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Crist’s Shadow Looms Over Republican Convention
August 28, 2012
Charlie Crist appeared to be on the cusp of completing his most dramatic political conversion, with news emerging Monday that the former Republican governor would speak next week at the Democratic National Convention.
Those reports, along with an op-ed piece in the Sunday edition of the Tampa Bay Times endorsing President Barack Obama, sparked evident anger at Crist among the Florida delegation at the Republican National Convention. Or at least re-sparked the anger that the GOP has directed at Crist ever since he bolted the party in 2010 to avoid defeat in the U.S. Senate primary.
“What does he stand for other than himself?” marveled Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in remarks at the delegations’ breakfast Monday morning. “It’s unbelievable. He’ll wear any costume just to get in the parade.”
And that was the note Republicans hit over and over Monday: That Crist’s decision to go from Republican to unaffiliated in 2010, and then join Democrats for their confab two years later, is nothing more than a triumph of political expediency.
“It’s got to be a historic moment,” RPOF Chairman Lenny Curry sarcastically sneered. “A self-proclaimed Jeb Bush, self-proclaimed Ronald Reagan Republican that is on the record opposing most of the policies of President Obama is going to speak at the Democratic convention.”
And incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, drew boos when he mentioned Crist’s change of heart to the delegates, switching directions quickly after talking about Tropical Storm Isaac.
“Speaking of winds blowing and people shifting positions, the Florida Republican Party had a former member of the Republican Party by the name of Charlie Crist, who’s decided not to be a part of our party anymore,” Weatherford said as the crowd booed.
Crist’s column this past weekend shrugged off arguments that Obama hasn’t done enough to improve the economy, a major theme of the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney.
“But 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. … The truth is that the party has failed to demonstrate the kind of leadership or seriousness voters deserve,” Crist wrote.
The fire on Crist was only intensified when the Associated Press and ABC News reported that he would speak in Charlotte next week. But that move is in ways a counterstrike to the news that former Democratic Congressman Artur Davis, an early Obama supporter, would speak this week in Tampa.
Curry said the party doesn’t have a more developed plan, such as advertisements or other efforts, to push back on Crist’s defection. But he also didn’t rule it out.
“If Charlie Crist wants to try to play ball and rain on our parade, we’re going to respond,” Curry said, “because he’s got a record.”
By The News Service of Florida
Comments
36 Responses to “Crist’s Shadow Looms Over Republican Convention”
Way to go Charlie, Bob Hudson contradicts himself every time he gets on here. He rants on and on about how abortion is murder, but then comments:
Educate your self in these matters Abe, Sure there are reasons why some times it should be used, rape; danger to the mother incest , But just to kill a child because you messed up and do not want it, Well that is murder.
Who made Bob Hudson the decision maker on what is murder and what is not? Personally I think that any kind of abortion is murder. How can Bob feel that a child conceived by rape is any less human then once conceived from irresponsible sex?
Also Bob, as I stated in an earlier post I do not support Obama. I do not have to explain his voting record, I do not agree with it. I only stated that I think his supporters have the right to support him and deserve the respect that you and I do in supporting Romney. I also would like for you to explain what Presidents Reagan, Bush 1 and Bush 2 did to change the abortion laws. Also explain how you think a republican president can do anything about it? I believe Republican Richard Nixon was in office when Roe vs. Wade passed. We all know what high morals he had.
Mr. Hudson, you seem to be well informed, so can I ask you how more people on food stamps would cause unemployment to go down?
@Bob hudson
Looks like you got things under control on this story telling these liberals lke it is. Keep it up, a lot of people are starting to “get it”. :-/
Hey Abe, how is that voting record (all his voting records) working out? Public records . Can’t hide those.
Abe and Charles , Explain Obama’s record, all of it, with out blaming anyone, lock it up, put it in facts, voting record from past to present, his public voting records all the way back to when he thought no one would listen. I do not worry about the truth, the truth will be in the facts. Really? We have a President , that thinks abortion is o.k.? I would hate to be one of his kids. Think about it? Unemployment is down ? Yes it is , because the USDA ( welfare ,aid, ) are recruiting every one the can to go on food stamps. Bing it, Last time i check it was N.A 8.3 . Well he can not run on that! Hey Abe, you never got back to me about his voting record? 6 trillion more dollars in national debt, in only 4 years, fact. will not protect our borders, fact, supports sex- marriage fact, Wow he really is a loser. Defend that.
