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Charlie Crist's Secret
Joe Burbank, MCT / Landov
No, it’s not that he’s gay, though those rumors remain. Rather, says The Daily Beast’s Reihan Salam, the Republicans’ best hope in 2010 might be derailed by his shabby governing legacy.
Is he or isn’t he? After almost two decades in public life, Florida Governor Charlie Crist is still dealing with questions about his sexual preferences. Every time Crist is asked if he’s gay, he gives the same answer: a simple no. There’s nothing defensive or cagey about it. But the questions persist nevertheless, even after Crist married a strikingly attractive woman late last year. To diehard believers in the Crist-is-closeted theory, the marriage is further evidence of Crist’s dishonesty—a naked attempt to distract the voting public from the truth. Similarly, a short-lived scandal over a 1989 paternity claim against Crist is dismissed by the conspiratorial as yet another effort to dupe Floridians.
Crist is not a conservative. With his permanent tan and slick white mane, he’s more like a kinder, gentler Latin American caudillo, who wants nothing more than to be cheered on by adoring throngs.
Like the notion that President Obama is a secret Muslim, the idea that Crist is gay will never go away. Assuming the NSA hasn’t invented a long-distance sexual brain probe that I don’t know about, it is impossible to determine whether or not Crist’s late-night fantasies star a young Jaclyn Smith or a young Tom Selleck. A number of observers are openly wondering if the gay rumor will sink Crist’s chances of holding Mel Martinez’s Senate seat for the GOP. The theory, advanced mostly on the left-of-center, is that gay-hating right-wingers will try to bring Crist down.
It turns out, though, that Florida’s Republican primary voters are more interested in another “is he or isn’t he?”: A growing number of conservatives want to know if Crist is the next Arlen Specter. For a party on the ropes, you’d think Republicans would be less interested in ideological purity. Without Crist or former Governor Jeb Bush in the race, Democrats have long expected Martinez’s seat to fall into their hands like a ripened papaya. But with Crist as the Republican candidate, no Democrat stands a chance. Crist’s Senate run is already being touted as the beginning of a Republican comeback.
Given that GOP high command is praising Allah for delivering Crist unto them, it’s worth noting that conservatives are buzzing about Marco Rubio, the youthful former Speaker of the Florida House. A fluently bilingual 37-year-old Cuban-American evangelical from a blue-collar immigrant background with an ex-cheerleader wife, four children, a deep belief in the healing power of tax cuts, and square-jawed all-American looks, Rubio is a caricature of the ideal 21st-century Republican. With possible behind-the-scenes support from Jeb Bush, Rubio is planning a scorched-earth campaign against Crist as a firebrand conservative standing against the forces of big-government RINOism.
And Rubio, a rare political talent, might actually pull it off, or at least he might leave Crist just bloodied enough to give Democrats the Senate seat in November. Getting there, however, will mean jettisoning much of what is most appealing about Rubio. In the State House, Rubio developed a reputation as a policy wonk interested in overhauling the state’s public sector along the lines that centrist Republicans have pursued in the good-government paradise that is Indiana. This isn’t very sexy, and it isn’t very ideological. But it did suggest that Rubio was more than a Reaganite automaton. The same goes for Rubio’s gutsy and contrarian decision to back the real Republican maverick of 2008, Mike Huckabee. There’s a world in which Rubio should absolutely crush and destroy Crist—a world in which Rubio ran a truly innovative, policy-heavy campaign. Instead, depressingly, we’ll probably see Rubio attack Crist as a Chardonnay-sipping socialist.
One of the key conservative charges against Crist is that his decision to back President Obama’s stimulus package was utterly bankrupt. Crist seemed more interested in currying favor with the state’s army of public-sector workers than keeping the faith with conservative principles. And honestly, that’s exactly right. Crist is not a conservative. With his permanent tan and slick white mane, he’s more like a kinder, gentler Latin American caudillo, who wants nothing more than to be cheered on by adoring throngs. Crist would be right at home with Juan and Eva Peron, dancing the night away and promising free T-bone steaks to the impoverished masses. As governor, Crist has enjoyed tremendous popularity—he has Obama-like job-approval numbers—and he’s done it by hardly ever making tough calls.
