Meek senior aide: “Crist is losing his marbles”

Well, yeah. No sane person would call one of his political opponents at 4:45 a.m.:

"Governor Crist called me at quarter to 5:00 a.m. Monday morning. I'm just not up and at'em at quarter to 5:00 a.m. to talk politics," Meek told Greta Van Susteren in an interview Friday night.". "I think he's a very desperate campaigner. He sees that he doesn't have the momentum."

Later in the day on Monday, Crist and Meek, appeared at the same campaign event in Hollywood, Fl. At the meeting- among local Jewish leaders of the pro-Israel lobbying group, AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee- Crist personally lobbied Meek to leave the 3-way race, and offered him a cross that Crist had received from his family as a gift, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

" I was shocked when he did it," Meek told the newspaper, " I told him to keep the cross and that I carry my Christianity in my heart."

Re-gifting? Tacky, Charlie.

The latest Rasmussen Poll shows that Rubio’s lead over Crist and Meek is growing. A week ago Rubio led Crist 43% to 32% with Meek coming in at 20%. Rubio now picks up 50% of the vote while Crist and Meek come in at 30% and 16% respectively. Certainly if Meek dropped out it would help Crist but even if every single Meek supporter voted for Crist it would not be enough to put Crist over the top. Rubio has not just garnered the support of bitter-clingers like myself but also he has support among independents and moderates. I can’t figure out who comprises that 30% who support Crist but I suspect that “substance” and “consistency” are not important traits to them.

I had an interesting conversation yesterday in my “morning meeting” which isn’t really a meeting but an informal gathering of co-workers in the morning before work to shoot the breeze. The topic of Charlie Crist came up. More specifically, the subject of what Crist will be doing after he gets his ass handed to him on Tuesday. I said that he’ll be divorced within six months. After all, without a career in politics Charlie will be free to pursue all his inner urges. My co-workers think that Charlie still has a future in politics. What do you think?

Well it's not as if Clinton has ever exhibited principle or anything

So, Bill Clinton tried to get Kendrick to drop out of the Senate race here and endorse Charlie Crist.  I can understand why Clinton would prefer Crist-snakes in the grass slither together, but but it was a smarmy move even by Clinton's incredibly low standards.  The obligatory crappy quote:

“Not being seen as a quitter was more important than stopping someone who was so opposed to what you and your party had stood for,” said one Democrat who had been hoping to close the deal.

An alternate explanation is that Meek wasn't worried about being seen as a "quitter", he simply couldn't stomach the thought of endorsing Charlie Crist.  After all, he may not like Rubio's stand on the issues but Meek is smart enough to know that Crist's "stands" belong to the highest bidder. 
 
Meek is displaying principal.  For Mr. Clinton's benefit:
 

Principle prin·ci·ple [prínssəp'l]

ethical standard: a standard of moral or ethical decision-making

In tonight's debate Charlie combines scary with slimy

In a three way debate between Marco Rubio, Charlie Crist and Kendrick Meek, Charlie Crist showed that he is either dangerous or scary stupid.  From TBO:

Much of the debate focused on Social Security, an issue coming to dominate the closing days of the campaign.

Rubio says the nation must consider taking steps to bolster the program's financial stability – possibly raising the retirement age or cutting benefits for future retirees.

Meek advocates no changes, saying Congress should wait for a completion of a task force study, and Crist says that if the nation implements an earned citizenship program for illegal immigrants, their payroll taxes could restore the program's fiscal solvency.

So, Crist thinks that we should institute an amnesty program, "earned citizenship program" to shore up Social Security.  Maybe someone should point out to Charlie how well unchecked immigration has worked in Europe.  But hey, let's not let facts muddy up the picture.  Crist was at his slimy, pandering best with this little jewel:

Rubio also reacted when Crist, quoting Tampa's La Gaceta newspaper, accused Rubio of "essentially blind ambition – that you turned your back on your Hispanic family … as it relates to the DREAM Act, as it relates to immigration reform."

