Campaign Crawlers
Rubio Rolls
Charlie Crist loses home field advantage — the last straw in a fading campaign.
CLEARWATER, Florida — Well OK, you can come home gain. But they don’t have to vote for you when you do. Moderate Florida Governor Charlie Crist learned this Monday night.
Save for his time in public office in Tallahassee, Crist has lived most of his life in St. Petersburg, the largest city in Pinellas County. He represented Pinellas in the Florida Senate for six years in the nineties. But in a straw vote Monday night, members of the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee decided by a vote of 106 to 54 that they would rather conservative former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio run for a U.S. Senate seat from Florida than their own Charlie.
In the straw vote, former New Hampshire Senator Bob Smith got 7 votes and two other candidates, who even political junkies have never heard of, got a vote apiece. So Crist managed to get slightly less than a third of the votes in his own county.
The vote was a stinging rebuke, but hardly a surprise. Crist’s campaign has been foundering badly for the past few months. His poll numbers have been tanking as more and more Florida Republicans conclude that Rubio — who has campaigned on themes of limited government, trust in the market, a strong foreign policy, the centrality of the family, opposing cap and trade, and taking it to the Obama administration — is the future of a rejuvenated Republican Party that has decided to take its principles seriously. At the moment, the formerly very popular Crist seems to be a candidate without a base, except for the Republican establishment, which is currently in bad odor with the Republican base.
“Crist is in a flat spin,” said former Pinellas REC chairman Tony DiMatteo of St. Petersburg, and Rubio’s main man in Pinellas. “You don’t recover from a flat spin. And Charlie’s no Chuck Yeager.”
Pinellas County has been a base of support for Crist in the past. Because of Crist’s record of conservative rhetoric, if not accomplishment, in his previous state offices, the Pinellas REC supported him and raised a lot of money for him in his 2006 race for governor against Tom Gallagher.
It was after Crist won the governorship that he “grew in office,” supporting all manner of costly moderate to liberal policies in order to show what an inclusive, big tent, bipartisan kind of guy he was. He whooped up global warming as a major threat and pushed for cap and trade and other costly measures to combat it. He appointed a liberal justice to the Florida Supreme Court. Perhaps most damaging, he campaigned for President Obama’s $787 Billion stimulus slush fund, then later said he hadn’t supported it when the program, and Obama, became unpopular among Florida Republicans. He’s been AWOL on conservative social issues.
All these efforts have made Crist popular with the sort of people who support these sorts of things, to wit: Democrats. Most Florida Republicans are underwhelmed. Many who supported Crist in 2006 feel they’ve been victims of a political bait and switch. They’re not bashful about referring to the new Charlie as a RINO, and some other stuff we can pass over for now.
Crist has tried to recover his conservative bona-fides lately, giving speeches calling on the Obama administration to rein in its spending, even though he was on the administration’s case to open the spending spigots less than a year ago. He’s clammed up about global warming, and about obliging Florida utilities to generate a large portion of their power with “renewable” fuels, a couple of Crist enthusiasms of a couple of years back.
Last night’s straw vote, and those that preceded it, have demonstrated that Charlie’s talking a conservative game is not convincing many Republicans, but has succeeded in establishing a new charge against him, political opportunism. Can you spell c-h-a-m-e-l-e-o-n?
Monday night’s loss makes Crist 0 for 16 in straw votes taken last year and this by Republican organizations, mostly county executive committees. The most active Republicans in the state reject him overwhelmingly. In 16 votes by executive committees in big counties and small, north and south, east and west coast, and in groups from women’s Republicans to college Republicans, Rubio has beaten Crist by a total of 1058 to 108.
What’s rarer than a day in June? Apparently an active Republican who supports Charlie Crist. This can put a guy in a flat spin.
About the Author
Larry Thornberry is a writer in Tampa.
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2Anglico| 1.12.10 @ 6:26AM
RINOs going the way of the DoDo bird! Next on endangered species list... donkeys.
Deborah D | 1.12.10 @ 7:27AM
Go, Rubio!!
Nothing worse than a person who runs with his wet finger in the air. That's Crist's problem. No wonder he loved Obama so...two peas in a pod.
Joellen| 1.12.10 @ 7:45AM
Now lets PRAY that the Republican Leaders dont Mess this one up by sticking with Crist till the bitter end. You listening Steele, McCain, Lyndsey, etc?
rt| 1.12.10 @ 11:20AM
Next target John McCain and Bob Bennett of Utah. Its open RINO season this year!
Poppakap| 1.13.10 @ 1:34PM
I couldn't agree more about Bob Bennett. He's trying to do the same thing as Crist; once election year rolls around, all of a sudden the Washington insider (read: RINO) rediscovers his conservative values!