There’s no question that Florida is trending Democratic, and it doesn’t help that the state’s economy is sinking into the marshy deep from whence it came. Crist is keenly aware of this, and he’s moved accordingly. In flush times, a decent number of Florida’s must-win Latinos, notably Miami’s highly influential Cuban-American community, were open to small-government Republicans. A punishing wave of foreclosures—which hit Latino families particularly hard—has changed all that. Earlier in his political career, when hard-edged conservatism was on the rise, Crist was known as “Chain Gang Charlie” for backing extreme punishments for convicted felons. Now he’s better known for his efforts to fight climate change and save the Everglades. There’s little doubt that Crist looks himself in the mirror every morning and sees a future president. So why not run for reelection as governor?
Spending has increased steadily throughout Crist’s tenure, yet he has managed to avoid raising taxes. Normally this is a feat that can only be pulled off during a boom, but Obama’s stimulus package gave this strategy, if you can call it that, a new lease on life. Backing the stimulus bill wasn’t just about high-fiving a popular president. It was a way to keep Florida’s Ponzi scheme going. But because the state’s economy is still sinking into the marshy deep, economic pain is guaranteed to sandbag whoever serves as governor for the next four years. Crist, who loves to be loved, intends to make sure that it’s not him.
Reihan Salam is a fellow at the New America Foundation and the co-author of Grand New Party.
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Crist's "shabby governing legacy?" The man followed Jeb Bush into office and has been a breath of fresh air because he is neither an ideologue nor a Machiavellian partisan whose main legacy is converting government functions into partisan plumbs.
If that's "shabby," the "shabby" is a very good thing.
Rubio--a "policy wonk?" Any reader here can list all the possible issues Rubio might face as a federal senator, imagine for a second how Rush Limbaugh would treat them and know all they need to know about Rubio's position on each and every issue. Rubio is an ideologue, a marrow deep soaked partisan.
As is Reihan Salam, whose spin on this upcoming election is no more than that.....just spin, rightwing, ideological, partisan spin. Salam's middle names should be "litmus test."
Please remember that Charlie Crist has helped put the "ass" back into Tallahassee.
Why is it that anyone who sways back and forth with political winds is supposed to be a hero, but someone who has certain beliefs, and doesn't let the latest crisis of the day sway them, is somehow an idealogue? Crist is a moderate. Moderates walk the fence, and you just wait until they slip to see which side the fall on, or if the rack their....
I think you are missing the point. Either party who blindly clings to beliefs that do not conform to times, that are not supported by empiracal data, and that approaches issues that affect all with a closed mind becomes stagnant and per history will cause harm to the majority of citizens. I have never fully supported the platform of either side. The majority of American do not. Most of us seek a pragmatic balance between idealism and reality. No one can successfully govern by bowing to the demands of fringes to the left or to the right. It doesn't work for the majority.
Crist is a popular governor in Florida. He's a good and ethical politican. Nothing that the Dems do or the lies they write about Crist to taint him will work.
Move over.. there's a new man coming to D.C.
Jack,
It's the Democrats who like him. He's been a strong supporter of some of Obama's projects. The middle-of-the-road Republicans probably like him, too, but not the far right. Get off your soapbox.
It's easy to like Crist, a populist who aims to please the greatest number of people. But he has been unable to make tough decisions and has promoted detrimental and ineffective policies (on property taxes, on property insurance, promoting gambling). As is usually the case with populists (regardless of party), it's easy to like him but difficult to respect him.
I live in Florida. The support for Crist is an inch deep. He does not inspire. People are bummed out by the politicians. They stand for little and offer nothing but themselves. The politicians feed off the public trough.
An independent with actual ideas could win.
Wake up olive, OBAMA WON Florida, and Floridians aren't looking for another radical right winger, and Rubio is no Independent
I am planning on sending money to the most religious, the most right wing, the most Confederate or all put another way, the biggest hypocritical,white male, Jesus spewing, fear mongering, liar republican that runs against Crist. (That description would fit every republican male in the Senate now)
I am not an expert in Florida politics but based on my living in Palm Beach for two years I would say without question the one person that stands out & the one person who should be the next Senator from Florida is Debbie Wasserman. Assuming she is feeling strong & healthy she is without question the person for the job.
This entire peice reads like a right-wing attempt to sabotage Crist in favor of a more far right-wing Republican alternative.
errr........because it is exactly that.
It is an article written with a fixed, indeed predictable, thesis unalterably in hand before the first key was typed: all within the article serves or is bent to conform to that thesis. The thesis is ideological and partisan. Damn the rest of the world.
