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Crist: NY-23 'Was Kind Of A Funky Situation'

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Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL)

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Charlie Crist, FL-SEN, NY-23

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Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL), who some see as a target of the conservative movement that backed Doug Hoffman in NY-23, called the race there "kind of a funky situation."

"I don't know if we can really tell exactly what that race meant. I mean, that was kind of a funky situation, to put it mildly," Crist said today on CNN. "And I think that it'll take a little time to analyze what happened there. But what did it happen there is that, unfortunately, a Democrat won in a district that's been held by a Republican for 140 years."

Conservatives are targeting Crist over his credentials, especially his support of the stimulus. Some are turning to Mark Rubio, Crist's opponent in the Republican primary for a Senate seat in Florida.

Crist is, not surprisingly, distancing himself from the stimulus.

"I didn't endorse it. I didn't even have a vote on the darn thing," he said today. "But I understood that it was gonna pass and I wanted to be able to utilize it for the benefit of my fellow Floridians."

Asked if what happened in New York could happen in Florida, he said, "I certainly don't hope so."

"As a Republican running for the U.S. Senate, I hope that a Republican wins and I hope that it's me," he said.

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November 4, 2009 9:01 PM   

While it is tempting to assume that with Palin, Bachmann, and the rest of the maniacs out there leading the way, Demos don't need to worry as much about a serious challenge in 2010, I think that would be a mistake. If anything, all of the noise being generated is a serious distraction from what progressives should be doing--hard core recruiting for good candidates for the next round.

If we keep getting distracted by the bright lights and ambient noise, and putting money into stuff like PR campaigns for inflammatory issues, we'll keep putting up weaker candidates like Deeds and Corzine. Which translates into less enthusiasm for our side and more for theirs.

The focus now should be on recruiting credible and electable candidates. That alone would help put a fire under those DINO fence setters that think the special interests are more important than the peoples interest.

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November 5, 2009 12:14 AM   

There's nothing "funky" about it Charlie - the lunatic fringe wing of your party overrode the locals in the name of ideological purity and lost the seat. You're next.

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