FL-Sen: Crist on social issues

The Senate primary in Florida is currently shaping up as the most interesting primary this cycle (though a Specter-Sestak primary would give it a run for its money), and I'm increasingly intrigued by the notion that Crist would bail on the Republicans if Rubio's poll numbers continue to improve.

Things like this and this certainly don't speak to modern conservatism -- a certain level of pragmatism and comfort working with non-right wing ideologues. Even empathy!

A few weeks before he was sworn in, he read a story in the Miami Herald about Kevin Estinfil, a disabled twelve-year-old who needs special thermal blankets to stay alive because his body can’t regulate its own temperature. A state office had spent thousands of dollars in legal fees to deny a claim for the blankets, which would have cost $360 per year. Crist cut a personal check for that amount and visited the boy. When the head of the tight-fisted agency announced her resignation, it hardly seemed like a coincidence — and Crist came off as "the people’s governor," as he likes to call himself.

But what of Crist's views on social issues? Digging around, it's incredible how squishy he is on those issues. That link above, from a skeptical piece at the conservative National Review while Crist was being bandied about as a potential McCain veep choice, has a great summary:

More troubling may be Crist’s views on abortion. "I am pro-choice," he said a decade ago. "I believe that a woman has the right to choose." As a member of a key committee in the state senate, he cast the deciding vote against a bill that would have required a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions. During the GOP gubernatorial primary in 2006, Crist’s main opponent, Tom Gallagher, tried to get to Crist’s right on social issues but suffered from his own credibility problems. Crist beat him, and then defeated Democratic congressman Jim Davis in the general election.

Today, Crist calls himself pro-life. "I changed my mind," he says. "I think it’s important to protect the sanctity of life." Unlike Mitt Romney, Crist has no story about how and why his beliefs changed. "It’s just a maturation of my views," he says. Does he believe Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided? "No. I don’t think it should be overturned. I’m not running for the Supreme Court." Can he think of a single new restriction he would place upon abortion in Florida? "No. I’m comfortable with the status quo. So are most Floridians." He goes on to say that he has supported tax incentives for adoption.

"Social issues make him very uncomfortable," notes one Florida Republican. During his campaign for governor, Crist signed a petition in support of a ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage — a cause that the state GOP had backed financially. Since taking office, however, Crist has opposed further party donations to advance the initiative. "It’s a good idea and I’ll vote for it," he says, "but it’s not a front-burner issue for me." He has called himself a "live-and-let-live kind of guy," and says that civil unions for gays are fine.

Could the guy possibly be any more all over the map? Whether on abortion or gay rights (and he's rumored to be closeted), his position seems to be "against it, but for it". And such political confusion is a clear sign that he's struggling between his own beliefs and the more rigid requirements of his intolerant party.

Throw in his support for the restoration of voting rights for felons (vehemently opposed by his party), his strong support for efforts to combat global warming, and quotes like this, "Sometimes big business can be as bad as big government and become arrogant, sloth-like, and detrimental", and you've got someone who has all the trappings of a Rockafeller Republican. And for that crowd, the modern GOP is no longer a hospitable place.

If Crist doesn't realize that now, Rubio will soon deliver that lesson. With Florida's closed primary, Crist's big support among Democrats and Independents will be of little use. What's left isn't part of his obsolete wing of the GOP.