The Quandary For Florida Democrats And Progressives: Charlie Crist Or Kendrick Meek?
Two of the three candidates for the US Senate seat in Florida this November appeared on CNN this morning, and in so doing, they demonstrated the quandary faced by Florida Democrats, as well as progressives and liberals!
Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who was a Republican until he broke with the party and announced his candidacy as an Independent; and South Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek, who surprised many with his overwhelming victory over Jeff Greene, a billionaire who spent many millions to try and take the Democratic Senate nomination away from him, both were interviewed by Ed Henry!
Based on polls, Meek is way behind both Crist and Republican nominee Marco Rubio, the former State House Speaker in Florida! Meek gains only about 16 percent of the vote, while Crist and Rubio keep switching the leadership in the race!
Remembering that Florida tends to be a Republican state in the past 15 years, but that Barack Obama won the state in the electoral vote two years ago, the situation faced by those voters and citizens who are not favorable toward conservatives and Republicans, and therefore would not support Rubio, is who do they support financially and vote for in November?
Crist disappointed many Democrats and progressives and liberals as he repudiated the Obama Health Care plan although he says he would work to change it in the Senate; as he refused to back gay marriage rights; as he refused to say how he feels about Sarah Palin, who he supported strongly when she ran for Vice President in 2008; and most importantly, when he refused to say if he would back the Democrats or the Republicans for Senate organization in 2011 if he wins the seat--a fact that his vote COULD decide whether Harry Reid or Mitch McConnell would be Senate Majority Leader next year! 
Instead, he said that he would do what was good for the people of Florida, refusing to commit himself!
It is obvious that Crist wants to keep his options open, but that is not encouraging to Democrats and progressives and liberals who have to decide if it is worth it to support him, or go over to Meek's camp, despite his apparently small chance, at least at this point, of being competitive in the race!
As Meek pointed out in his interview with Ed Henry, he had overcome a billionaire spending millions of his personal fortune, and that he is the only TRUE Democrat in the race!
So the Florida Senate race is a major problem, particularly for those who want to assure that Marco Rubio does not take over the seat, with what would seem like a likely victory for the Tea Party, and the ultimate advancement of Rubio to a presidential run at some point in the future!
The Power Of Personal Fortune In Florida Politics: Yes For The Republicans, No For The Democrats!
Florida has just seen what everyone should have realized all along!
The Republican Party is beholden to big money, while the Democrats reject it! The Republicans have just nominated a crooked health care executive, Rick Scott,who has no shame, and no limit on personal fortune investment and self aggrandizement, having spent $50 million to win the nomination for Governor!
Meanwhile, billionaire Jeff Greene, who spent $14 million of his own fortune to compete against Kendrick Meek for the Democratic Senate nomination, lost by 25 percentage points, a whopping defeat!
The concept that a crooked, arrogant health care executive who was involved in Medicare fraud, is now the Republican nominee for Governor of the fourth largest state is an absolute outrage! The idea that a man who basically has "bought" the nomination by dividing and splitting the party he wishes to run, and will find it difficult to unite the GOP for the fall election, due to such bitter feelings by party leaders toward him, is a welcome sign for Democratic nominee, Alex Sink, the state's Chief Financial Officer!
Kendrick Meek will become the only African American nominee for the US Senate, and made a great comeback, despite the heavy spending by an arrogant, corrupt stock market manipulator, Jeff Greene, and it gives Democrats hope that the voters rejected someone trying to buy the job!
The Florida results are a sign of the battles raging across the country in November, a clear cut choice between a candidate for Governor (Rick Scott) who is strongly anti abortion and in favor of bringing the Arizona immigration bill to Florida, against a Democrat (Alex Sink) who is a uniting and healing force for the Democrats, and gives them a real chance to win the Governorship, due to the split in the GOP and the horrific background of Rick Scott!
Meanwhile, the three way race of Kendrick Meek-Marco Rubio-Charlie Crist for the Senate will be one of the most watched races, with Crist in the lead for now! The question will be whether Meek can be a serious challenger and hurt Crist, or whether Crist will win many Democratic votes and be able to overcome conservative Marco Rubio!
The Lunacy Of Campaign Spending: The California Gubernatorial Race
Personal campaign spending has become a true scandal more than ever this year, and there seems to be no limit on it, with the California Governorship race particularly insane!
Meg Whitman, the GOP candidate and former EBAY Chief Executive, a billionaire, has spent nearly $100 million in her campaign against Democrat Jerry Brown, the former Governor from 1975-1983, with $91 million of the funds her own money!
Brown, meanwhile, has spent only $450,000, although with donated services, it reaches about three quarters of a million dollars! He has raised $2.6 million for the future campaign!
