Rumors are flying in Florida after this week’s debate among the three candidates for the U.S. Senate. One scenario, put forth by the Wall St. Journal, says Democrats might be pressuring U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) to drop out of the race, leaving only Gov. Charlie Crist and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio to duke it out.
With Meek’s poll numbers showing no bump after the debate, and with groups like the Florida Sierra Club offering dual endorsements of both him and Crist, Meek really has two choices: quit and lose now, or stay in and lose later.
The candidate himself, though, seems still in fighting mode. After the Sierra Club’s odd move, Meek upped the oddness quotient by refusing the endorsement. He also made it clear he’s tired of people forgetting that Charlie Crist is neither a Democrat nor a true environmentalist.
This election is about taking a stand and fighting for principles you believe in. Today’s Sierra Club co-endorsement is an insult to Florida’s environmental community. The Sierra Club has chosen to stand with a governor who stood on stage applauding as Sarah Palin chanted, ‘Drill, Baby, Drill,’ a governor who signed a law making it easier for big developers to drain the Everglades, a governor who endorsed a bill that would have allowed drilling just three miles away from Florida beaches, and a governor who used polluter talking points to attack climate change legislation.
For years, I have stood with everyday Floridians and the environmental community against Big Oil and the big developers who want to pollute our great state. I have consistently stood against drilling since day one and took on some members of my own party in the process. I fought against developers draining the Everglades and worked hard to ensure that any development occurs responsibly.
I cannot in good conscience accept an endorsement from an organization that would stand with a governor who has consistently put developers, oil companies and the special interests first…It’s an insult to Florida’s environmental community and Sierra Club members that the organization would endorse a governor who, in the organization’s own words, ‘sold out to developers’ by ‘failing to veto even the worst bills.’ While I agree that Marco Rubio is an unacceptable choice for Florida’s environment, Charlie Crist is also an unacceptable choice.
Well maybe, but the group rightly pointed out that Charlie’s done some good things too. And that’s the problem with Charlie. Rebutting his record is a moving target, since for every action Crist takes in one direction, he takes an equal and opposite action in the other.
After describing Marco Rubio as “a pleasant sounding sociopath with a record of being completely unable to control a budget (both personally and governmentally),” the Florida blog, Campaign Manager, summed up Meek’s chances.
Meek, if he wants to consolidate the support of the Democratic base, needs to focus all his energies on Rubio. The base will flow to whoever they see as best able to challenge Rubio. But Meek has hardly even addressed Rubio.
Until he does and as long as Crist has the good sense to aim some of his fire at the profligate Rubio, then Meek will continue to lose a significant percentage of Democrats to Crist.
Which brings us back to where we started. It might well be time for Meek give that concession speech.
