Come to think of it, perhaps Charlie Crist should have appointed himself to the senate seat being vacated by the eminently replaceable Mel Martinez.
Not for Gov. Charlie’s own sake, of course, because such a move would have been seen as presumptuous and, well, cheeky. But for the sake of Floridians who, having seen all that he hasn’t done for Florida, would at least have an opportunity to see Crist in a different context.
The Crist gubernatorial era, to be sure, is no crisis-management exemplar. More of a reminder that do-nothing, nice guys can finish first. But it shouldn’t be enough to merely wish that taxes and insurance rates would “drop like a rock.” It shouldn’t be enough to simply hope that Florida avoids a bad hurricane season. It shouldn’t be enough to opportunistically put your hand out and accept stimulus money to balance a budget imploding into a sinkhole. It shouldn’t be enough to pull a Pontius Pilate on growth management laws. It shouldn’t be enough to be on the side of the people vs. pythons.
So, instead of having the voters ascribe George LeMieux’s proxy votes to Crist, why not have the declared 2010 candidate carve out his own track record in his own name and his own voice over these next 16 months? Arguably, this interim crucible is not the time to play Edgar Bergen or Paul Winchell.
Key votes on health care, climate change and maybe immigration reform are headed for Congressional climax. Wouldn’t it have been worth it to see how Charlie handled the moment – and the scrutiny? Wouldn’t it have been worth it if Crist were representing Florida – not LeMieux representing Crist?
And then Charlie could have hired LeMieux back as chief of staff/campaign manager again.
But instead it will be 40-year-old Sen. George LeMieux, R-Consultant, the youngest person in the U.S. Senate, and Charlie Crist’s Karl Rove. True to form, Charlie stuck with what was most self-serving. Even though the taxpayers paid the tab for his dog-and-pony interview charade. Even though LeMieux has no Washington experience.
But this surrogate-“maestro” hybrid does have a Crist connection unmatched by any of the other, better qualified candidates that were in the mix. In fact, his is the ultimate nexus.
“I know his soul,” explained Crist. How reassuring.