Who is the most popular U.S. born Republican, right now?
Well, he isn’t running for President. And the guy you’re thinking of is Austrian.
He’s Charlie Crist. The guy on the right to the right. He’s the new Governor of Florida. Think Schwarzenegger with better hair and a Made in USA label on him.
With Republicans preferring "none of the above" to all their current options (including Fred Thompson as Hamlet) it’s beginning to look like there will not be a knock-out blow during the primaries.
There may even be an effort to select uncommitted slates of delegates and actually let the convention choose the nominee.
This would suit Charlie Crist fine. Because he’s not going to run.
He would have to be drafted.
Crist has only been Governor of Florida for six months. Before that he
was the state’s attorney general. But look at what he has done:
- Pushed through a big tax cut.
- Dealt with the state’s insurance crisis.
- Gone all green on us.
- Supported drivers’ rights.
- Signed a death warrant.
- Kept his popularity.
Crist has voters approving his moves, even while Democrats continue to insist the state should naturally belong to them. Crist has also dealt with long-standing rumors he’s gay with a new girlfriend.
More important for Republicans — what else you got? A guy in a dress?
A guy you don’t trust? A guy you don’t like? A bunch of nobodies? A TV
star with TV principles?
There is increasing desperation in Republican ranks. If Crist’s
predecessor, Jeb Bush, is seen around Tallahassee in the next few
months, making nice-nice with his successor, you will know something is
up. If you hear Ah-nuld continue to talk up the record of his Florida
doppelganger, that’s hint number two. If Tim Russert decides to
interview him, that’s hint number three. All it will take is a
whispering campaign in the months leading to the convention for all
this to start rolling forward.
A brokered convention could easily turn to Charlie, especially as it appears that all its other options are dead-losses.
You read it here first.