Rubio opposes earned citizenship for illegal immigrants, and DREAM Act, which would allow citizenship for those who attend college or serve in the military.

"Shameless"  isn't a strong enough word to describe Charlie Crist.  To insinuate  that Rubio is "turning his back on his Hispanic family" because he believes that the country has the right and duty to protect its borders is beneath contempt but all to typical among the practitioners of identity politics.  To them, blacks, browns, women, gays, etc., are each just members of beholden groups who must always think, act and vote as they are told.  Disgusting.

He was for it before he was against it which was after he was in favor of it but before...

Good grief, Charlie Crist!  Do you believe in anything? 

Or as Pundette says, "Does Charlie Crist have to work at being a consummate weasel or is it just a gift?"

At issue, this time, is a statement that Charlie "I can flip, I can flop" Crist made during an interview with Scott Harris on the Agenda:

When asked how Crist would have voted on the healthcare bill if in the Senate at the time, Crist responded by saying, "I would have voted for it. But I think it can be done better, I really do."

So that is where Crist stands today, as opposed as to where he stood yesterday or where he might stand tomorrow.  Actually, his position changed before the end of the same day:

"Apparently, based on an interview this afternoon, there may be some confusion regarding my position on health care," Crist said. "If I misspoke, I want to be abundantly clear: the health care bill was too big, too expensive, and expanded the role of government far too much. Had I been in the United States Senate at the time, I would have voted against the bill because of unacceptable provisions like the cuts to the Medicare Advantage program.

Of course his opponents, Marco Rubio and Kendrick Meek, are having a field day:

Marco Rubio's campaign sent a press release saying, "In less than 30 days, Crist has gone from voting against the bill to voting for it to now being against it again."

Kendrick Meek's campaign released a similar e-mail, saying, "Obviously, the governor is having a crisis of memory."

Now guys, be nice.  Charlie is just being Charlie.  Whoever that is today.

Primary Day in Florida!

I hit the polls at 7:00 am this morning and now there is nothing to do but wait for the polls to close and the results to come in.  Already there is some very good news via Hot Air:

Florida goes to the polls today to choose their nominees for the general election in statewide and federal offices, and the two men who have nothing to do today are the most affected. According to a new survey from PPP, Kendrick Meek should easily win his primary over billionaire self-funder Jeff Greene, who more or less imploded over the last several weeks. With Meek in the race, both Democrats and Republicans come home to their parties — which is good news for Marco Rubio and a big problem for Charlie Crist:

Democrats will get their stronger candidate if Kendrick Meek wins the Florida Senate primary tonight as expected- but the biggest winner coming out of the primary may be Marco Rubio. PPP finds he would begin the general election in the lead at 40%, followed by Charlie Crist at 32%, and Meek at 17%. If Jeff Greene were somehow able to pull off the upset tonight it would be much closer with Rubio at 37%, Crist at 36%, and Greene at only 13%.

PPP’s last poll of the race in mid-July found Crist in the lead at 35% to 29% for Rubio and 17% for Meek. Two major developments have shifted the race in Rubio’s direction though. The first is that Democrats are now going for Meek 39-38 where before they were going for Crist 44-35. As Democrats have gotten to know Meek over the course of the primary campaign they’ve generally decided they like him and that’s cut into Crist’s support for the general election.

The other big difference is that many Republican voters have moved off the fence and they’ve almost universally moved into the Rubio column. Where Rubio had a 54-23 lead with GOP voters in July, it’s now increased to 69-20. Many Republicans were up in the air between Crist and Rubio previously but whatever they’ve seen over the last month has moved them more firmly into the Rubio column.

As I've said before, Crist will pick some, but by no means anything approaching the majority of the Independent vote.  He and Meek will split the Dem vote while Marco takes the Republican and Independent vote and ultimately the Senate seat.  Crist badly misjudged the Florida electorate and moved way too far left.  There is simply no graceful way for him to move back to the center now.

In the House race in this district, Kathy Castor is considered "safe".  Really?  Whomever comes out on top tonight between Mike Prendergast and Eddie Adams, Jr., we will have a candidate who is more than capable of unseating the ninth most liberal member in the House of Representatives.

