Charlie Crist

“Pitchfork Carrying, Torch Bearing Mobs” Running Republican Party In Florida: Former GOP State Chairman Jim Greer

Ronald 1 Comment

Florida is the fourth largest state in population, and will probably be number three by the end of this decade.

Florida has been populated by many Northerners and Midwesterners, many of them senior citizens, and many who have been in the military, and they come to Florida with a conservative bent.

Florida, a state infamous for racial segregation and discrimination, has now become the center of what Jim Greer, the former state Republican chairman under former Governor Charlie Crist, calls “pitchfork carrying, torch bearing mobs”, who have set out to deny African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, poor, and young voters the right to vote, by claiming voter fraud, when there is no evidence of such abuses.

The leader of this is Florida Governor Rick Scott, who should be in prison for Medicare and Medicaid fraud when head of a hospital chain, which was assessed the largest fine ever imposed on a health care company and executive!

Scott and the extreme right wing of the GOP in Florida made it clear at meetings that Jim Greer attended, that they would claim voter fraud publicly, but had the intention of denying minorities the right to vote, effectively bringing back the days before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and in so doing, insuring a Republican victory in 2012, rather than another Barack Obama victory in the state, as in 2008!

For this author and blogger, the reality of this is an embarrassment and a disgrace, and it means that unless something is done immediately to stop this plot against potential voters, Florida will become the equivalent of Texas as a state with totally corrupt politics, in each case led by a “Rick”, Rick Perry in Texas, and Rick Scott in Florida!

The Right Wing Has No Limits: REDSTATE’s War On Conservative Republicans As NOT Conservative Enough!

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REDSTATE is a right wing website of blogger Erick Erickson, and seeks to make the Republican Party as right wing as possible, failing to realize that the party will destroy itself if it goes that direction anymore than it is already!

In an entry this morning entitled “Conservatives Stand To Lose Big In 2012”, Erickson declares war on conservative Republicans in the Senate who he claims are not conservative enough!

On his hit list are the following Senators:

Richard Lugar of Indiana
Roger Wicker of Mississippi
Bob Corker of Tennessee

Also, such well known candidates for the Senate as the following are opposed as not conservative enough:

Former Congresswoman Heather Wilson of New Mexico
Former Governor Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin

Ericikson also attacks such former Republican officeholders as former Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, former Governor Charlie Crist of Florida, former Kentucky Attorney General Trey Greyson, and former Congressman Mike Castle of Delaware, treating them as if they are “poison”!

His declaration of war on the above, if successful, will marginalize the GOP to such an extent that it will lose all semblance of being a major political party, and maybe, just maybe, that is his intent, with the replacement of the GOP by an openly Fascist party, a la Benito Mussolini, Juan Peron, or Francisco Franco!

John McCain And Affirmative Action In Selection Of VP Candidate In 2008

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A new revelation has been made by one of Senator John McCain’s campaign managers, indicating that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was added to the Vice Presidential list in 2008 because McCain felt there was a need for a woman on his final list of Vice Presidential possibilities.

But McCain, by doing so, endangered the whole nation with a choice of a running mate, who while a female, was totally unqualified to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, let alone be on the list as a potential Presidential candidate in 2012!

Sarah Palin is not Hillary Clinton; she is also not Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, or former Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle, or other qualified women of the GOP in the House of Representatives!

Palin has been a burden on the nation, and the only benefit of her candidacy in 2008 was to enrich her by millions of dollars as she became a celebrity, although with very thin, almost unnoticeable qualifications other than her appearance.

When one looks at the the rest of the list McCain was considering for the Vice Presidency, one can only weep!

On that list were Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Joe Lieberman, Charlie Crist, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City.

ANY and ALL of them would have been far better qualified, and might have given McCain a real shot at winning, even in the midst of the economic collapse of September and October 2008. In any case, we could all have rested easier with the thought of a President Romney, a President Pawlenty, a President Lieberman, a President Crist, or a President Bloomberg than a President Palin!

This shows how the first decision a Presidential nominee makes, who shall be his Vice President and a heartbeat away from the White House, is a crucial test as to his suitability for the White House!

And when he makes the wrong decision, as Richard Nixon did in selecting Spiro Agnew, and George HW Bush did in picking Dan Quayle, it creates nightmares and the need for prayers, as it would have had John McCain won the White House in 2008!

Affirmative Action is fine, as long as the candidate involved is QUALIFIED, which Sarah Palin was not, and is not, to be President of the United States!

Marco Rubio: A Rising Star In The Republican Party Future, And A Warning To Progressives! :(

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Senator-elect Marco Rubio of Florida is, obviously, a rising star in the Republican party, as a result of his win over Governor Charlie Crist and Congressman Kendrick Meek last week, winning more votes than the two of them combined!

The son of Cuban exiles, Rubio is telegenic, well spoken, and a fierce advocate of the Tea Party message of less government, lower taxes, and lower spending, but he was careful not to associate too closely with the Tea Party during the campaign, although he has made clear that the Republican party must change its habits of the past on spending under President George W. Bush, if it is to retain the House of Representatives and win the Senate and the Presidency in 2012!

