« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

FRONT PAGE CONTRIBUTOR

One pre-emptive Crist observation.

None of the below should be taken as an offer of clemency, mind you.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  April 29th, 2010 at 04:40 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

If Crist really does declare an independent run this afternoon Sen. Cornyn of the NRSC will wind up looking foolish, true. Only thing is, Sen Menendez of the DSCC is going to end up looking even worse. He’s the one who recruited a candidate that Rasmussen has in third in a GOP split and who PPP reports is less popular than Crist. And now the DSCC actually has to go all-in on a bad fundraiser and an uninspiring candidate*.  That’s bad enough in a year where they’re playing offense – which is to say, a year that’s not 2010.  In short, the Democrats could have been walking into this the presumptive winner.  Instead, they’re even now trying to figure out how to torpedo Charlie Crist themselves in order to maintain their shot at the seat.

Oops?

Moe Lane

*Not that the DSCC has very many inspiring ones this cycle, either.  But Kendrick Meek is especially noteworthy in his blandness.

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

Tags: , , , , ,

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • Thomas_Hauber

    I wouldn’t put it past the DSCC to try and get Crist to switch all the way!

    Meanwhile the phone lines between Crist and the NRSC are burning up while the squishes at GOP headquarters try to talk Crist in to just giving up and not going independent.

  • TxCon

    Crist the nomination against Bill Nelson in 2012 if he just drops out peacefully.

  • redtillimdead

    http://www.wsvn.com/video/ch2/ beginning now
    Hope they boo him when he announces!

  • redtillimdead

    5:30 EST, not yet!

  • manfred

    I love the sign they are trying to cover up.

  • http://travismonitor.blogspot.com Freedoms Truth

    finally comes out of the closets and admits he’s a non-conservative non-Republican.

    A man who hides his real personal proclivities is a man you cannot trust to tell you where he really stands on the issues. It’s about time the real Crist was put out in the open.

    Someone at NRSC needs to be FIRED for not asking the question vis a vis Crist: ?Wait a minute. Don?t we think it?s a bad idea to set ourselves up for future embarrassments with this guy??

    http://hillbuzz.org/2010/04/19/charlie-crist-should-be-destroyed-like-a-salty-orange-metaphoric-carthage/

    “We urge the GOP to do to Crist what Rome did to Carthage, and not just beat him in this race, but completely annihilate, humiliate, and expose him for who he really is.”

  • DavidS1787
  • George Neitz

    Charlie the Tuna made it official that he was a total jerk and would not play the game he started, this guy needs to be shown that he is a total screw up and beaten like a drum.

  • http://www.neoavatara.com/blog neoavatara

    Bye-bye Charlie…don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

    Vote Marco Rubio for Senate!

    http://neoavatara.com/blog/?p=10836

  • renny

    He should drop now, support Rubio, get kudos for doing the “right rhing,” and run for Sen. in 2012.

    The problem is these guys want the POWER now.

  • Thomas_Hauber

    At least now we know who is going to win the McLaughlin annual destined for political oblivion award.

    There is no way I can see how Crist wins this.

  • the_invisible_hand

    I imagine the Democrats were expecting Meek to be cannon fodder for Crist who would roll in a general election in the state which is why no one was itching to run against him. But once Rubio decimated Crist it was already too late.

    Of course this race just became much more problematic for us. This could go a couple of ways:

    1. Democrats unite with moderate Republicans to back Crist and beat Rubio much like Repulicans voted for Lieberman over their weak candidate to defeat Lamont.

    2. Rubio and Crist continue their bloodbath primary through to the general and end up splitting their voters, and alienating independents while Meek holds his base and wins narrowly with just a plurality of voters.

    3. The Republican wave in 2010 is sufficient that there are no moderate Republicans or independents and the conservative tide sweeps Rubio in.

    At this point I don’t think the Republican wave will be that sufficient. Though I think the Republicans will win much more than they will lose in November, I don’t think they can overcome the math here. Rubio and Crist are going to continue to duke it out and that only helps Meek who has no appeal to independents, but if he can just hold his base he can beat two candidates splitting the other base. We’ll have to wait and see if Democrats decide to throw Meek under the bus and support Crist in large numbers.

    This is very unfortunate since I believe we desperately need Rubio in the Senate. We have to make this the biggest cause of 2010 if we want to have a chance at Rubio beating Crist and Meek.

    And that is the silver lining. Imagine the narrative the next day if Rubio beats both Crist and Meek. Conservative Republicanism will once more be the pinnacle. And if Crist wins the seat, then he’ll spend his one term in the Senate getting nothing done and being shunned by everyone.

    Finally, this point should be made early and often, Crist will caucus with Democrats if he is elected. If he wins he will likely become a Democrat before his term is up to get a political base of support in Florida. Rubio should pound this point into the ground until election day in an attempt to hold the Republican base with him and avoid a schism.

    IF VICTORIOUS CRIST WILL VOTE WITH DEMOCRATS! Spread the word.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    Rubio is now the presumptive GOP candidate, and may concentrate on Meek. Crist is betting that he can break two digits in a general Fkorida Senate election, instead of, say, 4%.

  • suzyq

    although this whole episode has my stomach churning, I live in FL, I do have faith that Rubio can pull this out.

    He’s a fighter, I’ve seen it in the FL Senate, but he’s also personable and likeable. The other two candidates are neither.

  • archer52

    I only hope the good Republicans who support him now should see who he really is, only in love with one thing- himself.

    Know wonder why he liked Obama so much- they were soul brothers.

  • http://www.barrypopik.com barrypopik

    John McCain is now on Greta’s Fox News show.

    McCain says, “I support the Republican candidate…Charlie is a good friend…I haven’t spoken with Charlie…He probably should return the money.”

  • http://www.libertytreehugger.com reverelth

    The template was “supposed” to be uber conservatives peeling off the GOP as 3rd party candidates, emboldened by Tea Parties, not the squishy moderates.

    Had Rubio or a credible conservative pulled what Crist did, the MSM would be making a conga line to more trash talk about the Tea Party.

  • DavidS1787

    has McCain asked Crist to take down his name and endorsement?

  • tropicgirl

    After getting to know Obama and Rahm, and the new Democratic operatives, and how local elections are a priority for them, in spite of all the national problems we have…I think it was in the works all along. The “Obama kiss” says it all.

    The Washington Democrats are supporting Crist, behing the curtain, as it is obvious only local Dems are supporting Meek.

    This is all so that Obama can get the few “bipartisan” votes he needs to appear successful, even if it is “Independent”. The “kiss” was good for Obama, but “deathknell” for Crist. But that is the fix, like it or not its pretty obvious.

    It also foolishly perpetuates Obama’s myth of the “moderate Independent”. They are not (moderate), not by a longshot. Even in Florida.

  • IJB