Only 20 percent of the population self identifies as "liberal" which puts Castor way outside of the mainstream.  In the coming days I will be providing a closer look at Castor's record and it will become clear that on issue after issue, Castor has voted contrary to the constituency.

Lastly, after tonight Jeff Greene will no longer be spamming my inbox.  That my friends, is a very good thing.

In the Florida Democratic Race for the US Senate it is Pot Vs Kettle

The following just popped up in my inbox:

fromJeff Greene For Florida press@jeffgreene.com

reply-topress@jeffgreene.com
toctscloset@gmail.com
dateSun, Aug 8, 2010 at 1:49 PM
subjectKendrick Meek Should Return $5,500 Received From Rangel
mailed-bybounces.salsalabs.net
 
For Immediate Release: August 8, 2010

Contact: Luis Vizcaino - 561-281-9703

Or email: press@jeffgreene.com

KENDRICK MEEK SHOULD LISTEN TO PRESIDENT OBAMA'S OWN WORDS AND CALL ON CHARLIE RANGEL TO RESIGN, RETURN $5,500 RECEIVED FROM RANGEL

West Palm Beach, FL - Today, Jeff Greene called on Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) to step down immediately in light of the ethics violations findings. Greene also called on Rep Kendrick Meek to join him and President Obama in asking Rep Rangel to resign and for Meek to immediately return the $5,500 he received from Rep. Rangel.

"Kendrick Meek should join me, President Obama and other Democrats in calling for Charlie Rangel to resign in light of clear evidence he abused his position by raising money from businesses he was trying to help in Congress," Jeff Greene said Sunday. "The allegations against Rangel are eerily similar to evidence that Meek's friends and family were getting cars and cash from a developer he was trying to help secure $4 million in taxpayer money."

Greene's action today follows the recent comments by President Obama about Rangel: "These allegations are very troubling. I'm sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity, and my hope is that that happens."

Greene said Sunday: "Charlie Rangel asked Speaker Pelosi and the House ethics committee to investigate his alleged wrongdoing. Now Kendrick Meek should also ask for his colleagues to get to the bottom of the allegations against him. Kendrick Meek should follow President Obama's lead and tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that it's time for Rangel to go. He should also return the $5,500 he's received from Rangel's campaign committee and leadership PAC."

Other Democrats have already returned or given to charity $650,000 in donations from Rangel. After a two-year investigation, the House Ethics Committee charged Rangel with 13 violations of House ethics rules. The charges involve blatantly corrupt use of his position as a veteran congressman to pry money from businesses he could help with legislation, as well as failures to disclose income and assets.

The St. Petersburg Times has called for an ethics investigation into Kendrick Meek for apparently using his position in Congress improperly through a potential "pay-to-play" relationship with developer Dennis Stackhouse, who has been charged with stealing more than $1 million designated for a biotech park he never built.

While Kendrick was trying to get $4 million of taxpayer money for Stackhouse, Stackhouse was giving Kendrick's mom $90,000, a new Cadillac, and free office space. Stackhouse also lent Kendrick Meek's chief of staff $13,000.

Every word that Greene says about Meek is true.  However, if there was ever a man who needs to remove the plank from his own eye before going after the speck in his opponent's, it is Jeff Greene.  If Kendrick Meek is the kettle, than surely Jeff Greene is the pot.
 
Greene, who become a billionaire by betting the American families would lose their homes, has some ethical lapses of his own.  Ever hear of The Oasis?  It is an apartment complex that billionaire Greene owns:
 

Greene's company bought Oasis the following year for $2.48 million, or about $13,000 a unit. That is less than two years' rent on a three-bedroom duplex.

Kern County records show Greene's company owes $106,384.75 in taxes on the Oasis units, with some bills dating back to 2006. Greene denies any taxes are due. He says he paid them in full.

Greene's brother, Gary, is in charge of the property, but his maintenance supervisor said there is not enough profit to fix the place up.

