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Subscribe to RSSDon't miss today's Wall Street Journal profile of Charlie Crist, which lists his various -- depending on your point of view -- policy shifts or flip-flops. "It's liberating," Crist said of running as an independent, rather than in primary chock-full of the most ideological voters. "It's a lot of fun, and I'm convinced it's what the people want."
More from the article:
Mr. Crist this year vetoed an education bill and an abortion bill sent to him by the legislature, which won him praise from many teachers and liberal women's groups. Now, in calling a special legislative session to discuss a state-constitution ban on oil drilling in state waters, he is gambling that voters will see him as protecting Florida's tourism industry in the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill... Mr. Crist's opponents note that he was open to considering offshore drilling as recently as 2009.
[snip]
Mr. Crist has made other policy shifts. Despite pledging as a Republican to help repeal President Obama's health-care overhaul, Mr. Crist now says he does not support such a move. He has long called himself "pro-life," doing so even in the interview last week. He is now quick to add that while he personally opposes abortion, he would not seek to overturn Roe v. Wade and supports abortion rights.
He came out last year in opposition to the Supreme Court nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, but now says that he "probably" took that position because he felt pressure from the GOP primary. Asked if he felt differently now, he said: "Perhaps."
"I want to do what is in my heart," Mr. Crist said last week. "But other influences have some effect, to a degree."
And then there's this:
Mr. Crist said he had spoken twice in recent weeks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The governor said he had not offered any assurances that he would caucus with the Democrats as an independent, but the discussions with Mr. Reid signal that he may be moving in that direction.
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Guess we'll leave this up to the voters in Florida. It's him and his changes (is that David Bowie I hear in the background) or bat sh!t crazy Rubio!
Hi DINOS how do like this: Your boy Bammy authorized a plane trip for his dog to join him in Maine. That's how you idiots save fuel and energy right?
Juvenile, got a cite for us?
But don't mention that the Obama family took a small jet (not AF1) to save money.
Another of your idiotic posts Juven, proving once again you are willing to believe anything derogatory about our President, spread no doubt by Faux News.
Check out snopes.com You'll find there, that what you state is FALSE.
The airport in Bar Harbor is too small to accomodate the usual Airforce 1, so two smaller planes were used, one for his aides and support staff (you do want him to be in touch and on top of things when away from the WH.? Right? The dog went with this group.
It's really dumb to run with a comment like that - here's a link that indicates the plane carried staff members that couldn't all fit into the smaller jet the Obama's took:
http://www.examiner.com/x-57254-Atlantic-City-Government-Examiner~y2010m7d18-Obama-family-dog-Bo-flies-on-his-own-private-jet
Gingerbread,
Thanks for the full disclosure. I thought they may have taken the small jet because the airport runway was too short but I wasn’t sure. Also I didn’t know there were two jets. Still probable costs less than AF1.
Also Obama has taken 65 vacation days where at the 18 month mark Bush 43 had taken 120. That is 4 months out of 18 or 22%. For the normal worker that would be 11.5 weeks a year.
With all the @!$%# we had top put up with Bush and Barney. . .
Juven stands for juvenile.
Technically speaking, it's still Air Force One. Just not the modified 747 that everyone associates with the callsign.
Cathy M.,
I like Juvenile Idiot better.
Hi Dennis,
You are welcome, I saw that note on Sunday and kept tabs on it. The President's plane was some Gulfstream model so it probably was cheaper to fly but the second one added to the fuel cost. I dont have a problem with that, of course some of our brethern on the other side no doubt will. Any President needs to take time for his family and our President is such a hard worker he needs to take some time to relax. Some here would complain he takes too many bathroom breaks.
An aside note, I visited your lovely hometown a year or so ago and throughly enjoyed myself and all the good times I had.
Gingerbread, Thanks for the side note.
