NPA Crist seesaws on ObamaCare and gets Democrat endorsements

Could politics in Florida get more bizarre? Gov. Charlie Crist just got two endorsements from two Democrat legislators. The Palm Beach Post said, “State Sen.-elect Maria Sachs, Delray Beach, and State Rep. Darryl Rouson, District 55, based in St. Petersburg, praised Crist at the South County Civic Center before a crowd of about 100 voters who braved the rain to snack on bagels and meet the Republican-turned-Independent.”

Aside from a phantom knife in Rep. Kendrick Meek’s back, what’s wrong with that sentence from the newspaper?

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‘Lonely’ status for candidate Crist stems from governing politics, not people

Updated on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 11:56AM by Kay B. Day, Editor

By Kay B. Day

Gov. Charlie Crist (I-Fla.) did an interview by phone with The Hill, saying, “When you’re not affiliated with a party, it can be very lonely, particularly initially.”

But if truth were to rear its lovely head, the loneliness might be better attributed to the governor’s various reversals on policy as well as his decision to hang onto campaign funds solicited as a Republican candidate.

Crist said the GOP has been “drifting so far to the right.”  He didn’t feel “comfortable” anymore.

The discomfort was predictable, though not for reasons Crist cited in the interview.

As recently as December, 2009, Gov. Charlie Crist defended former RPOF chairman Jim Greer during an interview with the editorial board of the S. Florida newspaper The Sun-Sentinel.

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Crist must summon his inner Democrat at events with Ferre, Meek

By Kay B. Day

Gov. Charlie Crist (I) will have to get in touch with his inner leftwinger when he participates in events that include Democrat candidates for US Senate Maurice Ferre and Rep. Kendrick Meek.

Crist keynotes an event in Kissimmee on Friday that includes Ferre—the Summit on Puerto Rican Affairs. Then on Saturday Crist will speak at the AFL-CIO endorsing convention in Jacksonville where Meek and numerous other Dems will court the union political machine. By necessity the governor must summon his inner Democrat because he will need those donkey votes to stay in the running.

But his candidacy raises a number of questions, among them his continuing as governor.

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Florida GOP women unleash ‘fury’ on Crist

By Kay B. Day

Cindy Graves, President of the Florida Federation of Republican Women, will now lead her organization to support former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio's effort to unseat Gov. Charlie Crist's appointee in the US Senate George LeMieux.In Florida thousands of women belong to local Republican clubs that make up the state organization The Florida Federation of Republican Women. FFRW is led by President Cindy Graves. Meet her once and you will not forget her. For that matter visit any of these clubs and you’ll find a highly informed group of motivated Republicans willing to work hard for their candidates. Graves is informed, dedicated and an organizer extraordinaire. At the moment she is also highly steamed at Gov. Charlie Crist who until Thursday was a Republican.

After Crist jumped ship to run as an independent for the US Senate seat currently occupied by his ally and appointee Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.), Graves unloaded him on with an official statement that might turn Crist’s famous smile upside down.

The statement began with, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

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Putting Florida GOP financial dustup in context

By Kay B. Day

At the moment there’s a big dustup in Florida over spending by the state GOP officials. Former state party chair Jim Greer has been accused of wrongdoing and Gov. Charlie Crist has asked for a federal investigation. At issue is GOP party money, not taxpayer money.

Allegations against Greer are complicated, ranging from the manner in which donor funds were spent to the setup of a shell company by Greer’s executive director. Greer was allegedly majority owner of the fundraising company. And Greer's problems go far beyond tax return issues common in campaigns.

Because there is so much at stake in the 2012 elections—not just for the GOP but for the country as well—the negative attention creates political opportunity. And because media swings left, it's useful to put the whole controversy in context.

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Florida’s Seminole gambling compact dead in the water—again

Commentary by Kay B. Day

Roger Stone, during an interview with The US Report in September, pointed out major problems with the Seminole gambling compact engineered by Gov. Charlie Crist. Attorney General Bill McCollum publicly pointed out his concerns. Their concerns were well-founded, evidenced in a decision by a panel in the Florida House of Representatives on Thursday. The panel shot down the deal.

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Marco Rubio keynotes opening of CPAC 2010

Graphic from the Facebook Group page for Marco Rubio for US Senate 2010. The group has approximately 5,000 members. Anyone can join.The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) – the nation’s largest annual gathering of conservatives sponsored by the American Conservative Union Foundation in association with the Young America’s Foundation and Human Events – announced that Marco Rubio, Florida’s former Speaker of the House will deliver the keynote address to the expected 10,000 leaders, activists, and students in Washington, D.C. February 18-20, 2010.

Former Speaker of the House Marco Rubio will appear on Thursday, February 18 at 10 a.m. The address will take place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on Woodley Rd.

“Our cosponsors decided to invite Marco Rubio to keynote this year’s conference because like previous keynotes Mike Pence and Paul Ryan, he is an articulate representative of a new generation of conservative leaders who we believe will have an incredible impact on the movement and the nation in the years ahead,” said CPAC 2010 Chairman David A. Keene.

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