LeMieux May Be Misstep for Crist
From TheLedger.com
Last week, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed his former chief of staff, George LeMieux, to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, who wants to get back to Orange County as quickly as he can.
Crist, running for the full six-year term in that Senate seat that will be filled in November 2010, may just have given his opponents, both Democratic and Republican, fodder to campaign against him.
What the governor, one of the most politically astute politicians in the state, failed to do was appoint someone the public and his Republican party knew and respected as a statesman.
Opponents already have started with e-mails and statements about “cronyism.” It will probably be a campaign issue once the Republican Primary starts burning the diesel fuel.
Former Republican Speaker of the House Marco Rubio, who will be in Lakeland on Wednesday, said Crist ignored many “consistent and principled conservative candidates” in his choice.
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, considered the front-runner among Democrats at the moment, said Crist ignored average Floridians who need a senator “to ease their economic pain and achieve health care reform.”
In other words, Rubio, the Republican, says his Republican opponent is not conservative enough, while Meek, who thinks he will be Crist’s Democratic opponent, says Crist is way too conservative.
The appointment no doubt seemed wise to Crist and his advisers - appoint someone whom you can trust not to run against you when you run next year.
But the field was wide open to pick someone who has already reached statesman status within the Republican Party. It could have been someone who would have the experience to step right in for almost a year and a half of serious debate in the Senate, but not be planning a permanent career move.
A “caretaker” senator doesn’t mean he or she won’t be asked to do anything. After all, there’s immigration reform, the unavoidable health care issue and more economic decisions to be made.
Even if the governor is absolutely certain that he is going to be elected next year, he can’t possibly think the folks in Washington are going to hold up on those issues until he gets there.