Not only is Bennett a RINO, he's done very little for Utah or the United States. For someone who's been in the US Senate for almost 20 years, he's accomplished astonishingly little and is hardly known outside of Utah and DC. If Bennett makes it out of the Republican convention this spring, it will be a major surprise. As a conservative activist that was involved in giving the boot to RINO Chris Cannon in favor of freshman rep. Jason Chaffetz, I know the grass roots deeply distrust Bennett and can't wait to give him a pink slip.
TURK| 1.12.10 @ 1:06PM
Paragraph 7 of this great piece beginning"It was after Crist won ---" should be on the title page of all Repub writings this year. Rino's have brought this country to the edge of disaster with their decades of playing footsie with far left democrats. Crist is but ONE example of this species that respects nothing but their own personal benefit and they have obsfucated their perfidy with b.s. terms like "big tent" "moderation" "inclusive" "radical" et al.
Ohio is a classic example of what rino's do. Recently we had a dweeb with a zero core belief who was spring loaded with hugs and kisses when democrats were trying to shaft the country. He's gone. His fellow rino from Cleveland is soon to be gone--he of salty tears when a real man was nominated to U.N. Ambassador. Ken Blackwell the solid candidate for Gov of Ohio who had primo conservative/republican credentials was met with a silence that was deafening among ohio rino's. Some said he lost because of the low regard held by Ohio'ans for the repub incumbent (a classic ohio rino) but rinos were desparate to avoid the results that would be felt by losing power. Having been active in the Ohio repub party over the years I remember a standard rino taunt when conservatives complained of typical rino conduct-----"what are you gonna do; let a democrat win ?" Lately we've answered that question!
Quartermaster| 1.12.10 @ 1:59PM
You're right about Blackwell. The thuggish Republican establishment in Ohio hated the man and passed him over to hand the Gov's mansion to Taft instead. We saw how Taft repaid us on concealed carry - lied all the way to the mansion.
I told my former county committee that the base was going to start letting the Donkey's win if they didn't wake up. They got Strickland, a do nothing as a Congressman, and another Donkey empty suit in way over his head.
Frankly, I'm not sure the Ohio Rep "leadership" has learned their lesson yet. Kasich is certainly better than Taft, but he's no Blackwell, and his record in Congress, while not too shabby, wasn't the best in the world either.
Pingback| 1.12.10 @ 8:14PM
Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : Rubio Rolls [spectator.org] on Topsy links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
steve| 1.12.10 @ 9:37PM
Charlie has always been looking ahead to the next office. When Mel Martinez admitted he didn't like being a US Senator, Charlie saw his name in the lights of 2012. Two years in the Senate and then he'd have to run for the Presidency to save America in a bipartisan fashion.
justplainbill| 1.13.10 @ 4:57PM
Crist is a "Retardicun". That is an RINO who is stupid enough to think he can win in this political atmosphere.
Phil Davis| 1.22.10 @ 2:11PM
WHO IS MARCO RUBIO; REALLY?
I have done research on Rubio's past Bills and found several troubling Bill attempts that died in committee. Please note them all and especially the last one (latest date) where he made an attempt to keep "working papers" (such as dead Bills) from seeing the light of day to the public. We pay these politicians and they work for us and we are the Boss not them. In a nut shell his Bills would have allowed illegal aliens an education on the taxpayers dime! A Bill would have allowed a "self pay" (no insurance) for medical care without the hospital collecting a balance on the hospital Bill. Again this would serve illegal Aliens by protecting them from detection. This is not about Party but what is right and wrong.
HB 1125
GENERAL BILL by Sansom and Rubio and Cannon (CO-SPONSORS) Arza Public Records: Exempts from public records requirements working papers, including all documentary or other information, prepared or maintained by the Legislative Sunset Advisory Committee in performing its duties under ch. 21, F.S., to conduct an evaluation and prepare a report; specifies that information received for such purpose that is confidential and exempt shall remain confidential and exempt; provides for future legislative review and repeal; provides a statement of public necessity. Effective Date: July 1, 2006, if House Bill 1123 or similar legislation is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension thereof and becomes law.
Last Event: 05/05/06 S Died in Committee on Governmental Oversight and Productivity, Link/Iden/Sim/Compare passed, refer to HB 1123 (Ch. 2006-146) on Saturday, May 06, 2006 1:11 AM
This Bill (HB 1125) which is the last one, was an attempt to hide work which never became law!
