Is Charlie Crist A Real Democrat-- Or Just An Opportunist?

Good time Charlie and Nan Rich-- only one is a Democrat

In recent weeks, we met two congressional candidates, Jason Thigpen (D-NC) and Michael Cole (D-TX), running, respectively, againstRepublican incumbents Walter Jones and Steve Stockman. Both are recent converts to the Democratic Party. Thigpen was a Republican and Cole was a Libertarian. Each went through a personal oddessey that awoke them to the fact that their values were in line with those of the Democratic Party. Switching for each may not have been easy, but it was very natural. Neither had to change the platforms they were already running on. Thigpen, for example, was a little out of place in a Republican primary where he was arguing in favor of women's Choice and marriage equality for LGBT North Carolinians-- and fighting against voter suppression instituted by the Republican-led state legislature. His public positions had already marked him as "different" than other Republicans and on top of that, in 2012 he found a Democratic incumbent preferable to a right-wing extremist the GOP was running and he helped the Democrat win in an extremely right race.

That said, Florida Republicans have a history of switching to the Democratic Party for opportunism-- in the expectation of winning office. In 2006 Rahm Emanuel recruited lifelong Republican Tim Mahoney to switch parties and run as a Democrat against the about-to-be-outed Mark Foley. Emanuel waited until it would be too late to get Foley's name off the ballot before he leaked to the press that Foley had been molesting underage boy pages. His newly minted "Democrat" won, joined the Blue Dogs, voted with the GOP on almost every important issue and then got into his own sex scandal and was defeated the following year. Following in Emanuel's footsteps, Steve Israel, recruited his own lifelong Republican, Patrick Murphy, to run for the seat. He also won and, a "New Dem," has basically amassed a Republican-friendly voting record-- as well as encouraging other weak-minded freshmen that "bipartisanship" is the way to go, instead of sticking with progressive values he was never taught and has no understanding of. And that brings us to one of Murphy's biggest backers-- another lifelong Republican who was basically driven out of his Tea Party-dominated party and "evolved" into another opportunistic careerist Democrat: Charlie Murphy. In Sunday's Miami Herald, Carl Hiaasen explains why he doesn't deserve a free pass from actual Democrats. But he isn;t wary of Crist because of his values, just because he's a typical politician. And because "we ended up with Scott because Charlie left the job. He doesn’t get a free pass back to Tallahassee without some explaining." And not a word about Nan Rich, the actual Democrat who wants to run against Rick Scott.

Good-time Charlie Crist is back.

He wants to be governor again, and polls show he would beat Rick Scott if the election were held today.

Big deal. Richie Incognito would beat Scott if the election were held today.

The polls don’t mean much because Scott, although one of the most unpopular governors ever, is about to spend $100 million to get re-elected. Anybody who thinks Florida voters won’t get fooled again has been dipping into the bath salts.

Despite a stumbling first term, Scott’s prospects for 2014 are much better than they were in 2010.

Back then he was a political newcomer with zero charisma, zero credentials for public office and a ton of money. Today he’s a sitting governor with zero charisma, zero credentials for public office and even more money.

During the last campaign, Scott spent about $75 million of his own dough, having made a fortune presiding over a healthcare conglomerate that perpetrated one of the largest Medicare frauds since the beginning of Medicare.

In a sane and sensible place, that’s a résumé that would kill a person’s chances for high office. But not in Florida, the eternal land of suckers.

This time around, Scott will have the full backing of the Republican establishment, which basically shunned him in 2010, and a richer war chest for attacking Charlie Crist.

And Charlie definitely has weak spots.

He is relentlessly likeable, and oddly, that’s part of the problem. Crist so avidly wants to be liked by every human soul that his core policy beliefs are difficult to define.

This isn’t an uncommon trait in politicians, but during contentious and divided times voters yearn for candidates with a clear identity. For better or worse, Scott has made his priorities well known-- the business community comes first, and everybody else is a distant second.

Crist has been criticized for being too politically ambitious-- again, not a rare quirk among candidates. However, a case could be made that his impulsive ambitions changed the course of Florida, and not for the better.

The fact is he made Rick Scott possible.

After one term as governor, Crist left Tallahassee to run for the U.S. Senate in 2010. Back then Florida’s economy was gasping, as it was nationwide, and Crist looked like he was walking away from a hard job at the worst time just to elevate his career.

His departure opened the door for Scott, who rolled to the governor’s mansion on a Tea Party upswell and an advertising blitz financed by his staggering personal bankroll.

