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In a rare television interview, former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- who left the Republican Party during his unsuccessful 2010 U.S. Senate bid -- told Chuck Todd on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" that he'd consider voting for President Obama in November.
“Consider? Sure, I would consider that,” said Crist. “I really think he’s sincere and genuine. I think we have a lot time, a lot of issues to talk about, but I think, in his heart, he’s trying to do what’s right for the country overall.”
Now a registered independent, Crist said he also wouldn't rule out running for office as a Democrat himself in the future.
“I wouldn’t definitively rule out anything,” the former governor said.
In recent days, Newt Gingrich has invoked Crist's name to criticize Mitt Romney, noting that a number of former Crist staffers and supporters are now backing Romney's presidential bid.
Asked if Gingrich’s attack was good Republican primary politics, Crist said, “I really don’t know.”
Since leaving office as governor in 2011, Crist has worked in the private sector as an attorney with the law firm Morgan & Morgan, even appearing in a television ad for the firm.
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Well every one in a while a GOPer will come to his senses.
This is not you father's GOP. Talk about loony tunes the last few years have produced a bumper crop of RWNJs.
In a rare television interview, former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- who left the Republican Party during his unsuccessful 2010 U.S. Senate bid -- told Chuck Todd on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" that he'd consider voting for President Obama in November.
Now a registered independent, Crist said he also wouldn't rule out running for office as a Democrat himself in the future.
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Charlie, maybe you should form a self-help support group for yourself and others like you:
Losers for Obama 2012
Unfortunately for Governor Christ, the photo of President Obama's hand on his shoulder during the Gulf oil disater, equated to the 'kiss of death' for the FL tea baggers!
Crist has always been a democrat. He was a RINO when he was elected, stayed a RINO and will always be a democrat. The people of Florida saw through him almost from the beginning. This is why his popularity fell so low.
Crist is pissed because he was hoping for a VP spot. Not likely Charlie... Now he states he's considering voting for Obama... what a noid.
I guess the law practice with Morgan & Morgan ain't going so well. For the people my ass
Crist is one of the truly great Americans … one that puts
the interest of the country ahead of Party or self.
Doesn't Crist have the lowest job approval rating , of all the governors in the country...??
Sue lawyers. Maybe to amp things up they can bring in John Edwards, his schedule looks open.
big ben,
You are thinking of his successor … Rick Scott
Interesting. So does Charlie think everything is right on track with the Obama agenda? Because, you know, neither "sincere" or "genuine" puts supper on the table.
I love Charlie Crist and would vote again for him. He is a great guy, unfortunately the TP are not fans of his......he is too good a man for them.
GM
I totally agree!
Hey GM/Phin - when do they start posting the results of the voting in Florida? I'm curious to watch the counts as they come in. Also, if you know of any links to websites showing the counting, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks are due to RINO Charlie Crist...
Because of Crist, we now have an elected GOP Florida senator who is a future VP or maybe President, Marco Rubio.
Charlie Crist is merely another self-promoting politician. He lost the Republican nomination and ran as Independent where he lost again. Now, he wants to magically "become Democrat" and run yet again !
So much for the FLIP-FLOPPER ! The lust for power overrides consistency of his beliefs.
Marco Rubio appeals the the average Republican as much as Herman Cain did....they don't need him, they don't want him, and they won't have him on the ticket. But they will parade his mug around to see if they can cut into the minority votes....
President Barack Obama has been pushing hard to help small businesses. Today he continued on his push that he has done during his term.
From Bloomberg... quoting Roger Runningen
"President Barack Obama sent Congress a package of small business measures today that he said would expand tax relief and unlock capital to boost the economy and create jobs.
The plan would expand and make permanent a zero capital gains rate on small business investments; enact a new, 10 percent tax credit for hiring or increasing wages; double to $10,000 from $5,000 the deductions a startup business could take and extend 100 percent first-year depreciation, for one year, for qualified property placed in service before Jan. 1, 2013."
In addition, President Obama has asked Congress to increase funding for small business investment program by 33.33%.
This explains why more businesses have been turning a deaf ear to the Republican Party. Small and medium businesses are so tired of hearing the lies that are coming from the GOP Presidential candidates, particularly Romney. It's as if Mitt doesn't have a clue about small and medium size businesses.
I would get behind any effort to infuse the Teapublican Party with more moderate members (to return to cooperation as in the past under Tip O'Neill). There are still a few Blue Dogs in the Democratic Party, but admittedly even their numbers have decreased. The hateful extremism and lack-of-compromise gridlock is killing all of us. It would be nice to see Crist, Grassley, Simpson, Bush Sr., and others join together to stop the far-right Tea Party hijacking.
Dennis, Columbus, Ohio -- So true. Rick Scott, the predecessor to Romney in buying an election. Welcome to the new 1% world.
I think any republican who is really honest will be voting for President Obama. I think that any republican that really, really loves America will be voting for President Obama. I think that any republican who values the people in America as much the rich 1% will be voting for President Obama.
