Even in D.C., They Can't Keep a Straight Face on Charlie Crist's Claims

Charlie's Crist's newest claim that he left the Republican Party because of racism was soundly ridiculed across the state Wednesday. But, the newspaper that perhaps said it most succinctly came out of the Beltway.

In the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza's headline aptly said it all: "Charlie Crist didnt leave the Republican party because of racism. He left it because he couldnt win a primary."

Cillizza wins the Sunshine State News gift card of the week for less than 20 words.

From Cillizza, "Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist made waves this week when he told Fusion's Jorge Ramos that one of the main drivers behind his decision to leave the Republican party in 2010 was race. 'I couldnt be consistent with myself and my core beliefs, and stay with a party that was so unfriendly toward the African-American president, Ill just go there,' Crist said. 'I was a Republican and I saw the activists and what they were doing, it was intolerable to me.'

"Um, not exactly.

"Having closely covered the 2010 Senate race, Crist's assertion that the Republican party's views on race -- and, in particular, its views on President Obama -- are what led him to leave the party doesn't jibe with what actually happened. 'He was happy as a Republican when the polls showed him leading Marco Rubio by 20 points,' said Adam Smith, the political editor at the Tampa Bay Times. 'Apparently he discovered racism in the party after the polls showed him trailing Rubio by 20 points.'"

Taking to the TV airwaves Wednesday night, Crist's former Senate opponent predicted the newly minted Democrat would suffer the same fate in the governor's race. He led in the polls against me, too, Sen. Marco Rubio said. I think once people start to focus in on the race, and they realize its the same Charlie Crist that is running actually the same guy thats been basically on every side of every single issue before the country and the state I think those numbers are going to change dramatically.