After noting the surprising size of Kendrick Meek's primary win over Jeff Greene, the next word from most "expert" analysts was "But...".

That's because political pundit group-think is that Meek has little chance of winning in November, having to overcome not one but two formidable opponents - the "Extreme Makeover" No Party Affiliation candidacy of Governor Charlie Crist, and the Conservative Republican run of Tea Party favorite Marco Rubio.

But...The Meek campaign, having already beaten the odds by roaring back in the primary race after falling behind against a billionaire opponent, shrugged off all the naysayers and came out swinging away the day after the big win.

Since Charlie Crist is the one trying to siphon Democratic votes away from Meek, he was the logical first target. The Meek campaign blasted out press releases & email reminders about what the (until very recently) career Republican really stands for, in Crist's own words:

"It’s hard to be more conservative than I am on issues – there’s different ways stylistically to communicate that – I’m pro-life, I’m pro-gun, I’m pro-family, and I’m anti-tax. I don’t know what else you’re supposed to be, except maybe angry too,”

What the Meek campaign must do to beat Crist and Rubio too is to convince about three out of four Democrats and about one in five Independents that the same Charlie Crist who uttered those words ten months ago is out of touch with the Democratic base on core issues, regardless of his new "independent, non-partisan" persona and public relations efforts - including periodic and carefully chosen forays into sensible centrist territory.

In fact, much as Crist talks the moderate talk now, his statements throughout a doomed fight for the GOP nomination indicate he has more in common with Marco Rubio than he has with most Democrats.

In his primary victory speech, Meek started drawing crystal clear and critical lines of distinction for all Democrats and moderates to see...

"I am the only candidate, and will be the only candidate, that will stand up for a woman’s right to choose." He is correct.

"I will be the only candidate that fought, legislated and will continue to work for comprehensive health care for every American." Right again, as both Rubio and Crist opposed the new federal legislation, which is already forcing private insurance companies to sell coverage for millions of ill children and extend family coverage for millions of uninsured young adults, for the first time in American history.

"I will be the only candidate, Ladies and Gentleman, that’s willing to pull back on the top one-percent of the Bush tax cuts and give more tax cuts to the middle class and small businesses." Indeed, Rubio is a Flat Tax proponent and both he and Crist are unwilling to ask the richest of the rich to go back to paying a little bit more, as they did before, so that lower income families and struggling entrepreneurs can get a little relief.

Such a compare & contrast list could go on and on. Of special note in Florida is Kendrick Meek's history as the only of the three candidates to fight against any kind of privatization or raising of the retirement age in the Social Security program. As this and all the other stark contrasts between Meek and his opponents become more widely known and well understood, the strong hunch here is that most Democrats will end up rallying around their party's standard-bearer.

Unlike either of his opponents, Kendrick Meek is a lifelong Democrat who has consistently advanced centrist or moderately progressive Democratic positions on key issues. Unlike his upper class competitors, he toiled at "punch in - punch out" working class jobs before entering Politics - like being a Florida  State Trooper, like being a skycap who toted luggage at Miami International Airport. Unlike the two other candidates whose political experience is all at the state level, Meek is a veteran member of the U.S. Congress, a federal legislator with foreign policy experience. And unlike Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio, Meek has the enthusiastic support of former president Bill Clinton, and President Barack Obama.

On top of all that, Jeff Greene's blank check primary campaign has already thrown the kitchen sink and then some at Meek in the way of attacks, toughening him and the voting public up for whatever negativity comes his way from the Crist and Rubio campaigns.

So forget the pundits and their predictions. The actual facts would suggest that Democratic U.S. Representative Kendrick Meek has a very strong hand to play in this electoral poker game, with every chance of overcoming the odds and getting elected as the next United States Senator from Florida.