Wexler: " I'm here to endorse Gov. Charlie Crist because he has earned it.. he has truly earned it"

Threading his way through sign-waving critics who labeled him a turncoat, former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler today took an act that he said he once thought was anathema: He endorsed a onetime GOP standard bearer over the Democratic candidate in the U.S. Senate race.

“There is a special time in which elected officials and people to which people look to have to put country before party and this is one of those times,” the seven-term Democratic Congressman told a crowd of his former constituents at Century Village west of Boca Raton. "I am here to endorse Gov. Charlie Crist because he has earned it. He has truly earned it."

http://www.postonpolitics.com/2010/09/wexler-throw-support-to-crist/comment-page-1/

I think a comment further down in the article by a "loyal" Democrat attending the rally says it all..

"Before early voting begins and before the absentee ballots go out I will be analyzing the polls very closely and if I feel and the people feel that Kendrick Meek can’t be a winner, my vote won’t be for Charlie Crist, it will be against Marco Rubio," he said. "I’m a loyal Democrat, but one thing we can’t have is Marco Rubio up there swinging and swaying the U.S. Senate. That would be a catastrophe."

How many of us would elect to step away from our own DEM candidate? That said, I can not cringe enough--thinking of the repercussions of a RUBIO win and that certainly appears where we are headed if something dramatic does not change.

He will likely be a more reliable vote than many of our current blue dog types in the Senate.

He strikes me as one who would have been a democrat had he been a politician in a less red state to begin with. That said, I understand the difficulty many have in abandoning the Democrat who won the primary.

That said, is there any indication that Meek would walk away? Given Al Gore is set to campaign for him, I'd guess not....(Because unless he dropped out, I don't see Crist getting enough cross-over votes to have a chance).

but the thought of teabagger Rubio sitting in the US Senate spewing hardcore RW crap for the next 6 years should convince them to do the right thing.

So that is pretty much a certain cup of tea, not one for me. He seems pretty Republican when he says he thinks Palin is ready to be President.
I'd never vote for anyone who promoted that candidacy. Period.

But to be devil's advocate, I guess he had to say that when he was still a RETHUG. The majority of politicians are all about opportunism. How else can we explain our own administration buddying up to the Bushies*, leaving in place many of the worst of their policies, and failing to investigate, much less prosecute.

That said, I'm not a Crist fan. Just a Dem who is terrified of getting some of these teabaggers in the Senate. I have to worry about the insane teabagger Buck beating Bennett in Colorado, I look at Angle possibly beating Reid, that thug Palinbot, Miller in ALaska, for starters... and I am horrifically terrified.

how he will caucus, but perhaps with this endorsement, more information will be forthcoming! Even if it's not totally true. But he and Wexler know each other pretty well. And as a Democrat, Wexler has been more of my kind of Democrat than Meek has been!

How he put the Democrats in a lock box by not demanding a paper trail.

I just don't trust the guy. But I suppose that Rubio is much, much worse. What I think is happening is a split vote between Crist and Meek.

It's horrible, but I saw clips of the debate with Meek and was incredibly impressed. It's just so unfair that the Democrat can't get enough visibility.

But if it means no Rubio in the Senate seat, then so be it.

By the way, there will be no African American representation in the Senate. None... :(

Is that possible?

Crist is the independent, and should be the one leaving the race. Having BOTH Meek and Crist on the ballot will assure a Rubio win.

Crist should step aside and endorse Meek. He can't win and is only being the spoiler in this race.

dropping out. I just don't get what makes Floridians vote for these cretins. :shrug:

Unless some really earth shattering news breaks about Rubio that causes a huge number of GOP to switch to Crist (or suddenly not vote), I just don't see any chance of either Crist or Meek winning this one. The numbers are just too far ahead for Rubio. It's very depressing- remember also that they own the voting machines so even if it were closer, a point or two will be skimmed off the top in Rubio's favor as well... Maybe Crist has some big October surprise up his sleeve- or Meeks will unleash some devistating news about Rubio and Crist and the GOP, I'm not hopeful about winning this seat.

We will see what this endorsement does. It might cause other big name Dems to come out publicly and support Crist. Also Crist could make some news by announcing he is caucusing with the Dems. There also might be a "deal" in the works. We will see how this plays out... I am hopeful.

Here's the link to ome of the reports--http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/120973-in-florida-wexler-endorses-crist. Then again on Kos, there's a piece saying that Crist is sinking in the polls. I hope you are correct and we still have a shot at a non Rubio win...

Rubio is definitely doing well in the polls but there's still a month to go and alot can happen.

Situations like this really make me wish for instant runoff voting. Rubio would be disaster, Crist might be okay. But when I go to fill out my ballot, I can't hedge my bets

I know because lunkheads created a situation where NC will be having a statewide IRV contest
for one vacated seat for Court of Appeals. The seat was vacated too late to include in the primary.

As of today, 2 weeks from voting, we do not have tallying procedures.

There has NEVER been a statewide IRV contest in a General Election in the US.
It was used in primaries in about 5 states before 1930 but was rejected after that.

IRV is not additive, and would have to be centrally tallied.
IRV incentivizes more complex software, making the process even more opaque.