I know that republicans are very good liars and make the most outrageous statements about President Obama are not doing any good for America.
America is all of us together, we are not here to serve the 1% like the republicans would have us believe.
Americans First - Ahhh, but you will serve the 1% whether you like it or not. You've been serving them all your life. Your parents served them and your grandparents as well. It doesn't matter who you vote for, you will serve them either way. They are outside of the political bonds... they own the politicians and have owned them since the Federal Reserve was established in 1913.
People who think political party has any influence over who you serve are blinded and act as tools for the system.
Joe in Albany
Charlie, maybe you should form a self-help support group for yourself and others like you:
Losers for Obama 2012
Idiots like Joeey expelling foul air; AGAIN!!!
I think people that want a better economy will vote for the Republican nominee. I think people that are tired of trillion dollar deficits and record debt that will be paid for by our children will vote for the Republican nominee. I think people that expect better than a 2% GDP growth will vote for the Republican nominee. I think people that want a 5% unemployment rate will vote for the Republican nominee. I think people that have seen poverty dramatically increase and a 46% increase in Food Stamp usage will vote for the Republican nominee. Anyone who is really honest and looks at Obama's record will vote for the Republican nominee.
Obama has had 4 years to improve the economy. We see his values. We see his results. Time for a real Change.
JoAnnaSmith - Shame on you!! You know better than to come here on First Read and proclaim your racism. Not that anything you said has ANYTHING to do with racism...
Sorry, I was trying out some liberal wings... but they really don't fit, do they? Oh well, maybe next time. :o)
JoAnna- the only problem with your statement is that the evidence shows that voting for a Republican is even less likely to produce improvements in any of the areas you mentioned than voting for a Democrat.
" .... the evidence shows that...."
Let's see you back up your statement. Vague statements of "evidence" are kind of like "hope" and "change". I think you have an unsupportable post.
johanna Agent Smith, you must work for fox news because you're just as full of ..it as they are.
Thank you Governor Crist! It is refreshing to hear a man of reason! I hope you vote for President Obama!!
But you know the hate will start in 5,4,3,2,1.........
The thing I always like and appreciate about Charlie Crist is the fact he always wants what is best for Florida - and forget party lines. (FYI, I voted for him in his senate run)
phinephancy-4252115
The thing I always like and appreciate about Charlie Crist is the fact he always wants what is best for Florida - and forget party lines. (FYI, I voted for him in his senate run)
Me too, I really wished Meeks had dropped out so there would have been "NO" Rubio.
How does Rubio affect you Bev? Can you tell me who Co-Sponsored the STACK Act with Bernie Sanders?
Phine, Crist did do good things for Florida, but he support the nearly 1 trillion dollar waste of our money on BS, I think that's what did him in.
I, for one, would possibly listen to the candidates if they stopped "bashing and lying" and actually explained what they would do. Charllie Christ is a speaking from his heart and not from a party line. How refreshing!!
I always liked Charlie Crist when he was governor of Florida. I don't live in Florida, but whenever he appeared on TV he seemed to be a reasonable, sincere, and honest person, not a wing nut at all. But of course, the nuts have taken over the Republican party. And, hopefully, driven more of the reasonable, sincere, and honest Republicans to be either independents or democrats. How's that lying nasty drivel that you wingnuts spout working for you?
don't worry Cathy, I am a DEM and our state is financially sound(unlike some states ie Illinois), no state income taxes. You just keep living your life and don;t worry about the sunshine state. Don't move down either.
No Buck Naked, we need people like that to at least visit so we can keep not paying income tax. I don't mind the snow birds, they're good people. Where I live, I don't even try to go into town from 31 May to 5 Sept.
Paul,
In my little corner of Florida, I try staying off the roads as much as possible from January thru March (a very large snowbird community here). Their driving scares the pants off me!
Hey, Charlie---come on over to the Democratic party. This former Republican did it a few years ago and received a warm welcome. And get this---you don't have to agree 100% with everything the party does. Differing views are welcomed and listened to. And no one has ever told me who I should vote for. They do help me stay informed on the candidates but we have real primaries, not coronations for the establishment candidate.
Different views are welcomed? Geez, ask the former Congreesman from the UP of Michigan if his view was welcomed? Maybe that's why he retired.
Being an Independent, you can tell both sides to f off.
Charlie Crist, the once and future Governor.
Charlie Crist, the once and future Governor.
The extreme right wing wants anyone not representing their dogma to leave the Republican Party. Airheads and Orcs are taking over. Romney is either going over to the dark side or has disguised himself. Those willing to accommodate extremists are being evicted by their pets.
“Consider? Sure, I would consider that,” said Crist. “I really think he’s sincere and genuine. I think we have a lot time, a lot of issues to talk about, but I think, in his heart, he’s trying to do what’s right for the country overall.