Meanwhile, Crist, who was slipping in the polls, decided to drop out of the GOP Senate primary race and run as an independent against Marco Rubio. It was a cockeyed strategy that split the moderate vote, ensuring Crist’s own defeat as well as that of the Democratic candidate, Kendrick Meek.

No one in Florida was surprised last year when Crist switched his party affiliation to Democrat, or when he announced last week that he was running for governor again.

Scott wasted no time launching the first wave of attack ads against Crist portraying him as a flip-flopper, among other things.

Is Debbie Wasserman Schultz Maneuvering To Get Charlie Crist Into The Senate?

Saturday, Florida Democrats had their big Jefferson-Jackson fundraiser at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood (the Hollywood in political boss Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Florida congressional district, not the actual Hollywood). The haul was reported to be around $850,000 and the theme was defeating Rick Scott next year when he tries for a second term as governor. Wasserman Schultz, however, used the conclave to continue trying to persuade Democrats that lifelong Republican Charlie Crist is not only a Democrat but has always been a Democrat. If she ever, by the grace of God, is defeated, she can certainly get a job at the Ministry of Truth.

Wasserman Schultz is pushing Crist for the gubernatorial nomination on actual Democrats, although the latest rumors is that her cabal is trying to get Bill Nelson to run for governor and then appoint Crist to his empty Senate seat. His non-denial denial-- “I have no plans to run for governor. I have no intention of running for governor"-- is less than convincing.

“We welcome anyone who decides that their views and their values line up with the Democratic Party,” she said, before running through a list of actions Crist took as governor that she said demonstrated his true colors: extending voting hours because of long lines in the 2008 presidential election, making it easier for felons who have served their time to get their civil rights restored and getting rid of touch screen voting and implementing paper ballots.

“There are a lot of examples that Charlie Crist has in his record as a Republican that I think he probably decided that he lined up more with our party’s values than theirs and we welcome that.

“We are not, unlike the Republicans, a party that requires a rigid adherence to extreme dogma. We are a big tent. The true definition of a big tent. So we have blue dogs and we have yellow dogs. We have more progressive members and we have conservative Democrats. We all come together around core values and we support a core agenda.”

Wasserman Schultz, as we mentioned Sunday, blocked gubernatorial candidate Nan Rich from speaking and has San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro give the keynote address. He gave her a Spurs jersey with the initials "DWS." Meanwhile Crist showed up claiming he was there so he could “meet some of the nicest people I’ve ever met: Florida Democrats. I’m just listening and enjoying the opportunity… Just listening to people and hearing what they have to say.” He was accompanied by veteran Democratic strategist, Ashley Walker, who ran President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in Florida.

Nan Rich, the only Democratic candidate for governor who is officially in the race, has been traveling the state for the past year.

She’s made more than 200 campaign stops, something she said would pay off in next year’s primary and general election. “I believe strongly very strongly in grassroots activism. I come from community activism. It re-elected Barack Obama and will elect the next governor of the state,” she told a gathering of Democratic state representatives.

Rich said she’s finding women are ready for the state’s first female governor, to which state Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, yelled out, “Some men are too.”

In a comment aimed at likely gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist-- who was a Republican when he was governor before and is now a Democrat-- Rich described herself as “a lifelong Democrat. I have certain values and priorities and you all know what they are because you all share them. The truth is so many people around this state share them.”

Rich brought her message to small groups meeting throughout the day, including a bout 60 people gathered for the meeting of state legislators and about 100 people at the state Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Caucus.

But she was denied a speaking slot at the big dinner, where more than 1,200 people are expected. The state Democratic Party leadership said it’s to streamline the program after complaints the dinner usually lasts too long; Rich supporters think the party leaders are trying to grease the skids for Crist.

Rich has received a publicity bonanza in recent weeks over the state party’s decision.

“This is kind of a blessing in disguise because the media attention... is incredible,” she said. Reporters who didn’t give her campaign any attention “now all of a sudden they’re calling and wanting to know what I have to say.”

Republicans have had a field day accusing Democrats of silencing one of their own. Their “Free Nan Rich” campaign includes mailers and an automated Robocall to Democrats, and a drumbeat of press release taunting the Democratic Party leadership.

Rich said she’s been getting good consideration from grassroots party activists. She said 300 people she’s met from her year of campaigning attended a Friday night reception.

