Will Charlie Crist be Florida’s Arlen Specter?
By Marc A. Thiessen
From The Washington Post
Can Charlie Crist accomplish in Florida what Arlen Specter failed to do in Pennsylvania — woo Democrats to his cause after bolting the GOP to avoid a tough primary?
In a way, comparing Crist to Specter is a little unfair … to Arlen Specter. Just three months ago Crist declared himself a “common-sense conservative” who believed in the principles of Ronald Reagan. Specter never made any pretense of being a conservative. He voted with Senate Democrats when it suited his interests, and his transition to the Democratic Party did not require many uncomfortable conversions on hot-button issues like abortion.
Crist, by contrast, has shown an ideological flexibility that makes Specter look like a conviction politician. During the GOP primary, Crist campaigned as a pro-life Republican, and his campaign Web site declared “Governor Crist believes strongly in the sanctity of human life.” After he left the GOP, the pro-life page on his Web site mysteriously disappeared — and Crist vetoed a pro-life bill that would have required Florida abortion providers to allow women to see an ultrasound of their unborn child and would have had Florida opt out of taxpayer-funded abortions under Obamacare.
Crist reversed course on education reform. After declaring his support in March for a Republican bill to end teacher tenure and tie pay raises to student achievement, Crist turned around a few weeks later and vetoed the bill — angering the GOP while ingratiating himself with the left-leaning Florida teachers union. (He has since hinted that he has an “open mind” when it comes to union “card-check” legislation).
Crist flipped on the Cuba travel ban. In his 2006 race for governor, he blasted his opponent for backing efforts to ease restrictions on family visits to Cuba, and he later signed legislation raising taxes on companies that arranged such travel. And just last month, when asked by a Florida paper if he would support easing travel restrictions to Cuba, Crist replied: “No, I wouldn’t. Not until they offer more freedoms to their own people first.” But just a few weeks later, Crist announced his support for the Obama administration’s decision to lift all restrictions on family travel to Cuba, and he held a fundraiser with advocates of lifting the Cuba travel ban entirely, declaring “I want to listen to what they have to say.”
