Gov. Charlie Crist Tries To Weasel Away From His Endorsement Of The Stimulus
Gov. Charlie Crist Tries To Weasel Away From His Endorsement Of The Stimulus
Back in February, when the administration was pushing Congress to pass its Recovery Act, President Obama gained the support of a prominent Republican ally, Florida Governor Charlie Crist. Standing side-by-side with Obama, Crist explained why he was supporting the stimulus:
CRIST: We’ve had to cut about $7 billion the past two years and we haven’t raised taxes and we’re still in balance. But to be candid, it’s getting harder every day. It’s getting harder every day and we know that it’s important that we pass this stimulus package. It is important that we do so to help education, to help our infrastructure, and to help health care for those who need it the most — the most vulnerable among us.
As The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack notes, Crist explained that he was breaking from his own party to back the stimulus “because Florida needs it frankly.” In May, Crist said he would have made the “pragmatic” decision to vote for the stimulus had he been in the Senate.
But because he is currently engaged in a tight Senate campaign against fervent anti-Obama, anti-stimulus right-wing candidate Marco Rubio, Crist is conveniently forgetting his prior statements. Yesterday on CNN, Crist claimed that he never “endorsed” the stimulus package. “I didn’t endorse it, I didn’t even have a vote on the darn thing,” he said. Watch it:
The irony, of course, is that Crist is distancing himself from the Recovery Act at a time when the bill is beginning to bear fruit. Nearly $7 billion has flowed from the stimulus into the state of Florida, helping to create or save approximately 29,000 jobs. (State officials put the number closer to 47,000.)
The Crist administration has set up a website to specifically tout the benefits of the stimulus program. “I’m grateful for the federal dollars coming to our state for economic recovery,” Crist states in a video posted on that website. Some examples of its impact:
– More than 3,000 teaching jobs were saved and more than 500 coaching and support jobs created in Broward and Palm Beach County schools.
– Construction worker Leon Barron of Ft. Piece, FL, said he was “facing the prospect” of being laid off prior to the stimulus. “We appreciate the stimulus and the president,” said Barron, who works for Range Construction Industries.
– Ranger Construction Industries Vice President Bob Schafer said a stimulus contract allowed him to save the jobs of 25 to 30 people he otherwise would have laid off.
– Pasco County officials say they seriously underestimated the demand for federal stimulus money intended to prevent homelessness, and they are being overwhelmed with calls for help.
Sadly, Crist has taken to deceiving the public, rather than defending a proud record of saving and creating jobs in Florida.
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I’m surprised he didn’t find time to blame Obama for Florida’s terrible economy.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:06 pmShorter headline: Gov. Charlie Crist is a Weasel
November 5th, 2009 at 12:08 pmWhat the hell is he thinking? He’s got a tangible list of benefits that Florida is enjoying as a results of the stimulus. Why he’s backing off now just to appeal to the hillbillies is beyond me. Stick to the guns and you won’t need to worry about neo-con Rubio stealing the thunder.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pmdance republicans, dance.
The problem with liars is always the same. They forget what they told who.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pmOT –
ed schultz reporting that 6 lefties have been arrested
protesting at LIEberman’s office…
and the teabaggers are roaming the halls of congress
November 5th, 2009 at 12:12 pmyelling and screaming…
With the new unemployment figures out (the number of people filing has dropped to a level lower than it was last January), he’s jumping ship, just as it’s coming into port.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:12 pmGotta feel some pity for that poor schmuck Crist – he’s probably soaking his Depends thinking that Palin/Beck/Limbaugh et. al are going to send Doug Hoffman to Florida to run for that Senate seat!!
Heheheh! Hoist by his own petard. ;o)
November 5th, 2009 at 12:14 pmShocking
November 5th, 2009 at 12:14 pmIt’s getting more and more obvious that the right-wing “grassroots” (corporate astro-turf) activists will lead to a narrow Rubio victory. Crist can try to backtrack and weasel all he can; the fact that he’s not a Republican extremist will cost him. The fact that he IS a Republican will also cost him, as he’s nowhere near as sensible as Scozzafava was in the NY-23rd.