I agree with you Charlie, I am voting for Romney too, but agree that Bob should do his research before he makes the comments he does. The statement he makes above that the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes is not supported. What about the rank criminal acts of people like Ray Sansom? How can people like Mr. Hudson believe that stealing is any less of a sin then abortion or gay marriage. A sin is a sin.
The respect is mutual Charlie; thanks.
Bob Hudson, we all are aware that you do not support President Obama, as I do not. However I do respect the fact that there are others who do support them as is their right, Your comment that unemployment is “so high”, is not supported by facts. Statistics show that unemployment is actually down. This fact is repeated by the Governor I have seen you worship on this website, (Rick Scott). Governor Scott consistently pounds his chest that unemployment is going down. Your comment about blaming Bush is also contradictory to GOP’s claim that the hard times during the Reagan years were the fault of Jimmy Carter and the success of the Clinton administration was due to Ronald Reagan. Looks like you are the one who has drank the cool aid.
Hey Abe you need to check out the DNC platform for 2012, it will be a pro-gay abortion fest, check out who their speakers are. And the funny thing is, it will not be about Mr. Obama’s success in running this country . Very nice diversion thought. 6 trillion more in national debt , free ride for all (under 30) illegals, Oh yea, and blame Bush for every thing.(main focus) I find it funny, while tearing apart U.S companies (you did not build that) , he says he has promoted job growth. Really? Then why is unemployment so high? . I would love to hear him defend his record, but he will not, because their is nothing to defend, He is a failure.
Just keep drinking that cool-aide.
Back to you Abe I suggest you see who supports Fact check, they are a joke, why don’t you look how Mr. Obama has voted and what he has supported in his political career . It is in the public records. His records are not biased . They are facts
Bob, search topics on Factcheck.org, it’s neutral on the issues just like
NorthEscambiacom, unlike most websites you randomly come across in a Bing search.
What you have said is what the “truth” is according to the biased. A neutral search as I have suggested is the best source for the truth if you want it.
Amazed that anyone gives credibility or even gives a hoot what Chuck Crist does or thinks or says.
Contradicting myself, he does not deserve nor has he earned enough respect from anyone to waste their time on him.
CC is a nobody…..hey, is he still “married”..?
Well just spent the last few minutes doing a little research, I used search engine (bing) subject Obama and abortions, guess what he has ALWAYS been pro choice . And a nasty pro choice at that.
No Abe time for you to get your facts straight, When Obama Was in the state senate of the Illinois Legislature on protecting those who survived late term abortions he voted not once, but 4 times that they should be allowed to die. And it is in his voting record, The federal government has no right to be using tax payer dollars to kill children, but they do, its called (planned parent Hood) He also stood up and congraulated women on their right to kill their own children. Educate your self in these matters Abe, Sure there are reasons why some times it should be used, rape; danger to the mother incest , But just to kill a child because you messed up and do not want it, Well that is murder. Funny how the DNC are going to make killing babies one of their main platforms.
Mr. Hudson, You have just proven my point. The President does not believe in abortion, actually he is personally against it. What he is for is letting the person make their own moral decision, right or wrong, with their God given free will, without Big Brother being involved in that decision. The very same people that want government out of their personal lives and preaches personal responsibility, wants that same goverment to enforce upon others their code of ethics, religion and morals.
I personally believe that abortion should be a last resort in extreme cases i.e. rape, incest, etc. just as President Obama does.
In the case of a fully developed child being aborted, that is and has been illegal.
Any abortion after the child starts moving in the womb (13-16 weeks) is illegal in the US and England.
Roe vs Wade was passed due to the fact that laws against abortion, just as laws against drugs, alcohol, speeding, etc. does not stop people from engaging in these activities. At least under current law the procedure is done in a professional setting under safer conditions which minimizes the amount of moving baby abortions that you point to.
I encourage everyone to use their computer to educate themselves and not just as a tool to vent.
