So can we get Crist to run as a Democrat?

[thatsrightimirish]

Given the Republicans clear hatred of anything resembling a moderate, I do not think they will be sincerely welcoming the Florida governor in their caucus. It seems to me that if he runs he will be the clear favorite to win.

[Zynx]

1. He was a huge lover of the stimulus bill. Republicans hate him for that.

[YOY]

2. I really don't feel like snuggling up to Dr. Cat Killer...

but it could happen.

[SteppingRazor]

3. Er .. who?

You talking about Frist? I beleive the OP is referring to Charlie Crist, Gov. of Florida.

[YOY]

10. Damn...Crist...Frist...My bad.

Second F-up of the day. I must be getting senile in my mid 30s.

[SteppingRazor]

4. Probably not. In fact, almost definitely not.

Specter switched parties because he feared losing a GOP primary with a challenge from the right. Crist has no such motivation.

[Ian David]

5. Maybe a Log Cabin Republican. n/t

[Bankhead_ATL]

9. Yeah i hear things about him

[gcomeau]

6. Unlikely.

He has no need to switch, his approval ratings in Florida make him pretty much unassailable unless something significant changes down there.

[Bankhead_ATL]

7. Crist is the only Repug i would vote for if i had to

[csziggy]

8. Florida already has a "moderate" Democratic Senator in Bill Nelson

We need a real progressive Democratic Senator, not another compromise.

I'm all for Crist running as a Republican if he can get them to back him. He's pissed off enough Right Wing Nut Republicans that he should be pretty easy to defeat.

[SteppingRazor]

11. I think that's a pretty big miscalculation, on both counts.

Crist would kill in a gubernatorial or Senate race. Sure, hardcore conservatives don't like him much, but they'll still vote for him over a Dem., and his bucking the party means that he gets some good numbers among independent swing voters and old-school Democrats who often go Republican in Florida.

Second, the idea of a progressive Senator in Florida. This ain't the Northeast. This is freaking Florida. I think that, yes, we can do better than Nelson, but the idea of getting a Wellstone or Feingold in the Senate from Florida is a pipe dream. Politics is the art of the possible.

[csziggy]

13. I'd probably be happy with a Clinton type as a Florida Senator

But not another DINO. I accept Nelson since up here with the Right Wing Nut Panhandle and all the military bases and retirees, he's the best we could hope for. But I can hope that sometime in my lifetime Florida will elect a modern Democratic Senator more like Bob Graham or Lawton Chiles. OK, I give you this - by DU lights, they were not 'progressives' but they were a shitload more progressive than Martinez or Crist.

[SteppingRazor]

14. I definitely agree with that.

I's love to see a latter-day Lawton Chiles in the Senate. Hell, that'd be fun just from a political junkie point of view, much less actually getting stuff done for the state. :)

[csziggy]

15. Problem is the county Chiles was from, Polk, has been dark red for a while

Though they were almost purple in November!

You see, I am from there - my grandmother taught Lawton Chiles in Sunday School. I miss the old style Democratic politicians like Chiles and even old Spessard Holland. I've become more progressive than those guys ever would have been, but they had integrity and stood by their principles so I might have voted for them if they were still around.

But Crist IMO is not a good compromise for Democratic voters. We need our own candidate. I'd be happy if Crist ran as a Republican since I don't think many of the GOP's hard core people would fully back him, which would give our candidate a better chance.

Kendrick Meeks is the only candidate so far that gets me at all excited. And he could excite many of the voters that got involved in the Obama campaign.

[SteppingRazor]

16. I worry that Meek, while hugely popular here in South Florida...

doesn't have the juice to do a statewide campaign and haul in votes in North and Central Fla.

As for Crist, if he does jump into the Senate race, I think it's pretty much a done deal. Independents will swing with him, and so goes the election. That said, I think that if he goes to the Senate, we could easily get Alex Sink in the governor's house. Wouldn't be such a bad trade, especially considering that Crist would be replacing the execrable Mel Martinez.

[csziggy]

17. No Democratic candidate would have a chance in the Panhandle

But here in Leon and maybe Gadsden and Jefferson, if we can get the Obama people back together, he'd have a chance. I don't remember how the Alachua County vote went - but you are right, much of Central Florida would not go for him.

And yes, Crist would be better than Martinez, but harder to defeat down the road. Then, having two middle of the road Senators that would actually vote for the good of their state would be better than a real Right Wing Nut job like what we have running the state legislature!

[Thrill]

12. Let him run as a Republican. But he'll be more liberal than Bayh too