Rubio has Gone From Way Ahead to Way, Way Ahead of Crist

It does matter if whether you are looking at a head to head match between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist or a three way race between Rubio, Crist and likely Democratic challenger Kendrick Meek, Rubio is kicking hind quarters.  Rassmussen  has Rubio supported by 57% of likely Republican voters versus Crist's paltry 28%.  Rubio has a double digit lead over Meek.

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air is reporting that George Will may have driven a stake through the vampire Le Crist's heart:

A recent debate on “Fox News Sunday” illustrated the differences between the few politicians who are, and the many who are not, willing to face facts. Marco Rubio, the former speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives who is challenging Gov. Charles Crist for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, made news by stating the obvious.

Asked how the nation might address the projected $17.5 trillion in unfunded Social Security liabilities, Rubio said that we should consider two changes for people 10 or more years from retirement. One would raise the retirement age. The other would alter the calculation of benefits: Indexing them to inflation rather than wage increases would substantially reduce the system’s unfunded liabilities.

Neither idea startles any serious person. But Crist, with the reflex of the unreflective, rejected both and said that he would fix Social Security by eliminating “waste” and “fraud,” of which there is little. The system’s problems are the result not of incompetent administration but of improvident promises made by Congress.

Synthetic indignation being the first refuge of political featherweights, Crist’s campaign announced that he believes Rubio’s suggestions are “cruel, unusual and unfair to seniors living on a fixed income.” They are indeed unusual, because flinching from the facts of the coming entitlements crisis is the default position of all but a responsible few, such as Wisconsin’s Rep. Paul Ryan, who has endorsed Rubio. What is ultimately cruel is Crist’s unserious pretense that America faces only palatable choices and that improvident promises can be fully funded with money currently lost to waste and fraud.

At the age of 52 I can say that I don't much worry about retirement.  I can afford not to worry because for a long, long time I have religiously contributed to a 401K.  Prior to the 401K I contributed to an ESOP.  I can't remember thinking that I would depend on Social Security in my retirement years and I have a hard time believing that anyone in my general age group would count on Social Security being there for them.  Still, Rubio and Ryan are among the very few politicians who will admit that Social Security needs a major overhaul and that people in my group need to make alternate plans.  Everyone knows it but no one is willing to say it.  Crist's "fraud and abuse" shtick would be laughable were it not such a serious matter.

The filing deadline for the election is only days away and Crist is still insisting that he is not considering an independent run.  Should he not choose to run as an Independent I can't see him making it to the August primary.  Crist is no longer raking the money in and Rubio is. 

My prediction:  it will be down to Rubio and Meek by the end of June and in November it will be Rubio all the way.