...Randy Fleisher, president of an unofficial Democratic group called the Davie Dem Club, was sporting a “Nan” sticker.

He said Rich has “great credentials.”

He said he’s frustrated that some in the party leadership appear to be eager for a Crist candidacy.

“The party hierarchy is looking for a messiah to come in and win Florida.

“It doesn’t make any sense for me that the Democratic Party is waiting for Charlie Crist. I remember Chain Gang Charlie,” he said. “He’s a charmer, but that’s not what I want in a governor. I want somebody who’s right on the issues, and has been there since the beginning. Not somebody who is a wily weather vane. His big trick is spinning in the wind.”

When Wasserman Schultz talks about "a big tent," filled with Blue Dogs and Yellow Dogs, she doesn't mention that she herself is one of the only Democrats in a party leadership position to have joined a partisan caucus. She's one of the leaders of the corporately-owned New Dems, a conservative bunch of Wall Street careerists who are among the most corrupt Members of Congress, in either party. If Randy Fleisher ever tries to run for office, he may never have a direct confrontation with Wasserman Schultz but she'll make sure there's no room for him in her sickening version of the Big Tent.

Can Florida Democrats Blow The 2014 Gubernatorial Race?

Last week, Florida politics expert Steve Schale had a cautiously optimistic analysis of how his state's electorate has changed since 2006 and what it portends for the future. Since the 2006 election, the total number of active registered voters in Florida has grown from 10,433.849 to 11,934,446 voters and of those million and a half new voters, 61% are either black or Hispanic. Here's the kicker: only 6% of them registered as Republicans. On top of that, over 50% of Hispanic voter registration growth has accrued to the Democrats, while the Republicans account for only 12%. Schale ends his post with a warning:

[M]any of the institutional party challenges remain. Recruiting good candidates down the ballot to build a farm team and creating a stable fundraising base, not just for the party, but to help the aforementioned candidates get off the ground. Both of these things would improve if a Democrat wins the Governor's Mansion in 2014.

Ah... yes, the Governor's Mansion in 2014. Intense buyer's remorse over Rick Scott is still the most salient feature of the electorate as the election approaches. But can the Democrats blow it? It was looking like the DC Democratic Establishment-- think Debbie Wasserman Schultz-- had locked up the nomination for Republican opportunist Charlie Crist, using the same tactics they used to shoehorn lifelong Republican Patrick Murphy-- a Crist crony-- into the 2012 congressional race against Allen West. I might mention that Murphy has been one of the absolute worst Democratic freshmen in Congress, not just consistently crossing the aisle to vote with the GOP on core issues, but undermining Democratic values among weak-minded freshmen and dragging them across the aisle as well. There's a lot of grumbling about the Crist inevitability meme Wasserman Schultz has been trying to get off the ground and now there is talk that the whispers among the Establishment creeps is that they'll get centrist Senator Bill Nelson to run for governor after all and have him appoint Crist to his Senate seat after he kicks Scott's ass. Everyone's happy-- except Democrats who don't want to see another conservative Republican in the Senate, even one calling himself a Democrat.

Another Florida politics expert, Peter Schorsch, pushed back against speculation that Crist isn't going to run for governor.

[Miami New Times' reporter Terrence] McCoy posits that Crist will not run because:

#5, Charlie Crist is all alone: “Though years have passed… and Crist has lured some high-profile supporters-- like Barack Obama-- they aren’t exactly the most loyal because Crist, himself, hasn’t been loyal.”

#4, His sweet deal with Morgan & Morgan: “Crist has it pretty good right now. He’s has a nice place along the bay in St. Pete, he has a high-paying job that allows him to exercise his high quota of pouts and brow furrows. This job allows Charlie Crist to live out his own caricature. If he ran for governor, he’d give up all of that...”

3, All the divorce drama: “As I recall the phrase ‘piece of shit’ came up often in conversation. and if Crist decides to run, it will again and again.”

#2, Who the fuck is Charlie Crist, anyway?: ” Though he dismisses the myriad flip-flops-- on gay marriage, on taxation, on health care reform-- as an evolution of thinking, they speak to a much broader issue in his politics. Voters aren’t stupid.”

And...

#1, He won’t win: “Those [unemployment] numbers are hard, and though Crist is undeniably more likable than Rick Scott, his economic performance has been substantially better...”

Pardon me, while I deconstruct these arguments better than Grant Achatz does a tomato.