Further, IRV weakens third parties if they are not already strong.
Example: in San Francisco, where IRV has been used since 2004,
there are no elected third party officials.

The last Green Party elected official switched to the Democratic party this year.

Bottom line, though is that whether you like IRV or not, it makes it harder to count
votes accurately, and your vote for your preferred candidate can in some cases hurt them.

way. It is that simple. Here is what the GOP in Florida has done to the Democrats there. They will get tons of Democrats to vote for recent Republican Crist, while Rubio still takes the seat. The message there is that Republicans win and place, because the Democrats can not bother to show up and vote for the Democrat.
Crist endorsed Palin, chanted 'drill baby drill' with her, cheered her on and says she is ready to be President. I'd vote for that man when hell froze over. Any pal of Palins is a Republican to me. And I am a Democrat.

He was beating Rubio in the Republicant primaries until he toured Florida with President Obama to tout the stimulus. This caused the Teabaggers to revolt and back Rubio.

It doesn't matter. Rubio is too far ahead now. The die has been cast. Oregonians can watch Floridians send Jeb Bush's hand picked Senate candidate go to Washington. Respectfully, people need to inform themselves on a state's politics before they opine on them.

Crist has no discernable principles that I can see aside from the principle that Crist should be in office. Until about a week ago he was anti gay in every sense of the word and now he favors everything short of marriage equality. Which Crist would show up in the Senate if elected?

to move in the direction where wind is blowing.
I can not believe good democrats will actually vote for
this snake.

It would be one thing if say Snowe or Collins actually switched parties or were running in a three way race against a weak Democrat. Crist is not some moderate he is a conservative who is moderate on a few issues who now is just flipping flopping around.

that Rubio will be the next Senator from Florida and for all Democrats who have thought of the Miami Cuban mafia as the sound of fingernails on a blackboard, Rubio will take it to a whole new level. The only chance we have is to bite our tongues, swallow hard and support Crist on the off chance that he can make it. In any case Charlie will be a lot closer to our positions than a lot of our own blue dog Dems.

with many of my Democratic friends...WE are voting for Crist! And with THIS endorsement, I want to think it will be helpful!

I live here and so many of us are torn apart at the mere thought of RUBIO! Rubio is just too horrible to fathom and I'm finding more and more people saying... ANYBODY but RUBIO! And Rubio has a lot of skeletons that many don't even know about! If one doesn't follow politics closely then they aren't aware. My wish is that BEFORE the zero hour, much will come to light!

Even the Sarasota Herald Tribune (this county is Ruby Red) has written about the baggage of RUBIO! Only time will tell, but there is still time! I NEVER felt Meek was the best or a strong candidate, and he's DLC, but I've been sitting on the fence until today!

Sorry, call me out if you wish, but I live here and I'm sick of what is going on in this state. From the get-go Meek has been in THIRD place, so we are between a rock and a hard place. But I DO know that more people are taking a harder look and barring some wondrous news from Meek, I seriously doubt he's going to surpass Crist! Also, I have yet to see ONE road sign or poster for Meek as I drive around this county!

And as far as Crist being anti-Gay, he may have said so, it's entirely possible I missed it, but for those of us who live here... WE KNOW! There's even been documentaries about his sexual preference! Sure, it's hypocritical but maybe as an Independent he will be more open to certain facts!

I think I've posted this about 100 times, but as a Governor he has been more moderate than I ever thought he would be! He's not anti-abortion as far as I know, plus he's AGAINST off-shore drilling!

I'm outta here, been making comments about this most of the day! I can't use the word hope, but I wish the BIG GUYS will stay out of this one! I live in a county where Rahm stuck his fingers in a Congressional race and then vanished when his chosen one lost! A former Repuke, turned Democrat who lost by 369 votes in an election that was a farce! Didn't like it then, don't like it now!

These people don't have a clue about Florida politics. It's not out of love for Crist but fear and contempt for Rubio that they are endorsing Crist to stop him. I'm afraid it's too late. I thought Crist could do it but the Miami Teabagger is too strong.

it kind loses its effectiveness!!!

Twelve percent of Florida Democrats (over 200000) voted for Republican George Bush



This from the same people who brought us Bush in 2000. Great repeat.

Their idea of a Democrat is Joe Lieberman. I remember an interview with the chairman of the democratic party of one of those counties who went on TV and said he had voted for Bush against Gore and would vote for Bush again vs Kerry.

If only Crist would just go away, Kendrick Meek started as a D and should have our full support and follow through.

turn the turncoats out!

Without Crist in the race to siphon off Republicant leaning independents and Republicant leaning Democraots Meek would lose the way Hugh Rodham did in a similar political environment in 1994. Google the 1994 Florida Senate race.

(by "we" I don't mean me, I mean Dems in general).

That said, I like Meek. He's got his "skeletons" but he's right on a number of issues. But he's a milquetoast candidate that never really came out swinging hard. I'm hoping he/we use our remaining time to get aggressive.

But then...Dems don't do aggressive. Defense? Oh, defense we've got nailed. :eyes:

The only reason Wexler or any Democrat is supporting Crist is because they have concluded Meek can't win and they are trying to stop Rubio by any legal means necessary.