SORRY CANDIDATE

Charlie Crist Does The Full Grovel For His Past Opposition To LGBT Rights

charlie cristSome people think former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is a flip-flopper. We prefer to think of him as versatile. In his first-ever interview with the LGBT press, Crist, who has morphed into a Democrat in his bid to return to the governor’s office, proclaims he just loves the LGBT community. As for past opposition to all things gay, Crist has this to say to WatermarkOnline:  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I did that. It was a mistake. I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

Also: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

And: “I’m sorry I did. I made a mistake. I’m not perfect… please don’t hold me to that standard. And I’m sincerely sorry.”

Plus: “It was wrong. That’s what I’m telling you. And I’m sorry.”

The question is whether seven “sorrys” is enough to convince people that Crist has change for reasons other than political expediency. Crist’s track record includes calling for a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equalitydefending the state’s ban on gay adoption, and opposing the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. All of these stands were in a futile quest to convince conservative Republicans that he was really one of them, particularly when he was seeking the GOP Senate nomination in 2010. (He still lost to Marco Rubio, twice: in the primary and when Crist ran as an independent in the general election.) It didn’t help that Crist was dogged by rumors that he was gay. 

 

Having been shunned by the Republicans, Crist is now a Democrat, and he is doing his best to convince everyone that he not only supports all the party positions, like marriage equality, but that he was just a beknighted fool in the past.

“As a Republican, on social issues I always felt I was a round peg in a square hole,” Crist said in the interview. “I just didn’t fit. But I tried, until I couldn’t do it any more… until I had to say, ‘Enough is enough.’”

Actually, it was the voters who said that.

As for the new, more affirming Charlie, he’s got an announcement to make: “You get to a point in your life where you say, ‘I’m just going to tell it,”’ And here I am… I’m telling it. And I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

What’s the announcement? “I love everyone.”

Of course, that’s not what we’ve heard.

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