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Gasp....warning, look for Representative Allen West to attack Gov. Crist in broad daylight an attempt to throw the Gov into the sea where his kind of thinking belongs.
Remember when Blue-dog Dems would switch to the Republican Party? Well, maybe moderate Republicans will begin to switch over to the Democratic Party. I think this will become a trend in the coming years.
From some of the Republicans I have talked to Mr. Christie is not the only one doing it. Unfortunately the Republican party has been taken over by a mob of unruley, uncaring, extremists who, whether their intent or not may drive this country into a Fascist state if they aren't stopped. Fortunately the founding fathers had sense enough to put checks and balances in the Constitution to prevent such extreme views from becoming the way the country is governed.
In the past the right side of the political spectrum was called Federalist. That became unpopular because people were more liberal in their thoughts as the nation grew. Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic/Republican (then simply Republican but changed later) was the first of the liberal presidents. He was followed by Madison, Monroe, and John Q Adams and, of course Andrew Jackson. By this time the new right was called Whig. The right was accused of siding with the king and kingly sorts of things. So as not to be thought of in that way they took the name Whig just like the loyal opposition in England. In the 1840s once again the country was moving farther to the left and a group of disgrunteled Whigs and some very liberal Democrats formed the Republican party. The Republican party was primarily a party leaning slightly to the right of the political center but their key belief was opposition to slavery. Up until the 1960s it was the choice of many people of color. After the Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson most moved to the more liberal Democratic party. This paradyme shift in the two parties has become very evident as we begin the first years of the second decade of the 21st Century. While Republicans don't support slavery the tenets of the Democratic party have become more favorable to them.
When extremists control everyone loses. Back in the 1970s left leaning extremists controlled the Democratic party. The anti-war- give away the store mentality of people like George McGovern, Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and George Dukakis made it difficult for Democratic party members seeking office to get elected. Instead we got Ronald Reagan and his trickle down (our leg) economics and a gradual erosion of rights, stagnation in growth of wealth and opportunity for lower and middle class people. The era of Me, Me and Me had begun. Greed was no longer a bad thing. Now we are in a real mess but thigs are looking up. The Neocons, Tea Partiers, and others on the extreme right are finding that extremism whether left or right won't succeed for long. The nation will slowly come out of our right wing radical extremist funk and be re-born stronger and better than ever.
Whether he realizes it or not Mr. Christie is one of millions of people who do not want to deal with the extremism controling the once grand old party and look to candidates that make sense. If and when the Republican party moves back toward the center many of those who left will return. Others will be gone forever. A major recruiting effort will bring new life to the party or so many may have left that it will meet the same fate as the Federalists and Whigs and disappear altogether and a new slightly right of center party will emerge to fill the void and offer up a balance to the Democratic party.
Oh Brother...
No surprise to me
I will say this...he had no choice, the TeaParty destroyed his persona.
I'm very proud of that victory.
Where's the surprise here? Look at the law firm he works for! Morgan and Morgan - the biggest crooks in the Tampa Bay area. These "trial" lawyers help cultivate the dependency on the govt., which is obama's ultimate goal - to rule the minions!
Crist should also be thinking about trying out for the Patriots, or the Giants, depending on who wins the Super Bowl. The chance of him making one of the teams is even greater than him ever being re-elected to public office again.
Crist is coming over from the GOP "Party Of NO." Crist is NOT impressed with the GOP "Hoodlum's On Then Hill." Crist is very upset with "Mickey Mouse Mitch McConnell's" main poltical goal is to destroy an American President. Crist is tired of the lies being "Spewed" by the GOP Clowns over the past Three years. Crist is now saying the following. "Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! The Party Of NO has got to GO!
The GOP should now be known as GHP Grand Hypocrisy Party.I have never seen a bunch of people fuelled with so much hate and yet pretend to be true Christians.They just make me imagine the type of people Christ contended with in his time in Israel.Bigots,the Greedy, Taskmasters,Xenophobic, Self Righteous,Racist,two faced bastards.Christ must be so ashamed of this people, who have no love and show no love to their President, just because he does not look like one of their own.Yet they can still go to their churches and raise their hands in worship to a God of Love.HOW DO THEY EVEN SLEEP?
The GOP should now be known as GHP Grand Hypocrisy Party.I have never seen a bunch of people fuelled with so much hate and yet pretend to be true Christians.They just make me imagine the type of people Christ contended with in his time in Israel.Bigots,the Greedy, Taskmasters,Xenophobic, Self Righteous,Racist,two faced bastards.Christ must be so ashamed of this people, who have no love and show no love to their President, just because he does not look like one of their own.Yet they can still go to their churches and raise their hands in worship to a God of Love.HOW DO THEY EVEN SLEEP?
It's nice to hear that one of the very very few moderate republicans is coming around to a sensible conclusion, Nitmit and Newtie's campaign show that the republican party of today is on a death march to mass political suicide, it's so far to the right that it doesn't know what's right any more.