``The money coming in doesn't equal the money going out,'' said John Houston, who was fixing roofs on a recent Saturday afternoon.

Of 189 units at Oasis, 40 are vacant, boarded up. Some are burned out, others now squatters' party houses. Greene said he would love to rent the units but can't attract tenants.

Greene can't get people to move into a slum?  Fancy that.  Well, if you have never heard of The Oasis maybe you have heard of The Mirage:

RIDGECREST, Calif. — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene says he had nothing to do with creating the sub-prime mortgage mess that made him fabulously wealthy.

He was simply a savvy investor who "could see that the housing market was imploding" and lucky enough to make more than $500 million by betting against it.

But he wasn't just a spectator to the housing collapse. Four years ago, Greene was party to precisely the kind of deal that decimated the market.

Greene insists he did nothing wrong. Yet the way he handled the deal left an opening for massive fraud and put him uncomfortably close to a man now under federal indictment.

The setting: this remote desert town at the edge of Death Valley. At a project called La Mirage, Greene converted 1950s-era military housing from apartments to 300 condos. In the summer of 2006, just as he was starting to make his bets against the sub-prime housing market, official records show that Greene's company unloaded the units, some for as much as $165,000. The buyers turned out to be people who never intended to own the properties or pay back the loans.

Local residents, who referred to the complex of single-story duplexes and triplexes as "Criminal Gardens," were stunned at the sale prices. Even in the midst of real estate hysteria, they seemed over the top.

Within 18 months, all of the La Mirage buyers defaulted on their loans and every condo was in foreclosure. Low-income tenants, still paying rent and unaware their apartments had been sold, found themselves on the street. Lenders recouped about $25,000 per unit when the properties went up for auction. Banks — and ultimately U.S. taxpayers who bailed out the banks — were left holding the bag on nearly $34 million of worthless paper.

Now James Delbert McConville, Greene's counterpart in the transaction, is in jail facing criminal charges of conspiracy and money laundering stemming in part from the La Mirage transaction. The assistant U.S. attorney says the FBI is still trying to put a dollar figure on McConville's alleged fraud, and is ramping up its investigation of the La Mirage deal.

Kendrick Meek isn't going to get a pass from me, but I'm not sure that Greene, a man who treats his employees like subhuman garbage and even tried to get out of paying a Workman's Comp claim, should be the one tossing around charges of ethics violations.

Ding! Ding! Ding! We Have a Winner!

Time for "Quote of the Day."  From a man with a keen eye for character (so long as there are no contractors involved, of course):

“If a poll was to come out tomorrow and say that Floridians would see you in a better light if you hug a palm tree for 30 minutes a day, he would be out there for an hour hugging a palm tree. It’s the way he operates.” — Rep. Kendrick Meek, knocking Gov. Charlie Crist for being politically expedient.

Has Kendrick Meek Been Thrown Under the Obama Bus?

David Axelrod won't commit Obama to Meek campaign

President Barack Obama's top political adviser declined to say Tuesday whether the commander in chief would campaign for Florida Senate candidate Kendrick Meek — even amid reports that Vice President Joe Biden may hit the trail to assist the fourth-term Democratic House member.

"We're going to campaign for Democrats all over the country," White House senior adviser David Axelrod said when asked whether Obama will show up in Florida for Meek.

Pressed a second time on Meek's race, specifically, Axelrod replied "We haven't worked out the whole schedule."

Aw, sounds like somebody needs a man hug.  Unfortunately for Meek, it looks like Obama has already partnered up.

Rubio Back on Top

Marco Rubio is back on top in the polls (YAHOO!) and he raised $4.5 million in the second quarter.  I've never doubted that Rubio has the right stuff but it sure feels good to see that Charlie "you can fool some of the people some of the time" Crist isn't able to fool all of the people all of the time.

