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Campaign Crawlers
Charlie Drills for Votes
An oily hustle from an oily hustler.
Serious subjects — energy for Florida’s and America’s future, national security, and protection of Florida’s shorelines — will stand little chance this week in Tallahassee against a profoundly unserious matter, the continuation of Governor Charlie Crist’s (I-Charlie) political career.
Crist, Florida’s former RINO governor who made the obvious official in April when he left the Republican Party to run for a U.S. Senate seat as an independent, last week ordered up a special session of the Florida Legislature to begin Tuesday to consider a constitutional amendment banning near-shore oil drilling in Florida waters.
The ban, which there’s serious doubt the heavily Republican Florida Legislature will vote to put on the November ballot, would be redundant. Florida law has banned drilling in Florida waters within 10 miles of the coast since 1990. In any case, had the ban Crist is calling for been in place in April it would not have prevented the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, which took place far from shore in federal waters.
The only purpose of the expensive session and the pointless amendment would be to make it appear that Crist, who has visited every beach in the state to appear concerned before television cameras but beyond this has exercised no leadership in the current Gulf oil crisis, appear to be doing something to protect Florida (read Florida voters).
Crist has put no pressure on the federals to mobilize more skimmers or other equipment to protect the beaches and littorals he claims to care about. In fact, he’s the only Gulf governor to describe the Obama administration’s flaccid response to the oil spill as “a good job.” He’s recommended no economic policies to assist Floridians damaged by the spill. His only response to BP’s Deepwater Horizon spill has been a near continuous photo-op. The special session promises to be more of the same. At least one Republican Florida legislator has filed a resolution to censure Crist for calling the useless session.
The call came a day after a poll (Rasmussen) showed Crist trailing conservative former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio by two points in the Senate contest. Those of you who think this sequence is a coincidence really need to get out more. (Crist leads Rubio by a few points in other polls.) Florida Republican legislative leaders have called Crist’s move a political stunt and may well adjourn shortly after the session begins without taking any action.
Florida legislative leaders as well as a fair fraction of Florida’s print and broadcast media have gigged Crist for this transparent grandstanding. For most politicians it would be easy to predict that a ham-handed move of this sort would do them more damage than good. But the mercurial Crist, who has flip-flopped on so many issues (including drilling in the Gulf) he makes John Kerry seem a study in consistency by comparison, has gotten away with countless cynical political acts in a long and achievement-free career.
Crist doubtless hopes that this scam is one in which he wins either way. If legislators adopt his pointless and inappropriate amendment (state constitutions should be broad, general frameworks for government, not a hodge-podge of rules on specific matters that should be dealt with as legislation), then they’ve followed Crist’s leadership. If they reject it they are in the pocket of Big Oil and don’t care about Florida’s environment.
Indications are most Floridians are smarter than this. While Crist doubtless owns no BP stock, he’s making every effort to collect political dividends from BP’s spill. As Rahm Emanuel has taught the political opportunists of the world, among whose number close political observers have long numbered Charlie Crist, one should never let a crisis go to waste.
Politically, the BP spill is probably the luckiest thing to happen to Crist this year. In the absence of it his final lame-duck months as governor would be pointless and media-free. He would have had to spend a lot of campaign cash to get his face on the tube. As it is he’s on television every day, looking concerned, and telling Floridians how much he loves them and how he’s determined to save them from an evil, polluting oil industry.
For now the cap on BP’s offending wellhead is holding and no more oil is gushing into the Gulf for the first time in 12 weeks. No one has yet found a way to cap Charlie Crist’s ambition, cynicism, and opportunism. It continues to pollute Florida politics, and takes attention away from real challenges Florida government should be trying to deal with. Like how to clean up all that oil and how to ensure that Floridians who’ve been damaged by this disaster are helped.
