Charlie Crist Is The New Dede Scozzafava

...for regardless of what happens in NY-23 tonight, the Purgepocalypse rolls on like some sort of katamari that picks up stupid and congeals into a giant chunky orb of hate, and its next victim may be the squishing of one Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. The guy pushing that thing around is Crist's primary challenger for Florida's open Senate seat, Marco Rubio.

"What you'll find tomorrow is a lot of conservatives will look around and say, and say 'where else is this happening?'" Rubio spokesperson Alex Burgos said in an interview today. "A lot came together essentially at the last minute in New York 23. In our case, it doesn't have to be that way. This is a campaign and a candidate that conservatives can get behind early and have an effect."

Rubio has already benefited from the example set by the Hoffman campaign. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) called out Cornyn yesterday on Facebook, claiming the NRSC chair's support for Hoffman but not Rubio was "kind of ironic." Rush Limbaugh is on the air these days making the connection between NY-23 and the Florida Senate race, too.

What's more, Rubio already has the backing of Dick Armey, the former House Republican Majority Leader who played a big role in Hoffman's campaign in New York. Armey was among Rubio's earliest national supporters and it's likely he'll turn his attentions back to Rubio now that the Hoffman bid is done.

Burgos says it's not certain that Crist will be the conservative movement's next Scozzafava, but he said Rubio forces have been "excited" by the NY-23 race and expect that whatever happens there tonight will give Rubio a big national boost. The campaign has a new website aimed at reminding national conservatives of Crist's past support for Obama's stimulus, featuring the pair in what appears to be close conversation. The site, CharlieAndObama.com, launched today -- just as conservatives began looking for their new NY-23.

"That photo is symbolic of not just Crist's willingness to embrace the stimulus," Burgos said. "It's also a willingness to embrace a number of Obama's policies conservatives have a problem with." Burgos said the list included cap and trade and "higher taxes."

"I wouldn't call it vindication," Burgos said when asked if NY-23 made him want t give an "I told you so" to all the national party leaders who rejected Rubio's bid. "But it shows we're not alone in this. [NY-23] is a pretty prominent race where a conservative has stuck to his guns and done well. It's the same way with Marco. A lot of people left him for dead but he never lost sight of his conscience."

"We're hoping that once the job is finished in NY 23 folks will look to this race as the next stop," Burgos added.

There's your money quote. The "folks" that made NY-23 into the circus that it is are looking to do that to the entire state of Florida next...and then America. Astroturfing is how this whole thing has taken off, and where it goes from here is going to be the next great political lesson of our time.

They bought their own teabagger in NY-23. They're shopping for a Senator in Florida. They'll be looking for something in a nice, know-nothing pliable dingbat in 2012 for the White House.

I understand that there's genuine anger out there. But these guys aren't the answer for a great number of Americans, and it's important to realize just how narrow this base really is.