First of all, Crist is not all alone. He actually has a better support system in place now than he during his previous campaigns for elected office. If Crist were ever alone, it was in 2006 when, running for Governor, he found himself surrounded by sycophants like Jim Greer, Delmar Johnson, and the like.

Today, Crist is a more grounded, more mature happily married man who is almost an entirely different person than he was a decade ago.

Crist’s critics were once so quick to dismiss his marriage as little more than stagecraft. Now those same critics are silent as Carole has become Charlie’s best friend and partner.

Crist has also returned to his St. Petersburg roots, mostly eschewing the Broward Republicanism that saw him turn his back on hometown allies. There are no George LeMieux’s around nowadays. And that’s a good thing. His old friends, like Bernie Campbell and Mike Hamby, are back in the picture.

As for the consultants and staff Crist would need to run a statewide campaign, how quickly would the printer run out of paper from the volume of resumes being e-mailed and faxed in were Crist to say he needed help. Crist has already put Dan Gelber and Steve Schale in his camp. His best political friend, Rep. Darryl Rouson, is the incoming leader of the House Democrats.

He’s also clearly the preferred choice of the last two Democratic presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Alone, McCoy says. Hardly.

Regarding Crist’s sweet deal with Morgan & Morgan, it’s hard not laugh at the inclusion of this point as a reason Crist won’t run. After all, he joined Morgan & Morgan so that he had a place to hang out while he waited to run for Governor.

What, do you think Charlie’s fielding incoming slip-and-fall cases? Puh-leeze.

John Morgan is going to spend every cent he can to elect Crist, for no other reason than he wants to gut the Republican legislation gutting the state’s PIP laws. That system has been worth tens of millions of dollars to Morgan. Spending ten million or so to elect a Governor who can block further changes to the PIP system is simply a smart investment for Morgan.

One more counter-argument to this point: Say what you will about Charlie Crist, but the one thing he has never been motivated by is the pursuit of money. To think that Crist won’t run for Governor because he needs money to keep up his “nice place along the bay in St. Pete” (it’s actually just a two-bedroom number in the city’s oldest waterfront tower) is to completely misunderstand the man.

McCoy’s #3 reason why Crist won’t run for Governor wouldn’t make it into my own Top 50 reasons why Charlie won’t take the plunge. McCoy describes it as ” all of the divorce drama” and it refers to Carole Rome Crist’s ex-husband, Todd.

Crist has been dogged for thirty years by rumors of closeted homosexuality, so any time a story runs reminding people that he’s actually married to a smart, sophisticated, wealthy, gorgeous woman, it’s not a bad thing. That there is an ex-husband peddling stories about Carole being a subpar mother is the kind of gutter-talk Crist has always risen above.

Besides, the guy he will be running against did this. So if the 2014 election comes down to the word of a disgruntled ex-husband versus Scott’s record of corporate fraud, guess who wins that debate?

The Republican Party of Florida is attempting to already frame the campaign against Crist as an indictment of their former leader for his “myriad flip-flops-- on gay marriage, on taxation, on health care reform.”

Well, yeah, sure, Charlie has some explaining to do. Then again, who’s better at ‘plaining than good ol’ Charlie. Dude could talk his way out of a sunburn.

According to the last Quinnipiac poll, Florida voters say 50 – 40 percent that Crist’s switch from Republican to independent and now to Democrat is a positive thing that shows he is a pragmatist, rather than a negative thing that shows he lacks core beliefs.

“These numbers indicate Republicans will have a tough job turning around Crist’s lead over Scott by reminding voters of Crist’s evolution,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The numbers speak for themselves when addressing McCoy’s final point-- that Crist won’t win.

The last PPP poll: Crist 52%, Scott 40%; The last Q-poll: Crist 50%, Scott 34%.

Rick Scott and the Republicans will huff and puff and blow the house down with $150 million in attacks on Crist and all this will do is reinforce the negative perception voters have held of Scott since his first year in office. 

And therein lies the only legitimate reason why Crist won’t run for Governor. Not because of any of the five or fifteen or fifty McCoy might outline. Rather, it’s the possibility that Crist could very well win that he may not run. 

I don’t know if Charlie (or Carole) wants to again live in Tallahassee. I don’t know if he wants to preside over Cabinet meetings with Jeff Atwater and Pam Bondi beside him. I don’t know if he wants to be in charge of DBPR, DEP, DMS and the alphabet soup of the state bureaucracy.

I don’t know if Charlie wants to run for Governor because I don’t know if he wants to govern. And I say that as someone who knows him pretty well.

