Crist is engaged

ST. PETERSBURG - Florida’s most powerful bachelor is getting hitched.

Gov. Charlie Crist, single for nearly three decades, on Thursday became engaged to his girlfriend of nine months, Carole Rome.

"She’s special in every way. She’s brilliant, beautiful and sweet. I’m very, very lucky,’’ said Crist, who picked out the sapphire and diamond ring a day earlier at the Gold and Diamond Center in St. Petersburg’s Northeast Shopping Center.

Story here.

Comments

Why does everyone think she doesn't know that she is a political pawn. I am sure she is benefiting from this facade. Come on, these women know. Tom Lee's girlfriend knew about his tenancies. She stayed till he was done with politics. It is a shame that they sell themselves short, and an even bigger shame that these men cannot admit there sexual preferences and be who they are. Why are they all Republicans? I am so glad to be a democrat.

Jason:
same thing with the Gallagher campaign.
Tom was afraid to pull the trigger...afraid it may result in a backlash.

same thinking.If Charlie just admitted it no one would care. Remember the "charlie the tuna" blog ad with Crist coming out of the closet?

have you told Mac Stipanovich yet (alias Zenator)?

Charlie thinks he's untouchable. Would love to see him go down!

Wow, I am shocked Crist is gay. NOT I am shocked Lee is gay. NOT I am shocked Foley is gay. NOT I am shocked Allen is gay. YES That is scary for the gay community.

I guess the Governor really did change his position on drilling

9:40 ..."tenacies..." ? Are these people from Tennesee?

well guess u gotta get married to make ur prez run in a few years...lived the lie this long might as well cement it...

10:06 Are grammatical errors really the issue? I heard rumors about Tom, but didn't realize his girlfriend knew? I thought she was not aware. Shocked. Why do these women get involved with and stay with these men. Its not like they have tons of money or looks.

[not a Crist fan]

I think it's great that we all busted his balls for being a bachelor. Now we're ripping him for getting engaged... hehe

p.s. Greer sucks

So I guess Jim Greer is sad his boyfriend is committing to another. Crist isn't fooling anyone and I hope that Carol consults with Dana McGreevy to see just how to handle the press when the word get out.

[Gorgo]

In the pre-nup, who gets the collection of Home and Garden?

[St. Pete Mama]

The thing that's so odd to me about Charlie is that before he was in the spotlight much, at a time when I had college-aged daughters, my kids used to see him in bars pretty often, hitting on very young (college-aged) women. This would have been when he was the Education guru...before Atty General. How can he be gay and a creep around young women all at the same time? I'm not buying this romance, either way, however....

Tallahappy is nothing but FSU girls in bars- what else is there to do?

Romney will be VP

what's for lunch?

[PoynterGrad]

Charlie Crist told a business associate in the mid-80's in St. Pete that he was gay. It's a very poorly kept secret.
What would have taken political courage is for Charlie Crist to not have caved/buckled and to actually come out. McCain would not have picked him as veep, but at least he would have his integrity. They say that the best closet for a gay man to hide in is a straight marriage. Well, Crist has now gone that route. He was an improvement over Jeb Bush and now he has sold his soul.

[Billy Graham]

Romney is a cultist and a creep. No Christian votes for him as veep! No problem with Christ being gay. Most of the GOP's in the closet anyway.

[Jason Straight]

If the state is gonna go south financially I believe Crist is vulnurable to the Dems..The oil drilling will come back to haunt him as will all his promises on taxes and insurance..$240 is not the stuff on a genuine tax reduction..I will give you one thing he does have style and class but is without a backbone .More of a wet noodle .Were gonna need Rod Smith back outta retirement.With martinez on the ballot a massive economic recession Smith will get traction..Remember boys and gurls ..the election is a little over two years away..

Bought the ring at the Gold and Diamond Center? Where's the honeymoon? Busch Gardens?

Is there a date set? I bet if there is, it is sometime AFTER the GOP convention. After all, that is the point of this silly gimmick: get Charlie picked for VP. Right Jim Greer?

Not bad spin for the Charlie Crist Public Relations Firm. I mean the RPOF.

[John McCain]

Sorry Charlie

[Jim D.]

I wish the Gov. and his future wife well. It's sad to see all the hatred spilling out on this occasion. As a lifelong Dem. I did not vote for Charlie, but no one deserves this level of hatred.

wow! the D's sewer pipe has opened up again.

This is funny than a Carl Hiaassen novel. Get to work Carl..this one will write itself.

10:06 pm - No, that would be a Florida graduate. Florida's schools suck and are almost at the bottom. Tennessee isn't that low.

[Debbie]

For all you Charlie lover's that are getting upset that people are calling your beloved gay, how about getting over that for a sec and looking at this realistically. You should be more concerned that your esteemed 'leader' (and I use THAT term loosely) has no problem with lying, deceit, and making a mockery of marriage. Tells you a lot about a person's character. But then, most of us already KNOW what kind of character and ethics our 'governor' has...

