The Charles Dickens' reference to brighter days is clear. With each passing week, its candidate pool enriches and grows. Despite the best efforts of party Chairman Michael S. Steele to the contrary, the party's fundraising is ramping up and messages are resonating.
The once-faithful masses are returning again to Republican ranks. Of course, this surge in the polls is in no small part due to the clumsy mistakes, missteps and misguided policies of Republican opponents - the Democrats. But the perils of a two-party system will be argued in future essays.
In the case of moderate-Republican turned right-leaning independent Gov. Charlie Crist, I sense his move is a microcosm of the worst of times to come for the party if current courses are unaltered.
Governor Crist has had a rough few months. Campaigning for his party's nod to run for a seat vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez, Mr. Crist has been overtaken by an anti-Obama backlash that has propelled his opponent, Marco Rubio, squarely to front-runner status and a rock star to many tea party activists. Adding insult to injury, party luminaries such as former Gov. Mitt Romney and former Vice President Dick Cheney heartily endorsed Mr. Rubio, in what could only have been interpreted as a rebuke to Mr. Crist's moderate (read: squishy) policy stances.
Yet even given these circumstances, I believe Mr. Crist should have quietly dropped from the race and remained a Republican for four reasons.
First, the good governor needs to come to grips with why the party faithful stood against him. He committed a cardinal sin of not only embracing a Democrat, but embracing some of the policies of an individual who is single-handedly trying to unravel our economy, thread by thread. Floridians of all stripes can't get that image out of their heads.
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Neither should Charlie Crist. He made a mistake. He should probably admit that in some Republican forum (yes, even in private is suitable), and move on from there. Heck, even wise men make mistakes. They just don't make them twice. So no matter what label Mr. Crist posts after his name, I believe he's damaged goods today.
Second, Mr. Crist had to have known that his departure would mark the beginning of the end of an otherwise promising political future. In a matter of weeks, he will seal his fate as a political roman candle - a colorful, fiery, yet short-lived flash. Mr. Crist will have no future apparatus to help him run in any race, either as an independent, Bull Moose or something else. Yes, the candidate himself matters. But if he lacks any formal campaign structure, even the best messages and messenger run flat. The Republican faithful will make sure of that.
Third, the future is a long way’s off. Mr. Crist could have spent this week rebuilding his Republican bona fides by stepping aside, endorsing Mr. Rubio wholeheartedly, and then actively work to get the Republican candidate elected. In true Lee Atwater fashion, such a move would have banked valuable political capital for a future Crist run, as a Republican. Who knows, perhaps President Romney would have made Mr. Crist a cabinet secretary, instantly reviving his career.
Finally, Mr. Crist is a moderate in a center-right country that is increasingly tilted toward the middle. Frankly, the Republican Party needs that to show non-tea party followers this is a big-tent organization, waiting to embrace those of all political stripes, especially the frustrated masses fleeing the Democrat Party like rats from a sinking ship.
At a time when tens of millions of voters are unengaged, uninformed and increasingly frustrated with "the bums" no matter what they call themselves, Republicans are struggling to respond. Couple that with the fact voters are seemingly OK with an elected official struggling publicly with tough issues. Voters would rather see that conflicted consternation than someone who salves their concerns with hope and trillions of tax dollars. In today's society, not every policy solution fits neatly in a four-corner box. These voters want someone who looks more like them.
Call it the Charlie Crist syndrome.
No question the electorate is disillusioned and despondent. It's willing to give Republicans the benefit of the doubt and a second chance, but not to Bush Republicans.
As much as I love the former president, no, this electorate would be more enamored with a Colin Powell Republican. I'm not saying I agree with every stance of moderates; just stating a political reality. The public wants common-sense approaches with sensitivity to the plights of those less fortunate, not Wall Street. The Grand Ole Party has not fully escaped that stigma. Republicans ignore that at their own peril.
The financial services debate is a prime example. In the span of three weeks, Republican leaders managed to go from outright opposition to another "bailout" of Wall Street banks, to sheepishly adopting a "me-too" attitude trashing these Gucci-wearing execs, to finally stepping aside and letting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid work his punitive will in the Senate.
Did Republicans offer any constructive input in that debate? I don't think so. To the average onlooker, they were holding up the bill because they couldn't agree on just what color gray the cells for these tycoons should be painted. That won't exactly instill confidence in a voter looking to send a message to President Obama.
Additionally, think of how different the ongoing immigration debate would look with more measured Republican responses. On paper, Charlie Crist was tailor made for the role. A moderate governor of a Hispanic-heavy state making a reasoned plea for balance and enforcement of existing laws. On top of that, he's a Republican! Or at least, he was a Republican. That's the kind of messenger the party needs in addition to the Sarah Palin brimstone.
Do Mr. Crist's views track Burke or even Buckley? It's safe to say, no. But does the party need to do a better job at presenting its stance on immigration in a manner that appears less barbaric and insensitive? It's safe to say, yes.
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