Charlie Crist to run for U.S. Senate

May 15, 1:26 AMTampa Conservative ExaminerMark Delpopolo

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Florida Governor Charlie Crist

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (Rep.) has announced that he will run for the United States Senate seat currently held by fellow Republican Mel Martinez, who is retiring after just one term in the Senate. Crist's announcement has been met with excitement in some Republican circles that the G.O.P. may now have a candidate capable of keeping the Senate seat in Republican hands.

But Crist is very unpopular among many in the Conservative wing of the party who feel he has too often betrayed party values in his role as Governor. While there's little doubt that Crist has governed as a moderate since taking office, the real question facing conservatives is, "would we rather win or would we rather lose with a true conservative candidate?"

Many on the political Right view this question as a false choice saying that if we elect moderates like Crist we are not only compromising our values, but getting the same kind of result if a Democrat were to be elected. But the reality is quite different. Regardless of what you might think of Charlie Crist, he will side with "us" far more often than ANY Democrat.

In many ways, the debate over Charlie Crist is a microcosm of what's going on with the Republican Party at the national level. The right wing has argued, correctly, that too many in the party have drifted away from the conservative principles that made the Republicans the dominant force in America in the Reagan years and beyond. They cite Reagan and his values as "winning arguments" in the debate for winning over the national electorate, and this may be true, but it ignores regional differences that were previously accepted in years past that are now brushed aside.

The real truth is that Ronald Reagan and the movement conservatives who helped elect him and remake America understood the political realities of electoral politics. Reagan understood that the party needed John McCains, Arlen Specters and even Lincoln Chafees if it was to succeed on a national level, which is why Reagan often talked about his so-called 11th Commandment, which was "Thou shalt not Primary a fellow Republican!"

Right or wrong, the American electorate has always been geared towards capturing what Arthur Schlesinger called "The Vital Center" and convincing voters that your party best represented average Americans. Reagan understood this and made room for the Charlie Crists in the party because they allowed us to win elections we might not otherwise win, and the goal should always be to elect the MOST conservative VIABLE candidate.

While there is room for "moral victories" in good times, we as a nation do not currently enjoy that luxury. And if the Republicans don't start winning some elections, this nation is headed for severe long term problems. The march towards European-style Socialism is well under way with the Obama Administration, and while some on the Right are worried about "moral victories" I'm more concerned with saving our national identity at any cost.