So, when will Obama, start running on his fail record.? And tell the truth? Oh I can not wait till that happens. Fed up with the democratic party. Time for a change. EX-democratic supporter.
That is funny, I knew Obama was a loser when he first ran in 2008, it is called , checking his past voting record. So abe, we are now inform voters, I do not like you putting down those of us who oppose you, It is in fact and elitist mind set. Well guess what? You can call us red necks, country folk, or what ever, But guess what? We have computers , we know how to read, and we are the biggest threat to the liberal party, because we do not buy in to the liberal crap. Sorry we will not bow down to the liberal left wing. So if you wish to support a president that thinks killing babies in the 9th term of life is good. May God have mercy on your soul .
It’s interesting to hear the GOP shills vent, it’s the same rhetoric I hear every time I have the misfortune of being exposed to FOX News. It is a fact that the less educated you are the more likely you are to vote against your best interest.
I don’t remember Republicans being so riled up when Joe Lieberman spoke at their convention in 2008? Didn’t they think he was a turncoat as well? No? Imagine that. Tell me this, what actual issues has Charlie Crist changed his positions on? This is a case of the party leaving the politician, not the politician leaving the party.
I wish Obama would try just once to run on his record as President, it would be a land slide for Romney/ Ryan. Just like it will be a wash out when Biden tries to debate Ryan,
When any one says that the rich need to pay their fair share, Really? So some one is worth a couple of million, they pay 13 to 15 %. Well they are paying more than their fair share. They worked for it. Let them keep it, its not the governments ( who by the way can not manage our tax payer dollars. ) In my life travels , I find that those who demand more for themselves, by getting it from others, are very bitter people. Who have always been jealous because of their own life failures. I never cared for the (keeping up with the Jones idea.) Its petty and a waste of time. I am happy they have done well. And they (or most of them have earned it.) So how much is enough? What is the idea of (their fair share) I’ll tell you what it is, When you give them every thing they want, But that will not happen, it will never be enough.
Charlie Crist is a politician. He has no job as a republican, so now he wants to try to find one as a democrat.
On a larger note, any fool who believes that re-electing Obama will improve the country is indeed a fool. He has no support amongst big business and big money, unless you count the hollywood homos as such. Like it or not people, Romney will get businesses hiring again because he will give tax breaks which will make us more competitive on a global scale. Stop drinking the Obama kool-aid about the poor man paying more taxes. It’s not about percentages, it is about total dollars. Corporations are being gouged and are taking their money overseas to avoid the raping at the hands of the democrats. . And on a final note, Obama is the most anti-american, non-christian to ever take the oath of office. Shame on America for being so stupid the first time, but we won’t be fooled again!
I Love ObamaCare!!!
If the 1% would Pay their Fair Share in Taxes like the rest of US, it would pay for Medicare and ObamaCare. All American’s could have and afford health insurance. All the insurance companys are pouring millions of dollars into the republicans campaign to stop ObamaCare so they can continue getting their billion dollar bonuses!!! Da Sorry Dogs!!!
Get out and vote!!!
Vote all Democrat in November
Send Mitt and the rest of them a message, stop taking care of the very rich
As a life long Blue dog Democrat , the party has gone to hail, it is now run by the left wing liberals, its is not even close to the party I grew up with. So that is why this will be my last election as a democrat, Yes I’m voting for Romney and Ryan, I never voted for Obama any way, I studied what he was like BEFORE he was elected and he has not disappointed at all, It just that he is showing his true colors now. His voting record in the past , has shown what he would be like. That is why after this election the democratic party is going to take a very bad hit , as most blue dogs are fed up with it. It is no longer worth saving. The party sold out to the left wing.
JackRuby I cannot forget Democrat war crimminal Lyndon Johnson dragging America kicking and screaming into Vietnam, so his industrialist cronies could make more money. He should have been hanged at the Hague.
The only danger I ever saw from the Vietnamese People was second hand cigarett smoke.
The Republican daddy Bush did his best to help American jobs move overseas so his friends could make more money. At the end of the day the result is the same, that is why I am an Independant.
