RINO on the loose

Florida Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist (R), who was endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and others in the national GOP establishment (and RINOs like Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham), is expected to announce that he will end his disastrous bid for the Republican nomination and will run as an independent.

Good riddance!

Crist, who was once considered the strong favorite in this race, has trailed his challenger, former FL Speaker of the House Marco Rubio, by double-digits. Rubio has become a national political sensation, especially among conservatives and big-name Republicans, after his endorsements by former FL Gov. Jeb Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, former MA Gov. and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Rep. Paul Ryan, and the conservative Club for Growth, among countless others.

Charlie Crist's record of liberalism gives me a reason to rejoice at his departure from the Republican Party. Here are some of his positions on some of the issues:

RIGHT TO LIFE - Contrary to arguments that he is pro-life, he has described himself as "pro-choice" and as late as 2005, opposed counseling and waiting periods for women seeking abortions. He also supported embryonic-stem cell research and supports taxpayers to fund it. His impact on the Terri Schiavo case in his home state was so forceful, Terri's father, the late Robert Schindler, said "He had it within his authority to save her life, but he turned a blind eye to her suffering".

2nd AMENDMENT - Crist tried to kill an NRA "guns-at work" initiative and has publicly supported gun control.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY - As a Senate candidate, Crist said that he is willing to lift the gay adoption ban in place in FL since 1977. He has also been critical of traditional marriage in the past.

But the most obvious fact is that Charlie Crist was one of the most enthusistic cheerleaders of the Obama stimulus and was one of the first to jump up and down to get stimulus.

Goodbye, Charlie, don't let the door hit you on the way out. And tell your friends in Florida to support Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate!