On August 26, former Florida Governor Charlie Crist wrote an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times in support of President Barack Obama's re-election bid. Even though the article was published today, conservatives have been quick to accuse the former governor of making a shrewd attempt to seem bi-partisan in preparation for a return to politics. In an e-mail to Florida republicans, Florida GOP Chairman Lenny Curry wrote, "Make no mistake about it: This is Charlie Crist trying to shed his skin for a political comeback."
Despite the swift GOP criticism, Gov. Crist's editorial does not celebrate the policies of this President, nor does it seem to indicate that his ideology has shifted. It mostly seems to point to a growing fear that the GOP has been hijacked by elements of the far right on social and fiscal policy. Many critics of the GOP have levied similar accusations against the party, but given the very anemic recovery and the bad job market, it seems as though some voters must share Crist's concerns, because President Obama is leading many polls.
In his article, he states, "an element of their party has pitched so far to the extreme right on issues important to women, immigrants, seniors, and students that they've proven incapable of governing for the people. Look no further than the inclusion of the Akin amendment in the Republican Party platform, which bans abortion, even for rape victims."
While pessimists and critics can say he's just being shrewd and opportunistic, it should be noted that during a contentious re-election with a somewhat unpopular president, it is common for politicians to separate themselves from the president, but less common for the president to gain new allies. The president is not King Midas, in fact a handful of democrats have already announced they won't attend the convention because he is highly unpopular with those even slightly to the right of centrists.
If Charlie Crist is an opportunistic manipulator, he's not very good at it. If Charlie Crist is a conservative who recognizes the exponential influence the far-right has gained over the republican party, then maybe the American people would be smart to heed his advice and encourage him to re-enter politics.
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Comments: 11
Polarization has effected both, but it has clearly affected Republicans more.
Romney is a moderate. John McCain was a moderate. Only until after they are nominated do you guys put on your tin foil hats and see than and turning into hell spawn.
Romney is a moderate. John McCain was a moderate
Romney was a moderate when he was Gov. of Mass., he is now a flip flopping all things to all people candidate for a job he is unqualified to hold, but feels compeled to have. If Romney wins, we will be at war within a year with Iran and Syria, we will also be fighting at home to maintain womens rights and the loss of more jobs because of a srinking manufacturing industry relocating their businesses to China where labor is cheap and thereby the loss of the middle class due to no jobs, excessive taxation, increase in medical care cost and the ending of the social security retirement system.
McCain, for most of his political career, has been a right of center politician, Who had the ability to compromise with the Democrats on many issues. He loss his bid for the presidency, because he also has always been a warmonger and the country was/is tired of war and the killing of our youth for oil and other country's political and domestic problems. Had McCain won in 2008, we would be at war today with Iran and possibly with a number of other countries in the middle east.
As such, he put his allegiance to the party second to his duties as the Govenor of the State of Florida. Thereby, he converted a state which had been known mostly as a vacation destination, into a state of new and expanded industry and increased properity.
California, which had been the film capitol of the world, was forced to begin sharing that title with Florida as Gov. Chris worked with the film industry to bring that industry's work to his state. His foresight created more than 10,000 jobs in that industry alone, not to overlook the tens of thousands of ancillary jobs which were created because of that one industry's expansion in the State of Florida.
He worked with various labor unions and acknowledged the working mans need for representation in the workplace. He expanded the state's contribution to the health care system and embraced the offered funds by federal government in financial aid for medicare and medicaid. He incresed the state teachers salaries and worked with the Teachers union to achieve a better teaching system. Florida had made big strides in it's education programs and was ranked 11th out of the 50 states in education when Gov. Crist left office. In science and mathematics, the state had a SERI score of 3.13 far above the national average of 2.82
Without a doubt, the State of Florida flourished under the Govenorship of Charlie Crist. Both the state ecomonics, the workforce, the citizens and the children have loss a true leader who as Govenor, put his state first and his party second. (The way it should be)
For those Teapublicans who have put Gov. Crist on their cross hairs hit list of Republicans who are in their opinion, to liberal in their reasoning, thinking and ideology for the new Party, I say, go ahead, please push him out of the New Teapublican Party, the Old Democrat Party will accept him with open arms.