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Politics

So far, everybody loves Charlie

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published March 9, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Scott Keeler] Surrounded by other democrats, Gov. Charlie Crist is hugged and by Representative Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, (D), Miami, following his State of the State address.

Gov. Charlie Crist invokes Robert F. Kennedy and channels Al Gore on global warming. He embraces paper trails for voting machines.

Florida's most powerful Republican pays homage to the teachers union and speaks so passionately about civil rights that one legislator dubbed him "Florida's first black governor."

What's a Democrat to do?

"Gov. Crist is a political nightmare for the Democrats," said state Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller. "How do we run against somebody who whenever we come up with a good idea, he goes, 'Hey that's a good idea, let's do that.' "

State Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, called Crist "one of the best Democratic governors Florida has ever had."

In this strange, post-Jeb Bush era, Democrats in Tallahassee are struggling to make sense of their new buddy in the Governor's Mansion.

"With Bush, we woke up in the morning knowing that whatever he said we'd be against," House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber said. "With Crist, because he's clearly not an ideologue, we might wake up one morning fighting him and then the next morning as his choir.

"We can't lose our job as the honest opposition, but if he's going to offer centrist, progressive policies, we certainly can't reject that just because of his party."

The love and harmony breaking out in Tallahassee is unlikely to last throughout the 60-day session. But much of Crist's agenda is likely to face more obstacles from Republicans than Democrats.

"Some of us old heads will kind of rein things in as we go along," said state Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala. "There will be some days where it's just too far over the edge. Our job as stronger, staunch conservatives is to hold up the plumb line once in awhile."

State leaders face some of the biggest challenges in modern Florida history - a property insurance crisis and cries for sweeping property tax reform - so bipartisanship is more than a noble goal. To get any tax reform plan on the ballot, Republicans need three-quarter majorities in both chambers. Which means they need Democrats.

But Democrats are in a tricky position. They don't want to roll over and accept proposals such as replacing property taxes with a higher sales tax, but they risk being cast as petty obstructionists if they block tax relief efforts.

"Gov. Crist has played a brilliant game of chess because he's got the Democrats with no place to go but follow him," said Steve Uhlfelder, a Democratic lobbyist who supported Jeb Bush.

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, perhaps the Democrat best positioned to challenge Crist down the road, called for her party to embrace Crist as an ally rather than a rival.

"If I were going to sit here and say for the next eight years we want a governor who's not going to be successful, that would be totally wrong and totally against my values," Sink said after leaving Crist's state of the state speech that drew stronger applause from Democrats than Republicans. "The message I heard from Gov. Crist was very, very encouraging, and I wish him every success."

Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727893-8241 or asmith@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 9, 2007, 01:55:00]