An Example Of What Is Wrong With Politics.

Ever wonder how a deep red, conservative state like South Carolina could elect a moderate like Lindsey Graham? Or how the party establishment in Pennsylvania could continue to support Arlen Specter until literally the day he jumped ship?

Look no further than Florida's Brian Ballard for the answer. If the GOP is not able to benefit from the current anti-Obama momentum, it will be the fault of folks such as Ballard:

To some Crist loyalists, the prospect of LeMieux siding with Rubio amounts to personal treason.

“George LeMieux would be a very good, very talented lawyer in South Florida billing hourly were it not for Charlie Crist,” said Brian Ballard, a Tallahassee GOP lobbyist who has vied with LeMieux over access to the governor’s ear and whose father-in-law was passed over for the seat Martinez vacated. “But he would not have the dream he’s had over the past few months of being a U.S. senator and he would not be considered for statewide elected office.” http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36242_Page2.html

Does Ballard seriously mean to suggest that George LeMieux should decide to use his growing influence in a United States Senate race based solely on who he owes a favor to? This is not a dog catcher race or even state legislature. This is a major race. Charlie Crist could very well be the deciding vote in favor of the liberals on any number of fiscal issues.

Make no mistake: Friends, influence and favors matter in politics. But in elections such as this, they primarily serve as barriers to entry and not the final deciding factor. No matter how great a candidate's ideas are, he will not be able to run a successful U.S. Senate race without the backing of some very influential friends and donors. In the current race, however, both Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist have passed that barrier to entry. They both have notable endorsements and have raised sufficient funds. At this point, the race should be about qualifications, principles and feasibility of victory. (And if LeMieux still seriously favors Crist on these grounds, then so be it.)

At the end of the day, for a party hack like Ballard to demand that a sitting U.S. Senator make as important of a decision as this based solely on patronage suggests that there is an antiquated, flawed and crippling culture infecting Charlie Crist's Tallahassee. And it is state level problems such as this that could end up being Barack Obama's best friend in 2010 and beyond.