Today, I took a field trip to Tallahassee to meet up with several notable Florida politicians, but I had the good fortune of holding court with the most important Florida politico of them all, Governor Charlie Crist. Many thanks to the Governor for making the time with your humble correspondent and two other media outlets to answer our questions. The following is a transcript of the Q&A session I conducted earlier this afternoon at the Capitol Building lobby where the Governor was hosting a Florida Small Business Workshop.
Q: Regarding the stimulus package, on CNN, you said that you did not endorse the Stimulus plan, but the difference between endorsing, embracing and voting for it seems to be a shift of position.
Gov. Crist: Not really, not from my perspective. I’m the Governor. So clearly, I didn’t have an opportunity to vote for it or against it, from my perspective it wasn’t perfect, but also from my perspective, that money helped save jobs for my fellow Floridians, so maybe it wasn’t a formal endorsement, but it was a reality that in fact this is coming to Florida, i’m gonna fight for Florida’s fair share because the people of our state need it, deserve it, should have it. If it is going to go out anyway and like every other Republican governor in America, we utilized it for the benefit of my fellow Floridians, and in their cases, their respective states.
Q: Is it accurate to say that you are supportive of the federal stimulus package?
Gov. Crist: Not exactly in the way that it passed. And that may be the nuance that we are working with here. I think it was important to make sure that we try to keep our economy from falling off the cliff, and that’s where we were back then at the time. And maybe people have forgotten that. And it started with the Bush Administration. And people may have forgotten that too. So I think it is important to realize where we are now. I don’t think we need a stimulus two. And where we were then when we had an economy where people were legitimately frightened to death.
Q: In retrospect, you wouldn’t retract your original support of the Obama stimulus package?
Gov. Crist: No, but again, I didn’t endorse it. Because I didn’t think it was a perfect plan, but also im a pragmatist and I realized that’s the one that’s coming at us. So you know, as Governor-CEO of the state, in essence my job is to fight for my fellow Floridians, to fight for the teachers of this state who teach our children to give them a better and brighter future. Construction workers all over Florida have benefited from the infrastructure investment, and have jobs to be able to put food on the table- it’s that fundamental, really.
Q: Speaking of construction, the high-speed commuter rail system- the SunRail- is a matter that will come before a special legislative session that you want to convene. There is legitimate criticism this program will have enormous construction costs, and will not maintain itself by user fares alone. This brings into play the possibility of higher taxes through tolls and other fees on Floridians. Is it really a wise decision to increase deficit spending and taxes on projects like these at this juncture?
Gov. Crist: It depends, it depends upon how its structured. I can see the clear benefit both in transportation infrastructure for Florida, we’ve got a lot of people in the state-almost 20 million. The other thing is the jobs that if would produce would be enormously beneficial- our unemployment is still 11 percent, but I have tried to push that down as much as I can. In addition to that, depending on how the House and Senate feel about it, and if there may be referendums that would be part and parcel of if any kind of (tax) increase would happen, so that’s kind of how I look at it.
Q: Will you be returning the money raised at the three Fort Lauderdale fundraisers held by Scott Rothstein on behalf of your Senate campaign to remove any hint of impropriety?
Gov. Crist: We have already returned the money he and his family gave- seven days ago.
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15 Responses to “Governor Crist dives in The Shark Tank”
Here we go again…we have another Liberal…in sheep’s clothing! He is using the same terms that the Liberals use: Fighting for everything! Why is it that Liberals always are FIGHTING! I say work, research and study projects before voting. I sincerely hope that the voters will show Sen. Ben Nelson to door in the next election along with the whole ‘gang’ in Washington, DC. Conservatives are coming out in record numbers to support Marco Rubio!
term limits would be a good platform for conservatives. government is the center of the universe for career politicians. Real people know better. Let’s limit their terms so they stay real!!!!!
Christ is full of BS. He’s basically a thinner grayer and gayer Bill Clinton.
Crist is history. No one elieves him anymore. Bush 1′s “Read my lips”, and Crist’s “drop taxes like a rock”, will yield the same results. Rubio stumbled badly when he could have done something while he was Speaker of the House about terrorists, and illegal criminals, and illegal job-stealers in Florida. Instead, he passed specialty license plates. Is he another Martinez?