While the photo-ops were going on, Crist managed to collect $1.8 million in campaign contributions for the quarter ending June 30, mostly from Democrats who hold out little hope for the two sad-sack candidates competing for that party’s Senate nomination. This is more than the $1.1 million Crist collected in Q1, his last quarter masquerading as a Republican. But it’s way less than half of the record-setting $4.5 million that Marco Rubio, campaigning on a consistently conservative platform, pulled in during Q2, mostly in small amounts from individuals.
Considering Rubio’s grass-roots support, as demonstrated by his campaign haul, it’s no wonder Crist worries about how long his slender lead in this race will last. He’s counting on this week to help his cause. He may be disappointed. He should be.
About the Author
Larry Thornberry is a writer in Tampa.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (27) | Leave a comment
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Lullabys, Legends and Lies| 7.19.10 @ 6:55AM
Crist "has exercised no leadership in the current Gulf oil crisis".
Well that's because he wasn't down in the Gulf to fix the oil spill, he was there because he doesn't want to pay the 10% tax on the tanning beds anymore, and a beach tan is still free (or at least it is for the moment). So he gets to work on his tan, get caught on camera pretending to care, and doesn't have to spend extra money on political commercials when he can do an interview for free with the local stations instead. Brilliant!! But it's not working Charlie!! Sorry Charlie!! You're done, but you're the only one who doesn't know it yet. But the tan? The tan on you, it looks great!!
Michel O.| 7.19.10 @ 5:28PM
Tanning is all Charlie cares about. Which reminds me - now that he's gone from the party, can we stop beating around the bush and acknowledge that this man is a faggot? His fast marriage in the summer of '08 (clearly done in the hope of getting on a the Republican ticket as VP) didn't fool anyone. Thank god this heathen is gone from our party.
Chairman Nobomba| 7.19.10 @ 7:44PM
Thanks for confirming my suspicion. This cretin has absolutely n0 redeeming value.
Lyle| 7.19.10 @ 9:32AM
Important to emphasize that it is Crist's strategy to get it on THIS November's ballot - the same ballot on which his name will be listed.
He figures that he can forever-attached himself to the amendment and thus, campaign on it all fall (because he has no senatorial platform).
And by November, if this amendment is on the ballot, Floridians will have been assaulted with thousands of media reports and commercials showing oily pelicans and sea turtles. Again, part of the Crist strategy to guilt voters to the polls.
Perhaps all the work of his media consultant? - SKD Knickerbocker (Anita Dunn's company)...
canuckistani| 7.19.10 @ 10:33AM
Why do we continue to write about senatorial races where the outcome is a first-termer? Every senator we have "hoped" to be a change in Washington has become a disappointment when they come to the realization that compromise and aquiescence in the first term is needed to make any hay in subsequent terms.
Crist, as a seasoned operator, may actually be able to advance Florida's issues more effectively than Rubio - who's apparent conservative cred - will not resonate with the general electorate, nor win him any legislative wins in Washington when jockeying for position in caucus.
Everybody complains about pigs like Byrd and Murtha, but they brought home the cheese for their constituents in dollars and legislative concessions. Can we expect Rubio to even make it past the door in committee? Will Demint let him, as the leader of first-term thugs, or will Thune co-opt him first?
xcon| 7.19.10 @ 7:50PM
A seasoned operator is NOT what we need for Fla or for the US.
We need a limited government operator.
Crist is just a fart in the wind.
Pretty soon the stench will be gone.
Oldefarte| 7.19.10 @ 11:35AM
Larry's excellent editorial is yet another example of how sleazy politicians manipulate the public/voters. Louisiana's Melancon has done similar things by filing FEDERAL legislation concerning the Chinese drywall damage/property insurance issue, when property insurance is regulated by STATES, not the Federal government; and by his boo-hooing crocadile tears at a congressional hearing in DC over Louisiana's damage from the oil spill. Additionally Clinton's [ie, I FEEL YOUR PAIN and IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE MEANING OF IS, IS], and Obama's [ie, HOPE, CHANGE, and YES WE CAN] are sadly soaked up by the voting public with their sadly lack of adequate brain cell matter to distinguish fact from fiction!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seek| 7.19.10 @ 11:52AM
I don't get Charlie Crist. He's governor of a reasonably conservative Southern state, yet he seems more in league with immigrantion amnesty enthusiast Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Can anyone tell me what's gotten into Southern voters? Why would they elect guys like these?