Many call us a hick town but actually there are nearly 2 million in the greater Columbus area and we are the sixteenth largest city in the country – it is very spread out. When I moved here in ’72 I found it was a family friendly with tons of things to do. It is easy to navigate and we are less than a 3 hour drive to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lexington, Detroit, Indianapolis, Pittsburg and Cedar Point (voted best amusement park in the world). You can drive to Chicago in 6 hours or fly to NYC in 45 minutes. Then there is the Ohio State University, a city in itself with a population of over 75,000 students, faculty and staff.
p.s. OSU has a FY2011 budget of $56.6 billion.
But, it was fine when Bush did it, right Juven?
Yes Charlie has a knack for knowing what the reasonable voters in Florida want, he is for the people and that is why he will do well in November.
I would like to see Kendrick Meek win the primary, however, he will not win in November. Not because he is black, so much as he is not perceived as a strong candidate. He doesn't have a lot of money, therefore not well known to the voters. From a practical standpoint, Charlie will be a much better representative for Florida. People who live in So. Florida are fed up with the partisan antics of the Gopers in Tallahassee, they are all for lining each others pockets and keeping the status quo.
Is it safe to assume that by "reasonable voters" you mean anyone who believes the way that you do? (All others obviously being unreasonable voters)
And, what exactly is it that makes him "for the people"? Is it because he is now changing his mind on the things he said he was for previously? If so, what makes you believe that he will not just change his mind again once he gets elected? As far as I can see, he is the worst kind of politician - the one that will say or do anything to get elected. Who knows what he actually believes in or what he will really do if he is elected.
JC.......reasonable means those who are not extreme or in your case partisan. I dont have a problem with anyone changing their mind, circumstances often dictate that, I may not always like it, but I can understand their doing it. Is that reasonable enough for you??
What exactly is it in my response that implies "partisan"? I simply question the use of the phrase "reasonable voters" because of the implicit implication that all others are unreasonable - which immediately makes what you say after that less meaningful - not because it has no merit, but because of your approach.
In this instance, what concerns me is not that he has changed his mind on an issue, but that he has changed his mind on so many things all at once. He has either had an epiphany or is pandering in the first degree. Given that he is a career politician, I'll let you be the judge of which is more likely....
Sometimes what some people see as "flip-flopping" is really the sign of a true statesman who, when given additional information, or situtations change, may change their perspective on an issue. sounds reasonable to me...
Greg
You are on point. Many things that Obama the candidate wanted to do once he was briefed with information not given to the public and some not even given to Congress as a whole, he had to change his stance on. I think there is none so blind as the one who will not see.
Maybe Chuckles Crist has become liberated from his old facist racist party of sore losers but that doesn't mean he's become intelligently Liberal. While Chuckles has made some excellent flip flops on important policy issues like abortion, education and health care reform and hopefully on banning new offshore oil drilling off Florida's coast he's still got to prove that he won't decide to become liberated yet again from his Independent roots if elected and run back to the party of sore losers and liars who backstabbed him out of their decrepit shrinking party of Shrieking Violets. I have doubts that Chuckles Crist has become a born again Indie Rocker who will caucus with Democrats thus cementing his flip flop from the party of sore losers to the party of smart winners.
Don't be fooled Florida Democrats he's not the Droid we're looking for!
Sorry Charlie You're Not Starkist!
I disagree with you Eric.
I'm going to go with GBM here Eric. Up in my part of the woods you take what you can get when you can get it and bring a tote sack back for the rest when it gets ripe.
Eric I am not the best at knowing what the politicians will do but I have to say that I would trust Crist a lot quicker than Rubio. Rubio has already told us what his intention's are if elected where as I still remember Crist standing with the President on the stimulus and therefore creating the separation from the GOP. I have to trust Crist on this one if Meeks lose's.
I think Crist is a pretty good guy. Over the last few years I have seen him buck the Repub establishment. Obviously THEY wanted to get rid of him because he was too centrist. Go, Charlie. Kendrick Meek does not seem to have what it takes to pull ahead, so certainly it is better to have Charlie than to have Rubio.
