside his Congressional leadership office saying "No Moderates Need Apply".  Oh yeah, political purity freaks are just a strawman.

The Club4Greed folks are the vanguards of that movement and themost vocal critics of any office holder who doesn't drink their kool aid.  And it is kool aid; as potent as the stuff JimJones made his followers drink a few decades ago.  Only for the GOP, it translates into political suicide.  And, specifically when it comes to the Club4Greed, Republican canabilism as they target so-called "RINOs" for special extermination.  Oh yeah, political purity freaks and Club4Greed are just strawmen.

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