Posted on 05/08/2009 9:29:33 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
Is Charlie Crist the new Arlen Specter?
No, there’s no indication the Florida governor is looking at a party switch. But much like with Specter, conservative Republicans in Florida are speaking out against Crist and hoping his apostasy on the federal stimulus will open the door for a conservative to take him down.
The parallels are striking, both because Crist and Specter were among so few major Republicans to support the stimulus and because both are set to wage big-time Senate campaigns in which they face primary challengers.
There isn’t yet a chorus of anti-Crist voices in the Florida Republican Party — in fact, polling has him remaining very popular among his base — but Crist’s detractors say they can change that. And now they have their change instrument, in former state House Speaker Marco Rubio.
Rubio’s announcement Tuesday that he will run for retiring Sen. Mel Martinez’s (R-Fla.) seat ensures Crist won’t have a free ride in the GOP primary — and increasingly, it looks like it may not be an easy ride, either.
“We are seeing the same array of forces in this potential race that we saw last week with Specter and Toomey, and much of the same rhetoric being used,” said Atlanta-based GOP consultant David Johnson.
Rubio supporter and GOP fundraiser Ana Navarro, a self-appointed leader of the anti-Crist movement, said Republican activists will drive home the stimulus support, with the idea that Crist’s support is a mile wide and an inch deep.
“Specter has not changed on social issues for his entire career, and Pennsylvania Republican primary voters were OK with that; but the last straw was the stimulus vote,” Navarro said. “I think Charlie has greatly misjudged the incredible damage of his fawning support of the stimulus package."
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
I am afraid though that FL with so many Yankee transplants just votes for the more familiar names in Republican primaries, and many sit out the primaries. Voters are so uninformed that there is little hope for a good conservative to win a nomination, much less an election.
What exactly was Crist’s role in this, as opposed to, say, Sarah Palin’s. My understanding is that both Alaska and Florida gave the nod to the spendulus dough (though it appears that at least Palin waited until the legislature gave it the nod).
I would give Crist the credit for being smart enough to see that turning democrat is the last act of desperation before dropkicked out of elective office.
I would imagine he’s seen that it only adds humiliation to defenestration.
Crist is a RINO. FL House voted for offshore drilling and he said he would veto it so it died.
Marco Rubio is pushing to run for RINO Mel’s Senate seat. Jeb could win it and he is less of a RINO than Charline.
Anyone know if Marco Rubio is pro-open borders like Mel “scarface” Martinez. I hope Bill McCollumn runs.
Wouldn’t it be just too amusing if every one of the republican politicians changed their registration to democrat and then voted AGAINST the democrat party line? :P
I'm so sick of "do gooders" trying to manage and play babysitter for everyone ... they and the gov can kiss my arse next election.
The state's only interested in more legislation so they can use it to suck more fees, fines and so forth from people.
Florida is becoming another california.
Look piasa,
If you’d just read the U.S. Constitution, it plainly says in black and white somewhere that the obamma lamma ding dong govt has the right to force ya to wear a seat belt and drink 2 percent milk.
So how’s things in Trinadad?
I can tell you this, a good friend of mine here in Florida received a phone call asking for $$ from the Republicans.
She said she wouldn’t support people like Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins—they were just too liberal.
Then the person calling said, “This would be for the state party of Florida...”
My friend immediately said, “Oh, well as long as Charlie Crist is still leading the party, forget it.” AND THE LADY ON THE OTHER END OF THE LINE BEHAVED AS IF SHE HAD HEARD THAT A MILLION TIMES. “I see. Thank you ma’am.”
Crist is killing conservatism and hurting Republicans big time.
The worst knife in the back was when he introduced Hussein on his “Shuck and Jive” Tour for the Pork Package back in February.
The best thing about Trinidad is that it doesn’t have a mile-long backlog of overly dated chapter messages cluttering up my screen, and its nannies aren’t working in government... ;-)
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