In this Jan 2, 2007 post, fellow blogger Eyeball took umbrage at Florida Gov. Charlie Crist referring to himself as a populist. But now, after the passage by the Florida legislature of new insurance provisions touted to lower rates we have state Democratic politicians referring to him that way. What’s going on here and how should progressives respond to it?
The title of this piece comes from a quote used in the last chapter of Kos’ and Armstrong’s Crashing the Gate. When they asked Montana governor Brian Schweitzer what he would want to hear if people on the street were asked about the Democratic Party he thought for a bit and then responded with conviction, "They are the party on our side."
Like almost all politicians, Charlie Crist dreams of being president one day. And it is clear that he understands that the best way for him to make that dream a reality is to develop the perception in voters that he is on their side.
Now, there is never any way to determine what a politician really believes in. We always have to judge them on their actions, not their words. And Crist’s actions since being elected are quite interesting
Certainly the appointment of Democrat Bob Butterworth to head the troubled Department of Children and Families and Democrat Walt McNeil to head the embattled Department of Juvenile Justice speak to Crist’s willingness to find the best person for the job. These efforts are to be applauded by progressives.
During the gubernatorial race, Crist often praised his predecessor, Jeb Bush, but then immediately began repudiating much of what Bush stood for after the election. This does not mean that Crist has substantially different positions on issues, but rather that he is not an ideologue and that he is astute enough to realize the unpopularity of much of the radical Republican right wing agenda.
The implosion of the Bush administration on a national level and the 2006 electoral failure of the Republican Party has certainly helped to steer Crist on the path he is following. The first hint came when he snubbed President Bush at a Florida campaign fund raiser right before the election.
From a governance point of view, having a leader who speaks out for citizens and can deliver quality legislation is a good thing and we should not care what party that person is in. (Now, I have no idea if the Insurance legislation just passed is "a good thing", only time will tell on that, but the solution provided certainly had a populist spin to it, and Crist deserves the credit for that). But from a partisan point of view, and with an eye to the presidential election of 2008, which party gets identified as being on the people’s side is very important.
For that reason it is good for Democrats to ally themselves with Crist on progressive issues and to claim him as their own when he governs well. At a recent Leon County Democratic Executive Committee meeting, State Senator David Aronberg said that the joke going around Tallahassee was that Charlie Crist was the best Democratic governor ever elected.
And to insure that the Republican Party is negatively branded as not being on the people’s side, we have a recent article on the stem cell issue to guide us:
The state would pay for stem cell research, including studies using cells harvested from embryos, under a bill filed Tuesday in the Florida Legislature that may have new hope because of backing from Gov. Charlie Crist.
[big snip]
Crist, a Republican, may use his bully pulpit to push for the money this year. He acknowledged the issue has split his party, but said he doesn't think the divide is as wide as some perceive. (emphasis added).
It is critical for bloggers to isolate the radical Republican right wing from the general population. This is the tactic that was used by Karl Rove and Newt Gingrich to paint Democrats as snooty elitists who were out of touch with most of America. The time has come for payback.
The disaster of governance that the George Bush administration represents gives us all the ammunition we need. And if Gov. Crist thinks the split is not wide, we need to make it clear to everyone that it is. What’s the talking point?
The right wing of the Republican Party is OUT OF TOUCH with what average Americans want from their government.
Say it loud, say it often.
Also at FLA Politics