The same people who organized the Pinellas County contingent of the Women's March set up Friday's forum. Attendees were all somewhere left of center and dying to hear an elected official at the federal level utter something with which they agreed, for once. Gulfport City Councilwoman Yolanda Roman (who, by the way, seems like an obvious addition to the state Dems' candidate bench) fired up the crowd.
“The voice of the people is what this country is based on. We the people. We the people,” she said. “Because the Women's March is a people's march. And it didn't stop in January. As long as we have policies that are unfair to the people, we will march."
Crist said he, too, was frustrated with the state of affairs in DC. Bigly.
The overwhelming message was that someday, maybe, American politics would once again be a bastion of civility and — not to get too greedy here — compassion. And it was up to passionate constituents like those gathered right here in Gulfport to help make that happen in the November, 2018 midterms.
“I've never seen this many people this engaged in American politics in my entire life," he told the crowd. "That's why I feel good about where we are.”
In other words, 17 months is a long frickin' time, but a 25,000-strong march in downtown St. Petersburg the day after 45's inauguration doesn't mean an effin' thing if it doesn't translate to turnout in 2018. (Not to mention municipal and special elections.) So get to it, man.
Crist was a little nicer about it than that, though.
“It's already begun," he said. "Shoot, we almost won that race in Montana. Now, I don't know how many Democrats there are in Montana. But that almost happened. And keep and eye on that race in Georgia.”
He was referring to the Montana special congressional election that the GOP took Thursday night despite their candidate roughing up a member of the press (because apparently that's OK now), as well as next month's special election in Georgia, where a young and dreamy Democrat may actually have a shot at not losing to a ruthless and well-funded Republican by more than five points.
Throughout his 30-minute speech, applause points abounded, especially when Crist brought up some of the more upsetting aspects, thus far, of Trump's presidency.
Namely, that the White House's proposed budget would hurt poor people.
“We're the richest country in the world," he said. "Matter of fact, we're the richest country in the history of the world. And yet, we have a budget recommended to us by the administration this week that takes about $1.4 trillion dollars away from poor, disabled Americans. That's unbelievable.”
But all the outrage, he said, could lend itself to flipping the House — again, if the angry masses don't check out before then.
“Usually, they say, these experts, whoever they are, that in an off-year election, midterm election, when the party in power has the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate, usually they lose about 33 seats. You know how many seats the Democrats are behind the Republicans?”
“Twenty-four!” an audience member shouted.
“Twenty four,” Crist reiterated. “Only 24 out of 435. “If that happens, if we get the House…No legislation would get to the president. It can only get to his desk if the House and Senate [won't] concur on it.”
During his sole term as governor, Crist was a Republican, as he had been his entire political life. But during his 2010 run for U.S. Senate, something changed. It was the Tea Party wave (which itself seems an adorable, typo-ridden prologue to what we're seeing now), and he found himself being primaried from the right by one Marco Rubio. Cynics said Crist left the party because he knew he'd lose the primary, but he maintains that he was appalled at what his party had come to stand for. So he became an Independent, then a Democrat. After an unsuccessful run for governor against Rick Scott in 2014, he ran against vulnerable Republican incumbent David Jolly for the seat representing Florida's 13th Congressional District — and won.
It's unclear where his aspirations now lie, though it's more than likely that he has them. The question is whether he'll seek subsequent congressional terms or he'll try to move up the ladder right away.
And if Friday's audience was any indication, he's not unpopular among Democrats and progressives in the district. — probably because of all that optimism.
“What gives me hope is that I believe good is coming. I do. Because of you," he said. "So we will be able to protect the environment. So we will be able to ensure women's rights will continue, going forward, and civil rights continue to matter; that public education is cherished, that we get a living wage.”
Crist said that when he first took office, he and most of the other newly-elected members of congress signed an oath to not engage in nasty, divisive politics, and instead try to work together so that stuff actually happens in Washington. And if the Republican Party goes back in the direction of what it was before he left it — that is, at least somewhat willing to compromise — perhaps that could happen.
“I used to speak at a lot of Republican clubs, and then they changed," he said. "Don't misunderstand me. There still are some fine Republicans. And as I always say, we are all Americans first. We are. And we need to work together.”
This article appears in May 25 – Jun 1, 2017.