May 12, 2009

5/12: What Crist Hath Wrought

The political blogosphere is abuzz over the news that popular FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R) will run for the Senate seat held by retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R). Liberal bloggers were disappointed by Crist's announcement, as they believe that he's a "lock" to win both his primary race against ex-state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) and the general election against the likely Dem nominee, Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-17). Markos Moulitsas has even written a tongue-in-cheek post urging the Club for Growth to take out Crist in the GOP primary.

Conservative bloggers, meanwhile, strongly prefer Rubio to the "tax-hiker" Crist, and they're annoyed that the NRSC is backing Crist in the primary. One righty blogger complains: "Why would any conservative ever send another dime to the NRSC after this? [...] To hell with Charlie Crist and to hell with the NRSC. Go give some money to Marco Rubio."

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• In a hypothetical MO GOP SEN primary, at least one conservative blogger prefers Rep. Roy Blunt (R-07) and ex-Treas. Sarah Steelman (R) over law prof Thomas Schweich (R). In a hypothetical TX GOP GOV primary, at least one conservative blogger prefers Gov. Rick Perry (R) over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R).
• Conservative bloggers (Hawkins, Klein, Lopez) are chastising RNC Chair Michael Steele after he said that one of the reasons that the GOP base rejected ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) during last year's presidential primary race was "because it had issues with Mormonism." Several righty bloggers (Cost, Allahpundit, Ace of Spades) have had enough of Steele's PR problems and are calling for his resignation.
• Liberal bloggers (Drum, Benen, Aravosis, Morrill) are blasting NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions for alleging that Pres. Obama is trying "to inflict damage and hardship on the free enterprise system, if not to kill it" as part of a "divide and conquer" strategy to consolidate power.
• Some liberal bloggers (Cohn, Yglesias, Dayen) are cautiously optimistic about reports that health insurance industry officials have promised to cut costs by $2T over the next decade. Others (Klein, Drum, digby) are worried that these industry groups will want substantial concessions in return for their efforts, such as the elimination of Obama's proposed public health insurance plan. Meanwhile, one liberal blogger is upset that Obama isn't pushing for a single-payer system.
• In other health care news, liberal bloggers (Moulitsas, Klein) were pleased to note that Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) has reversed himself on yet another issue, saying that he's now open to "discussing and considering" Obama's proposed public health insurance plan. However, the netroots are still urging Rep. Joe Sestak (D-07) to challenge Specter in next year's Dem primary, and Sestak has thanked the netroots for their support (although he has yet to make a decision).
• Conservative bloggers (Horner, Hawkins, Hinderaker, Malkin, Reynolds) continue to criticize Obama for laughing while comedian Wanda Sykes slammed Rush Limbaugh at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Liberal bloggers (Serwer, digby) are pushing back against the conservative critics.
• Two prominent liberal bloggers will soon be working directly for Dems: Arjun Jaikumar is temporarily leaving Daily Kos to do netroots outreach for the DSCC, while Todd Beeton is leaving MyDD to do netroots outreach for NY Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's 2010 campaign.

FL SEN: The NRSC Vs. The Rightroots

Conservative bloggers are annoyed that the NRSC is backing Crist in his primary campaign against Rubio:

• Robert Stacy McCain: "[T]he recto-cranial inversion cases at GOP-HQ are planning another atavistic blunder. [...] Why would any conservative ever send another dime to the NRSC after this? Marco Rubio is the conservative in that primary, and it was Charlie Crist whose endorsement of John McCain help deliver Florida to that dingbat loser. To hell with Charlie Crist and to hell with the NRSC. Go give some money to Marco Rubio."
• NRO's John J. Miller: "By endorsing Charlie Crist for the Senate, the NRSC is getting involved in Florida's GOP primary more than 15 months before it will actually take place (August 24, 2010). It's also selecting a very liberal Republican (Crist supported the Obama 'stimulus') against Marco Rubio, a considerably more conservative choice who is also a credible statewide candidate. Is Crist more electable than Rubio? Arguably. Is Rubio nevertheless capable of winning a general election next year? Certainly. This is a contest that the NRSC should sit out, as Florida Republicans decide for themselves what to do. Instead of trying to beat conservatives, the NRSC should save its resources for defeating Democrats."
• NRO's Jim Geraghty: "[H]ow many Republicans have ever said, 'Thank goodness the NRSC intervened in that primary'? National committees intervening in primaries certainly has a messy history -- Ramesh [Ponnuru] wrote about some cases of NRCC intervention in Kansas in 2004, and Matt Lewis wrote about some cases in 2006. It's up to Florida Republicans. Let them decide."