When one realizes that Brown has been outspent and out fund raised by about 33 times, it is amazing that Brown leads the race in polls by a few points, but it is also a great step to see that wealthy billionaires and multimillionaires do not automatically come out ahead after reckless spending!
The same situation relates to Hewlett Packard multimillionaire Carly Fiorina, running against California Senator Barbara Boxer; Florida gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott, a health executive multimillionaire running against Attorney General Bill McCollum; and Florida Senate candidate Jeff Greene, a stock market billionaire, running against Congressman Kendrick Meek--all of whom are spending obscene amounts of personal fortune, but without any certainty of success!
The best scenario would be for Whitman, Fiorina, and Scott (all Republicans); and Greene (a Democrat) to spend a good part of their fortunes and lose! But even if that does happen, they will still be obscenely wealthy, arrogant and cocky, as they consider themselves a privileged class who are only interested in their own aggrandizement!
Charlie Crist: Possibly The Most Important US Senator Next January?
Governor Charlie Crist of Florida continues to lead public opinion polls over Marco Rubio, since he left the Republican Party and started an Independent race for Senator!
Crist is gaining a large portion of Independents, as well as Democrats, who are not thrilled by either Congressman Kendrick Meek , or his primary opponent, billionaire real estate investor Jeff Greene!
Crist could become the third Independent Senator next January as a result, joining Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, both of whom ally with the Democratic caucus and often vote with the party!
The question that arises is what Crist would do if he won the Senate seat, but it seems likely that he would ally with the Democrats as an Independent, similar to Lieberman and Sanders!
This issue could be more than just interesting; it could be decisive in organizing the Senate if the Republicans, somehow, manage to gain eight seats, and Crist joins the Democratic caucus, creating a 51-49 Democratic Senate!
Of course, if the Senate was evenly divided, Joe Biden could organize the Senate by his tie breaking vote! But a nine seat gain could also be resolved without Biden, if Crist declared he was in the Democratic caucus!
So Charlie Crist could be the man of the hour and the year, and in some ways, become the most important US Senator next January!
I am sure the thought must please him greatly, particularly after the collapse of his GOP support, which led to his Independent candidacy in the first place! 
The Growing Impact Of Florida As A Microcosm Of The American Political Scene For 2010!
Chuck Todd on MSNBC this morning referred to the state of Florida as a microcosm of the American political scene for 2010!
The Florida political scene includes the role of independent candidacies (Governor Charlie Crist); the impact of "outsiders" becoming factors (Rick Scott and Jeff Greene); the battle within the major party structures (Bill McCollum vs. Rick Scott in the Republican party and Kendrick Meek vs. Jeff Greene in the Democratic Party); the impact of the Tea Party Movement (Marco Rubio); the effects of the Great Recession (mortgage foreclosures and effects of the BP Oil Spill on the economy); and the constant change in the Florida electorate due to immigration and population growth and migration!
As the late Tim Russert once said, Florida has become the center of American politics in so many ways, as it has become the fourth largest state, on its way to number three, although delayed a bit by the Great Recession in its population boom!
So the primaries on August 24 and the elections on November 2 will be closely watched as barometers of the American political future in so many ways!
Black Politicians: Failure To Reach Higher Office A Reality :(
With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, it seemed as if America was ready for a Renaissance on race, that black politicians could expect to reach the Governorships and the Senate in noticeable numbers!
When it comes to the House of Representatives and the mayoralty of cities, African Americans have been able to make a substantial record of success! With 42 members in the House of Representatives, and many African Americans who have served and are serving as Mayors of their cities, there is much to be proud of!
But when it comes to Governorships and Senate seats, the record is paltry!
There have historically been only three Black Governors and six Black Senators. Douglas Wilder was Governor of Virginia in the 1980s, and Deval Patrick is presently the Governor of Massachusetts. David Paterson succeeded Eliot Spitzer as Governor of New York when Spitzer resigned in 2008.
Hiram Revels served one year in the Senate from Mississippi during the Reconstruction period, as did Blanche Bruce for a full term from the same state in the same era. They were, of course, not elected, as the 17th Amendment, providing for direct popular election of the Senate, did not become part of the Constitution until 1913.
Since then, Edward W. Brooke served two terms as a Massachusetts Senator from 1967-1979. Carol Moseley Braun served one term from 1993-1999 as Senator from Illinois, so far the only Black woman in the Senate. Barack Obama, of course served four years from 2005-2009 from Illinois, and finally, Roland Burris was appointed to fill out the term of Obama in 2009-2010.
Meanwhile, the news recently has not been encouraging on the issue of Blacks at the top level of government, state and national! Roland Burris has been under suspicion since his appointment by disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich and is not running for a full term. David Paterson is also under attack and is not running for a full term as NY Governor. Deval Patrick has been running behind for reelection in Massachusetts, but seems now to be recovering.