When Crist eventually loses, he’ll have nowhere to turn to. Dems won’t take him and nobody will consider him in 2012/2016. Who want’s to nominate a guy who gave up easy re-election as governor only to lose a primary to become a junior senator?
November 5th, 2009 at 12:16 pmLeave it to the Club for Growth for striking terror in the hearts of republicans/conservatives running for office. When the CfG weighs in, they all do what Crist has done: turn into blobs, come apart, and end up a brown ring around their lips.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:18 pmThey’re used to it by now. Limbaugh has provided them with lots of practice.
Christ is trying to be the wingnuttiest in a race where lunacy trumps logic (the GOP primary).
If he actually got the nomination, I predict he would go back to bragging about all the wonderful things the stimulus has accomplished. He would take the middle ground in a purple state.
Rubio, on the other hand, may well take the GOP primary with his hard-core rabid right bona fides. And he’d keep up that drumbeat in the general campaign. That may win him points for consistency, but it won’t win him the election. Unless the Democrat really drops the ball (which has happened).
November 5th, 2009 at 12:18 pmI live in Florida! Charlie Crist is self serving so this is no surprise! The federal funds are helping this state and had he not accepted them it would be worse. Impressive are the state run employment centers, for retraining individuals, access to computers with the latest technology. Even schools are in better shape than most of America, which isn’t saying alot. I’m originally from CA and it pains me to say that Florida schools are in better shape than in my home state.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:18 pmGov Crist should embrace the successes of the Stimulus money instead of running away from it…It’s obvious this is because of Rubio, who by the way will turn Florida into a bigger joke. He’s a dangerous conservative
I live in Florida, and it is quite a schizophrenic place.
There are so many wonderful bright progressives who live in the midst of so many dunderhead white-wingers.
So many of the clowns who call themselves libertarian are nothing more than holy roller dominionists who don’t want to pay taxes, but who want to shove their crap cult down everyone’s throats.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:20 pmDon’t these Repugs realize there is an invention called the ‘Internets’? All Rubio has to do is run ads showing Crist giving out checks and supporting the Stimulus. Then enter the ‘Tea-Baggers’ who are systematically destroying the Repug Party.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:22 pmIs Charlie Boy going to deny he and Obama hugged after he received his stim $$$$$……..the HYPOCRITTERS from the Reich just can`t help but lie,Charlie Boy and Bobby J are two of a kind.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:22 pmHe can’t. He see’s that the extremists have taken over the republican party.
This is what they all deserve.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:23 pmI recently moved to Florida from Texas, and it pains me to say this, I’d rather be back in Texas. This place is f**king insane.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:24 pmI could have retained some respect for Mr. Crist and any republican that would just stand up and say my state needed the money and the stimulus helped. Instead they look like backtracking buffoons trying to cover their tracks.
Who does crist represent – the republican party, or the state of Florida?
Pathetic
November 5th, 2009 at 12:25 pmIT’s a disgusting state of affairs when people spit on help to appeal to the one group that’s trying to F@ck it all up. I have no desire at all to live in a christian theocracy, which seems to be the direction the Reichwingers appear to be steering.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:25 pmDr@17, Are you serious? I would never think anything as bad as Texas. Why? Are the wingers really big there? Florida went Blue in 2008.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:26 pmCrist a weasel? Just shocking. Next you’ll be telling me he’s a politician.
Having noted that fact, he would do better to man up and take on the “Club for Growth”, aka Republipimps for Graft. He ought to point out that he’s been in the trenches doing the necessary work to pull FL out of the recession while his Republipimp opponent is wandering around whining about ideological correctness.
But it’s OK. If Crist screws the pooch and Rubio takes the primary, perhaps the Democrats will have a candidate who is strong enough in his or her convictions that they won’t try to run as Rubio Lite.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:27 pmLots of Floridians on here. Unfortunately, I live in a red congressional district in Central Florida, a mere couple of miles from Rep. Alan Grayson’s district. I, too, am sick of the ever-present jeebus people.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:29 pmThis is the theater of the surreal.
