This race is a race that should be a potential loss for the Republicans. It should be a solid-R turned to toss-up. It should be fairly easy to slap down a self-avowed “tea party” candidate. Yet it is not. Yet the Republican Party is winning now by double digits. Yet for some reason, the Republicans are likely to get one of their potentially most desirable candidates, nationally speaking, elected. Why? Because for once the “tea party” is being thrown on the left.
When you look at the political landscape, it is divided into several different groups. Out of all these groups, the “progressives” are supposed to be the reasonable ones. They are the ones who realize that, with an easily misled public, a “public option” would be more politically attainable. They also realize that someone like Ben Nelson is as good as it gets from Nebraska but that Blanche Lincoln and especially Joe Lieberman are out of the mainstream in their respective states (Arkansas and Connecticut).
Yet in Florida, the “progressives” are launching their own quixotic bid with Ralph Nader Kendrick Meek and thus handing the Florida general election from Al Gore Charlie Crist to George Bush Marco Rubio. Because, when reasonably looked at, a vote for Kendrick Meek is nothing more than a vote for Marco Rubio. Disagree? Let’s break it down:
Facts, the things that can’t be disputed:
- Charlie Crist is not dropping out.
- Kendrick Meek cannot win a three-way race.
- Kendrick Meek is not a progressive, at least as some would define that word.
- Charlie Crist’s voters are mostly Democrats and people who want him to behave accordingly.
Assumptions, the things that are reliable but disputable:
- Charlie Crist will vote somewhere between Bill and Ben Nelson. This could be assumed either because, as the naïve believe, Charlie Crist is now free from the Republican purity pledges or, as the mathematicians reason, 63%>20% (supporters of Crist who want him to side with Democrats).
- Charlie Crist, and not Kendrick Meek, can win. Has any analysis shown a path for Kendrick Meek to win? No. Besides, you don’t need to be Roger Ailes to see what ads would be thrown his way: Barack Obama on the right says something and then Kendrick Meek on the left says the same with the tag line being “do we really want another one”. It might not be something that is nice to say but it is what it is.
Conclusions:
Here is what should happen, but won’t, because Kendrick Meek would rather Marco Rubio win to prolong his political career until November: Kendrick Meek should stay in until October, positive on himself and negative on Marco Rubio. If he finds an opening, perhaps if Marco Rubio is arrested and Charlie Crist comes out of the closet and trips over his own ego, then he stays in and wins. If, by October, he still is struggling to get the Democratic vote, let alone the majority of the vote, then he, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and if possible Robert Wexler stand shoulder-to-shoulder and announce their endorsing Charlie Crist. As compensation to the Democratic Party, Charlie Crist announces a few days later that Rick Scott is too dangerous to be allowed to win and he is thus endorsing Alex Sink. Charlie Crist could then structure his positions so as to provide a cushion for the inevitable flip-flop attacks (that are starting to launch). For instance:
Healthcare: “I oppose the Healthcare bill because it, quite frankly, did not go far enough. As Senator, I would have worked with both sides to bridge the gap in favor of things like the Dorgan amendment, drug re-importation. While I called for repeal, I now see that it is better to ‘keep-but-modify’.”
Environment: “I am Gov. Charlie Crist and I saw firsthand the need to break our addiction to oil. For a tourism destination, and a state that loves its beautiful beaches, we need to move to cleaner, greener, better energy sources but we need to do it smartly, with programs like cash-for-clunkers.”
Jobs: “As Governor, I supported the stimulus even though I thought it was imperfect. By realizing what Nobel-prize winning economists said was necessary, was necessary, I was deemed to impure by the Republican Party. Further, as the people of Florida are hurting, Republicans are tuning out in favor of millionaires like Glenn Beck and Rick Scott.”
Charlie Crist is no progressive, but neither are Alex Sink, Bill Nelson, or Marco Rubio.