Education reform and the fall of Charlie Crist
By Gary Reese
April 13, 2010 — When asked this week whether Florida public school teachers should have “tenure,” Republican Gov. Charlie Crist put it rather eloquently. “I don’t know,” he said. Truer words were never spoken. Recall that Crist was once the education secretary of Florida. And yet he has no informed opinion about tenure. His non-commital comment sums up Crist the public servant. It also explains succinctly why he has over the last year suffered a political collapse of absolutely astounding proportions. (He now trails Marco Rubio by nearly a two-to-one margin in their race for the GOP nomination for US Senate. A new poll with that result made it onto The Drudge Report on Tuesday. That poll was one month behind an InsiderAdvantage survey that showed a nearly identical result. Better luck next time, Drudge.) Crist, obviously a good soul, just as obviously has the public policy instincts of a Democrat. Nothing wrong with that, unless you’re running for US Senate as a Republican in a year of partisan rage on the right. The Florida legislature has passed an education reform bill that, in essence, demands more accountability for teachers. Whether the bill is good policy, we’re not arguing either way. The point here is purely political. Crist must decide by midnight Friday whether to fall into line with his party, or whether to heed the rather high-decibel lobbying cry against the bill by Florida teachers, and veto it. The governor says he may decide by Thursday. Most observers in Tallahassee won’t say it out loud – although more will than once would have – but few doubt that whatever Crist decides, it will be a triangulated choice meant to achieve one thing – the most popularity possible for himself. That’s not uncommon among politicians, of course. But Crist has become so transparent in his self-serving governance that more and more Floridians are catching on too. There’s saying in Tallahassee that’s become a commonplace: “Charlie is all about Charlie.” The education bill controversy rips another hole in the Good Ship Charlie, and right when he can least afford it. That’s because it shines a bright light on his political nakedness. In short, the man has no core convictions. Period. His rhetoric over the last day or so is typical. He says he hasn’t made up his mind on the bill, but that he’s “listening to the people.” This is Crist’s way of saying that he’s going to flip a coin: He’s carving room for himself in case he decides to buck his party and veto it. If he does, his chances of winning the primary scrape against conservative media darling Rubio go from slim to none. (Jeb Bush left Crist a voicemail lobbying for the governor to sign the bill. And Bush is still the voice of conservative conscience in Florida, not Crist. Rubio soon will be. Media speculation now has Rubio as a possible vice-presidential candidate in 2012.) If Crist signs the bill, he will be savaged in much Florida political media – both from the left and the right. Some conservatives are urging the governor to veto the bill because it would centralize public education policy power in Tallahassee. So there you have it: Crist’s longstanding attempts to take the Republican base for granted while courting liberal Florida voters have landed him in no man’s land. This predicament may be unfair. And vetoing the bill may be the best policy. But Crist has tried to split the baby too many times on tough decisions. He’s tried to defy the laws of political gravity and he’s fallen back to earth with a thud. It’s a fascinating study in political science. It’s also a little sad. |
