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The Spectacle Blog
With his pronouncement that the politics and the two major parties are “broken,” we see the tack Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is going to take in his independent campaign for the U.S. Senate: he is going to try to identify himself with the vast swathe of Americans who despise and distrust both parties. The Republican recovery is happening mainly because their is no other alternative to Democratic excess. Given a viable alternative or another Republican failure, the angry independent might turn elsewhere.
In 2006, we saw it when Joe Lieberman won election to the Senate as an independent after a wealthy liberal bested him in the Democratic primary. This year, Lincoln Chafee is running for governor of Rhode Island as an independent. He may well win. Independent Tim Cahill has already overtaken the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts in at least one poll. Michael Bloomberg left the Republican Party (having already left the Democratic Party) and won re-election as an independent. The time is right for a Ross Perot who sounds less like the crazy aunt in the basement.
The trouble is that Crist’s move is redolent of Arlen Specter’s party switch: His independence is inextricably tied to his ambition apart from any high principle. Crist isn’t terribly conservative, but he isn’t a Chafee or a Bloomberg who repeatedly complained that the GOP was moving too far to the right. He was not a Lieberman or a Cahill worried about his party being captured by the far left. He is a guy who has run for lots of offices, may have decided to run for one too many, who is doing what he thinks he needs to do to win at all costs.
Specter is a useful comparison. Specter’s party switch definitely improved his chances: After his vote for the stimulus, he could not have won the Republican primary. He still must be favored to win the Democratic primary and still stands some chance in the general. But ultimately, Specter’s unprincipled defection has made him look ridiculous. This is likely to come back to haunt him in November. Charlie Crist’s declarations that he would remain a Republican are recent, they are multiple, they are emphatic — and they are easily reproduced in an era of YouTube. Once heavily replayed, Crist is not going to look like the repair man showing up to fix our broken politics.
The trouble, as David points out, is that Crist is like too many career politicians: He wants to be around forever. Florida voters may decide they want a more temporary relationship with him.
View all comments (21) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/04/30/charlie-crist-independent
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Tim| 4.30.10 @ 12:13PM
"Crist isn't terribly conservative..."
But he is a terrible at being a conservative, and that is the source of his troubles.
james wilson| 4.30.10 @ 12:42PM
"Losing" Specter has turned out well for conservatives twice. He no longer pollutes conservative politics, and now the Democrats are stuck with him for re-election.
Crist is the most despicable type of politician. Republicans cannot afford to have any of them.
victor| 4.30.10 @ 4:06PM
Democrats will only be stuck with Specter til November. After that he will be a footnote.
And so will Crist.
It will be Arlen and Charlie Who?
Margie| 4.30.10 @ 1:50PM
".. he is going to try to identify himself with the vast swathe of Americans who despise and distrust both parties."
Yep. In other words, he's a pusillanimous pipsqueak!
Go Marco Rubio!!
Aaron Baker| 5.1.10 @ 8:55AM
The problem with the examples that were listed are that they were all far more liberal and more likely to vote Democrat than Florida is. Florida isn't a liberal, northeastern state, it's a state where Republicans have been very strong if not dominant in statewide politics. Sorry Charlie!
Mike| 5.1.10 @ 9:40AM
As the GOP is forced further toward the lunatic right by it's base, the better the chances of an independent.
Margie| 5.1.10 @ 12:22PM
As the GOP is tugged ever more so gently towards the Right by its conservative base, The lesser the chances the loser "establishment"- aka RINO leaving his party to run as an Independent will win.
Go Marco Rubio!
martin j smith| 5.1.10 @ 2:48PM
in the case of 2010 and 2012--these are no ordinary elections. These amount to referendums; for or gainst Socialism in America. Charlie Christ can complain about both parties but in the end his move means a vote for him amounts to a vote for Socialism.He is a carreer minded RINO=Democrat.
Spicy Joker| 5.1.10 @ 3:11PM
Why doesn't Crist get a real job?
Mike| 5.1.10 @ 9:35PM
Why doesn't Rubio get a real job?
Last thing I want is an idiot who thinks government is the problem, not the solution becoming part of the government.
fargo44| 5.1.10 @ 4:37PM
By November, with no party affiliation, an ad hoc campaign machine, and no real message except "I want to stay in politics" I think Crist is heading for low 20%'s with Meek getting 25 or 30%. If he keeps up a strong conservative message (like NOT commenting on Arizona) I think Rubio gets close to 50% -- even in a three-way. Thoughts?
Pingback| 5.3.10 @ 1:28PM
Immigration a hot topic in Whitman and Poizner’s last debate links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
ED| 7.19.10 @ 5:08PM
We in Florida, don't need a Republican, or Democrat, what we need is a politication that thinks for the people of Florida, and not whats good for the party. Charlie Crist is that man.