Of Course the Repubs want to get rid of Crist, because the party can no longer stomach a Centrist an longer. The Two from Maine are probably next. The Repubs want a more pure party that toes the line. The problem now is that Bat-sh** Bachmann has created a Teabagger caucus now in Congress and many Repubs are joining. Rachael Maddow had a comment on this last night w/ Ezra Klein, the Repubs, by letting in some of these extremists, are now going to have to be responsible for their words and actions and how this will now reflect upon them. It could be great for the Dems if they find the balls to actually use the material that they keep on giving, and thats a strong if.
Crist would be a good fit and hopefully, the people of Connecticut will see the light and get rid of that idiot Leibermann but thats another strong if. I hope that Crist can actually legislate for the people of FL if he gets in. Scott Brown for the most part has done this for the people of MA because he knows that if he doesn't his bid to keep that seat will be even more difficult.
Flip-flopping may seem disingenuous but it's really working for Crist who leads by nearly 5%. Rubio, on the other hand, is married to the GOP talking points - including denying UI unless it's paid for while the wealthy can continue to enjoy their tax cuts - paid for or not!
Now that's hilarious! Complaining about the GOP talking points by spouting the Dems talking points.
I can't tell you how much amusement the average person gets from reading these comments. It's like driving down the road listening to your young children squabbling in the back seat of the car....
JC-1439099
Rubio wants the Bush tax cuts to become permanent, they will add trillions of dollars to the national debt because they aren't paid for. Yes, I'm using the Repubs talking points about the tax cuts creating revenue. They haven't. The Repubs when in power seem to care very little about the national debt, but because fiscal conservatives when not. Perhaps you can explain this to me. If the debt is so important, why did they create so much of it by not paying for the wars and an unnecessary Medicare suppliment also unpaid for and tax cuts also unpaid for and weren't concerned w/ the debt then?
I agree with you that the elected Republicans have been very poor stewards of our money, including spending money on programs like the Medicare supplement just to pander to certain segments of the population.
As for the wars, you either believe they are or are not justifiable - if so, then it had to be paid for, if not then it will seem like wasteful spending.
So, the answer to your question is: they didn't do what they were elected to do and need to be removed from office along with any other incumbents that have failed to do their job and gotten us into this position.
However, having said that, I fail to understand how their incompetence should mean that everyone making over $28K should get a tax hike, or why the marriage penalty should be restored, or why half of my father-in-law's estate (that he spent 50 years saving) should go to the government, or why we want small businesses to have to revert to depreciation methods that will make it harder for them to make a profit and stay in business.
Everyone just wants to complain about how the rich are getting all the breaks, but since I'm nowhere near rich and I'm struggling just to keep my head above water and these will almost all affect me directly, I fail to see how letting the tax cuts expire is helpful.
We hear stories about $500 hammers, bridges to nowhere, and most people know that if you look up "incompetence" in the dictionary it will say "see government". What we need is representatives that will reduce spending and waste - not just keep increasing taxes or adding to the debt.
The perfect example of this is the recent financial reform bill. Whether you are in favor of the regulations on Wall Street or not is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that once again they overlooked their own back yard. Fannie Mae (who I once worked for as a peon 20 years ago) is in just as much need of reform as Wall Street, but it is simply left out. However, I personally am no more inclined to bail them out than I am the banks - either way it is going to be more money out of our pockets.
If you really want to know what the middle class is, it is the people who have to keep paying more and more because they are caught in the middle of a war between the Keynsian theories of the left and the trickle-down theories of the right. One side believes you should just give all your money to the government and they can take care of you while the other side just borrows whatever it needs if it doesn't get enough - making whatever we do manage to hold onto worthless.
I do hope Charlie sees the importance of how oil drilling on Florida's coast has effected this part of North American. Since Charlie is having so much fun, maybe; instead of having fun he could get serious and caucus with the Dems for green jobs?
Eric,
In my mind there are essentially two outcomes of the Florida Senate election that have some level of realistic probability.
1) The vast majority of Florida Democrats vote the party line giving Meek a sizable vote but not enough to overcome Rubio who ends up winning the election.
2) Enough Florida Democrats vote of Crist to propel him to the Senate.
