Scott Spooking McCollum

One never knows what self-funded candidates can mean to a race, especially someplace like Florida. But Bill McCollum is trying to figure it out. He may have a problem on his hands named of Rick Scott, a healthcare tycoon who just spent millions boosting name recognition. A poll released this weekend surprised many by demonstrating how effective that cash was spent. But to me, it shows how indiscriminating the tea party rebellion can be.

The poll shows McCollum would still win the Republican primary if it were held today, but that he only leads with 38 percent compared to 24 percent for Scott. State Sen. Paula Dockery, probably my favorite candidate in this race, gets 7 percent of the vote. Shows how much Republic voters in Florida care what I think.

What is shocking about the poll, though, is that McCollum, long considered the front runner, was at 64 percent in March. Then Scott jumped in and spent $4.7 million on an ad campaign including television spots, internet banners on major social networking sites and a variety of stuff I didn't notice. So what does this mean? Are conservatives grossly unhappy with the sitting Attorney General?

Actually, I just think this demonstrates how anti-everything the Tea Party movement has become. We talk aabout how the movement is anti-tax, or anti-government, or, when we're cynical, anti-black president. But before all else, this is probably the most energized throw-the-bums-out movement ever, and anyone holding office today will be tarred somehow.

I don't know how effective all this will be for Scott. I am sure he wants to pull a Marco Rubio here and capture the zeitgeist to throw Bill off his game. But this is a different race. Bill McCollum is no moderate. He was one of the Congressmen in 1998 to deliver the impeachment papers. He was a hawk on terrorism before it was cool. As AG, he filed a lawsuit on behalf of the state of Florida against Obamacare.

None of this stopped Mel Martinez six years ago from calling McCollum a darling of the homosexual movement for voting in favor of hate crime legislation, but even then, that was considered a low, ridiculous blow, and considering how Martinez fairs with the right today, it should be no big issue now.

And unlike Crist, McCollum has a reputation for sincerity. I say this as someone really bothered by his role in the impeachment and in his grandstanding on health care, but I have interviewed him numerous times and I can't help but respect McCollum. Scott, on the other hand, is a total blank slate. His recent ads he got his name out but little to distinguish himself. Indeed, his biography isn't that compelling. He is a Columbia HCA executive who left the company with some pretty big stock options, and whose billing records have come under fire by the McCollum campaign.

But I think the far right hates the establishment pretty blindly right now. Look what happened to Bob Bennett in Utah. That was a far-right conservative who cast a smattering of votes hated by the right. His big sin was actually passing bipartisan legislation. Gasp! McCollum, of course, is also guilty of the crime of effectiveness, so who knows what can happen.

I can tell you I was struck a few months ago by this post on RedState where Erick Erickson said Paula Dockery was challenging McCollum from the right. Dockery is not a wingnut, and is arguably coming from left. It struck me then that McCollum's biggest sin for the right may be the fact he was a front-runner at all. As the tea readers found out she was actually pretty close to center, I am sure it hurt her.

But if this unknown Scott can convince the teabaggers he is both an outsider and a conservative, his lack of resume may provide exactly what they are looking for in moonie-land.