I’m somewhat mystified by Kos’s decision to woo Charlie Crist over to the Democratic Party. Kos keeps insisting that Crist has no chance of winning the Republican nomination to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida, and suggesting that Crist switch parties. Now, I am not a huge fan of Kendrick Meek and I don’t think he has a great chance of beating Mario Rubio in a head-to-head matchup. But he’d have some chance. And he’s a Democrat. Maybe he’s kind of a centrist Democrat, but this is Florida. I can live with that.
I’m guessing here, but I think Markos thinks the only way we can prevent Rubio from being elected is to get Crist to switch parties and run as a Democrat. Presumably, he’d beat Meek in a Democratic primary (using Kos’s logic) and cream Rubio in the general election. I don’t know about the first part of that scenario. How is Crist going to win a closed Democratic primary against Kendrick Meek? Let’s look at some of the problems he’d be facing.
Crist is not only solidly pro-life, but he appointed the man who coined the term ‘partial-birth abortion’ to the Florida Supreme Court. He’s called for the end of Affirmative Action. He’s proud of fighting against gay marriage and supports the Florida Defense of Marriage Act. He endorsed a Florida ban on gay couples adopting children. He signed a bill that prevents companies from telling their employees or customers that they can’t bring firearms onto their property. He “strongly opposes the health care legislation being debated in Congress.”
That’s just the opposition research I could bring up in fifteen minutes. It seems unlikely that Crist could beat Meek or North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns in a closed primary. Why would Democrats vote for him? I know I wouldn’t.
And that’s kind of my point. What good would Crist be as a Democrat if he were elected as one. He’s got a decent environmental record for a Republican. And he’s not a religious nut (see Terri Schiavo). That’s the most I can say for him.
Would he be better than Mario Rubio? Sure. He’d be better than most Republicans in Congress. That doesn’t mean he should be invited to join the Democratic Party. I can make compromises to keep control of the Senate, but this one seems hackneyed and premature. Maybe Kos just likes taunting the man.