FL-Sen-GOP: Jeb Bush Sons Oppose Charlie Crist

{First, a cheap plug for my blog Senate Guru.}

Republican former Governor Jeb Bush, who remains a popular figure among Florida Republicans, has two sons, George P. and Jeb Jr..  Back in February, George P. Bush offered a stinging rebuke of current Gov. and 2010 Senate candidate Charlie Crist’s lack of conservative cred:

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) is only a “light” version of a Democrat, former Gov. Jeb Bush’s (R) son claimed Saturday.

“There’s some in our party that want to assume that government is the answer to all of our problems,” Bush said at a meeting of young Republicans, as reported by the Orlando News. “You know who I’m talking about,” he added, referencing Crist.

After the speech, Bush said Crist is perhaps becoming more of a “D light” politician, not adequately in line with Republican politics.

Fast forward three months and Jeb Bush’s other son, Jeb Jr., announces his endorsement of Charlie Crist’s 2010 Republican Senate primary opponent, former state House Speaker Marco Rubio:

Today I would like to let you know that I will be enthusiastically supporting my friend Marco Rubio for his bid for the United States Senate.

Florida and our country are at a crossroads. Not only in our economic life, but in who we are as Republicans. …

With Marco, we have a great opportunity to elect a true conservative and a greater obligation to elect a man of principle. …

If you can make a donation today to keep this effort going it will go a long way to bring back common sense and a return to conservative principles in Washington.

According to Jeb Jr., Republicans are at a “crossroads” over their identity and Rubio is the only “true conservative” in the race who can return “conservative principles” to Washington.  Read: Charlie Crist does not represent the Republican Party.

I can’t imagine that these statements from Jeb’s boys go out without Daddy Jeb’s blessing.  Make no mistake, former Governor Jeb Bush does not want his gubernatorial successor to win the Republican nomination for Senate.  Further, couple the support of Jeb’s boys for Rubio with the recent endorsement of Mike Huckabee for Rubio and we see the underdog picking up steam.  Anybody rushing to anoint Charlie Crist as Florida’s next Senator better slow down.  Conservatives still run the GOP, and Charlie Crist simply isn’t up to snuff.