Yep... Crist would much prefer being a senator, no doubt about that. But does Bill Nelson want to live in Tallahassee? Can Obama and Wasserman Schultz persuade him to be a pawn in their little drama? And then there's Nan Rich, who really does want to govern Florida-- and govern Florida as a progressive. Wasserman Schultz and her machine are doing their best to make sure that never happens. Here's the speech Senator Rich wrote to give at this weekend's Florida Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson dinner-- a speech Wasserman Schultz made sure she would not be allowed to deliver:

Why I’m Running
June 14, 2013

Hello.

My name is Nan Rich and I am running for governor!

In November 2014, Florida’s voters will choose who will lead the state for the next 4 years.

Will they want to continue down a path paved with false promises and failed policies-- or are they ready to change direction-- change priorities-- and get Florida back on the right track?

Well... that’s an easy question for me to answer.

But what about you?

Are you ready to “Pink Slip Rick” and get Florida back on the right track?

During the 2010 Gubernatorial Campaign, Rick Scott made “Let’s get to work” his theme.

But we didn’t know then what it really meant. Since taking office, Rick Scott and the Right-wing Republican-led legislature really did get to work.

They worked to make it harder for people to vote.

They worked to undermine public education.

They worked to restrict women’s reproductive rights.

And they worked to block Floridians from the benefits of the Affordable Health Care Act.

None of these initiatives created even 1 job in Florida.

Worse yet, the Governor turned away more than $2.4 billion Federal dollars for a high- speed rail line that would have created over 20 thousand jobs and built new and valuable transportation infrastructure.

Governor Scott and the legislature also refused to request or accept tens of millions of Federal health care dollars that could have protected children against abuse and kept frail seniors out of nursing homes.

And, most recently, they refused to accept $51 billion dollars in federal funds-- our tax dollars-- to expand Medicaid; which, in addition to depriving over a million Floridians from healthcare coverage, also will cost the state an estimated 120,000 jobs over the next 10 years.Put simply, there are few decisions that Governor Scott has made that I believe have been in the best interest of Floridians.

That’s why I’m running for governor.

A majority of Floridians don’t want private, for-profit management companies taking over their schools-- they support strong public schools and want a quality education for their children.

So do I.

Education is the path to prosperity and an educated and skilled workforce is the most essential element in attracting new business and economic development to Florida.

Floridians want health care coverage that’s available and affordable. So do I.

The Affordable Health Care Act is the law of the land and the Governor and legislature need to implement it.

A majority of Floridians believe women’s reproductive rights should be protected. So do I.

The assault on women’s rights must be stopped. Women must have the right to control their own lives and their own bodies.

And there can be no doubt that a majority of Floridians expect their right to vote to be protected and encouraged by their government.

So-- do-- I!

The blatant efforts by this Governor and Republican-led legislature to suppress Democratic voters is shameful and nothing short of an attack on a fundamental right of every American citizen.

Voters stood in line until 1:30 in the morning long after they knew that Barak Obama was re- elected because they were not going to let anybody take away their precious right to vote.

I’m a lifelong Democrat.

I’m a Democrat because of our Party’s values and priorities.

We believe in fairness-- in putting the needs of people first.

We believe the civil rights of every individual must be protected regardless of race, creed, gender, age, or sexual orientation.

We believe that our elderly and disabled should be cared for with dignity and respect.

We believe in the right to a public education and the opportunity for everyone to reach their full potential.

I have fought for these rights-- as a state representative, as a State Senator, and as the first elected woman leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

And I am prepared and ready to do so now as governor.

Right now, I am the only Democratic candidate who’s been actively campaigning across the state-- and the primary just a little more than a year away.

And while I haven’t run for statewide office before, I would like you to recall a little bit of Florida history.

When Reubin Askew launched his campaign for Governor, he was a little-known state senator from North Florida.

When Bob Graham started his campaign he was a little-known state senator from South Florida.

And when Lawton Chiles began walkin’ the state-- he too was a little-known state senator from Central Florida.

All three of those candidates faced better financed and better-known “front runners” when they ran. They were the dark horses-- the long shots.

But they won.

I intend to carry on that tradition-- the tradition of Florida’s greatest leaders-- by earning the trust and votes of a majority of Florida’s voters in November 2014.

I made history when I was elected the first woman leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and with your support, I plan on making history again when I’m elected the first woman governor of Florida in November 2014.

Join me-- join the campaign-- let’s make history together!