You have the sitting governor, who accepted stimulus money (money, incidentally, that has done what it was intended to do), denying that he supported such a plan (when loads of evidence points to the contrary) that has improved his state’s economy.
Then you have the opponent, blasting the governor for accepting the money that has improved his state’s economic condition, and saying that the stimulus package has weakened the state’s economy (when loads of evidence points to the contrary).
You can’t make up stuff this good.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:30 pmOff Topic… 9 ‘Tea-Baggers’ arrested. Plus, many are carrying signs. Do you think they will be tastefull?
November 5th, 2009 at 12:30 pmFLORIDA IS PRETTY F**KING INSANE, ON A DAILY BASIS I SEE AND HEAR SOME OF MOST BAT S**T CRAZY THINGS!
November 5th, 2009 at 12:31 pmCompletely serious. From what I seen, the reich-wingers in Florida are the violent, angry, teabagging radicals, while the reich-wingers in Texas were generally the ‘good ole boys’ reich-wingers. Many of my friends in Texas were Republican, but they are respectful, friendly, and possess good manors. I trusted them. The reich-wing idiots in Florida are your classic “waiting for the civil war to murder libruls” republipukes.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:31 pm21. Virtual Pebble,
Don’t count on it. Kendrick Meek is pretty solid in his views, but his name recognition is nil and he doesn’t have the charisma to really energize a crowd.
They need Wexler (or Grayson, but Grayson’s running for re-election to the House)
November 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pm“But weaseling out of things is what separates us from the animals… except the weasel.”
November 5th, 2009 at 12:35 pm-Homer Simpson
Dr.@26, Wow. My Mother moved to NC. And after 4 years, she has never been the same. While there she became a ‘Born Again’ and it’s been Religion ever since. Sigh.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:37 pmLOL! The estimate of the ‘Tea-Bagger’ protest is 8,000. I bet Faux News will alter it at 80,000. What do you guys think?
November 5th, 2009 at 12:40 pmWow, it’s the stimulus that killed Florida’s economy, and not Wall Street shenanigans, the Bush economic policies, and two unwinnable money-gobbling wars?
They have some nerve.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:40 pmWeasels are actually vewy straightforward, bloodthirsty widdle wascals…
November 5th, 2009 at 12:40 pmO/T….Dooshbag teabagger extroirdinaire Jon Voight lathering up the crowd with the same tired Obama/Acorn bullshit. I bet he can afford health insurance.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:40 pmNC sounds a lot like Florida. Hypocritical radical fundie churches everywhere and everyone claiming to be “born again”. In fact, there is a giant billboard on I-75 in Tampa that reads “This is a Christian Nation…”
November 5th, 2009 at 12:40 pmWhile there she became a ‘Born Again’ and it’s been Religion ever since. Sigh.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:42 pm@29.
That born-again movement is utter crap. You don’t run around acting like a heathen for years and then “find” Jesus all of a sudden. Either live like a human being and accept what comes for your actions, or be a bible thumper and judge from the sidelines thinking you’re automatically assured passage into Heaven.
Exit@33, For all of Faux’s promoting. Only 8,000 showed up. And if the Dick Armey’s of the World didn’t provide the transportation, I estimate maybe a hundred would have bothered.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pmIs this on cable “news”?
November 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pmNo offence meant there. I just really don’t like the whole born-again christianity movement.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pmP.D. says
November 5th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Dr@17, Are you serious? I would never think anything as bad as Texas. Why? Are the wingers really big there? Florida went Blue in 2008.
____________________________________________________________
I bet there’s an excellent chance Florida will go Blue when electing their next Senator, too.
Unfortunately for Christ, the qualifying heat for the final race requires him to prostitute himself to the lunatic fringe of the GOP. It would be a wonderful world if Christ could stand proud of his support for the stimulus and even say, “See? I was right — look at the benefits we’re getting from this.” Unfortunately, the teabaggers are going to go for the most anti-Obama person they can find, so this is what Christ is trying to be. He won’t win, of course — he will have about as much success convincing the rabid right that he’s one of them as I would have convincing Donald Trump that I’m beauty queen material.