HB1573 CS (See HB119 CS HB127A to compare)
JOINT RESOLUTION by Rubio (CO-SPONSORS) Altman; Murzin; Traviesa; RECOMMENDED by Education Council Equal Opportunity to Obtain a High Quality Education: Proposes the creation of s. 8, Art. IX of the State Constitution to provide that every child deserves an equal opportunity to obtain a high quality education, regardless of his or her family's income, religion, or race; to provide that funding for a high quality public K-12 education through classroom instruction is fundamental; to provide that to make adequate provision for a high quality public K-12 education, the Legislature shall ensure that funding provided for public schools shall primarily be used for classroom instruction rather than administration; to provide that classroom instruction and administration shall be defined by law; to provide that students in prekindergarten through college who have disabilities, are economically disadvantaged, or meet other legislatively specified criteria may participate, as provided by law, in education programs that include nonpublic schools; to provide that the Legislature may enact and publicly fund prekindergarten through college education programs, without regard to the religious nature of any participant or nonpublic provider, notwithstanding any other provision of this Article or the last sentence of Section 3 of Article I of the State Constitution; and to provide that this amendment to the State Constitution does not establish a right to an education program that is not provided by law. Effective Date: Not Specified
Last Event: Died on Second Reading Calendar on Saturday, May 06, 2006 12:01 AM
HB119 CS
GENERAL BILL by Zapata (CO-SPONSORS) Arza; Bucher; Bullard; Cantens; Davis, M.; Garcia, R.; Harper; Jordan; Kottkamp; Llorente; Patterson; Planas; Reagan; Richardson; Rivera; Robaina; Roberson, Y.; Rubio; RECOMMENDED by Education K-20 Resident Status for Tuition Purposes: Provides an exemption from payment of nonresident tuition at community colleges and state universities for certain students meeting eligibility criteria; reenacts provisions relating to general requirements for eligibility for state financial aid, to incorporate the amendment. Effective Date: This act shall take effect July 1, 2003
Last Event: Died in Committee on Appropriations on Friday, May 02, 2003 6:15 PM
HB127 A
GENERAL BILL by Zapata (CO-SPONSORS) Arza; Davis, M.; Harper; Homan; Jordan; Kottkamp; Murzin; Rivera; Robaina; Roberson, Y.; Rubio Resident Status for Tuition Purposes: Provides an exemption from payment of nonresident tuition at community colleges and state universities for certain students who are not permanent residents of the United States; reenacts provisions relating to general requirements for eligibility for state financial aid, to incorporate the amendment. Effective Date: This act shall take effect July 1, 2003
Last Event: Died, Not Introduced on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 11:16 PM
HB715 CS
GENERAL BILL by Llorente (CO-SPONSORS) Garcia, R.; Murzin; Planas; Prieguez; Rivera; Roberson, Y.; Rubio; Zapata; RECOMMENDED by Health Care Self-Pay Patients: Provides legislative findings; requires hospitals to develop and make available two payment allowance programs for qualified self-pay patients; provides program guidelines and requirements; provides exclusions; provides a definition of patients qualified for such programs; provides exceptions; prohibits hospitals from pursuing civil remedies against such patients. Effective Date: upon becoming a law
Last Event: Died in Subcommittee on Health Appropriations on Friday, April 30, 2004 11:40 PM
HM1727
MEMORIAL by Gannon (CO-SPONSORS) Adams; Allen; Altman; Ambler; Anderson; Arza; Attkisson; Ausley; Baker; Barreiro; Baxley; Bean; Bendross-Mindingall; Bense; Benson; Berfield; Bilirakis; Bogdanoff; Bowen; Brandenburg; Brown; Brummer; Brutus; Bucher; Bullard; Byrd; Cantens; Carroll; Clarke; Cretul; Culp; Cusack; Davis, D.; Davis, M.; Dean; Detert; Domino; Evers; Farkas; Fields; Fiorentino; Galvano; Gardiner; Gelber; Gibson; Gibson, H.; Goodlette; Gottlieb; Green; Greenstein; Harper; Harrell; Harrington; Hasner; Henriquez; Holloway; Homan; Jennings; Johnson; Jordan; Joyner; Justice; Kallinger; Kendrick; Kilmer; Kosmas; Kravitz; Kyle; Littlefield; Llorente; Machek; Mahon; Mayfield; McInvale; Meadows; Mealor; Murman; Murzin; Needelman; Negron; Patterson; Paul; Peterman; Pickens; Planas; Poppell; Prieguez; Quinones; Reagan; Rich; Richardson; Ritter; Rivera; Robaina; Roberson, Y.; Ross; Rubio; Russell; Ryan; Sansom; Seiler; Simmons; Slosberg; Smith; Sobel; Sorensen; Spratt; Stansel; Stargel; Sullivan; Troutman; Vana; Waters; Wiles; Wishner; Zapata Children's Health Insurance: Urges Congress to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program and appropriate sufficient funds to allow each state, using an appropriate match, to extend health care coverage to every child in America. Effective Date: Not Specified
Last Event: Died in Committee on Procedures on Friday, April 30, 2004 11:40 PM
Website: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/.....ssionId=42
thao| 1.23.10 @ 4:27AM
dear our future senator Marco Rubio,
hope & wish u do the same as scott brown in MA,
& u can count on me on election day,
regards,
thao...Tampa
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