He won't be VP - regardless of who or what he marries, says or does. He's a joke and the national media are seeing it and spreading the word. The only media who consistently claim he's a front runner is the SPT.

What a joke.

Guess at Charlie's wedding when the minister says "does anyone object", all the above posters who say he's gay will be yelling over each other at the church. It'd be some scene.

Hey Terminator: Didn't Tom Gallagher get married so he could run for Governor? No one thought that Claude Kirk was gay and he was a bachelor when he was elected Governor. Maybe Charlie is hung like a donkey and doesn't have to conjure up a macho image to seduce the fairer sex. And if you want to win with the ladies, fake gayness. They let their guards down and are a lot friendlier. Try using, "I am gay. Do you mind if I join you until my date arrives?" It works every time.

[The Rock]

Jim D @ 8:23 AM. It is sad the level of contempt and malice people demonstrate here for Governor Crist, for politics in general, and for the state in which they live. You have to wonder how people can function with so much bile and irrational debris clogging their minds.

9:33...Kirk got married after he was elected in the 1960's because voters in that era didn't like divorced politicians with new wives.

Kirk was always on the edge, but if Floridians in large numbers questioned his "straightness", you can be sure he would have nipped it in the bud quickly with some kind of stunt to prove he was not gay.

9:44 - Suggesting we shouldn't have contempt for the people perpetuating our feckless government makes you sound utterly naive. On this 4th of July, we should all take the opportunity to offer our unwavering patriotism to this great country in the form bashing and criticizing our leaders for their failures, their lies, and abuse of the system. Dissent: say it loud and say it proud...it's the American way.

9:44 - Suggesting we shouldn't have contempt for the people perpetuating our feckless government makes you sound utterly naive. On this 4th of July, we should all take the opportunity to offer our unwavering patriotism to this great country in the form bashing and criticizing our leaders for their failures, their lies, and abuse of the system. Dissent: say it loud and say it proud...it's the American way.

up here in Tally and in St Pete, it's common knowledge this is a carefully arranged relationship.

Crist needs a wife to further his political career whether it's the VP or term 2 governor, and he needs this woman's money to achieve either of these or beyond.

Carole wants the title of First Lady of Florida/US, and the privileges these bring. She is as shrewd and duplicitous as he is. A more perfect arrangement could not be found.

What I am waiting for.. the real story of how they met and WHEN they really met. The whispers up here are so loud I'm surprised no media have pursued it. Believe me it's a great story and proves what the naysayers have all along correctly guessed.

Terminator, I know you know these details.

[kay]

The sad thing to me is, if this man is really gay,he has to hide it.It is a measure of the intolerance of our society, and how very unenlightened we really are, even in the 21st century.
We need to take a good look at ourselves and our ignorance.

To Jim Greer's posters:
Let's be clear: most well adjusted people agree there is nothing wrong with being gay. The reason why is is troubling in Crist's case is the underlying mendacity, deceitfulness and all around smarminess that leads him to pretend he is straight just so he might be chosen for VP.

The issue then is lying and misleading. Not "gay".

Is the ink dry on her divorce?

Is there even ink on her divorce?

To a girl???

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Omega83]

Kind of puts a new twist on that whole European junke...I mean trade mission coming up.

[Larry]

I didn't know that Larry Craig's wife had a sister!

Lighten up, folks. It's not like he's called her the c-word, like his potential boss has to his wife.

Strike up the Showtunes!

what has this country come to? This ugly disgusting talk makes me ashamed to be a democrat. We think we are better and the party of the people and then we lower ourselves to this banter? Let's just shut up and prove by actions.

Here we are celebrating our independence and debating whether or not a marriage of convenience will cover a lifetime of indiscretions. Where are the great statesmen/women of our time who will achieve more than a footnote in history?

10:20 It is his Republican party that has forced him to do this. They are intolerant to lifes differences because they cater to the religious extremeist.

10:04 - slanderous speculation on Crist's sexuality is not dissent. It's gossip and it's malice and you are a fool.

This man wants to be VP more than anything...with the exception of President I suppose.

[zenator]

10:17 and like kind:

It is true that a blog offers you a safe vehicle anonymously to defame a lady that you obviously do not know. But, you really should think a bit more before firing away at someone you obviously do not know. Carol is a private citizen, who happens to be engaged to a public fiqure

As for the Governor, he is fair game because he chose to enter the public arena. But, it should stop there. So bash Charlie all you want, but...

My wife just said maybe they will have a "Real Housewives of Tallahassee" now. I guess thats funny if your wife watches that show, or you came home to find that the DVR recorded that instead of the Rays/Sox game.

Florida's new first "divorcee whoopee cushion heiress" lady invited the arrows thrown her way by hooking-up with Governor Crist.

[shut it zenator nazi]

To zenator
Happy 4th, now shut your ignorant little tyrant mouth and blow your hand off with a couple m-80 firecrackers.
Celebrate and all may speak freely as they so choose!
First Amendment!!

Yeah and Ellen DeGeneres is marrying a guy. Lame, he's a queer.