The recent defection of former Florida Governor Charlie Crist from the GOP caught some around the country by surprise. But, many have also suspected that a disheartened Crist may have been feeling alienated by a party who once regarded him as a potential party leader, and even a possible presidential nominee. Enter Marco Rubio, and suddenly Crist was no longer welcome. Once Republicans saw Crist hug President Obama, there was no way they could stand to put their support behind him. Unfortunately for Charlie, public bipartisanship is now an easy way to get nudged out of the GOP. Given this developing situation, it’s worth taking a look at four key hypotheticals questions facing conservatives this fall and beyond.
1.) Would an Independent or RINO (Republican in Name Only) version of Senator Christ caucus with Republicans on party line votes if he is fortunate enough to win his upcoming election bid?
2.) Is Crist making a purposeful move to the left (or the Center in 2010)? And by doing so, will he emerge (along with Scott Brown) as one of the few moderate conservatives left standing in the US Congress after the 2010 midterm elections?
3.) If Crist or the Democratic nominee wins in a three way race over Marco Rubio, does that prove, to an extent, that the rise of Tea Party style, fringe-right politics will ultimately hurt the GOP in races beyond this November?
4.) Finally, if Crist is not considered “Republican enough” for the GOP in Florida or elsewhere, is there now enough room in the political spectrum for a new, moderate-Republican third party that would potentially overlap with blue dog Democrats, and also potentially court conservative independents who are more centrist than the rightist candidates currently leading the Republican Party?
KTI welcomes your answers and comments…
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