Remember What The GOP Establishment Said About Charlie Crist Before He Became A Turncoat

by John Hawkins | August 30, 2012 11:43 pm

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It’s not really a shocker that Charlie Crist endorsed Obama or that he’s: speaking at the Democratic National Convention[2]. It’s also probably not going to ultimately be any more helpful than an endorsement from Arlen Specter, Lincoln Chafee, or Scozzafava or any of the other politicians who’ve made it clear they’ll say and do anything to keep a cushy job. Of course, that’s ultimately what this is about for Crist, too. After he went independent in his race against Marco Rubio, his chances of ever becoming a senator in Florida were zero. So obviously, he’s looking at Florida, seeing the weak Democratic bench the Dems have there, and thinking that he’d like to run as a Democrat next time around. Good luck with that, Charlie. You’re going to need it.

What I’d like to remind people of is what happened BEFORE Charlie Crist became a turncoat. Marco Rubio had already declared in the Senate race and he was a young, charismatic, Hispanic candidate. In other words, he is exactly the sort of candidate the Republican Party always says that it needs. He also had grassroots support and a good chance to win. What a dream, right?

Wrong.

Because the moment Charlie Crist got in the race, the Republican establishment immediately tried to kick Marco Rubio to the curb because the establishment thought Rubio would probably win, but Crist would be a lock.

On the other hand, I got together with people like Erick Erickson, Ed Morrissey, Pamela Geller, and R.S. McCain to start the: stick up for Rubio and tell the NRSC to stay out of Republican primaries[3].

Who made the right call there? The grassroots or the Republican establishment?

That’s worth remembering when you hear the Republican establishment telling us what we have to do to win. It’s also worth remembering some of the things they were saying about Charlie Crist.

They were saying he was the conservative in the race. They were saying he was the only candidate that could win. They were saying he was the smart pick. Who’s “they?” Lamar Alexander, Jon Kyl, Mitch McConnell, Mel Martinez, Lindsey Graham, John McCain and the NRSC all endorsed Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio.

Why?

Because they thought he would be less beholden to the Tea Party. Because they thought he had a marginally better chance of winning. Because Charlie Crist was part of the good old boys network and probably complimented them on their ties or their wisdom in ignoring conservatives.

Again, how did all of that work out?

I guess we’ll have to listen to Charlie Crist’s speech at the DNC to find out.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: http://dustinstockton.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/cristobama.jpg
  2. speaking at the Democratic National Convention: http://www2.tbo.com/news/politics/2012/aug/27/2/crist-to-speak-at-democratic-national-convention-ar-474842/
  3. stick up for Rubio and tell the NRSC to stay out of Republican primaries: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/uncategorized/bloggers-to-the-nrsc-stay-out-of-primaries/

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