From the “I’m shocked beyond disbelief category”: (sarcasm is dripping)
Florida Governor and U.S. Senate Candidate Charlie Crist (Independent NOT Republican) has removed all pro-life references from his website.
Nice move Charlie. Oy.
Crist has always maintained he was pro-life but I guess it turns out he’s a PLINO. (Pro-Life In Name Only)
I'm sure Marco Rubio will have a thing or two to say about this when I fly down to Florida tomorrow to interview him one on one.
Read below from National Journal:
FL Gov. Charlie Crist (I) has removed pro-life language from his campaign website, the latest move in an effort to distance himself from the GOPers who forced him out of the party.
Crist's website, which touts his "independence" and "integrity," now includes sections on open government, offshore drilling, fiscal responsibility and immigration, but it says little about social issues. Ex-FL House Speaker Marco Rubio's (R) camp noticed the omission and forwarded a previous page to reporters.
"Governor Crist believes strongly in the sanctity of life," the cached page says, referring to Crist's defense of FL's parental notification law. The old site also touts his support for crisis pregnancy centers, which promote adoption.
The same page listed Crist's position on same-sex marriage: "Charlie Crist believes marriage is between one man and one woman. As Attorney Gneeral, Charlie Crist defended nine cases attacking traditional marriage."
Now, those pages are gone. Searches for "abortion," "life," "adoption" and "marriage all come up empty.
Crist has long had an evolving view on abortion questions. In '98, he ran against Sen. Bob Graham (D) as a pro-choice GOPer. By '06, when he was running for governor in a competitive GOP primary, he told reporters he was pro-life.
It's Crist's latest change in focus, or outright change in tune. When he ran for governor in '06, Crist pledged he would oppose offshore drilling; he said the issue should be studied in '08, when he was a VP contender; following the BP oil spill, he opposes drilling again. Meanwhile, Crist has also removed sections of his website dedicated to the Second Amendment, Taxes and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Crist's statement opposing health care legislation, which passed earlier this year, is also gone from the site.
A Crist spokesperson did not return a call and an email seeking clarification on Crist's position on abortion.