Campaign Crawlers
No More Mr. Nice Charlie?
Marco Rubio’s long march is leaving Charlie Crist with no alternative but to go negative.
(Page 2 of 2)
While Charlie continues to get blue, Rubio’s campaign is still enjoying successes. His most recent coup was being chosen as the keynote speaker for the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference to be held in Washington in February.
“We chose Rubio because he’s an up and coming leader,” said CPAC Director Lisa de Pasquale. “He’s someone a lot of people are excited about.”
The three-day CPAC conference each year is probably the largest gathering of conservative officials, media, and money-types in the country. And the coveted opening day, 10 a.m. speaking slot is a plum. No better place or way for Rubio to put his conservative credentials before the conservative world. He joins a pretty select group of former CPAC speakers which include Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, George W. Bush, Newt Gingrich, George Will, Tony Snow, and an obscure former western governor named Ronald Reagan.
With exposure through groups like CPAC, and the Club for Growth, which has endorsed Rubio, along with kind words from many of the nation’s leading conservative pundits and publications — George Will has flatly predicted Rubio will be Florida’ s next senator — Crist’s attempt to portray himself as the true conservative in this race appears to be Sisyphean.
If going negative on Rubio is a high-risk strategy, Crist might be better advised to consider actually putting together a conservative agenda for Florida and trying to govern based on that agenda. On the evidence of Crist’s first two years as governor, this isn’t likely. Au the contraire, Crist has shown, after seeking it, no real taste for the governor’s job.
Crist has held a very light hand to the tiller of Florida’s ship of state in his first two years. His calendar, showing him absent about as many days as he’s been on the job, has gotten extensive coverage in Florida media. Certainly over the last year he’s been more of a campaigner than a governor, jetting off to Washington, New York, Arizona, Las Vegas, and California for fundraisers, even designing his Florida schedule around fundraisers and such ribbon-cutting events that get him free media.
Crist knows how to grip and grin. But his footprint on Florida governance is pretty shallow, even though he’s quick to take credit for such positive things the Florida Legislature has managed to achieve while he’s been governor (often in-absentia). Anyone wishing to be greeted with silence could ask a group of Florida political insiders what Charlie Crist’s agenda is for the next regular session of the Florida Legislature.
It’s not that Florida doesn’t have serious problems. Florida’s unemployment rate is now 11.2 percent, the seventh highest in the nation. If Crist has the first idea about what to do about this he’s kept it hidden. Florida faces a budget deficit of at least $2.6 billion next year. No word yet from Crist how to deal with this either.
So there’s no mystery about why Crist would like to leave the difficult job of being governor of a large, complex state with real problems for the relative obscurity of the Senate, where responsibility is diffuse and there’s no pesky constitutional requirement of a balanced budget, as Florida has. Unlike Rubio, Crist has never told Floridians what he would like to achieve in the U.S. Senate. We only know he would like to be there. Voters paying attention are entitled to conclude that in Washington he would mail it in or sub it out, as he has in Florida.
Even with Florida’s many pressing issues, Floridians who don’t attend Crist fundraisers see little of him. If he were elected to an office in Washington, Floridians might never see him again. To Florida conservatives this prospect holds a certain amount of charm. But this doesn’t stop most of them from supporting Rubio.
About the Author
Larry Thornberry is a writer in Tampa.
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Pingback| 11.23.09 @ 7:02AM
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Melvin| 11.23.09 @ 7:29AM
If Charlie wants to turn things around first get rid of that fake spray tan, and the blue hair. He persona more befits him of the guy in a seedy part of town coming up to your car window and saying, "Hey buddy wanna buy a cheap Rolex?"
Lawrence of Lutz| 11.23.09 @ 8:46AM
I come from a long line of conservative democrats but changed to independent. Now, (Lord forgive me) I'm changing to a republican to vote against empty suit Charley in the primary.
Ken (Old Texican)| 11.23.09 @ 9:16AM
Lawrence, The Lord will forgive you.
TEAM America is behind Rubio. We have boots on the ground in Florida already.
We gotta' get the right candidates before we can overturn the damned communists, (pardon the shorthand), in DC.
danny| 11.23.09 @ 9:16AM
unexpectably eating crist's lunch? who says it's unexpected? every time a true conservative comes along and does well, it's unexpected. how so larry?
loulou| 11.23.09 @ 6:55PM
danny, it's unexpected because Crist has had so much money and support from the clueless NRSC. Idiots. They still can't hear us.