Rubio served in the state legislature for eight years, and was the House Speaker in 2007-2008, and surprised everyone when he challenged Governor Crist for the Senate nomination this year, and came from way behind, forcing Crist to leave the party and run as an Independent, but still failing to overcome Rubio!

Not yet 40 years of age until May 28 of next year, Rubio is already being considered a possible Vice Presidential candidate for the Republicans in 2012, and in some circles, even as a potential Presidential candidate!

His appeal would be to Hispanics all across the political spectrum, plus Tea Party Movement followers, and social conservatives, and his youth could also appeal to younger voters!

While he is anathema to Democrats and progressives, for them to ignore the potential of Rubio as an opponent would be foolhardy, as it is clear that as a senator from the fourth largest state, he will play a significant role in the future of the Republican party, Florida, and the nation as a whole!

The Florida Senate Race:Voting For Kendrick Meek A Lost Cause!

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Congressman Kendrick Meek of Miami has been a good public servant to his congressional district, but his Senate campaign is a hopeless exercise in futility!

There have been reports that former President Bill Clinton, a good friend of Meek, and a vigorous campaigner for Meek in the past month, has been urging him to withdraw from the Senate contest in Florida, due to his low poll ratings, and the real danger that Marco Rubio, who represents the extreme right wing of the Republican and Tea Party Movement, seems about ready to win the Senate seat next Tuesday.

One can be a party loyalist, but one also needs to be a party realist, and even at this late date, Kendrick Meek should realize the handwriting on the wall, and withdraw from the race, and endorse Governor Charlie Crist, who is seen as very liikely to caucus with the Democrats if he was fortunate enough to win the Senate seat.

Crist has already admitted that it would be difficult to caucus with the Republican party which has trashed him so badly, and Crist has shown as Governor that he has courage and a willingness to reconsider some of his more conservative views. This should be seen as a sign of maturity and growth, not as a cynical political move!

All Democrats and progressives in Florida, whether or not Meek withdraws, should face reality and cast their ballot for Charlie Crist as the best choice for our new Senator, and pray that Marco Rubio, with his right wing agenda, is overcome by Crist, despite the pessimistic results of public opinion polls!

The Role Of Independents In Key Races!

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Three former Republicans, running as Independents, could tip the balance in a Senatorial race in Florida, and gubernatorial races in Rhode Island and Colorado!

In Florida, Governor Charlie Crist is running against Democrat Kendrick Meek and Republican Marco Rubio, and at the moment, is running well behind Rubio and only a point or two ahead of Meek in most polls!

In Rhode Island, former Senator Lincoln Chafee is running ahead in some polls past Democratic nominee Frank Caprio, with Republican John Robitaille in third place!

In Colorado, former Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo is running ahead of Republican Dan Maes, who is Tea Party supported, but clearly behind Democratic nominee and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper!

At this point, it seems as if Lincoln Chafee has the best chance to win, while Crist is faltering, and Tancredo’s only accomplishment is possibly to make the Republican Party a minor party in Colorado, if its nominee ends up with less than 20 percent of the vote, which now seems likely, a true electoral disaster for the GOP in Colorado!

Charlie Crist Endorsed By Arnold Schwarzenegger And Robert F. Kennedy, Jr!

Ronald 1 Comment

Florida Governor Charlie Crist has just been endorsed by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, and also by the environmental lawyer and son of Senator Robert Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.!

Crist is still ahead of Kendrick Meek, the Miami Congressman who is the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat, in the polls, but Republican and Tea Party nominee Marco Rubio is far ahead at this point in the polls! 🙁

There are rumors that Meek may drop out, although he denies it, but as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said, if the moderate to progressive vote remains split, there is almost no chance to stop the ascent of Rubio, a strong right winger, to the Senate, and who knows, maybe into the Presidential race at some point! 🙁

So, although many Democrats would prefer to stay loyal to Meek, reality makes it likely that Crist will start to gain more Democratic support, and that Meek should consider the concept of withdrawing, in order to stop Rubio!

While one cannot be sure, it seems likely that a Senator Charlie Crist would ally with the Democrats, while remaining an Independent, as Joe Lieberman and Bernie Sanders have done!

Progressives can only hope for the best, and should have faith in Charlie Crist doing what he honestly believes is best for the state of Florida, if he is sent to the US Senate!

Independent Candidacies A Long Shot This Election Year, As Always!

Ronald 2 Comments

This year, there are at least four and possibly five Independent candidacies that might affect election results!

The most likely to succeed is Independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist, Governor of Florida, who broke with the GOP and is running against Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek!

A second strong possibility is Independent Lincoln Chafee, former Republican Senator from Rhode Island, running for Governor!

Additionally, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is running a write in campaign for her seat after losing the primary to Tea Party backed Joe Miller!

Congressman Mike Castle of Delaware is considering a similar write in campaign against the person who defeated him in the GOP primary, Christine O’Donnell!

Finally, former GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo is mounting an independent bid for Governor in Colorado!

The most recent prominent Independents in office have been Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut!