Unfortunately, Artur Davis, Congressman from Alabama, gave up his Congressional seat to run for the Democratic nomination for Governor, and was expected to win, but in a tremendous upset, his opponent won overwhelmingly in the primary, by 62-38 percent!
And Kendrick Meek, Congressman from South Florida, was thought to be the Democratic nominee for the US Senate by default, until billionaire Jeff Greene suddenly entered the race on April 30, and has pulled even with Meek.
Even more problematical for Meek is that he runs a poor third against Republican Marco Rubio and Independent nominee Charlie Crist, the Governor of Florida. Crist is appealing for Democratic backing in the race, and is a threat to Meek in gaining backing of a majority of his own party in the Fall campaign, even if Meek defeats Greene in the primary in August!
So there is a good chance that there will be no Blacks in the Senate, and at most, maybe just Governor Deval Patrick winning a second term in Massachusetts!
This is not exactly what many African Americans hoped for just a short time ago!
Democrats Shifting Toward Charlie Crist Due To Kendrick Meek-Jeff Greene Primary Battle!
It is amazing how Charlie Crist seems to be a "cat with nine lives!"
Two years ago, Crist was seen as being on the short list for Vice Presidential running mate for Senator John McCain!
His ratings as Florida Governor were very high, and he was hailed as one of the best governors in the nation!
Then, Crist decided not to run for a second term as Governor, and instead to cast his future in running to replace retiring Senator Mel Martinez. But meanwhile, he appointed a close friend and supporter, George LeMieux, to finish up the 16 months of the unexpired term.
But then, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio challenged Crist for the GOP nomination, and gained the backing of the Tea Party Movement, and suddenly surged ahead of Crist in public opinion polls in an unprecedented way!
So Crist was faced with the humiliation that he was likely to lose the Senate Republican nomination, and many Republicans endorsed Rubio, including John McCain and Crist's appointee, LeMieux!
As a result, Crist bolted the Republican party at the end of April, declaring an Independent race. Since then, he has vetoed two bills that have gained him major kudos from Independents and Democrats, one on teacher tenure and the other on abortion restrictions!
Meanwhile, the supposed Democratic nominee for the Senate, Congressman Kendrick Meek, suddenly had a major challenge from a billionaire named Jeff Greene, who came out of "nowhere" and has become a real threat to Meek and the party, which has no interest in backing a man who benefited big time from the housing collapse, and has been associated with controversial people, including Heidi Fleiss and Mike Tyson!
The thought that an extremely wealthy person with no political experience, but with an image of being a manipulator on Wall Street, being the Democratic nominee, has turned off many Democrats who are ready to jump to support of Crist, some openly, some behind the scenes!
In recent polls, Crist leads Rubio, with Meek way behind, and with Jeff Greene the "menace" in the background. Crist is looking more and more appealing, and it seems clear that IF Crist were to win the Senate seat, he would fit a role similar to Joe Lieberman, as an Independent who would ally with the Democrats.
Crist's moderate views are becoming more liberal, and he is a very appealing candidate to many Democrats, so to read him out as having a chance to be the next Senator from Florida is NOT a wise gamble!
It seems more and more likely that Charlie Crist may be the only way to prevent Marco Rubio and his Tea Party Movement, and right wing conservative views from representing Florida in the US Senate!
Proof Of The Power Of Money And Television: The Case Of Florida! :(
Whatever one thinks of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, who is competing for the Republican nomination for Governor, and Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek, who is running for the Democratic nomination for Senator, it has to be said that both have dedicated years of service to their state in public offices!
It was assumed that both would easily be on the ballot for the Fall 2010 elections, but now that assumption has been totally upended by the wealth and television ads of two extremely rich, non politicians, both of whom have had "shady" backgrounds in the business world!
Rick Scott is now ahead of McCollum by 44-31 percent in a Quinnipiac poll, despite the fact that he was involved in a massive Medicare scam in the 1990s, which helped to enrich him to the point of being an extremely wealthy multimillionaire! He seems to be cocky enough to believe that he is qualified by his business corruption experience to run the state government of Florida! What gall this man has, to say the least!
Jeff Greene, who was involved in real estate dealings during the Wall Street crash in 2007-2008, and is a BILLIONAIRE, but has no government experience, trails Congressman Meek by just two points, 29-27 percent, which is considered a statistical tie!
So the power of "deep pockets of money", massive television advertising, and being seen as an attack on the "establishment", have catapulted both Scott and Greene to what can now be seen as likely nominations for Governor and Senator, respectively!
Is this good for Florida, and since similar situations are occurring in other states, for America? Can we expect these businessmen with shady backgrounds to bring about "miracles" and effective change?
