Will Charlie Crist stick with the Republican Party? Stay tuned.

[TomCADem]

Source: Washington Post

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has become the star of his own personal soap opera.

Will he abandon his faltering bid for the Republican nomination for the Senate and run as an independent? Will he, playing good soldier, quietly step to the sidelines and live to fight another day? Will he stay and fight against Marco Rubio, the charismatic young Cuban American who has captured the hearts of conservatives around the country?

The answer will come this week. The national implications are clear. Should Crist quit the Republican primary and run for the Senate under the "no party affiliation" banner, Florida will become ground zero for a test of whether voters in a state that plays a crucial role in presidential politics see the Republican Party as having been captured by its right wing.

If Crist goes the independent route, his decision will be interpreted as the most significant example yet of the "tea party" takeover of the Republican Party, given the early and enthusiastic support Rubio received from tea party activists and supporters.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

[DCBob]

1. Crist going "I" is a very big deal.. it has major implications.. even beyond FL.

It very well could result in a Senate pickup for Dems since Crist is likely to win and would also likely caucus with the Dems. This also throws a huge monkey wrench in the teabagger machine. If Crist(I) is successful many in the GOP will come to realize the teabaggers are doing more harm than good. It also allows Crist to endorse other Florida Dems such as Alex Sink for Gov with little to no risk,.. in fact it might help him. Nov 2010 could turn out to be very good night for Democrats.

[YDogg]

3. Agreed.

[Dappleganger]

5. Yes it could!

And FL dems could just as easily blow this chance. I am holding my breath on this one.

[skipos]

9. I see no evidence that Crist would caucus with the Dems

You would think Lieberman would have caucused with Repubs after 06, but he didn't.

[DCBob]

13. Lieberman situation was different.. he was already a Dem Senator for many years..

and had developed friendships and loyalties among the other Dem senators. Also, I think this election will be so nasty and ugly that Crist wont have a choice. The GOPers are already lining up to throw him under the bus.

[HooptieWagon]

10. If elected as an Ind, I think Crist probably caucuses with the Rs

He might infuriate them, as Lieberman does us, but he will vote R 90% of the time.

[xchrom]

2. More intersting is if this would have more

Implications for both parties.

[Dappleganger]

4. Crist is being pushed out.

Quite literally.

[lib2DaBone]

6. Crist is not insane enough for the Republiican party...

He's not a sadist or a masochist... the Repukes just don't think he is nasty enough or predator enough to be one of "them".

Sadly, Alex Sink, the Democrat, is a very weak candidate. Nothing against her.. she is just a non- starter. She will be like Martha Coakley in the Mass election.. when Scott Brown ran over the top of her. When you are fighting the insane Repukes and Fox News.. you better come out fighing for your life.. because the Conservative goal is to "Mold" you and control you into their gulag way of life.

Jeb Bush and the Bush Evil Empire still control every facet of life in Florida. The Dems HAVE to run a strong candidate, or hang it up. I wish Alan Grayson was available. There is not much time.. the clock is ticking...

[Lochloosa]

11. Alex Sink is running for Governor not the Senate.

And she ran one hell of good campaign in '08. I don't see her as weak at all.

Kendrick Meek is the likely Dem candidate. He has very little name recognition other than in south Florida. And you don't win statewide races in FL without the Panhandle.

[demwing]

12. Alex Sink is running for Governor

Ken Meek is the Dem running for the open Senate seat

their respective sites:

http://www.alexsink2010.com /
http://www.kendrickmeek.com /

You know, why couldn't we have come up with candidates named Ken Bolder and Alex Wriser?

I'm just saying...

[saulmart]

7. The Meek Shall Inherit

Yea verily!

[Strelnikov_]

8. "step to the sidelines and live to fight another day?"

And this "journalist" thinks, with the direction the Reichpublican party is going, that day will be when?