Ed Morrissey:

Earlier this afternoon, I participated in a conference call with Marco Rubio, who has focused more of late on networking and fundraising than high-profile campaigning. Even so, the last Rasmussen poll shows Rubio retaking a narrow lead among likely voters, and Charlie Crist’s latest grandstanding stunt could be backfiring. It certainly has with Crist appointee Senator George LeMieux, who today endorsed Marco Rubio. The strategy has also been effective, as Rubio’s campaign raised $4.5 million in the second quarter, blowing away Kendrick Meek’s $1 million.

Rubio started with a brief introduction, saying that “we’re very happy with the direction of my campaign.” He expressed the need for a strong check on the Obama administration. Rubio hit at the uncertainties created by the White House and Congress in the economy, and said they had made it “difficult to invest” in American industry. Rubio said an announcement would come tomorrow on a proposal to create a Gulf enterprise zone to restore economic health to the region, and blasted politicians taking “photo op opportunities” rather than work for real improvement.

Morrissey goes on to give a sample of the questions asked today and Rubio's answers.  Having listened to Rubio speak on several occasions I can attest that Rubio knows the issues and more importantly, he knows where he stands.  A refreshing change from Charlie Crist, whose "stands" vary depending on whomever he is sucking up to at any given moment.  I thought Rubio's answer to one question in particular spoke very highly of his character and integrity:
 

Prefer Meek or Greene in the race? – Doesn’t matter, Rubio says. “Meek is principled,” Rubio says, “his principles are different than mine, is all.” Of all the other candidates, Rubio’s the only one that won’t carry Barack Obama’s, Harry Reid’s, Nancy Pelosi’s water on Capitol Hill.

Rubio credited Meek with having deeply held beliefs.  He doesn't ridicule Kendrick Meek the man, but focuses on their differences on policies.  It is a pity that more politicians don't follow that tact rather than the constant sniping and character assassinations that we are subjected to almost daily.

Having Rubio in the Senate will go a long way towards bringing some much needed balance back to Washington.  I've said it before and I'll say it again-November can't get here soon enough.

Read the rest of Morrissey's post.

The LEAST Surprising Headline of the Day

The honor goes to Politico for Democrats flirt with backing Charlie Crist.  On the Democrat side of the ballot, the candidates stink.  Kendrick Meek is completely ho hum and he's been tied to a criminal fraud case.  Their other possibility, Jeff Greene, is just plain skeezy.  Yes, I know, for Democrats skeeziness is a feature, not a bug, but still. 

Ed Morrissey posits at Hot Air that the Dems throwing their lot in with Crist doesn't make sense.  Morrissey presents a thorough, logical and convincing argument against a Dem/Crist hookup.  Thing is, and trust me, I am holding my breath as I type this, Morrissey is wrong.

Crist has gone from being a Republican in name only to a Democrat in everything but name.  He has tossed every conservative principal he ever pretended to hold and replaced those principals with the Democratic party platform talking points.  Is he repugnant?  Sure, but when did that ever bother the Democrats?  (See:  Kennedy, Ted; Kennedy, Patrick; Frank, Barney-and so forth and so on ad nauseum) 

The assumption is that Crist and Rubio will split the Republican vote and hand the Senate seat to the Democratic challenger.  But Crist is actively ceding the Republican vote to Rubio, hoping to capture the Indy vote and split the Democrat vote with whomever while keeping the prize for himself. 

My guess is that Democrats would rather that Crist were their candidate.  Their problem is that they can not actively give Meek the heave ho.  It just wouldn't look good.  Greene strikes me as a novelty candidate, at best.  I hate to say it but Crist looks good for the Dems.

Oh, Happy Day!

From The Weekly Standard:

Rubio Back on Top

A new poll from Rasmusen shows that Marco Rubio has taken the lead for the first time since it became a three-way race: Rubio 39%, Crist 31%, Meek 18%. After announcing he was running as an independent two weeks ago, Crist led Rubio 38% to 34% with Meek at 17%. Rasmussen notes that Meek "is by far the least well-known candidate in the race." So he has a lot of room to grow his poll numbers, as he becomes more well known and eats away at Charlie Crist's base of support.

