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Former Gov. Charlie Crist Turns Democrat
December 9, 2012
After months of speculation — and a high-profile stint campaigning for President Obama — former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist signed up Friday night to become a Democrat.
Crist, who left the GOP to run as an independent for the U.S. Senate in 2010, signed a registration form during a reception at the White House. He sent out a Twitter message that said, “Proud and honored to join the Democratic Party in the home of President @barackobama!”
Also, Crist posted a photo that showed him holding up the signed registration form, while his wife, Carole, smiled. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Obama celebrated the change with a fist bump.
But the Republican Party of Florida, which has long criticized Crist as a turncoat and an opportunist, quickly bashed the former governor Saturday morning.
“The truth is that this self-professed, Ronald-Reagan Republican only abandoned his pro-life, pro-gun, conservative principles in 2010 after he realized that Republicans didn’t want to send him to Washington D.C. as a senator, especially after he proved he couldn’t do the job as governor,” the party said in a prepared statement.
Crist’s move to the Democratic Party will add to widespread talk that he might try to return to the governor’s mansion by challenging Republican Gov. Rick Scott in 2014.
So far, no clear Democratic front-runner has emerged for the race, though the party’s 2010 nominee, former state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, could run again. Also, former Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, D-Weston, has opened a campaign account.
If Crist runs and captures the Democratic nomination, it likely would be one of the highest-profile — and fiercest — races in the country in 2014. Crist campaigned heavily for Obama this year, including giving a speech at the Democratic National Convention.
For years, Crist was a star in Republican politics. He first gained notoriety as a state senator from St. Petersburg and later was elected education commissioner, attorney general and governor. He parlayed an upbeat demeanor with popular positions on issues such as holding down taxes and insurance rates and fighting crime.
But Crist tangled with some major business interests, such as utilities and insurance companies, while governor. He then completely broke with the party by running unsuccessfully as an independent for the Senate seat after facing a primary fight from the eventual winner, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
During his speech at the Democratic National Convention in September, Crist said the GOP had left its roots and become too extreme. He said GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney and vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan couldn’t lead the country in a bipartisan fashion.
“When I look at the Republican ticket today, I see two candidates who would break the fundamental promise of Medicare and Social Security, and cut investments on our middle class that are so important to our economic recovery,” Crist said during the speech. “And when I look at President Obama, I see a leader with a cool head, a caring heart and an open mind, a president who has demonstrated through his demeanor, his grace and his deeds that he is uniquely qualified to heal our divisions, rebuild our nation and lead us to a brighter future.”
But Republicans on Saturday said it was Crist who had changed. The state GOP pointed to examples such as Crist’s support in 2008 for Republican president candidate John McCain over Obama.
“The Great Imposter … at it again,” national Republican consultant Mike Murphy wrote in a Twitter post that linked to a Tampa Bay Times story about Crist’s Democratic registration.
By The News Service of Florida
Comments
20 Responses to “Former Gov. Charlie Crist Turns Democrat”
This is the problem with the Republican Party. In an attempt
To be more inclusive they let too many RINOs in. That’s exactly what Romney was, a RINO. Americans didn’t reject Conservatism, Americans rejected a fake. That’s why Crist lost the Senate rate, people saw through him.
Too bad people can’t do that in their local politics and vote the bums out!
I’ll sure be glad when these two years are up…
GOOD-BYE ,,, GOP!!!
This is really old news. Most Republicans knew he was a DemocRAT when he was Governor. Just sayin…
Welcome, welcome, another RINO coming over. The John Birch Society of Republicans can have much smaller, more pure party. Good for them. Winning is getting so much easier every day.
He was always one @ heart anyway !
Hes just showing who he really is,is all ……..
Apparently he saw the writing on the wall long before the rest of us did. The GOP is finished. I really believe that the inability of the GOP to raise taxes on the rich will be their death knell. I understand that I will pay more taxes in 2013 due to the GOP sending us off the fiscal cliff but it will be worth it to be rid of the GOP after the midterms. Maybe the Libertarian Party will take their place as the other choice.