It is like the media occupies itself with the entertainment of the spiders dancing on top of the ocean's surface tension, blind to the fact that there is anything beneath. Ideologues and reflexive partisans skim on the top and never concern themselves with anything deeper than the electoral prospects of their sponsored champions. All else is invisible.
Dogmeats, every one of them.
I don't think this piece is really slander. It is more just observation as the author sees it.
Didn't say it was slander -- just not journalism. The author pretends he's not interested in the gay charge but then spends half a page on it and instead of concluding it is an unsubstantiated rumor or offering even a sliver of reason for the rumor, he concludes "we may never know" implying it has credibility. Then he charges that Crist has a "shabby political legacy" but never bothers adequately explaining it. On the other hand, the challenger is painted to be some kind of conservative hero -- even the supposed criticism seems thinly veiled as a compliment, calling him a "political wonk." It feels like it was written by the Marco Rubio for Senate campaign, which would be fine if the author just admitted that bias up-front. But the nice thing about the web is we can just call him out on it and move-on...
I live in Florida and I think Charlie Crist makes judgements based on what's best for the people of Florida not his party. That to me is someone I would like to have help run the country. So much so I'm registering as a Republican so I can vote for him in 2010. I'm an Independent and I don't have a problem with the Republican platform just a problem with their attitude and representatvies.
Excuse me, Reihan, brain reading needed or we're in Obama is in a Muslim territory. It's really a case of how available are the two different forms of, if you don't mind the graphic image, prostration.
As Kirby Dick says in the video, there are many guys that claim to have had sex with him, presumably they can testify about the positions involved.
Even the right wing can't produce people who can plausibly claim they've seen Obama falling on his head in the direction of Mecca.
Exactly, how is his sexual preference relevant?
Salam glibly plays off of so many stereotypes it's hard to gauge what he really thinks, except that the Crist was weak for taking stimulus money to help Floridians. And that if Rubio ran on policy against Crist, a conservative wonk would beat out Crist's lack of backbone. Don't bet on it. I know Buckely has called for Republicans to stand back and let Obama's "overreaching" stimulus and budgets do the GOP's dirty work, positioning the party as, absurdly, the new, new voice of fiscal restraint, but that's wishful thinking. Perception is reality and anything will look better after the Bush Administration's incompetence. Most Americans expect functioning government services and health care, which is Obama's grand narrative. Subsequently, Crist will continue to do well riding Obama's progressive agenda. After Florida's November primary, it's very likely that Rubio's scorched earth campaign, policy driven or not, will instead divine the end of rabid Conservatism more broadly after Crist's Specter-like moderation beats back Rubio and wins the Senate seat.
BTW, the end of the last sentence should read ..."and, a year later, wins the Senate seat."
So, increased spending and no new taxes makes a man 'ethical' or a responsible steward of the peoples' trust?
The responsible politician would be able to say hey, you want new roads, sewers, emergency services......GUESS WHAT, they cost money. Money the government can only get from you.
The entire US has been living in a Ponzi scheme tax-wise for about 25 years. Pay your bills or remake the US into a new 'wild west'. It's either NO entitlement, or everyone is entitled, not some wishy-washy stuff about taking care of old people.
Look, Reihan....its over.
You and Ross helped summon the Demon of Palinism and you will simply never be able to exorcise it.
Remember Kylon? The pissed-off populist that chopped up those snobby elitist pythagoreans and burned their school for leaders because he couldn't get in?
Palin is Kylon in drag. Even if she never runs again she has killed the republican party. You can't get rid of her. She is writing a book. Palinism has infected the base.
You and Ross know the party needs intellectuals and elites, but you can't have any now. Elites and intellectuals and academics are excommunicated from the GOP like Frum, Christ, Powell, etc. Its a witch hunt for "elites"!
Haha! You did this.
You know the GOP can't survive without elites and intellectuals....but if you say it, you are dead to the base.
The base is like a horse that got into the barn and is devouring a whole grain bin full of delicious Palinism. It will kill the horse, but you can neither lead the horse or beat the horse away from the grain.
I live in FL and Crist would get my vote...if he was actually a Republican.
I'm pretty sure that his ill-kept secret can be best described in one compound word: bumlove.
I love Charlie Crist. Who cares about his personnal life? He's a great man and a good looking one at that.
His got my vote
Most people would rather look into others people's lives, instead of looking inside their own closets...darlilng.
You will notice scough that when the gays who post here want to say the very worst they can think of they accuse you of being one of them.
banjo1, the pathalogical gay police.