Meanwhile, RedState's Erick Erickson explains the significance of the FL GOP Senate primary: "It is not an understatement to say the heart and soul of the GOP will be determined in the Florida election. Will we go with tanned, telegenic tax hikers with dubious personal issues, or young, telegenic conservative reformers who are not afraid to speak up for freedom? Between Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio, that is what we have. Count me with Rubio."

FL SEN II: Chalk This One Up To The Red Team

Liberal bloggers were dismayed by Crist's announcement, as they believe that it probably puts the FL Senate seat out of their reach:

• Open Left's Chris Bowers: "Florida Governor Charlie Crist will run for Senate. This is very disappointing, as it moves Florida from one of the best potential pickups for Democrats to a Republican lock. Florida polling in the Republican primary shows Crist up 57%-11%, and in the general election by 49%-28% over likely Democratic nominee, Representative Kendrick Meek."
• Daily Kos' Jaikumar: "This had been anticipated for some time, but it doesn't make the news any more welcome: Florida Governor Charlie Crist, perhaps the most popular politician in the state at this moment, looks ready to run for the open United States Senate seat currently held by the retiring Mel Martinez. [...] Crist starts in the drivers' seat, but with Republican primary challenger Marco Rubio in the race as well, things could get hairy for him."

Daily Kos' Moulitsas urges the Club for Growth to take out Crist: "Dear Club for Growth, I'm a big fan! Your work the past several years has been stellar. I'm not sure how we pick up an Idaho House seat without your help, and I'm really happy with your work taking out incumbent Republican Joe Schwartz in MI-07, making it much easier for Democrats to pick up that seat the following cycle. Throw in Andrew Harris in MD-01, and it's clear that your handywork is a godsend for Democrats. Keep it up! [...] Former Florida Speaker Marco Rubio is a solid conservative wingnut in your vein. I don't know if he's viable in a Republican Party, but if not him, I hope you find someone else. Someone like Crist has no business winning Republican primaries in your modern GOP. So I look forward to you taking him out so Democrats can pick up another Senate seat."

Meanwhile, FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver wonders if liberals should be rooting for Crist: "As Arlen Specter has proven...party distinctions are often relatively meaningless: when control of the chamber is not at stake, it's votes, not chairs, that count. And when it comes to key votes in the Senate, it's an open question as to which would the Democrats rather have: (a.) a virtually 100 percent chance of Crist, an extremely moderate Republican, in the Senate chamber, or, (b.) a roughly 50 percent chance of Rubio, a fairly conservative Republican, and a 50 percent chance of Kendrick Meek, a not-particularly-progressive South Florida congressman who is the leading contender to represent the Democrats next November."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The Conservative Movement?

Seventh Circuit judge Richard Posner traces "the intellectual decline of conservatism" (h/t Andrew Sullivan):

"[I]t is notable that the policies of the new conservatism are powered largely by emotion and religion and have for the most part weak intellectual groundings. That the policies are weak in conception, have largely failed in execution, and are political flops is therefore unsurprising. The major blows to conservatism, culminating in the election and programs of Obama, have been fourfold: the failure of military force to achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives; the inanity of trying to substitute will for intellect, as in the denial of global warming, the use of religious criteria in the selection of public officials, the neglect of management and expertise in government; a continued preoccupation with abortion; and fiscal incontinence in the form of massive budget deficits, the Medicare drug plan, excessive foreign borrowing, and asset-price inflation. By the fall of 2008, the face of the Republican Party had become Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. Conservative intellectuals had no party. [...]

There are signs and portents of liberal excess in the policies and plans of the new administration. There will thus be plenty of targets for informed conservative critique. At this writing, however, the conservative movement is at its lowest ebb since 1964. But with this cardinal difference: the movement has so far succeeded in shifting the center of American politics and social thought that it can rest, for at least a little while, on its laurels."

LEST WE FORGET: Cheney To Travel Around Country In Sound Truck

The Huffington Post's Andy Borowitz:

"In a sign that he has no intention of going away quietly, former Vice President Dick Cheney embarked today on a nationwide road trip in a sound truck equipped with a state-of-the-art bullhorn. [...]

According to aides to the former vice president, Mr. Cheney had briefly considered starring in an IMAX film called 'The Dick Cheney 3-D Experience' before settling on the less costly sound truck idea. But Mr. Cheney's 'Pro-torture Tour '09' has not managed to skirt controversy thus far, as the former Vice President has already had to contend with grievances about the noise levels produced by his high-wattage truck.

Residents of the town of Keene, New Hampshire were awakened at 5 AM this morning by a familiar voice blaring, 'We're less safe than we were under the last administration. Run for your lives!'"

Posted by Ian Faerstein at May 12, 2009 12:30 PM