Charlie Crist Senate Run May Face Conservative Revolt

Politico:

The expected announcement Tuesday by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist that he's running for the Senate would seem to be a rare bit of good news for beleaguered Republicans.

But while Crist is a brand-name recruit with sky-high approval ratings and bipartisan appeal, his path to keeping the seat of retiring Sen. Mel Martinez in GOP hands has at least one significant roadblock: Sunshine State conservatives.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[pangurban]

The neos will out him

[MsLiz]

The first time I saw Christ on TV, he was out as far as I was concerned. He was thin, well dressed and well groomed, plus something about him triggered my gaydar. So I googled him and saw lots of articles on the subject. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I feel badly for him, wanting to be a politician in this culture. Thr recent marriage is disappointing because it suggests he's deceiving his wife and will never be honest with the world.

The Republicans are on a collision course with the reality; the base is not big enough to win election. As long as the base excludes gays and moderates, the party is sunk.

[TainoBoy]

Lol MsLiz, you love the gay men don't you?

[lvginclp]

He is a typical selfish Republican.

He married someone for political gain. It's that poor woman who we should be concerning ourselves with. Who knows, she may be in on it and they have some sort of "agreement". Either she's dumb as a doorknob or she is well aware of her role as his beard.

[whitewaterwillie]

I'm not a big Crist fan, but relatively speaking he is certainly more moderate than other Florida repubs. This primary will be somewhat of a bellweather. That is, do the repubs go with someone who is kinda moderate with a good chance of winning, or do they go with a bedrock right winger who will almost surely loose. Given the self destructive nature of the republicans, my guess is that they will go with the latter.

[AnnfromCA]

Christ seems very popular, so I can't imagine why the dislike of the base is an issue.

[holeybuybull]

The real question is whether this dull-average opportunist would do more harm to Florida as governor or US senator?

[heal57]

I think CC has done well as Governor, and would be a moderate republican [how many of those are there?] in the Senate and a good choice for repubs. However, as the repubs seem to shoot themselves in the foot, I don't know if he will be the candidate.­...and so what if he's gay; who cares; only the old male white guard repubs who are on their way out anyway. Their supporters are getting older and older and will be dying out soon enough. Crist is a good candidate.

[white mende man]

Chump, chump, chump... that's the sound of the GOP eating it's own.
Oh joy what a beautiful sound.

[Defunct]

the conservo's tend to not be fond of gay people

[the964kid]

Im pretty sure that the ultra right wing in the Florida GOP ARE in fact dumb enough to block a sure winner from going to the Senate. It'll be nice to replace Martinez with a Dem.

I'm going to go ahead and thank Steele, Rush and Cheney & Co in advance for all the support they're sure to give to the right-wing nut bag who beats Crist in the primary and then goes on to lose the general to the Dem candidate. We couldn't do this without you guys.

[bartonfink]

crist is emblematic of the kind of pol who makes for strange bedfellows, and no, I'm NOT referring to his alleged sexual orientation, or his wife/deflector shield. crist is the kind of GOP-er obama seems eager to embrace, hey, none of that you wiseacres! and someone who will hopefully lead the GOP away from the
intractable reagan fetishists who are currently clogging the drain

[dawgeral]

To MedinaM: "Who cares about his sexuality?" His "wife", that's who. I only wonder who's paying her off.

[Montgriz]

It is none of your damn business!

[zizizzi]

It is OUR business if his party is using anti-gay rhetoric to garner votes!

[tomasedison]

Charlie really is the best republican out there.
He's the only one capable of a win on the national level.
Actually went out on a limb to give all the citizens of Florida a fair shake.

[rock2casbah]

Is he really such a "fari guy"? Or is he just someone who had eyes and could see his state turn hard and true blue in the last election?

[tomasedison]

Crist is the pick of the GOP litter

[BabblingBrooks]

That makes no sense. Republicans don't vote for wishy-washy liberal types who like big government! Those voters vote for Democrats!

[ArizonaBlue]

Crist better get a tight hold on his panties. He's in for one wild ride with Florida's conservative republican base. They're going to OUT him big-time. Being gay and choosing a sham of a marriage to ingratiate himself with the mainstream voters won't wash with the evangelicals. They want blood. A closed (closeted?) primary means he's in the sights of every wing-nut commentator. You can expect Rush Limbaugh to waddle to the front of the line. Rubio will use the "Gay" card to it's fullest benefit. Florida Dems aren't in a position to influence the primary outcome either way. But if Crist somehow does survive the sure-to-come attack ads, then he''d be a shoo-in as Florida's next U.S. Senator.

[Montgriz]

Rush is a low life but he will not play that card with Crist....a­nd, even conservatives can see that the times are changing. Only the most hard core evangelicals and paranoid white and black people will vote based upon a perceived sexual orientatio­n....they will lose that fight....t­his is not 1950.

[Forester]

I doubt your scenario. The GOP is in major disarray with no leader or direction. They have no strategic process, and will attack their own members before they compromise for victory. Without a coherent plan, the vacuum attracts the very "base" that we saw with Palin that pushes the party further from the center where America currently sits. Rush knows that the only way they can get back in power is if our current president - and by extension our country fails.

There's their plan.

[wm1066]

"waddle to the front of the line" ....I love it! ...Kinda like a penquin.
thanks ArizonaBlue for that visual.

[judiNJ]

Or a hippo!

[AFAN]

The good news is there's a chance that a Democrat will become governor of Florida now that Crist is running for the Senate.

[hapiday]

Honestly, how can Crist run for senate if he's hiding something in the closet? Wouldn't his alleged homosexual encounters be brought up. Wouldn't it be an embarrassment for his wife? This just doesn't make sense.

[rock2casbah]

Does logic ever factor into many a megloamaniacs decisions? Ask Mcgreevey and Spitzer.

This does not mean that they are all the same it just means that it does happen often. So if it quacks ..........

[AnnfromCA]

A challenger would have to truly articulate why he/she is a surer bet.

[the964kid]

Tell that to Chris Shays and Lincoln Chaffe, two moderate republican congressman that were heavily weakened by right wing primary challenges in their own party. Both went on to lose their seats to Dems. Right wing extremists in the GOP don't care about who's a 'surer bet.' That's also why Specter switched parties: he could win in a general but can't win in his republican primary.

[lysistrata]

The Democrats have a big tent. Why stay with a party that is totally bonkers? If a party becomes as extreme and radical as the remnants of the Republican party are it is not wrong. There is room center right in the Democratic party.