Charlie Crist and the first 100 days

Interesting review of Gov. Crist in the Orlando Sentinel today, as he wraps up his first hundred days in office. One hundred days is a completely arbitrary cut-off, of course, but it's still a good opportunity to weigh the accomplishments and struggles thus far.

Crist on Wednesday will reach 100 days in office. But with the legislative session entering its final weeks and his signature issue of property-tax reform still unsettled, there won't be much time to bask in what even political rivals have called his remarkably successful start.

"The first 100 days have been very good," said Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller of Hallandale Beach. "The next 30 or 40 days are going to be a lot more challenging."

That taxation issue still has the potential to derail the goodwill Crist has built up thus far. He's going to have to bridge the chasm between the tradition of anti-tax Republicanism and the common-sense recognition that the idea of replacing property taxes with sales tax, as proposed by House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-Miami), is utter nonsense.

The new governor has clearly sought to cut his own path as chief executive by challenging the Bush legacy. Early on, Crist blocked almost 300 appointments Bush made to state boards. He also has broken with several of his predecessor's policies on class size, standardized testing and voting machines.

But the complicated property-tax changes and budget could cause Crist to stumble.

"He is the most powerful and popular figure in state government right now," said House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. "He stands alone at the top of the hill. But he's going to have to really push for a solution and demand action."

Crist also will have to work the Legislature in its closing weeks to secure his other priorities: funding for new voting machines, expanded stem-cell research and a new merit-pay plan for teachers.

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One of the session's more dramatic moments occurred when Crist telephoned a Port Charlotte retiree, Stan Whitney, who had written him complaining about his insurance bill.

Crist has reached out in other ways, too, by holding "Tallahassee Tuesdays" with regular Floridians at the Governor's Mansion. He also has steadily cast himself as a centrist by appealing to Democrats and their traditional constituencies -- another sharp departure from his staunchly Republican predecessor.

"When he reaches out to minority voters or the teachers union, Crist is doing things no Republican governor has really done," said Darryl Paulson, a University of South Florida government professor.

Crist likely is to rely even more on his populist persona if the property-tax-reform bid stalls in the session's closing weeks. A taxpayers' rally is planned at the Capitol next week, mostly in support of Rubio's plan.

But for Crist, it could also prove the setting for another "Stan Whitney moment" aimed at sparking lawmakers. The governor's timing and political instincts are formidable, most say.

"Jeb Bush saw himself as a chief executive officer running a very large institution," said John "Mac" Stipanovich, a lobbyist and adviser to Crist during the last campaign. "But Charlie is much more about the communications aspect of the job. He's about getting people to follow him in his ideas more than bending someone to his will. So far, it's working very well."

Indeed, as I've said here repeatedly, Gov. Crist is a breath of fresh air compared to Jeb!, for whom the only good policy was one that benefited him or his cronies personally.

There's a long way to go before the full story of the Crist administration will be known, but so far, so good. Certainly, it could be -- and indeed has been -- much, much worse.