This kind of Democratic talk makes Debbie Wasserman Schultz's skin crawl... unless it's delivered wit tongue firmly planted in cheek. And that's why she made she Nan Rich couldn't deliver it. Maybe that will backfire on the corporate shills like Wasserman Schultz who run the Florida Democratic Party-- and have run it into the ground. I hope so.

Gun Safety Is Likely To Play A Part In The Florida Gubernatorial Primary

Nan Rich and Good Time Charlie

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose roots are on Long Island, is like South Florida's Tammy Boss. She inserts herself into every detail of the Florida Democratic Party, which goes a long way towards explaining what a pathetically failed organization it is. One of the most corrupt politicians in America, Wasserman Schultz recently steamrolled a worthless hack, Allison Tant, into the state party chairmanship. And when Tant pukes out a controversial decision, she's simply annunciating what Wasserman Schultz wants her to say. They're blocking former state Senate Democratic leader Nan Rich, a gubernatorial candidate, from speaking at the party's annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on June 15. Wasserman Schultz, always more comfortable with Republicans than with actual Democrats, has promised to deliver the Democratic gubernatorial nomination to Charlie Crist, probably the only way Gov. Rick Scott can be re-elected.

The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida issued a report Friday that compares the gun safety records of Nan Rich, Charlie Crist and Alex Sink. It's the first in a series of reports on where the candidates stand on key issues.

Senator Rich served in the state House of Representatives from 2000-2004 and the state Senate from 2005-2012, serving as minority leader from 2010-2012. She has opposed the gun lobby and as a result has consistently received “F” ratings from the NRA during her legislative tenure. Senator Rich announced her candidacy for governor in April 2012.

“America is the world’s greatest democracy-- a representative democracy. We, the people, elect men and women to represent our interests-- to serve our needs-- to stand up for what’s right. But…the United States Senate failed to do any of these things... Let me be crystal clear-- I support expanding background checks on firearms sales. In fact, I sponsored such legislation when I was in the State House of Representatives. But then, as now, the specter of political reprisals from the NRA was enough to derail that bill.

As your governor, I will make the passage of common sense gun control laws a priority. It will save lives-- and we all know it will.  – Nan Rich, Facebook post, April 19, 2013 in response to Senate vote on Manchin-Toomey background check amendment

Crist, who claims he's suddenly a "Democrat" is an opportunist with no principles. He's been an NRA shill his entire political career and now claims he's "evolving." The NRA has always graded him an "A."

“The Second Amendment is very important, I understand there are competing interests … but people being protected is most important to me.”-- Crist on signing the bill to allow weapons in vehicles-- Sun Sentinel, April 10, 2008

“Gov. Crist has never wavered in his support of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.”-- Crist for U.S. Senate campaign website (2010)

“[Crist] has…never voted against us, always voted with us as governor. He signed every piece of legislation gun owners asked him to sign and vetoed every piece of legislation negatively impacting gun owners and sportsmen that gun owners asked him to veto. He has an outstanding record of support.” – Former NRA president and lobbyist Marion Hammer – St. Petersburg Times (2010)

“We need to have some restrictions, that’s pretty obvious to most people.”-- Crist, in the weeks after the December 2012 Sandy Hook massacre

One of Crist’s first high-profile gun battles came in 1998 when, according to Politifact Florida (July 14, 2010), “Crist blasted then Gov. Lawton Chiles’ last-minute effort to require criminal background checks and a waiting period for purchases made at gun shows in 1998.”

...In 2010, Crist was clear in his views on his Senate campaign website: “Governor Crist has never wavered in his support of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.”

In September 2012, when MSNBC correspondent Chuck Todd asked Crist if he still characterized himself a “pro-life, pro-gun conservative,” he responded, “Yes, I would.”

"Crist’s record contrasts starkly with those of Rich and Sink. It’s alarming that Governor Crist walked in lockstep with the NRA, even as their positions became more and more extreme," said Susan Smith, president of the Progressive Caucus. "He routinely picked up an A rating from the NRA and accused political rivals of being soft on Second Amendment gun rights... It’s not enough for him to say he’s in favor of some restrictions, as he told the Tampa Bay Times in December. We need to know what he thinks about assault weapons and Stand Your Ground laws. We need a full rundown from A to Z." Crist is trying to talk as little as possible about controversial issues-- and counting on Wasserman Schultz to shiv any actual Democrat who tries to run for the nomination.