Do you disage with this or would you have Florida Democrats take a pricipled stand and essencially give the Senate seat to Rubio?
I believe that, as citizens, we have a duty to vote. We're not necessarily gonna like the choices! Sometimes, you just hold your nose and vote for the best (relatively speaking) candidate. They'll fill the job whether you vote or not. Jesus Christ isn't running this election cycle!
Once upon a time, Rubio was the darling of the republican party. Then something happened. Charlie Crist decided to run as an Independent and now all of a sudden, Rubio is no longer in the spotlight. He is just another tea-bagger on the road to nowhere.
The republicans decided to put all their eggs into the tea-bagger teapot before realizing that they are a ll a bunch of craziy lunatics. And now it looks like they are going to lose the seats that were practically shoo-ins for them. Charlie is now ahead in the race and so is Harry Reid.
The Used Teabaggers are actually a good thing for the Dems, They are showing the truth of what the Repubs really are and are also dividing the Repub vote. Every Used Teagagger that wins a spot in the Primaries means a staunch Repub out and blatantly radical idiot in who will not pass the smell test with the voters in November.
New Chris Christie Video
http://www.thefoxnation.com/gov-chris-christie/2010/07/20/new-chris-christie-video
We need more like him!
Why is it always flip flopping if you change your mind. Sometimes intelligent people receive new information, or come to a better uunderstanding, and then admit they were wrong and change course. Thats pretty much the definition of intelligence. Spouting the same crap since 82 that has never worked yet (not for the middle class) like cut taxes for the wealthy and that wealth will trickle down, cut regulations so any yahoo with a dream can reach his American dream at the expense of consumer health and safety and the free market will regulate itself. To keep promoting the same failed policies (for the middle class) is stupidity. I wish more republicans could change their minds, without being accused of flip flopping. Being consistent is a good thing when your correct, when you are consistently wrong people think your stupid.
Don't we all wish that people would form beliefs based on fact, rather than vice versa?! I personally don't care what people BELIEVE! It's like a lab experiment, the scientific method; give me the facts. If I can duplicate the process, then I don't have much choice but to believe. Otherwise............
Right on about changing your mind when presented with new information. Johannes Kepler believed for decades that planetary motion was dictated by the perfect solids. If he had stuck to his position despite new information he would never have discovered the laws of planetary motion.
Now he needs to finally come out of the closet!
Forrest Grump -
As a general rule, I tend to agree with you - I think "flip-flopping" and "he was before it before he was against it" are way over-used in political attacks, and I too would love to hear more politicians admit they were wrong on an issue, especially if they could document the new information or any other impetus that caused their change of belief. As you say, that's a sign of intelligence, or at least open-mindedness, and I'll take either one over blind adherence to ideology or toeing the party line any day.
My problem here - and I'll admit I don't follow Florida politics closely - is that at least in the article above, I don't see much explanation of where or when Crist saw the light.
"He came out last year in opposition to the Supreme Court nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, but now says that he "probably" took that position because he felt pressure from the GOP primary. Asked if he felt differently now, he said: "Perhaps."
"I want to do what is in my heart," Mr. Crist said last week. "But other influences have some effect, to a degree."
Other influences like polls? Primary results? Political expediency? Survival instinct?
Don't get me wrong; if he's sincerely coming over to our side, or even the middle, great. I hope he proves me wrong. But from here, this sounds a little too much like Arlen Specter deja vu all over again.
I dont think so Joanne, in talking with people, he is not viewed as an Arlen Spector. No one knows these things for sure, however, I do believe that he will be the better representive for Florida and that is what I am looking at in deciding who will get my vote.
For a politician to change their stance on a particular subject especially if it benefits more than the few, I tend to look at that as a strenght of character. When Charlie Crist decided to accept stimulous funds for Florida, he was pilloried by his party, for them it was the ultimate insult, greet a President of a different party and accept and promote the funds, oh my, he was done for. He chose to help the people of Fl. All of this before he turned Independent, it was at that point, he realized he might as well go for broke and since then he is trying to make our lives better. Today he has a special session going on to discuss not drilling off our coastlines and will endeavour to make sure it stays that way.