Anyone getting away from emotional reactions, and thinking rationally, must have serious reservations that this is a positive trend! But it certainly follows along with the direction of the conservative Supreme Court, which is doing everything possible to promote the power of rich people and corporations over the American political system!
If these candidates, and others like them elsewhere, triumph, one should expect quick disillusionment, when it is recognized that there are no "magic" answers or quick, easy solutions! The author would prefer to have people who have been committed to public service to manage our government at the high level of Governor and Senator, rather than "rookies" who are arrogant enough to think that because they are wealthy, automatically, that qualifies them to lead the American people, who are overwhelmingly middle class, but with a growing percentage of poor people, who also need some consideration, which is highly unlikely from those who wield such wealth and live in their own "parallel universe!"
The Outrageous Campaigns Of Rick Scott And Jeff Greene In Florida! :(
As if the state of Florida did not have enough trouble with corruption and bad government, we now see the recent entrance of a multimillionaire and a billionaire into the races for Governor and Senator!
Rick Scott is challenging Attorney General Bill McCollum for the Republican nomination for Governor. With his ability to flood the state with commercials in an intense manner over a short period of time, Scott has suddenly become a real threat to McCollum becoming the gubernatorial nominee of the GOP, something a few weeks ago thought of as automatic!
Without trying to make McCollum appear to be the "good guy", which he is not, Scott has absolutely no political experience, and was the head of a corporation involved in the most massive Medicare fraud case in American history during the 1990s! This man has the gall to think he should be the Governor of the fourth largest state, and is seen as extremely right wing, so much so that McCollum, who had expressed opposition to the Arizona illegal immigration law, changed gears after Scott came out endorsing such legislation for Florida!
As if that was not enough, we also see Congressman Kendrick Meek, assumed to be easily on the way to the Democratic nomination for Senator, suddenly on the last day possible to enter the race, faced with the candidacy of billionaire Jeff Greene, who has never held political office either! And this man benefited from manipulation of the real estate market in 2008, and has had friendships with Heidi Fleiss, the famous madam, and Mike Tyson, the boxer--all of which makes him highly controversial and objectionable to many observers!
Both Scott and Greene are using their ill-earned, extreme amounts of wealth to attempt to defeat candidates who have been office holders, taking advantage of the anti government and anti incumbent resentment that exists across the country, and therefore grab power!
But with their shady, unethical, and immoral backgrounds, is this what Florida will want? Will the average citizen be won over by a barrage of slick political commercials to vote for these crooks who have no shame, and show a high level of arrogance? The thought is terrifying to the extreme!
Charlie Crist’s Major Problem As An Independent Candidate For The Senate
Now that Charlie Crist, Florida's Republican Governor, has declared as an Independent candidate in this year's Senate race, he faces a major problem!
Unfortunately, it will take major efforts and commitment by Florida voters who wish to vote for him on the November ballot, as his name will be at the bottom or near bottom of all the candidates on the list, the usual place for an independent candidate with no party line!
Since there will be minor parties listed along with Republican nominee Marco Rubio and Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek, there will be growing concern that many voters might be confused by not finding Crist's name right below them, or even near them on the voting cards!
Will Crist, who is certainly well known statewide, be able to motivate enough Floridians to go out of their way, search for his name, and actually vote for him? Will Crist be able to gain enough of a share of Republican voters? Will Democrats be willing to abandon their candidate, a Congressman in many ways a version of Barack Obama when he ran for the Illinois Senate seat in 2004, all because Crist vetoed a teacher bill that, therefore, preserved tenure and security for educators in his state, people who often would vote for Democrats? Will moderates and independent registered voters come over to Crist in large enough numbers to make him the winner with only 34-37 percent of the state's total vote?
Finally, will Crist be able to raise enough money as an Independent to run a media campaign, so urgent in a state with so many media markets, and such a wide variety in voter characteristics in north Florida and the Panhandle; Central Florida and the I-4 corridor from Tampa and St. Petersburg to Orlando; and in the voter rich areas of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties in South Florida?
Also, with Florida still in many ways a "Southern" and conservative state despite its large percentage of people who have migrated from the North and from Cuba, will it be willing to elect an African American senator in Kendrick Meek, or a Cuban American senator in Marco Rubio, when they have a chance to support a moderate, white "Anglo" Governor, who was very popular until recently?
It is true that Senator Mel Martinez, who resigned after four and a half years in office in the fall of 2009, was Cuban American, but he only had to deal with a white Anglo woman Democrat as his opponent! With Crist in the race, the whole dynamics of the race changes dramatically!
But again, will enough citizens be willing and able to look hard for Crist's name near the bottom of the ballots? That is still the leading question of this race, above all others!