Further back, Jesse Ventura was Independent Governor of Minnesota; Senator Lowell Weicker was Independent Governor of Connecticut; and Angus King was Independent Governor of Maine!

These cases of Independents running for, and some winning, office are fascinating, but the odds this year, as always, are daunting!

IF both Charlie Crist and Lincoln Chafee win, it will be considered a major coup for the movement toward independent candidacies, but it is also very possible NO Independent will win, as the two party system is well entrenched!

The Florida US Senate Race: Charlie Crist The Best Choice!

Ronald 2 Comments

For those who are progressive, the US Senate race in Florida is a difficult choice!

The Republicans have nominated former Speaker of the State House Marco Rubio of Miami, a favorite of conservatives and the Tea Party Movement! He is a Cuban American who would help promote the conservative agenda, and has sometimes been called the Cuban Barack Obama, a young man who could be imagined to be a seeker of higher office than the Senate were he to win the seat!

The Democrats have nominated Miami Congressman Kendrick Meek, who has gained the support of President Obama, Vice President Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and former Vice President Al Gore! Meek has a strong liberal record, and is the only African American candidate for the US Senate this year, and were he to win, he would become only the seventh US Senator of his race, and only the fourth to be elected by popular vote!

And then there is Governor Charlie Crist, who has been a Republican his whole political career, until he recognized that he could not win the GOP nomination in a primary race with Rubio, witnessing an extremely rapid drop in polls over a period of about six months late in 2009 and early in 2010! So he proceeded to leave the Republican Party this past spring and announce a candidacy as an Independent!

Crist has had a comparatively moderate record as Governor, but has been criticized as having no principles, except his own advancement, but he actually comes across as a person who has shown courage and willingness to cross the aisle, and pledges that is what he would do if elected to the Senate! The one thing that remains troubling is his refusal to indicate how he would side in organization of the Senate were he to win–that is, would he join the Republican caucus which has already rejected him in favor of Rubio, once he bowed out of the primary race, or would he join the Democratic caucus, in either case probably keeping an official Independent status, as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman have asserted!

For a progressive, it is a tough choice as to who should be supported, but the key point is who has the greater likelihood of stopping Marco Rubio and the Tea Party Movement from gaining the Senate seat!

It is extremely hard to imagine Kendrick Meek winning the seat, and he remains in third place! So it seems likely that a vote for Meek would help Rubio defeat Crist, an unfortunate and tragic circumstance were that to happen!

With the announcement today that former Congressman Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, who knows and admires Crist, but worked in the House of Representatives with Meek, is about to endorse Crist, it comes across to the author that despite what Obama, Biden, Clinton and Gore have done to back Meek, that the stance of Wexler makes a lot of sense!

If Meek somehow should gain the seat, it will be a surprise victory, but under the circumstances that exist, and with Crist being a moderate likely to organize (hopefully) with the Democrats while remaining an Independent, the author has decided that he will support and vote for Charlie Crist as the next US Senator from Florida, and hopes that Marco Rubio will be denied that seat in what is now a very close race between Rubio and Crist! May Charlie win and accomplish a distinguished record in the Senate for the state of Florida over the next six years!

Fighting For The “Soul” Of The Republican Party: Internal Struggles in Florida, Delaware And Alaska!

Ronald 1 Comment

It is good to see that some Republicans, considered moderates, are refusing to allow the Tea Party Movement reactionaries to seize control of their party without a fight!

First, we had Charlie Crist, who decided to run as an Independent for the US Senate in Florida, and has a good chance to defeat Marco Rubio, the GOP and Tea Party nominee for that seat!

Then, we had Congressman Mike Castle of Delaware, who has refused to endorse Christine O’Donnell for the Senate after she defeated him in the primary this week, because of her lies and distortions, along with her lack of qualifications!

Now, belatedly, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is attempting to do something only one Senator ever has achieved–win the election by write ins only! Only Strom Thurmond of South Carolina accomplished that in 1954 as a Democrat! Murkowski lost the Senate nomination by a very small margin to Joe Miller, who she and many describe as an extremist with loony views! She attributes her defeat to her earlier unwillingness to come out fighting against him!

Of course, this Murkowski attempt at a write in victory will be very difficult, but she is well known and liked throughout the state, and her father also was Senator and Governor of Alaska! This is also a personal battle between the Murkowski family and Sarah Palin! The likelihood is that this move by Murkowski will fail, but help Democrat Scott McAdams to win the Senate seat!

The odds are that these internal revolts in the GOP will help the Democrats to keep control of the Senate and lose fewer seats than often imagined in the polls!

And should Murkowski pull out a miracle victory, and Crist win and even organize with the Republicans who have repudiated him (which seems highly unlikely), we will still be better off with two “moderate” Republicans than with two right wing fanatics in the Senate!

The future of the Republican party as an opposition is to be what they were historically–a centrist party leaning to the right, just as the Democratic Party is a centrist party leaning to the left–the mainstream where most Americans are then and now!

The worst possible scenario would be if the “Tea Party Eight” all won Senate seats, as that would be a nightmare not just for the Democratic party and the nation, but also for Senator Mitch McConnell and other establishment Republican leaders in the upper chamber!