Fort Myers News-Press Editorial: Crist Takes His Lumps, and Rightly So
Oct 29, 2009
Source: Fort Myers News-Press Editorial
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It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Gov. Charlie Crist, who is losing ground in his fight for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.
If he doesn’t show more courage and leadership, his GOP rival Marco Rubio just might snatch the nomination from a man who looked invincible a few months ago. There are still 10 months to go before the August 2010 primary.
Crist decided to duck Tuesday’s appearance by President Barack Obama at the opening of a solar energy plant in Arcadia. Alternative energy is supposed to be a big issue for Crist, but Rubio is hammering him for his embrace, political and physical, of the president when he visited Florida in February to tout his economic stimulus package.
Eager to avoid further association with Obama while trying to woo right-wing Republicans, Crist looked cowardly, then foolish when he claimed not to know Obama was in the state Monday, to honor sailors and Marines in Jacksonville. We doubt he won over any GOP voters in the process.
Forbes magazine made this week worse for Crist with an excellent and widely discussed column Tuesday on Forbes.com by Reihan Salam, portraying Crist as a foolish opportunist for his eagerness to use billions in one-time federal stimulus money to plug holes in Florida’s wobbly budget, instead of having the guts to make spending cuts.