jrjr| 7.19.10 @ 6:16PM
When the Dimocrats put up someone to run opposite a Republican who was placed in such a position by the anointed group of "Republicans," -- and the electorate favors Republicans because Jeb Bush did a reasonable job in a flourishing economy, do you expect that the electorate will vote for a Dimocrat? (That is a terribly long sentence but it makes sense - to me.) That is the way it works here, there, and everywhere.
Dustoff| 7.19.10 @ 1:18PM
Go ahead, don't drill any where. Then watch what happens when people can (NO) longer afford the cost of fuel to drive or fly to Florida.
Bet your beaches won't mean much to you then.
Bunky| 7.19.10 @ 7:53PM
Exactly right!!
Some our Fla idiots wouldn't know it if it bit them.
We need jobs and oil.
Why don't we hire some people and drill some???
Common sense doesn't apply to libtwits.
Larry Hensley| 7.19.10 @ 2:43PM
Conservatives in Florida are at a disadvantage. Most of the socialist type that are on the public dole and have plenty of time to march in the streets, look down trodden and gain public sympathy. We conservatives have to go to work each day, take our kids to sporting event, have family time and do not have the time to march in the street and come voting day, to tired to go out and vote. The only hope we have is that conservatives make a huge sacrifice and get out the vote. If you don't vote, don't whine.
martin j smith| 7.19.10 @ 3:21PM
I am not a Florida Resident, but I have followed somewhat the race in that state between Rubio and Christ.
There are hard nosed Democrat Party who will vote for Christ to defeat Rubio ( a deal with BHO ) and there are RINO voters who are also Democrat Party voters who will vote for Christ. ( and I should add that as far as I am concerned Christ is a Democrat period.
But, for those voters who care about the state of Florida and the economy locally and nationally--and JOBS-- those voters have an opportunity to say no the the LIAR ELITE.
It is imperative that the truth of who Christ really is namely a second Democrat in the race.
antidote| 7.19.10 @ 6:06PM
Marco Rubio is a complete fraud. He is no fiscal conservative, nor is he a creator of jobs. You people will have the wool pulled over your eyes once again. He is a republican tool and will be as fiscally conservative as W and company who got us into this mess. Not to worry, Crist will win.
Seek| 7.19.10 @ 6:12PM
You're probably right. Yet National Review not long ago did a fawning cover story on Marco Rubio and why he represents a new era of conservative activism in Florida and the whole nation. Indeed, the author suggested he was presidential material.
Perhaps NR is just another multiculturalist organ.
Ajax| 7.19.10 @ 8:02PM
Just what fiscal irresponsibility has Marco promulgated or backed?
Can you cite any specifics?
As far as I remember Marco was not in the US Congress when W was president so how is that relevant?
jrjr| 7.19.10 @ 6:20PM
This whole bit is not whether we drill -- the answer is --- drum roll please --- we don't! We do not drill, we do not build refineries, and we spend more money than we have. Partially because we buy oil from others. We do not need to drill for oil shale, we just need to mine it but that is the same as drilling and it is on a bunch of public land. Republican vs. Dimocrat? No.
dw| 7.19.10 @ 7:17PM
Crist can teach oil something about being oil.
betty | 7.20.10 @ 1:04AM
haha, no idea about it.
Yosemeti Sam| 7.20.10 @ 10:29AM
LOL.
Crist?
HE;s a beached political whale and he do not know it!
Fl. Independent Voter| 7.20.10 @ 11:54AM
Gov.Crist is a PIG! Crist uses our oil spill tragedy for his political gain! This will backfire in the end! 3 1/2 months till election time is a long way. Till then we will help Rubio in his grassroots ARMY! Go Rubio!!