Even a liberal Republican like Rudy Giuliani endorses Marco Rubio:
On a conference call today with bloggers, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani discussed his endorsement of Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate, saying his endorsement goes beyond “whether Charlie Crist broke his word with me on several occasions — he did — that’s the reality, that’s the truth, he did break his word.”
(Background: Giuliani had counted on Crist’s support in the 2008 Florida primary, only to get a knife in the back when Crist endorsed John McCain instead.)
Giuliani described the movement of Congress and the Obama admin[istration] as one attempting to “move us toward becoming a European Social Democracy.” He praised Rubio, calling him “new blood” and “the future of our party.”
Well, Marco can probably survive praise from Rudy, but what else is left for Sorry Charlie? Delusions of adequacy:
Crist’s base in the GOP is virtually nonexistent, according to one Florida veteran campaign watcher I spoke with recently. Since much of the governor’s job approval over the past year has come from Florida Democrats, an Independent bid aimed at weaving together a coalition of moderate Republicans, Democrats and independents doesn’t seem impossible, at least at first blush. . . .
Crist doesn’t yet believe that he will lose the Republican race.
“Charlie still doesn’t think he’s in trouble. He thinks this is just a phase in the race, and he and his people believe that with the stuff they have [on Rubio], they can turn it around.”
Tim Mak at Frum Forum pours cold water on that silly idea:
Rudy’s endorsement is powerful because it strikes to the core of Crist’s already-dwindling support. It tells moderate Republicans that they should give Marco Rubio a second look. This endorsement could be the point in this campaign where Rubio’s ascendancy to the Republican nomination becomes inevitable.
What is truly sad, of course, is that John Cornyn and the NRSC still haven’t rescinded their endorsement of Sorry Charlie, and thus the Not One Red Cent campaign against the NRSC must continue.