I think the tanning rays may have finally seeped into the Florida Governor’s skull. Dude was on top of the world a couple of years ago. His name was even tossed around as one of the VP hopefuls for the 2008 Presidential ticket. Of course, that was before Senator McCain picked that smart and sassy nobody from the great white North.

That was Before.

Before a man was seated in the Oval Office that really didn’t like America, and sought to fundamentally transform it.

Before our President appointed a 9/11 Truther to be one of his close, personal advisors. A 9/11 Truther, in case you weren’t aware, is someone that believes the United States was behind the horrific 9/11 attacks. As in planned them. Yeah. That’s bad.

Before the government took over banks, car companies, and even our health care.

Governor Crist was riding the wave of popularity Before. He was a shoo-in for the Senate seat left vacant by retiring George LeMieux. But that was Before.

After?

After the last year and change (and I do mean change), Crist represents a deviation of the Republican party. The Moderate. The Moderate is squishy. He tries to please everyone, and in effect pleases no one. He is not a RINO (Republican In Name Only), but he is not a conservative. He does not align himself with the principles set forth by the awesome dudes that founded the greatest, richest, strongest, most spectacularly free nation in the history of the world. Well, except for Eden, but that was even before Before.

We (and by “we” I mean Americans) are done with the Moderate. We want him him out. He embraced the Leftist Change, and now we want people that will fight for their constituents to change it back. Which is why we like peeps like Marco Rubio.

A year ago, Rubio was down in the polls by 40+ points. Now he’s ahead of Crist by well over 20 points. The Cuban nobody. No important family ties. No giant bank account. He hasn’t even “done his time” as they like to say in the government job sector. But the people? Oh the people are speaking. They like this fresh young conservative eager to change it back. They love his pledge for freedom from government interference in their lives.

They probably love his face too; the guy’s not bad to look at.

So how does Charlie Crist respond to this changing tide? By pondering running as an Independent instead of being beaten at the primaries by this Rubio kid. In a statement today he addressed those questioning his irrational thought process:

“I care what my fellow Floridians think and what their thoughts are much more than anybody from Washington.”

Dude. Florida is speaking. You’re not listening. Run however you want-Republican, Independent, or as the Florida Whig Party. You’re not going to Washington. You may have a few years ago, but that was Before.

People like Marco Rubio are After.