I wish I lived in Florida.
Oldefarte| 11.23.09 @ 12:31PM
Even though I'm not a resident of Florida and cannot vote, I do feel that Rubio should be elected since he, as an Hispanic, represents the solution to the problem within the Republican Party. Hispanics are extremely religious/Catholic and have a proud history of tradition, patriotism and pride. I'm not in favor of motor-voter type immigration reform, but for a systematic [play-by-the-rules] allowable path to their citizenship. Republicans could/should begin recruiting [LEGAL-CITIZENS] Hispanics into their ranks since their fit within same is a given; and their numbers would be a needed addition to the party. Rubio's election would be a tremendous beginning to such a movement and would be a win-win for the party. Crist appears to be a teflon candidate that will say/do anything to become elected, and principles mean nothing to these type candidates. Rubio appears to be bright, energetic and dedicated; and that is exactly what is needed by Republicans now!!!!
md| 11.23.09 @ 12:43PM
There are serious storm clouds on the horizon for Crist in respect to several of his major financial backers. In what may hold the greatest threat to his continuing viability as a candidate, a close friend and financial supporter ( to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars) has been accused of a massive fraud scheme estimated to total as much as a billion dollars - he has seen his high-profile Boca Raton law firm implode and sought voluntary disbarment from the Supreme Court. While the details on this matter is currently of interest only in the press in the Southeastern portion of the State, it will soon attract statewide attention (incidently, this contributor also recently gave $200,000 to the Democratic party through its candidate for governor in 2010, Alex Sink - at the time, she boasted of having lured him away from the Republican coffers , a boast she now regrets). This person's connections with Crist are so extensive that should the U.S. attorney file charges in the near future as anticipated, the fallout cannot fail to impair Crist's chances for the Senate.
rt| 11.23.09 @ 12:53PM
What's to stop a Democrat to register Repub and vote for Crist and vote Dem in the General Election?
Pingback| 11.23.09 @ 1:09PM
race42008.com » Blog Archive » Rubio Moves to Right on Illegal Immigraton links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Derek Leaberry| 11.23.09 @ 5:03PM
Maybe John McCain can ride to the rescue and campaign with Charlie Crist. Of course, as McCain's support in Arizona is slipping about as fast as his concept of the realities of American life, McCain might not be able to get away from the sandpatch.
danny| 11.23.09 @ 7:05PM
what!!! no comment yet, larry?
danny| 11.23.09 @ 7:07PM
md, good.
danny| 11.23.09 @ 7:20PM
loulou, they hear us alright, they just don't know what to do about what they're hearing. maybe they'll get some backbone, but i doubt it. hate to be so negative, but for a handful i think they all need to go.
danny| 11.23.09 @ 7:24PM
oldefarte, check out ted cruz. running for atty. gen. in texas. another one!
florida voter| 11.24.09 @ 12:00AM
I can't wait to vote for Rubio. How rare it is to vote for someone you really like with values you share.
I, like many, was once a Democrat, but realized that they are not for freedom, and are actually socialist or even further Left. It is wonderful to have a chance to vote my values, and make a difference.
Otis Criblecoblis| 11.24.09 @ 2:00AM
Mr. Thornberry: An interesting article, but you've got your songs mixed up. The line "And the days dwindle down to a precious few" comes from "September Song", not "Autumn Leaves."
Not germane to the discussion, I realize, but we've got to protect the culture!
Pingback| 11.24.09 @ 5:03PM
No More Mr. Nice Charlie? Victoria University VU China links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
stargate worlds naquadah | 11.24.09 @ 9:00PM
what!!! no comment yet, larry?
Michael| 11.25.09 @ 5:40PM
I think the Indian Casino issue might be worth mentioning as well. Battling a Republican-controlled Legislature in the courts never seemed like the right thing to do to me.
Riku Patel | 11.29.09 @ 5:07PM
where's tim tebow? Riku
FL.REPUBLICANS FOR RUBIO!| 11.29.09 @ 9:37PM
As a Republican I will never vote for Crist the "RINO" ever again! Crist has gone too far left! After Crist supported Obama and his failed stimulus package that was it for me and most of Republicans! Crist should drop out of the race Because Marco Rubio is going to beat him bad!!
electronic | 11.30.09 @ 4:21AM
nothing is impossible to a willing heart!