Christ is probably as disgusted by the system as the rest of us are. But as a moderate Republican, he should know that this is what his party’s becoming.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:44 pmI almost fell sorry for responsible moderate Republicans, they are getting their a$$ kicked by their own party and the opposition.
Notice I said “almost”. It would be my hope that the moderate Republican is a thing of the past and only the rabid, hate mongers, and insane remain—they would never again be in control of this country.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:44 pmoops — I misspelled Crist’s name. I didn’t mean to imply in any way that he’s some kind of messiah.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:47 pm@40. The Republican party might be a nasty pain the ass, but we can’t have a one party government. It just doesn’t work that way. There has to be at least two parties, each side trying to do what’s best for the people that voted for them, not the corporations funding….. them……. Oh, never mind. Forget I tried to defend the GOP.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:48 pmThe new republican party is the independent/libertarian ticket.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:50 pmI’m confused. How is helping the Club for Growth attack Charlie Crist good for progressives?
November 5th, 2009 at 12:53 pmI don’t think there is anything we can do to help you. Got any bootstraps?
November 5th, 2009 at 12:58 pmP.D. says:
LOL! The estimate of the ‘Tea-Bagger’ protest is 8,000. I bet Faux News will alter it at 80,000. What do you guys think?
It’s a laugh! They should be sitting home on their azzes banging on their keyboards like chimpanzees. How stupid to be out actually marching in the streets. What a waste of time and effort. Stupid people don’t even know how to get the attention of the media like us geniuses here at TP!
November 5th, 2009 at 12:59 pmFred, thank you (and the people you represent) for your concern.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:01 pmIn memory has a new name. Same troll, just a new name.
Yep, they’re getting some attention but just like bad children, it’s not exactly what they wanted.
Glad you’re willing to settle for negative attention since you don’t seem to be able to do anything positive.
Good luck, you’re gonna need it.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:04 pmYou’re welcome. Maybe some reading comprehension classes would help you. If you were able to read then you would understand that we are reveling in the circular firing squad that the gop has formed and keep adding to.
Cheers.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:06 pmThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Fred, take a chill pill, it was just a question.
Mr. Duke your numbers (like your brain) are scrambled.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:11 pmDr. Hussein Matt says:
Exit Stage Left says:
O/T….Dooshbag teabagger extraordinaire Jon Voight lathering up the crowd with the same tired Obama/Acorn bullshit. I
Is this on cable “news”?
MSNBC covered it. Asswipe Andrea Mitchell called Batshit Crazy Bachman a “firebrand”.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:11 pmFred says:
In memory has a new name. Same troll, just a new name.
Yep, they’re getting some attention
Some attention? Every other post at the DUmp and KOS is about the Teabag Patriots. I’ll bet the next OP here will have something to do with them.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:11 pmIt is and it exposes just how slimy the teabaggers are. That’s what we do.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:14 pmPOX “news”!!!
It took SESAME STREET to tell the TRUTH…
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!
November 5th, 2009 at 1:17 pmUSNclerk says:
No offence meant there. I just really don’t like the whole born-again christianity movement.
That’s because there is NOTHING “christian” about the way they conduct themselves–ACTIONS speak LOUDER than WORDS (Sister Mary Agnes, 2nd grade).
POX “news”!!!!
November 5th, 2009 at 1:19 pmHow many times has the new guy heading the Club For Growth been called “Count” Chocola?
November 5th, 2009 at 1:35 pmWhen it comes the stimulus, and our increasing debt, how is it no one here even mentions our nation’s $54 Trillion in unfunded liabilities? I personalize it as 20 times the federal budget. So therefore, each taxpayer’s portion is 20 times what they pay annually in social security and income taxes, due today, just to get us back to even on our pre-bailout commitments. Assuming these numbers are even in the ball-park, how does ANYTHING else matter?