Banjo,
Maybe "teh gays" should start calling you a Chucklefuck :)
Chucklefuck, n. A wingnut whose political views are primarily shaped by fundamental errors in fact.
Fuckchuckle, v. To articulate political views as a chucklefuck.
"Did you see those fucking chucklefucks chuckfuckling at the Teabagger protest?"
*Additions to the lexicon brought to you by the good people of DKos*
heh-heh
Amend to read:
Fuckchuckle, v. To articulate political views as a chucklefuck.
"Did you see those fucking chucklefucks FUCKCHUCKLING at the Teabagger protest?"
At this point, after all the scandals and exposure on the subject, I just assume any man who says he's Republican is gay. And if he's running on a platform of "family values," he's way gay. Gosh darn it, gay used to be a happy word until the Republicans and Banjo took it over...
"Shabby governing," is right. I am a Republican and I was smart enough not to vote for this man. He has made a mess of the property tax situation in the State of Florida (read the Tax Watch reports), and this is definitely a gay man! Shameful.
Shame on you, Reihan. I thought you were one of the more thoughtful conservatives, but you're just as big a wacko firebrand than Rush, only more eloquent, which doesn't say much.
"Crist is not a conservative. With his permanent tan and slick white mane, he's more like a kinder, gentler Latin American caudillo, who wants nothing more than to be cheered on by adoring throngs."
That is an extremely unfair, over-the-top characterization, and not to mention disrespectful to the people who have suffered under the real caudillos. Just because he's not kowtowing to Rush Limbaugh and his automatons doesn't mean he's a dictator or even a socialist.
As a former conservative Republican, it was this kind of nonsense that changed my politics and pushed me away from the party.
I hate to break it to you Mr. Salam, but Ron Paul is the only Republican that I know of that is Conservative.
I live in Tallahassee and travel in Republican gay circles. Governor Crist is definitely gay, or at least bisexual. Everyone knows, but nobody particularly cares on the left or the right. Nobody cared about Foley either until it was discovered he wrote creepy text messages to minors. God knows Florida politics has its excesses, but gay witch hunts are not among them.
Crist is one of the few Republicans that I have ever voted for. I had known Crist as Attorney General and his office was the most professionally run in Florida state government. If Crist is elected senator he will vote with the Republicans about 80% of the time. The Republicans would be lucky to have a vote 80% of the time in the Senate from a blue leaning state.
Glory be, I am 66 y/o woman married to a man for 40 years and so tired of this who is gay who isn't gay. I just wonder will I live long enough to someday not hear about this anymore? Let peoples sex lives be private and lets concentrate on this real financial crisis please.
If gays stop putting their agenda ahead of everything else, deal.
Banjo,
I found a copy of the Gay Agenda. Copy and paste the url to see it.
http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/99/Sep/agenda.html
And BTW -- no deal!
Gay Agenda? When will you stop pushing your "Hayseed Pedophiles are People too" agenda?
Get a goddamn life, you are not allowed to say anything anymore you hypocrite. Banjo wants small gov't, except in the bedroom and in your church.. awesome. conflicted dumb f.u.ck.
Don't worry emPulse, Banjo is just mad that he sucked all those c*cks and now he's taking it out on you. Funny what a belly full of c*m will do to your emotions.
Well, emPulse,I guess saying very angwy things here is better than viciously snapping towels at the bath house.
Banjo,
Wow!! The first time you've used the term "bathhouse" in .... I dunno.... a few days?!
Since unbesteveable250, has diagnosed your problem, here's a little folk medicine for you:
You put the lime in the coconut
And shake 'em all together.
Put the lime in the coconut
And you feel better.
Doctor, ain't there nothin'
I can take?
Doctor ....
to relieve this belly ache?
Put the lime in the coconut ....
Charlie Christ doesn't stand for anything other than political opportunism and, apparently, believes the citizens of Florida are too stupid to choose their own home insurance--so he took that choice away from us with the banishing of State Farm Homeowner's policies in Florida. Now we have to choose more expensive house insurance policies with undercapitalized insurance companies instead.
What a genius....but, then, it DID take him three attempts to pass the state bar exam!
I still am wondering about the body count at the Dozier School for Boys. Rumor has it that there were over fifty bodies there. Whips and Chains Charlie promised the people of Florida a full investigation, and accounting for the Dozier carnage, but never turned one shovel of dirt. When they found the number of recorded deaths, that matched the number of crosses, it all stopped. Well, winds of change Charlie, when do we get the rest of the story?
Thank you.
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