This is DEMOCRAT COUNTRY PEOPLE. Where do you get off supporting the self serving republicans who never did anything except help the rich man? Your Great Loser President Bush Jr. dumped 2 trillion dollars of debt on all of us, AFTER Obama won the election but before he left office in January. Obama has done a fairly good job considering the mess the Bush family left him. I know there are a bunch of racists out there too that dont like Obama because of his color. I dont like his NAME, but I think that he has done a pretty good job with what he started with and unlike George Bush, Obama at least looks and acts like a President of the United States. You people need to look back to your Southern heritage. We are DEMOCRATS, not radical republicans, and we dont hate people because of their color!
abe…You forget mister Obama had a majority in both houses for two years?
Get rid of the Obamanation!
Oh yea, no body care’s what Crist , says any way. He is a wash out.
Really what a joke, 6 more trillion in national debt, in ONLY 4 years, Obamacare which we can not pay for, Suspended deportation of illegal aliens, will not protect our borders, lied about how many he has deported. Billion wasted on so called green tech. Has done his best to kill off energy companies with EPA regulation, Has not produced a budget in 4 years, last one was shot down by his on people in the senate. Will not try to find out what happened to all those illegal guns that Holder walked in to Mexico (Fast & Furious) Supports Gay marriage, supports the killing of unborn children at any stage, from conceptsion to the full 9months of term,(that is sick) Is a closet gun control freak( has said so his self in college.)He is a (ya’ll did not build that ) president. Oh this is just to mention a few things.
Crist is nothing more than a liar and a disgrace to the
Republican Party.
With his lack of ethics, he fits the Democrat Party perfectly!
I feel that Mr Crist would have made for a better choice as President Obama’s running mate. Nothing personal aganist Mr Biden, but I do not see Joe as a contender in 2016.
The GOP ala Reagan/Bush-I/Bush-II sets the national house on fire. They overspent by $12 trillion and counting. We’re still paying for StarWars, Gulf War, Afghanistan, Iraq, the tax cut, the Great Republican Recession.
The country called Fireman Obama to put out the fire and save the house.
As soon as he arrived, the GOP in Washington began stabbing the fire hoses, letting the air out of the fire truck’s tires, and turning in false alarms (death panels, birth certificate, Kenya, socialist indoctrination of children, closet Muslim, Rev. Wright, etc.).
Now the GOP are saying that we should blame the fireman, not the guys who set the fire in the first place.
Get out and vote this election- your vote counts!!
Crist is a real Moderate Republican, which the GOP has an extreme shortage of and the anti-Obama hype by Romney and PAC’s who support Romney are making claims that are flat out full of lies and misinformation.
The RNC is supporting the same political platform of hate, fear & smear campaigning that has been going on for two decades and completely destroys a chance for real political discourse and that’s a shame.
Corporatist/Koch Brothers are using misinformation to emotionally manipulate voters in order to have no business regulation and more tax cuts for the Uber Wealthy that don’t create jobs and never have. They just let the richest, who make over 1 Million a year, pay in proportionality less taxes than the Middle Class & poor making minimum wage while increasing the deficit and furthering Corporate Welfare.
If you support conservative principles, that’s fine, but unless you make over 1 Million a year, there is no reason to support Romney because he doesn’t care about the deficit and reducing it and his principles are about Corporatism, not being a fiscally responsible conservative who cares about the runaway in equality on wealth in America.
I’ve heard Republicans complain on fears of wealth re-distribution over the years while they have been creating more & more wealth re-distribution by lowering taxes lower than they have ever been for rich and sending jobs over seas. Romney’s wealth comes from exploiting and shutting down American jobs and sending those jobs over seas. While his experience did create thousands of new jobs, as he campaigns on, he fails to mention the Hundred’s of thousand of jobs he ended when shutting down American businesses that he bought, borrowed money against and then bankrupted.
Please don’t lie about Obama in order to support lies about Romney. Real political discourse would be nice but we can’t have that when facts & context don’t matter in the information being debated.
Good job Charlie Crist, he clearly saw that the GOP path was going no where . They dont even seem to have any real plan. Romney just parrots whatever talking points he is given which is a complete flip flop of what he did in Mass as gov. In fact he was more liberal as Governor than Obama himself
But really if Romney could run the gov the way he ran his state and be much more progressive than its possible he isnt so bad. This republican thing might just be his way to get in office