# The Florida Senate election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 3, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721 "2010-06-03T02:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/21 "2010-07-06T21:16:19Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Poor Kendrick Meek… This must be how [Alan Schlesinger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Schlesinger) felt in 2006 . . . “Hey! FWEET! Over here! I’m a major-party candidate for the U.S. Senate! I’m **in** this race! I **exist,** dammit!” :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/22 "2010-07-06T22:14:40Z")
> [@](#): > > The movie “Outrage” ,which is a movie done by gays who are outing gays that vote against their fellow gays, covered Christ. They made it clear they have them on the gay list. It should make no difference ,except voting against your own to keep in office is hypocritical. Has Crist particularly voted (or otherwise taken action) against gay rights, though? I can’t see why there should be any problem with gay politicians staying in the closet, so long as they aren’t hypocritical about it. > [@](#): > > That’s interesting. They’re all over the place here, but this is a very weird town. It’s very blue or very red depending on where you are. I know what you mean… Here in Bozeman in 2008, there were Obama signs/bumper stickers everywhere I saw, but up until a few weeks before the election, I literally saw more campaign materials for Dwight D. Eisenhower than I did for McCain (someone dug up a genuine “I Like Ike” button from somewhere). And yet, McCain ended up winning Gallatin County by a decent margin, from all of the places outside the university’s sphere of influence. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/23 "2010-07-06T22:36:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Has Crist particularly voted (or otherwise taken action) against gay rights, though? I can’t see why there should be any problem with gay politicians staying in the closet, so long as they aren’t hypocritical about it. IIRC, he supported the state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/24 "2010-07-07T00:00:10Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I’m not sure being “on the gay list” is particularly strong evidence one way or another. Its basically just another way of saying what I already said: “claims from a few gay men who claim to have slept with him, but don’t have any public link to Crist”. > > Of course maybe he is gay and slept with the men in question, but the fact that a few gay men with nothing to loose claim to have been romantically involved with him hardly makes him “almost certainly gay” as the OP claims (here and in every other thread where Crist’s name comes up). They were confident enough to put him in a movie. It was not some obscure list. You can probably watch" Outrage" on line. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/25 "2010-07-07T02:55:46Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > but the fact that a few gay men with nothing to loose claim to have been romantically involved with him hardly makes him “almost certainly gay” as the OP claims (here and in every other thread where Crist’s name comes up). I have personal knowledge of one of the men who has said he slept with Charlie. The young man in question was NOT out at the time the rumor broke (broken by a female “friend” of his) and it caused the man in question some fairly serious personal issues. He was not a “gay man with nothing to loose [sic].” Of course, none of this changes the fact that you are substantially right. Charlie’s sexual orientation will probably never be known for sure and there is no real proof of his gayness (gayitude? gaiety?). I also could give a shit. I hate Charlie for being a spineless wind-sock of a politician with no real beliefs. Who he fucks or blows has so little to do with it that it isn’t measurable. The only upside to Charlie is that since the 'Pubbies fucked him, he’s been sticking it to them with the veto pen. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/26 "2010-07-07T04:01:47Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > IIRC, he supported the state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Not exactly. He didn’t support it, per se, but didn’t oppose it either, and won’t come out and say that it should be repealed. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/27 "2010-07-19T22:38:55Z")
A [PPP poll](http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/07/crists-choice.html) found that a majority of Crist’s supporters want him to caucus with the Democrats should he win. This of course doesn’t mean he _will_ but it’s what people are hoping for from him. > [@](#): > > One thing we asked on the poll was whether people thought Charlie Crist should caucus with the Democrats or Republicans if he was elected. 43% of respondents said he should go with the Democrats and 37% with the Republicans. > > Perhaps more interesting was what those planning to vote for Crist had to say. Within that group 55% said he should caucus with the Democrats to only 22% who expressed the opinion that he should join forces with the Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/28 "2010-07-19T22:49:44Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > A [PPP poll](http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/07/crists-choice.html) found that a majority of Crist’s supporters want him to caucus with the Democrats should he win. This of course doesn’t mean he _will_ but it’s what people are hoping for from him. Yea, its hard picturing him caucusing with the Dems, but on the other hand as neither of the actual democratic candidates look likely to take off, he does seem to be becoming the anti-Rubio candidate. And since the GOP seems to have more or less abandoned him, I doubt he’ll pick up many supporters even if he does decide to promise to vote with the Republicans, while I bet a decent number of Meek supporters would at least consider it. FWIW, I’ll probably vote for him if he promsies to caucus with the Dems, and won’t if he doesn’t. So hey, he’s guarenteed at least one extra vote if he goes Dem. Out of curiosity, has any Senator every been elected without announcing beforehand which party they’d join? I know Lieberman promised to remain in the Dem caucus, and obviously there’s not a lot of question who Bernie Sanders would side with. Has anyone ever run on a “I’ll figure out whose side I’m on when I get there” campaign? