Orlando Sentinel: Who's taking on Grayson? Anyone? Hello?

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Who's taking on Grayson? Anyone? Hello?

Mike Thomas

COMMENTARY

October 13, 2009

"This is an unstable man who has come unhinged."

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Sere on U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson.

The path to a long political career in Central Florida is win that first election, stay out of trouble and win the rest by default.

And now comes U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, who dynamited that model, calling Republicans knuckle-dragging obstructionists who want the sick to "die quickly."

If this fits the definition of unstable and unhinged, it certainly seems to have served a very lucid purpose.

The Republicans are cowering in knock-kneed terror.

Potential challengers are dropping out with comical regularity.

The last credible challenger standing is former state Sen. Dan Webster, who is so conflicted he can't say yes and he can't say no.

So he ponders away while the Republicans cross their fingers for a savior.

"I don't have to be in elective office," Webster says. "I am happy coasting right now. It's great."

You don't enter a race against someone like Alan Grayson with this mindset. You go into this race needing to be in Congress more than you need to breathe.

Despite all this, Orange County GOP Chairman Lew Oliver says this about Grayson, "I guarantee he's going to lose."

Oliver is an unstable man who has come unhinged.

"We'll have at least three or four candidates running," he says. "A couple will be credible or substantial people. A couple others will fall into the noncrackpot category."

If you're not a crackpot and always wanted to see Washington, call Lew immediately.

The Republicans look like a bunch of Chihuahuas yapping at the Rottweiler behind the fence. But this Rottweiler not only is snarling and frothing at the mouth, it also went to Harvard.

It is a crazy and smart Rottweiler.

So there is lots of yapping, but nobody is about to open the gate and take him on.

Consider state Rep. Steve Precourt.

Last week he boldly announced that Grayson was an "egomaniacal, socialist, loose cannon."

Then he announced someone else would have to do something about it because he wasn't running.

Yap. Yap. Yap.

Orange Mayor Rich Crotty once was considered the Republicans' best hope. In June, Grayson released a seven-page letter explaining in detail how he would gut Crotty over Crotty's leadership of the expressway authority.

In early July, Crotty said he had made a decision and would announce it shortly.

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months — until finally, the mayor gave us his verdict.

He could beat Grayson "handily." But he wasn't going to run.

Pretty slick. He declared victory and bowed out of the race.

The Republicans also tried and failed to recruit Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul of Ocala.

At one point, CNL Financial Group President Tim Seneff seemed like a perfect choice. He had no political record to attack, and he had deep pockets to offset what is expected to be a lackluster fundraising cycle.

Seneff didn't dawdle like the politicians. A couple days after his name surfaced, he opted out.

This leaves Dan Webster.

He was supposed to make an announcement last week. Then he was supposed to make one Monday. I called him, and he still hadn't decided.

He is doing his best Rich Crotty impersonation.

Webster sounds very much like someone pondering whether to jump off the roof.

The Republicans are yelling: Jump! Jump!

And his family is yelling: Don't! Don't!

His family loves him, and the Republicans are using him.

"That's the way it is in politics," Webster says. "People need you when they need you."

In 10 minutes, I didn't hear a single positive thing from him about entering the race.

I think he is happy here in Central Florida, near his six kids, near his five grandkids, running his air-conditioning business, going to his church.

The alternative is that he could open the gate and go in the backyard with the crazy, frothing Harvard Rottweiler and get the worst mauling of his political life. If he wins, the prize will be going to a faraway city he doesn't like, starting life in his 60s as a freshman congressman in the minority party.

If Webster opts out, Oliver says, there will be plenty of people ready to take his place.

"His [Grayson's] solid support is below 30 percent," says Oliver.

"He loses to a generic Republican in several polls I have seen."

All he has to do is get one of those generic Republicans to run.

Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com.

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