Peter Schorsch, when you say, No, I did not play the Florida GOP to write that memo ‘warning’ the nat’l media about my blog, I believe you.

But you’re wrong when you say attacking you will have no effect, that this sort of thing is not done, etc.

The FLGOP will actually have some trouble attacking Crist, because the media will always be inclined latch onto the angle of ‘Crist just goes wherever the popular wind is blowing.’ Why? Because that’s always been the knock on Crist. And the media tends to play into accepted tropes.

Rick Scott’s problem is that, well, Crist has 100% percent name recognition and is generally liked by Floridians. And they like him, despite already fully believing that he just follows prevailing trends, regardless of how many zig zags occur.

That’s the problem: they know this and they like him anyway.

So they are trying to subtly push the media into buying into the idea that Crist’s supposed lack of an internal rudder leads him into dealings with people who have… well, unsavory legal/criminal problems.

The fact that Crist used Peter for something will be used to show a pattern – first Jim Greer and now Peter Schorsch.

They believe that people will stop being okay with Crist’s zig zagging if they also believe that is judgement is flawed. You don’t mind him flip flopping if that takes him to the right place for Florida. But what if he doesn’t?

If this stratagem works, the conversation will shift to Crist’s judgement. Did he show good judgement by hiring Schorsch after those… kerfuflles he had over Jamie Bennett and Earnest Williams’ campaigns and the Tarpon Dems and the legal issues and criminal accusations… well, you get the picture. Other names will be inserted, culminating in tying Greer around his neck.

Peter’s just a small link in a chain they’ll be building over the next year.

Though, I’m not convinced it’ll work. Florida just likes the guy. Always have. And they can’t stand Rick Scott.

Who is Clay Shaw?

Clay Shaw was the incumbent Congressman who defeated my candidate in my first, professional political campaign. This was in 2000, when all hell broke loose. When I got stuck working on the recounts for little or no pay at worst and never being sure where my pay was going to come from at best.

Shaw wasn’t a bad guy. Just wrong. And by today’s standards, a downright liberal Republican. If he hadn’t lost in the Democratic wave of 2006 to Ron Klein, he probably would have been defeated in a primary by a Tea Party candidate.

Perhaps I owe him some thanks for the learning experience? Or at least a brief mention in my prayers? I hated him for making that first election so hard, so painful, so sorrowful. But that was foolish. I was rightfully happy when someone better took his place and I was sad when that person was replaced by a bitter, joke of a Congressman (Allen West) and a little relieved when someone else replaced that bitter joke (Patrick Murphy). But I’m sorry he’s gone for good for now.