DixieDestroyer
Hall of Famer
NeoCON/RINO Charlie Crist is pulling out the (hot air) stops in his bid for FL Senate seat...claiming he's a a "good conservative".
This is the same NeoCON who pandered to the NAACP, opposed off-shore drilling (FL)...which would help alleviate our dependency on OPEC, had fellow RINOs "Juan McAmnesty" & (9/11 profiteer) Rudy "Ghouliani" campaigning for him (as FL Gov) in 2006, claimed ACORN wasn't problematic, is a pro empire building "chicken hawk", & the 2009 documentary "Outage" claimed he is a closeted sodomite (like many in the GOP).
Crist: I'm a good conservative
By Joseph Curl
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, trailing badly in his campaign to move to the U.S. Senate, said Sunday that he is a "pragmatic, common-sense conservative," even though he supported President Obama's $832 billion stimulus package.
Florida has received more than $8 billion in stimulus funds, and Mr. Crist said that has created or saved 87,000 jobs, including 26,000 teaching jobs.
"I think it was the right thing to do at the time," he, adding that the economy "was literally falling off a cliff" when he supported the package. "Things are starting to stabilize now and they're getting better in Florida."
But his opponent, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, pointed out that Florida's unemployment rate has just reached a record 12.2 percent, with 210,000 jobs lost since the Senate passed the bill.
"The stimulus has failed because since that famous day in February where the governor campaigned with Barack Obama on behalf of the stimulus program, 211,000 Floridians have lost their jobs," Mr. Rubio said.
"And so the choice for Republicans in Florida is do you want a candidate that would have stood up to Barack Obama, voted against the stimulus and supported something that would have cost less money and created more jobs."
Mr. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has become a darling of the conservative movement, winning endorsements from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. In January, a struggle between conservative activists and the Republican Party establishment forced state GOP Chairman Jim Greer to quit.
Since then, Mr. Rubio has opened a huge lead over Mr. Crist. He leads by more than 25 percentage points -- 56.4 to 31 -- according to an average of all recent polls compiled by Real Clear Politics.
In a debate on Fox News Sunday, the two squared off over state and federal issues, but returned several times to Mr. Crist's support of the stimulus package. The governor defended his support, saying other Republican governors also took the money.
"We utilized those monies just like Haley Barbour did in Mississippi, just like Sonny Perdue in Georgia -- these wild-eyed liberals," Mr. Crist said of the two staunchly conservative southern governors. "If we'd taken the speaker's approach, we would've had 87,000 more unemployed, including 20,000 school teachers. ... "
"I stand with people who will help the people of my state and my country. I am a pragmatic, common-sense conservative, always have been," Mr. Crist said.
But Mr. Rubio said he opposed a move by the Obama administration and Capitol Hill Democrats to "fundamentally restructure government" by spending $787 billion "we don't have."
"How does that in any way make sense for Florida or our country?" he said "The stimulus was a failure. I would've voted against the stimulus." Instead, he would have supported lower capital gains and corporate tax rates.
Mr. Crist kept up the attacks he is using in campaign ads, charging that Mr. Rubio misused political funds for personal expenses. Mr. Rubio called the charges false.
The two also differed over how to handle immigration reform, with Mr. Rubio opposing a plan first put forward by President George W. Bush that would have put illegal aliens on a path to citizenship.
At the end of the 45-minute debate, Mr. Crist was asked if he would leave the Republican Party if he loses the Aug. 24 primary and run for the Senate as an independent.
"I'm running as a Republican. I'm very proud to be from the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, others that really have stood up for the principles of our party, like Ronald Reagan," Mr. Crist said.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/28/crist-im-good-conservative/
Crist: I'm a good conservative
By Joseph Curl
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, trailing badly in his campaign to move to the U.S. Senate, said Sunday that he is a "pragmatic, common-sense conservative," even though he supported President Obama's $832 billion stimulus package.
Florida has received more than $8 billion in stimulus funds, and Mr. Crist said that has created or saved 87,000 jobs, including 26,000 teaching jobs.
"I think it was the right thing to do at the time," he, adding that the economy "was literally falling off a cliff" when he supported the package. "Things are starting to stabilize now and they're getting better in Florida."
But his opponent, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, pointed out that Florida's unemployment rate has just reached a record 12.2 percent, with 210,000 jobs lost since the Senate passed the bill.
"The stimulus has failed because since that famous day in February where the governor campaigned with Barack Obama on behalf of the stimulus program, 211,000 Floridians have lost their jobs," Mr. Rubio said.
"And so the choice for Republicans in Florida is do you want a candidate that would have stood up to Barack Obama, voted against the stimulus and supported something that would have cost less money and created more jobs."
Mr. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has become a darling of the conservative movement, winning endorsements from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. In January, a struggle between conservative activists and the Republican Party establishment forced state GOP Chairman Jim Greer to quit.
Since then, Mr. Rubio has opened a huge lead over Mr. Crist. He leads by more than 25 percentage points -- 56.4 to 31 -- according to an average of all recent polls compiled by Real Clear Politics.
In a debate on Fox News Sunday, the two squared off over state and federal issues, but returned several times to Mr. Crist's support of the stimulus package. The governor defended his support, saying other Republican governors also took the money.
"We utilized those monies just like Haley Barbour did in Mississippi, just like Sonny Perdue in Georgia -- these wild-eyed liberals," Mr. Crist said of the two staunchly conservative southern governors. "If we'd taken the speaker's approach, we would've had 87,000 more unemployed, including 20,000 school teachers. ... "
"I stand with people who will help the people of my state and my country. I am a pragmatic, common-sense conservative, always have been," Mr. Crist said.
But Mr. Rubio said he opposed a move by the Obama administration and Capitol Hill Democrats to "fundamentally restructure government" by spending $787 billion "we don't have."
"How does that in any way make sense for Florida or our country?" he said "The stimulus was a failure. I would've voted against the stimulus." Instead, he would have supported lower capital gains and corporate tax rates.
Mr. Crist kept up the attacks he is using in campaign ads, charging that Mr. Rubio misused political funds for personal expenses. Mr. Rubio called the charges false.
The two also differed over how to handle immigration reform, with Mr. Rubio opposing a plan first put forward by President George W. Bush that would have put illegal aliens on a path to citizenship.
At the end of the 45-minute debate, Mr. Crist was asked if he would leave the Republican Party if he loses the Aug. 24 primary and run for the Senate as an independent.
"I'm running as a Republican. I'm very proud to be from the party of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, others that really have stood up for the principles of our party, like Ronald Reagan," Mr. Crist said.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/28/crist-im-good-conservative/