On corporations; corporations are not people, they are entities owned by people that have been given the status of a US citizen by the Supreme Court when it comes to campaign donations. Corporations have the ability to lawfully bribe government officials through campaign contributions and lobbying. Corporations swear allegiance to no government but to the shareholder. If they can make more money by sending jobs to countries that pay 25 cents a day for labor then that’s what they will do. When US citizens decide that maybe 25 cents a day is better than nothing then the jobs will start returning to this country.
Meanwhile the average American worker is made to feel guilty for buying Chinese products when in reality that’s about all that’s offered.
What is the difference between a Democrat and a Republican these days?
NOTHING>>….
@Native 1950, Amen, Scott must have taught him all the tricks.
Mark T, I too was once a republican until daddy Bush uttered those famous words
“No New Taxes” and escalated the departure of american manufacturing to overseas nations, offering cheap labor. The Republicans are all about how much they can stuff in their pockets and the pockets of their masters.
Mr Franklin warned about the dangers of a two party system. That is why I am an Independant (Independent). He also warned about money changers and ACLU types too.
He becomes whatever suits his plan at the moment..I would never trust anything he says because he is so wishy washy..
Why are people surprised. I never trusted him when he was in office, dont trust him now and next I bet he will be coming out of the closet. Anyone that supports him is asking for disappointment because he changes his mind and support like the wind changes on the ocean….you never know what direction is going to be blowning. Charlie you are just not trust worthy!
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
Welcome aboard Charlie. IMO, I think he will be more of a Blue Dog Democrat, because he certainly isn’t a Progressive. He just got run out of the GOP for acting like a Governor instead of being a lockstep Koch Brothers GOP Hack.
He still probably has ties with the Bush Family so his becoming a Dem says more about the political right being extreme in going further to the right than it says about Crist’s personal politics, IMO.
The GOP is destroying itself from within by ignoring and shunning Republican Moderates and Republican Liberals. What will be left in the GOP are the Ayn Rand Corporatist Carbon Energy Koch Brothers Hack’s pulling the Party strings and manipulating the Conservative Fundamentalist Extremist and Paranoid End of the World Conspiratist in spewing the same old and tired hate, fear and smear rhetoric.
It’s just too bad we had to have them in charge from ‘00 to ‘08 when the country needed really good oversight instead of thugs.
Don’t turn your back on him! He’s like a serpent! What a fake…all the makings for a dem. politician for sure!
Good, he’s finally showing his true colors!
They can keep him!
REGARDING:
“We need People in elected positions that will do what’s best for the Citizens of this Country, Not Corporations!!!!”
Now, now. Corporations are people too.
Actually, they really are. From the share holders down to the janitor, everybody in a corporation is a person.
You can’t hurt a corporation without hurting people. I’ve watched for decades as various politicians got people worked up and wanting to punish corporations for their greedy, evil ways and the results were often that the corporations went out of business or out of country. But the politicians were proud of themselves for killing the evil corporations.
Now they wonder how to combat joblessness.
David for truth
I also was once a registered Republican, But after learning what they are really all about I left them and I’m not looking back!! We need People in elected positions that will do whats best for the Citizens of this Country, Not Corporations!!!!
Hmmm…..Republican, then Indepent, now Democrat. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Good for you Crist coming to your senses. As long as the Repubs keep up there selfish, racist, greedy agenda they’ll be more leave there party. Look at what the house is doing to the majorty now. Everyone get together and vote those house republicans out in two years. That will stop them.
This guy is whatever you want for him to be as long as it keeps him in the media and he thinks it can benefit HIM.
Maybe he’d be a good stand-in for P’cola’s “Model Mayor” when he’s off on a city tax paid working vacation. After all the two of them have so much in common.
A true politician, blows with the wind. No convictions.
You mean he wasn’t one before???