Club for Growth Goes After Charlie

The Club for Growth has been considering jumping into the Florida Republican Senate primary race for the last few weeks. They've spoken very highly of the Marco Rubio since he announced his bad back in May.

“His fiscally responsible, pro- growth approach in the State Capitol stands in stark contrast with other elements of the state government, led by Charlie Crist” said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola.

Governor Charlie Crist, also a potential Republican Senate candidate, has come under fire recently for supporting President Obama's reckless stimulus package.

“America faces the prospect of unsustainable spending under President Obama, making it all the more important to support candidates who will reduce the debt and lower the tax burden,” said Chocola. “Speaker Rubio’s announcement is good news for Florida’s families and businesses, and I welcome his entry in the race.

According to Newsweek, Charlie and his crew have been anticipating such a fight and are ready for a fight with Marco Rubio.

Crist partisans sound like they're ready to pounce. As Peter Wallsten noted in a Wall Street Journal piece today, the campaign's oppo researchers are operating in high gear. Among the tidbits they've uncovered: a YouTube video in which Rubio seems to concede that emission caps would become reality, the same caps Rubio has been lambasting Crist for supporting at one time. There's also Rubio's advocacy, during his time in the Florida House, of substituting an increased sales tax for property taxes. That offers Crist an opening to attack Rubio as a tax-hiker. In short, the gloves are coming off.

While Charlie can try and paint Marco Rubio as less than pure on taxes, he still has a problem with the teabaggers--his support of President Obama's stimulus package. Remember when Charlie and Obama joined forces at a pro-stimulus package rally in Fort Myers in Janauary?

"We know that it's important that we pass a stimulus package,'' Florida's popular Republican governor said amid "Yes, we can!" cheers as he introduced the Democratic president. "This is not about partisan politics. This is about rising above that, helping America and reigniting our economy."

Well, that was in February. This is November. It's been nine whole months since February and so much has changed since then....like Charlie's memory of that infamous rally in Fort Myers. Apparently, Charlie never wanted the stimulus to pass. He just felt that it would be great to have the money.

On Wednesday night, Crist told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he ``didn't endorse'' the stimulus bill and he wouldn't have voted for it. The Associated Press, however, pointed out that Crist had once told AP that he had ``endorsed'' it.

SNIP

On Thursday, when asked by state Capitol reporters if he were changing his position, Crist said, ``I don't think so. I don't think so.''

Why the sudden change in position memory? Perhaps it was a poll that showed that 66% of Florida Republicans felt that Charlie made a mistake in embracing President Obama's stimulus package. Unfortunately for Charlie, the Club for Growth isn't his explanation. The organization released an ad today attack the governor for his support of the president's economic policies.



Somebody pop some popcorn! The teabaggers are going all in against Charlie Crist. That doesn't mean that Democrats can just sit by and do nothing. We need to do our part to defeat Charlie Crist. The only way to vote in the Republican primary next summer is to change your voter registration to Republican. I realize that the idea of joining the GOP might make your skin crawl. It certainly has that effect on me. But remember the big picture here. Buy joining the GOP, you will help the tea-bagger insurgents bring down the party establishment and sew further chaos. So please, switch to the GOP and help destroy as many moderate Republicans as possible.