Gingerbread - I'm glad to hear that he seems like a good guy - a number of other people on here seem to agree with you. I'll cross my fingers! And actually, if Joe Sestak had never come along, I'd have easily voted for Specter in November over Pat Toomey. I've actually voted for him at least once in the past, as Democrats in PA have been known to field some pretty conservative candidates themselves. As IR, VA responded to you above, sometimes you just gotta take what you can when you get it.
Many months ago I predicted Crist would turn independent and win the seat. And he will. Now I'm predicting that Crist will join the Democrats by the time he runs for re election as a Florida senator. He'll stay independent until then but will definitely caucus with the Democrats and will be a centrist in his voting. I wish he was in California. We could use someone like him in our state. For those of you who accuse him of flip flopping, I respect him for confirming that he was squeezed into some of his past positions by a much out of touch Republican party. It shows how much arm twisting they engage it within their party. You can't think for yourself and remain in the Republican party. They will vote you out like they did Crist and will do next election to Brown in Massachusettes. Another senator who will become independent to keep his senate seat and win again. Thank you Tea Party for stacking the odds in the Democrats and Independents favore this coming November. Next Republican majority in House or Senate? 2014, 2016 or maybe beyond.
Charlie may be a lot better off staying independent and keeping everyone guessing.
I have always thought that Charlie Christ was a reasonable man. I wish him well!
Charlie Crist has done many great things for Florida even as a Republican he bucked the system. Floridians know those issues that he tackled regardless of whether you are a Dem, Repub or Independent. Crist has always done the right thing for the people of Fl.
He backed off the HomeOwners Insurance companies from charging Floridians more than 40% increase in premiums all the while Republicans even voted to let the Insurane companies charge whatever they wanted in direct opposition to Florida Law
Crist refuse to impose medical test on Abortion candidates
Crist Stood with the Parents of Florida and the educators from a Republican Congress who was using our school system for purely Political Gain at our children's expense.
Crist stood with the family of the teen who was killed while in custody of the Boot Camp beaten to death while the nurse stood and watched
Crist accepted stimulus money because of the Recession caused by the Republicans because he knew the people of the state needed the money to survive
Charlie is well like by all regardless of party and he will be elected the next Senator of the State of FL because most of us regardless of party those who really know him will be voting for him and not a Republican talking head come election time.
If the rightards fall short in taking over congress, they only have themselves to blame. Running people like Charlie Crist and Arlen Specter out of the party cost them 2 easy Senate seats. Pandering to their Looney Tune teabagger fringe will also hurt them. The American people should be grateful for the Pug ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!
YES---------- Of course, even if it costs us seats we will run the RINOS and demlites out of the Republican Party.
Crist is about to find out why he lost the republican primary he was playing footsies withe parasites.
We will get rid of Obama in 2012, rhe rinos we don't get in this year, we'll get in 2012 and 2014.
2012 we repeal the insurance farce, then we start on the leech bills the dems have been passing for the last 50 years.
If you are living on the backs of the tax payers, you might want to look around for some "relearn to work," classes, it is going to get very hugry for the vampires.
Right now the pendulum of political momentum is swinging in the conservative direction and the GOP is poised to do well in November but its going hurt the Republicans when the pendulum starts swing to back the other direction and all of the centerist have been booted from the party.
I don't recall First Read or most of the other "serious" media ever referring to any of John McCain's numerous "policy shifts" as flip-flops, either during the his presidential campaign or his even more radical reversals during his desperate struggle to win the AZ Senate nomination.
At least Crist had a rational basis for changing his position on offshore drilling: the disastrous BP OIL BLOWOUT. Doncha think that might cause some people to rethink their pro-drilling positions just a bit? (Sarah Palin not included, of course) The only reason McCain made most of his dizzying "policy shifts" was to pander to the far-out rightwing of the Republican base. He seldom had any principled reason for them.