Probably Crist (sigh). As I believe I implicitly stated before, the Republican agenda has a decidedly socialist bent these days (nationalized education, their own version of SS (accounts), actually using protection of Medicare as a reason to oppose Health Care Deform, etc.). They merely oppose Obama’s junk without opposing all the junk put in place beforehand. All these country club swine would no doubt be more comfortable with a guy who actually hugged Obama, rather than an actual conservative.
Certain legislatures, such as Oklahoma’s, could prove an exception to this unfortunate rule. :-)
Once again, it appears to be up to us to do the heavy work.
It is possible that politicians of all stripes who get that far simply desire power?
I don’t dispute your point about republicans, although i would like to see Social Security and Medicare moved into private individual accounts as a vehicle to get it out of the Federal government all together, without screwing all the people who were forced to spend so much of their money into the program over the last 70+ years.
The point is, all politicians of all stripes, state, local, federal, Republican, independent, or democrat, with few exceptions desire power.
This makes all of them predisposed to the socialist bent as socialism grant the politicians as apposes to the individual the greatest degree of power. We cant change this basic natural fact about politicians, it is after all what motivates them to run for office just as too much of it corrupts them while in office.
All we can do is check that need power by making them fight for it. In elections, between branches of government, and between levels of government.
It is precisely that check on power between governments which we are attempting to help restore with repealing the 17th amendment. Along with the 10th amendment movement, Federal politicians have become hopelessly corrupted by the boundless power they have usurped to themselves. That power must be dramatically reduced if we the people are to regain effective control of them.