Wise Words From Crist

Last night Florida Governor Charlie Crist spoke to the Republican Governors meeting in Miami, delivering remarks Politico's Jonathan Martin describes as "an address that seemed to have the makings of a future presidential stump speech." Martin writes that Crist spoke about reaching out to groups that don't traditionally vote Republican (African-Americans, and -- increasingly -- Hispanics, for example). But he didn't bring up divisive social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, which Republicans have traditionally used to rally their base.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Crist made this important -- and often-overlooked -- point.

If you're going to be successful in this business, you have to win a majority -- not just a majority of Republicans, it's not just a majority of Democrats, it's a majority of the people.

Christine Todd Whitman and Robert Bostock presented a much more frank version of that argument in an op-ed in today's Washington Post (entitled 'Free the GOP: The Party Won't Win Back the Middle as Long As It's Hostage to Social Fundamentalists').

As the tug-o-war continues over the new direction of a hurting GOP, the centrists are staking out their ground...

-- Evie Stone

5:51 PM ET | 11-14-2008 | permalink

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Palin At The RGA

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin spoke before the annual meeting of the Republican Governors Association today in Miami. Based on the roster of ambitious politicians in attendance -- Florida's Charlie Crist, Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, Utah's Jon Huntsman, and Palin herself have all been floated as possible 2012 contenders -- NPR's Greg Allen tells us that a speaker at one of today's sessions renamed the assembled Governors "the Republican presidential candidates association".

Texas Governor Rick Perry, the RGA's current chairman, introduced Palin before a brief press conference as "a Governor who has led her state boldly, inspired a nation with her optimism, her frank talk, her unashamed embrace of bedrock conservative principles...and I can assure you, she's just getting started" before telling Palin to "knock 'em dead".

Palin opened her statement to the media with repeated promises to keep "obsessive partisanship" out of policymaking. She then called on her colleagues and members of the media to stop looking back on the 2008 election or forward to 2012, but to focus on more immediate concerns.

As far as we're concerned, the past is the past. It's behind us. And I, like all of our Governors, we're focused on the future. And the future for us is not that 2012 presidential race, it's next year, and our next budgets, and the next reforms in our states, and it's 2010, when we'll have 36 Governors positions open across the US. That's what we're focused on, we're focused on providing good service to the people whom we are serving in our states.

Nonetheless, Palin did spend much of her speech to the governors reminiscing about the 2008 campaign and the opportunities it provided to meet some of America's now-infamous Joes and Titos. And she recounted her emotional meetings with parents of many special needs kids like her own son Trig. She told her fellow governors, "they just touched my heart."

She also managed to make light of her whirlwind time in the spotlight (don't forget she was only chosen as John McCain's running-mate about two months before the election) with a quick recap of what she's been up to since the last RGA meeting:

I had a baby, I did some traveling, I very briefly expanded my wardrobe, I made a few speeches, I met a few VIPs including those who really impact society like Tina Fey.

Looking ahead to the upcoming Democratic administration, Palin told her colleagues that with the Dems helming Congress and the White House, it will be up to Republican Governors to engineer a comeback for the GOP -- and to "reach out to Barack Obama" to show the President-elect the economic benefits of lower taxes.

Palin had mainly kind words for the President-elect, saying she wished him well and that his election was "a shining moment in American history" -- though she included a swipe that unlike legislators, Governors "are not the many voting yea or nay or present" (a reference to Obama's "present" votes as a member of the Illinois State Legislature).

-- Evie Stone

1:50 PM ET | 11-13-2008 | permalink

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God Only Knows

Palin stokes the 2012 flames as she prepares to make a speech and hold a press event at the Republican Governors Association in Miami. The AK Gov. has been on a media blitz addressing questions about her wardrobe, media strategy and where she will be in 2012. She fueled speculation with Fox News' Greta Van Susteren:

"I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door ... And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door."

-- Michael Olson

10:16 AM ET | 11-11-2008 | permalink

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