Our glowing governor, Charlie Crist, is bent on convincing Floridians that his ultra-conservative views will save the country from financial ruin.
Entering a tough Senate primary against true ultra-conservative Marco Rubio, he has decided to swing further right in an attempt to build a conservative base.
A predictable play, as primaries generally drive candidates away from the middle.
But Crist risks his credibility with bold moves like denying his earlier support of the stimulus package, which is now synonymous with the idea that Obama is selling the nation’s soul for a few public-works projects and bankers’ bonuses.
“I didn’t endorse it. I didn’t even have a vote on the darned thing,” Crist recently told CNN. But with the infamous Obama embrace, Crist essentially wrapped his arms around the bill too.
He cannot hide his support of the bill, just like he can’t hide from the man-hug (we told you so, Crist).
And he shouldn’t. Because more important than credibility, Crist risks losing the support of the commie wackos at the Alligator Editorial Board.
All right, it might not be more important than credibility, and not everyone at the Alligator was exactly a Crist-o-maniac, but the fact that his moderate, get-the-job-done attitude could win over even a few of us says something about his appeal. (We swear the superb tan has nothing to do with it.)
Weathering the stormy waters of a Republican primary is a small price to pay for broad, bipartisan support come election day. Because he’ll need it.