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/29 "2010-07-20T01:39:26Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > I have personal knowledge of one of the men who has said he slept with Charlie. The young man in question was NOT out at the time the rumor broke (broken by a female “friend” of his) and it caused the man in question some fairly serious personal issues. He was not a “gay man with nothing to loose [sic].” > > Of course, none of this changes the fact that you are substantially right. Charlie’s sexual orientation will probably never be known for sure and there is no real proof of his gayness (gayitude? gaiety?). > > I also could give a shit. I hate Charlie for being a spineless wind-sock of a politician with no real beliefs. Who he fucks or blows has so little to do with it that it isn’t measurable. The only upside to Charlie is that since the 'Pubbies fucked him, he’s been sticking it to them with the veto pen. His sexual orientation is not the problem. The fact that he ran openly against gays is. I do not ignore hypocrisy. When a guy turns on his own people for political expediency ,I can not ignore it. It is dishonest. He is untrustworthy. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/30 "2010-07-20T01:54:48Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > His sexual orientation is not the problem. The fact that he ran openly against gays is. I do not ignore hypocrisy. When a guy turns on his own people for political expediency ,I can not ignore it. It is dishonest. He is untrustworthy. Was this supposed to come across as hostile to me as it did? 'Cause, you know, read my last sentence and all. I agree with you that he’s a worthless piece of shit. If you were just venting, no sweat, blame my thin skin. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/31 "2010-07-20T05:08:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I can’t see why there should be any problem with gay politicians staying in the closet, so long as they aren’t hypocritical about it. Does lying about it count as keeping in the closet, or hypocrisy? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/32 "2010-07-20T13:10:34Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > A [PPP poll](http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/07/crists-choice.html) found that a majority of Crist’s supporters want him to caucus with the Democrats should he win. This of course doesn’t mean he _will_ but it’s what people are hoping for from him. 43% is a plurality, not a majority. In any event, I don’t think it’s enough to sway him from his chosen course, whatever that may be. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/33 "2010-07-20T16:06:26Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 43% is a plurality, not a majority. That’s why I specified “his supporters”. 55% of those planning to vote for Crist want him to caucus with the Democratic Party. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/34 "2010-07-20T22:30:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Does lying about it count as keeping in the closet, or hypocrisy? No. I’d prefer a response of “none of your business” (it isn’t, after all) to a lie, but the lie is understandable given the current political climate. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/35 "2010-07-21T01:07:02Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > That’s why I specified “his supporters”. 55% of those planning to vote for Crist want him to caucus with the Democratic Party. So you did. My mistake. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/36 "2010-08-25T01:17:21Z")
And [Kendrick Meek beats Jeff Greene](http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/august/139414/Alex-Sink-Marco-Rubio-Kendrick-Meek-declared-winners) for the Dem nomination for Senate. Rubio just gave his victory speech for the Republican nomination – not that there was any doubt. So, the lineup is: Meek (D) vs. Crist (NPA) vs. Rubio (R). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/37 "2010-08-25T01:50:39Z")
Surprise, surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/38 "2010-08-26T14:39:54Z")
Mark (heh!) me down as another for anyone but Rubio. I also need to see how the numbers shake out in the next month or so. I feel bad throwing gays under the bus, but as a heterosexual, not getting tea partiers in office is more important than supporting gay rights. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/39 "2010-08-26T14:45:56Z")
Rubio is gay? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721/40 "2010-08-26T14:57:57Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Rubio is gay? Considering the odds of a gay-hating conservative being gay himself at this point (thanks for adding another statistical datum, Ken Mehlman!), I wouldn’t be surprised. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-florida-senate-election/541721.md?page=3)