CHARLIE CRIST REPUBLICANS SUPPORT MITT ROMNEY, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

Charlie Crist Republicans Support Mitt Romney, what does that tell you?

By Dr. Rich Swier

It appears that supporters of former Governor Charlie Crist are aligning themselves with Mitt Romney. Perhaps the biggest indicator is the announcement that the Florida Finance Team co-Chair Mitt Romney is Gary Kompothecras.

According to a June 2010 column by Jeremy Wallace in Sarasota Herald-Tribune, “More than 300 people filled the beachfront estate of Gary and Elizabeth Kompothecras to support Crist, who in April announced he was dropping out of the Republican primary race against former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio to run as an independent.”

We are seeing “moderate” Republicans line up behind Romney.

Moderate Republican means different things to different people. For me it means putting pragmatism over principle. I recently attended a meeting of the Republican Club of Charlotte County and heard several members’ state that they love Newt Gingrich but think Mitt Romney is electable. I heard the same thing said about Charlie Crist when he was running for the U.S. Senate just before he jumped ship and went Independent. Some stuck with Charlie even after he threw the Republican Party of Florida under the bus. These same people are now coming out of the woodwork to support Mitt. What does that tell you?

I see the Republican primary race as wide open. I also believe each candidate has their own strengths and each has a few weaknesses. The greatest weakness of any candidate is their moderate stances or pragmatism when it comes to issues of importance. Mitt Romney is old news, a pragmatic politician and a very moderate Republican. Do Republicans inFloridawant another John McCain? I doubt it.

Do not forget that it was Charlie Crist’s endorsement of John McCain that propelled him into the lead in the 2008 presidential primary and gave us President Barack Obama. A moderate is the last thing the Republicans need to nominate. A principle conservative is the only choice.

I firmly believe there are only four conservatives running for President on the Republican ticket. They are Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich. All the others, and especially Mitt Romney, are also ran’s supported by the good old boy network.

Beware of Charlie Crist Republicans bearing gifts.

NOTE: Dr. Rich Swier is the Sarasota editor for Red County and is host of the Dr. Rich Show. Click here for pod casts of the show.