November 5th, 2009 at 2:09 pm$7B / 29,000.00 = $241,379.31 per job
Give me a $60k CNC milling machine and I can turn out a quarter mil a year in product easily. It’s not all wages dumfu(k.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:10 pmHey, y’all!
November 5th, 2009 at 2:18 pmYup, so now we all know that Unka Charlie ducked Dubya and made populist noises about property taxes and hurricane insurance out of– OH MY GOD!!!-political expedience….
But it’s going to be pretty damn entertaining down here when the T-baggers get going with Marco. He’s really pretty extreme already, and I’m musing about how exactly he can “move to the right.” Dunno– re-legalize slavery? Demand that Fla. State taxes be paid in kind, or by doing road repairs?
It’s almost to much to dream that the Gopers could screw this one up so much that Kendrick Meek could be our new Senator. But then, maybe that’s what dreams are for.
I still say it’s going to be big, mean fun for progressives to watch. And whichever of these two wins, they’re still just replacing Mel Martinez.
Enjoy!! Let’s hope for a wingnut spring break down here.
For all the right-wingers who opposed the bank bailouts, the mortgage giant bailouts, the stimulus, would you rather be living in a depression?
November 5th, 2009 at 2:31 pmWoop! Woop!
Told ya it’s going to be interesting!
Google “Chain-gang Charlie, Florida.”
He’s tried to sweep this one under the rug, until now.
“Hey, I wanted to bring back chain-gangs! Suck on that, Rubio!!”
November 5th, 2009 at 2:31 pmCrist is going to lose the primary no matter how far right he goes now. Club for Growth has already endorsed Rubio who will end up like Hoffman. The Dems will pick up a Senate seat in the South and that will be the first crack in the solid Republican south. Graham may have to become an independent to survive any primary challenge. The Senators from Maine are being targeted and they may also move to independent. We could possibly see the makings of a new party. The Dems will not be immune from this turmoil and they will lose some of the conservaDems. We may end up with a 3 party system when all of this is over.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:45 pm@ 50. Mr.Duke says: This comment has been voted down. Click to read. The irony, of course, is that Crist is distancing himself from the Recovery Act at a time when the bill is beginning to bear fruit. Nearly $7 billion has flowed from the stimulus into the state of Florida, helping to create or save approximately 29,000 jobs. (State officials put the number closer to 47,000.) $7B / 29,000.00 = $241,379.31 per job. … economic madness at its best.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
What fracking planet do you live on, dukie? $241K/job isn’t out of line in some parts of this country.
The budgets for most defense and other government contractors came in at about $200K per full time equivalent (FTE) job, and that was 15 years ago. That wasn’t the actual salary figure; salaries for most contract personnel was well south of $200k, and mostly less than $100K, but when you factor in paid time off, various and sundry benefits, etc, it ended up at around $200K per FTE. Granted, there are compliance issues in the federal contracting sector that push overhead, but that is what it was. I’m quite sure it hasn’t gone down, since.
I would expect that when private sector employers do the math, they’re not all that far below the government contract sector. You probably see the lowest FTE payout in the McFranchise area and mom’n'pop level retailers probably show the greatest variance.
Anyway, it isn’t economic madness; it just is what it is and it only seems crazy to those who are economically uninformed.
November 5th, 2009 at 4:45 pm@ 38. USNclerk says: No offence meant there. I just really don’t like the whole born-again christianity movement. November 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
None taken here, and I got to be a ‘borned again’ several decades ago (it’s a long boring story so you won’t mind if I don’t repeat it here). Took me a little over 10 years to figure out that being born once was really quite sufficient.
Some people never get over it though and you may catch hell from them; then again, they’re probably Christianist, which is a discipline that is different from Christian, despite the similarity in name.
November 5th, 2009 at 4:55 pmhow does ANYTHING else matter?
November 5th, 2009 at 5:15 pm—
Beauty, serenity,compassion, and aesthetics all matter much more. Stop being dollar driven and you will come to understand these things better…