5/13: Crist Vs. Rubio: It's On

Conservative bloggers are furious that NRSC chair John Cornyn endorsed FL Gov. Charlie Crist in his GOP Senate primary race against ex-state House Speaker Marco Rubio. John Hawkins is calling on Cornyn to resign as NRSC chair, while Erick Erickson has launched a Facebook group for conservatives who refuse to donate money to the NRSC during the 2010 election cycle. Erickson's co-blogger Dan McLaughlin complains: "John Cornyn has proven that he has learned absolutely nothing from the fiasco of 2006, when the GOP lost close Senate races elsewhere after pouring millions into a primary race to prop up [ex-RI Sen.] Lincoln Chafee." It appears that the Crist-Rubio Senate primary is shaping up to be a battle royale between grassroots conservatives and GOP party officials. Meanwhile, the Club for Growth responded to Crist's announcement by criticizing his support of Pres. Obama's stimulus package, but will the Club go so far as to endorse Rubio?

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• Liberal bloggers (Smith, Benen, Yglesias, Greenwald) are accusing Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) of being a weak leader after he said that Dems don't have enough votes to bring up Obama's nominee for OLC chief, IU law prof. Dawn Johnsen.
• Following the Army's dismissal of a gay National Guard officer who speaks fluent Arabic, several bloggers (Lemieux, Aravosis, Sullivan) are urging Obama to end the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
• Conservative bloggers (Morrissey, Faughnan, Klein, Antle) are buzzing about a new government report warning that Social Security and Medicare will become fiscally insolvent sooner than expected.

FL SEN: Stay Out Of This, John!

Conservative bloggers are blasting Cornyn for endorsing Crist in his primary race against Rubio:

• RedState's McLaughlin: "John Cornyn has proven that he has learned absolutely nothing from the fiasco of 2006, when the GOP lost close Senate races elsewhere after pouring millions into a primary race to prop up Lincoln Chafee. You don't cannibalize key offices like the Florida Governorship to recruit candidates, and you certainly don't do so to poke a stick in the eye of the party's base by creating a contested primary against a rising star who appeals to a crucial demograpic. It's a loser move all around."
• Right Wing News' Hawkins: "In a repeat of the sort of stupidity that the GOP engaged in back in 2004 in Pennsylvania ([Arlen] Specter vs. [Pat] Toomey), Cornyn and the NRSC are actually endorsing a guy who will end up voting against the GOP half the time if he gets in the Senate -- over a credible conservative candidate. If I told you what I really think about that, it would mostly involve a long series of F-bombs and John Cornyn's name."
• Hot Air's Ed Morrissey: "Tradition dictates that the national organizations remain neutral in primary races. [...] While Crist's popularity is an asset, Crist's positions on issues are going to give conservatives and even moderates some angst in the party. Crist openly supported the Porkulus plan, which would have put him with Arlen Specter, [ME Sen.] Olympia Snowe, and [ME Sen.] Susan Collins as the only Republicans in Congress who did. Cornyn himself fought against Porkulus. So why is the NRSC endorsing Crist over Marco Rubio 15 months ahead of the primary?"

Several conservative bloggers are urging their readers to stop donating money to the NRSC:

• Hawkins: "I would encourage you not to give the National Republican Senatorial Committee one thin dime of your money unless John Cornyn resigns. If they send you a letter asking for money or call you asking for money, let them know that they're not getting anything from you unless John Cornyn is gone and they stop interfering in Republican primary races."
• RedState's Erickson: "You know, I can slightly understand the NRSC getting into the Chaffee race, though it was a stupid waste and mismanagement of funds. I can kind of understand them getting behind Specter. Both he and Chaffee were incumbents. But getting behind Crist in the Florida primary is wholly unacceptable for all the reasons and explanations Dan [McLaughlin] gave. If the NRSC thinks this is smart, we must not waste our time or energy with them. Join me in pledging no money, no help, no aid, and no support for the NRSC's efforts in the 2010 election cycle. And if you are hesitant, remember that Charlie Crist, the NRSC's wonder boy, is set to sign into law a massive tax increase on the working people of Florida. We can disagree with the NRSC on many things, but this one is a bridge too far."
• Townhall's Matt Lewis: "[I]f you are a conservative who is still contributing to the NRSC, well, you should at least read Erick Erickson's post ... Let's get this straight... There is a widening gap between conservatives and Republican leaders..."

On the left side of the blogosphere, Daily Kos' Markos Moulitsas is eagerly anticipating the Crist-Rubio primary contest: "[T]he closeted Crist is about to get the Specter treatment, and upon further examination, Rubio is the perfect candidate to take him on. He's young, good-looking, Cuban-American, and straight out central casting for the ambitious young politician looking to take on Goliath. [...] If Rubio can rally the Cuban-American community around him, the alliance between South Florida Republicans, Boss [Rush] Limbaugh and the rest of wingnut radio, and the nutso base would be potent indeed. And as for money, between the Club for Growth (which is aboard Rubio's candidacy) and the Cubans, money shouldn't be a problem. Crist's statewide popularity is irrelevant in a GOP primary. He's headed for rough waters ahead."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Obama Goes For Gold

FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver reacts to reports that Obama is lobbying to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago:

"On the three of the four previous occasions when the Summer Olympics were held in the United States, the incumbent President won re-election by a landslide margin. [...] Making the major assumption that Obama will win re-election in 2012, it's easy to see how a domestic Olympic Games could create nightmares for the GOP in their efforts to win back the White House in 2016. The Olympics are intrinsically a feel-good, patriotic event. The symbolism of Obama, in an Olympic Stadium built just blocks away from his home [...], bringing the world to together and passing the literal and figurative torch to Hillary Clinton or whomever the Democratic nominee might be in 2016 would be extremely powerful, worth tens of millions of dollars in free advertising impressions at a critical phase in the campaign."

LEST WE FORGET: Respectful Yo Mama Jokes

McSweeney's contributor Lucas Klauss:

• Yo mama is so healthy her BMI is probably exactly within the ideal range for a woman her age.
• Yo mama is so well respected within her profession that I bet she'll get another raise and promotion this year despite the downward trajectory of the economy.
• Yo mama is so good at cooking she should open her own restaurant. I'd be the first customer.
• Yo mama is so attractive she could be on the cover of Prevention.
• Yo mama is so Internet-savvy she should start her own social-networking site designed specifically for moms. It would be really popular.