More Teabaggers Turn on Charlie!

The Republican Majority Campaign PAC, which spent more than $8 million on the 2008 campaign, has jumped into the Florida Republican Senate primary.  They released a web ad yesterday attacking the candidate who didn't mean to endorse President Obama's stimulus package when he said, "We know that it's very important that we pass a stimulus package."  Click here to listen to Charlie's explanation for his change of heart new interpretation non-endorsing endorsement.  Whatever it is, the Republican Majority Campaign PAC isn't buying it.  They've just released a web ad attacking Charlie Crist for his support of President Obama.



Also jumping on the "Dump Charlie" bandwagon is the Family Research Council, which announced it's endorsement of Marco Rubio yesterday.  Whether it was the rumors about Charlie's sexuality, his tepid support for the gay marriage ban in 2008, or just a desire to jump on the teabag bandwagon, the Talibevangelical Right has also turned on Charlie.

Perhaps sensing that the conservative base is turning on the leadership, Texas Senator John Cornyn, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, backed off the committee's endorsement of Charlie Crist, promising not to spend any money in the primary and even offering some warm words for Marco Rubio.

"The first lesson is that competitive primaries are generally a good thing," Cornyn said. "To me, that's the overarching lesson to be learned out of the 23rd. When 11 people get behind closed doors and pick the nominee ... the grassroots are going to find an alternative."

Cornyn said the NRSC is only endorsing in races where -- like in Crist's case -- the candidate specifically requests its stamp of approval. He said that -- notwithstanding any endorsements -- his group would even offer advice on hiring and strategy to GOP challengers, like Rubio, who haven't been endorsed.

Asked what endorsements mean, then, Cornyn said some candidates may want the backing to help line up support and financing. Beyond that, however, he said NRSC endorsements won't mean very much in practice.

"Endorsements, frankly, are overrated.... They can to some extent be a negative," Cornyn said, noting that candidates in New Hampshire, California, and Colorado, for example, have asked the national party to stay out of their races.

"People shouldn't read too much into endorsements by the NRSC. We are encouraging people we think are the strongest candidates to run."

So the organization that helps Republicans get elected endorsed Charlie Crist because he asked them to?  That's the criteria for getting a "stamp of approval" from the NRSC?  It looks the GOP establishment is as afraid of it's base as the 80% of Americans who don't think that health care is a conspiracy to kill old people and want theocracies to stay in the Middle East.