Crist has been tacking to the left the past two weeks--to no avail, it seems--calling for a constitutional ban on offshore drilling and indicating that he will veto a bill requiring that ultrasounds be conducted before abortions are performed in Florida.

With Rubio back out front and Meek sucking hind tit (not to mention that little Dennis Stackhouse thing), the burning question becomes:  what will the unions do?  Throw their support behind Jeff Greene?  Or maybe, Charlie Crist?

Pass me some popcorn!

It is Too Late for Charlie to Come Back Now

Compare this:

BACKGROUND: RUBIO’S STRAW POLL RECORD (23-0)

-Pasco County REC: 73-9 (June 2009)

-Lee County REC: 60-11 (July 2009)

-Highlands County REC: 75-1 (July 2009)

-Bay County REC: 23-2 (August 2009)

-Jefferson County REC: 87 Percent (August 2009)

-Florida Federation of College Republicans: 19-6 (August 2009)

-Republican Women’s Club of Duval Federated: 65-4 (September 2009)

-Gilchrist County REC: 11-1 (September 2009)

-Hernando County REC: 46-0 (September 2009)

-Northwest Orange Republican Women Federation: 49-3 (September 2009)

-Marion County REC: 40-8 (September 2009)

-Palm Beach County REC: 90-17 (October 2009)

-Okaloosa County REC: 86-4 (November 2009)

-Republican Club of South Sarasota County: 70-17 Percent (November 2009)

-Orange County Republican Party Hob Nob: 211-27 (November 2009)

-Pinellas County REC: 106-54 (January 2010)

-Okeechobee County REC: 10-0 (January 2010)

-Florida Federation of College Republicans: 71 percent (January 2010)

-Republican Business Council of North Central Florida: 141-12 (January 2010)

-Capital Conservatives: 40-0 (February 2010)

-Capital City Republican Club: 71-15 (February 2010)

-Brevard County GOP: 321-45 (February 2010)

-Orlando Tea Party: 277-17 (February 2010)

With this:

Charlie Crist gets to set the course for the GOP after all. (Whether it’s where Republicans want to be led -- that’s another question.)

Since we know that he’s listening and all -- what he’s hearing back is some mixed sounds, of varying volumes.

A party switch for Gov. Crist, R-Fla., may be his only remaining path to becoming a United States senator.

But it’s a path fraught with peril for the Republican Party -- and the possibility of Democrat Kendrick Meek winning in a three-way race would only be the GOP’s most immediate concern.

The storyline of Republican disarray was just about put to bed, or at least was on track to come to an end with this year’s primary season. Under the preferred (conservative) Republican scenario, Marcio Rubio defeats Charlie Crist, the Tea Party gets to drink deeply in victory, and there’s no Dede Scozzafava to worry about.

But if Crist runs as an independent, he writes a new chapter in a divisive story for the GOP, one that we’ll still be reading in November.

Looking at the results from the straw polls we see a Florida Republican Party that is united, statewide, behind Marco Rubio. In the excerpt above from Rick Klein’s article in The Note you would think that Rubio is the “Tea Party” candidate and that Crist is the “mainstream” guy. Not exactly the reality of the situation. And while it may be true that the national Republican Party has been in disarray, our state GOP is quite cohesive, particularly since we’ve been rid of Crist crony, former state chairman Jim Greer. Further, Klein’s article assumes two scenarios in the event of a three way race:
 
First, Rubio captures the far Right, Meek captures the far Left and Crist wins that wide swath in the middle.
 
OR
 
Second, Rubio captures the far Right and Meek and Crist split everything else with Crist taking just enough to become Florida's next senator.
 
More likely, if Crist launches an Independent bid,  Crist and Meek will split the Left while Rubio will take the Center and Right and Rubio will be our Senator.  As it stands now, Crist can't even take Pinellas County.

2008 not withstanding, Florida is a Center Right to Right state.  Neither Meek nor Crist stand a chance of winning in November.  Crist's best hope is 2012 but only if he uses the next two years to reinvent himself, ala John McCain, as a Conservative.  If Crist really is a pragmatist, now would be a good time for him to show it.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent

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.