Once a Liberal, always a Liberal. His own words show him for what he is. Crist is gonna go down next fall.
Charlie sez “I’m a pragmatist”…..pragmatism is a slippery slope into appeasment of the the socialist. What ideals do we have if we are always are a “pragmatist”….just a little socialism, is totalitarianism on the installment plan. This is what has been wrong with America for 100 years.
thank you sharkie; NOW I KNOW MORE THAN EVER THAT I WANT TO SUPPORT CHARLIE.
WHAT THE HELL DID YOU WANT HIM TO DO? SHOULD HE HAVE TOLD THE FEDERAL GOVT. “WE IN FLORIDA DO NOT WANT YOUR STIMULUS MONEY, GIVE IT TO GEORGIA AND ALASKA.”
YOU ARE THE LIBERALS. YOU WILL DO ANYTHING TO GAIN CONTROL OF OUR NATION AND TURN IT INTO A COMMUNIST STATE.
Governor Crist is a republican, and republicans are by
default conservative with out being extremely conservative . When a republican elected official reaches across and gets
the support of the elected officials of the other party or parties to attain what the mayority of the people desires, it does not make him a liberal.
Except in the minds and bad intentions of the low lifes who live off antagonism, and attention getting printed material that soon becomes fish rappers and in some countries toilet paper. Governor Crist has
done a great job during the most difficult times
Florida has ever lived.If that is being liberal I want to be called liberal after 50 years being a
Republican.
When Charlie says he is “pragmatic” you can read: “consummate politician.” Pragmatic is the excuse of the career politician for being inconsistent and making decisions on a given issue at a given time based not on basic principles or what is constitutional but what is best for his career at a given time. When Charlie was appointing Dems and sucking up to Obama, he was thinking of all the Dem votes he could get in a general election. But then along came Rubio and now that Charlie has to get by a primary challenge from a conservative, he is now becoming more Repub-like and conservative in his speeches. I think he is more chameleon than shark.
I firmly believe that the Governor abandoned his support for our last Presidential Candidate once he found out that he was not to be on the ticket as potential VP. All of a sudden he had too much state business to take care of.
That in my opinion may have contributed to us losing the state. At that point I became a supporter of Rubio.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by THESHARKTANK1: Shark Tank Interview with Governor Crist is now online- http://tiny.cc/i2KF6 #sayfie #FFYR #TCOT…
Awake America Survey Political area, is designed for every county in the USA but we need a State Director with a state AAM Website with links to each County), County Director, and (Church Liaison from each strong Christian Church …to coordinate Voter Registration, Voter Guides,Petitions, get out the searchlight to see who is called to run for office, and educate the the Conservative Voters (VG) on where candidates stand on moral issues as the Liberal voters already know)we do not endorse but EDUCATE THE VOTERS. Then they can decide themselves,before God, whom they would support votunteerwise, prayers and finacially… and get this information Out EARLY ! Educate them that they should vote the way God would have them and not the flesh or popular vote. (Romans 8) If there are nay questions, please email me.
Sncerely,
Nancy Goettman
Awake America Ministries
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San Antonio, Texas 78245
I just changed my webmaster so not everything is up but you can get a gist of the questions
You all have it all wrong. You just don’t understand, it is very expensive to run a tanning bed 24hrs a day. The taxpayers need to understand that it is part of the everyday operating expense. And for the record, manicures are not categorized as operating expenses-they should be!
Between far left liberal,big gov’t types and Charlie Crist they are as different as cat shit and dog shit, but I don’t like the smell of either one.
Crist is a RINO and bugged Martinez about voting for the stimulus if that isn’t endorsing it, I don’t know what is!
Bill Nelson is the dumocrat from Florida and I hope he’s out next time he runs for office since he has to have the party do his thinking for him regardless of what “We the People” ask for. He’s the co-sponsor of Card Check.
I am still shocked the FOP would endorse Crist. I don’t even answer their calls anymore.
Don’t they know that the job of a US Senator and the job of a District Attorney (Attorney General)aren’t related at all!
I haven’t voted for Crist since he lied about getting rid of the portables and building schools in Florida when if fact there was a huge increase of Portables with him as Educational Commissioner.
Crist… You LIE!