Marco Rubio - U.S. Senate - 2010

“There is a reason Gov. Charlie Crist hardly ever breaks a sweat. He’s not working that hard.” – St. Petersburg Times, 10/26/09

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald
Down In Polls, Crist Plans To Focus On Leadership
By Adam Smith & Beth Reinhard
Wednesday, 2/3/2010

Crist’s plan? Play the leadership card.

Crist has long traded on his political instincts, but his public office could be his most valuable commodity. As governor of the fourth largest state, he has a ready platform for engaging in serious issues, drawing media attention — and making Rubio look small for taking political shots at the governor grappling with Florida’s problems.

“I’m not really concerned about poll numbers. I’m concerned about the people,” Crist said Monday in Miami, batting away questions about the former state House speaker’s surging poll numbers at a news conference about bringing critically injured Haitians to Florida.

The governor’s remarks in Miami echoed the swipe he took at Rubio last week in Tallahassee: “I don’t have the luxury of going around the state and politicking all day,” he said. “I’m going to do my job.”

His official calendar lately tells the story. A governor who used to routinely list one or two events a day, on Monday had five scheduled events or meetings and on Tuesday, seven.

CRIST REINVENTION: A DISTRACTED GOVERNOR, AN EMPTY CHAIR AND BROKEN PROMISES ABOUT DOING HIS JOB

St. Petersburg Times: “There is a reason Gov. Charlie Crist hardly ever breaks a sweat. He’s not working that hard. … It’s not as though the governor lacks challenges. Unemployment is higher than it has been since 1975, and more people are leaving the state than arriving. … But that would require spending time now to develop and refine his proposals, and Crist is too busy raising money for his U.S. Senate campaign.” (“A Part-Time Governor For A Full-Time Job,” Editorial, St. Petersburg Times, 10/26/09)

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald: “Since campaigning three years ago on a promise to work hard for Floridians, Gov. Charlie Crist has scheduled the equivalent of almost 10 weeks off annually.” (“Schedule: Crist Takes 10 Weeks Off A Year,” St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald, 10/23/09)

Crist on 12/31/09: “Charlie Crist acknowledged ‘it’s certainly possible’ that his intense focus on raising millions of dollars as a Senate candidate diverted attention from his duties as chief executive of the nation’s fourth-most populous state.” (“For Gov. Charlie Crist, Battered Image And Uncertain Future,” St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald, 12/31/09)

Crist Campaign Manager Eric Eikenberg on 12/18/09: “Floridians deserve a senator who will always put their best interests first, and that candidate is Gov. Charlie Crist.” (“Crist Campaign Update,” Eric Eikenberg Memo, 12/18/09)

Crist in October 2009: “I’m never not governor.” (“Schedule: Crist Takes 10 Weeks Off A Year,” St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald, 10/23/09)

Crist in April 2009: “I’m never not governor. I have no days off. I’m working all the time.” (“Crist’s Schedule Not Exactly Full,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 4/18/09)

Crist in 2006: “In 2006, the Republican hammered Democrat Jim Davis, his gubernatorial rival, for frequently missing votes in Congress. ‘I’ll come to work every day,’ Crist said in one debate.” (“Schedule: Crist Takes 10 Weeks Off A Year,” St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald, 10/23/09)

Thus Far, The Republican-Led Legislature Is Unimpressed By Crist’s Reinvention. “A chorus of legislators from both parties blasted Gov. Charlie Crist’s $69.2 billion budget proposal as an unreliable plan — akin to a family banking on winning the lottery to pay the monthly bills. They told the governor to try again, with revenue they know they’ll have. … Some of the harshest criticism came from Crist’s fellow Republicans. ‘When you’re making a household budget, you have to deal with reality,’ said House Budget Chairman Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami. He compared the governor’s ideas to a family spending money ‘based on winning the lottery in the future.’” (“Oops, Charlie’s Fallback Plan Off To Bad Start,” Orlando Sentinel, 2/2/10)

Rubio Campaign Statement

“It’s a challenge for Charlie Crist to reinvent himself as an active, attentive governor when the truth is he spent the better part of last year focused on fundraising. By his own admission, Charlie Crist has let his political ambitions and appetite for fundraising distract him from his duties as governor, even as 1.1 million Floridians have become unemployed. Florida’s next U.S. senator should be a leader willing to fight every day for conservative principles and against the liberal Obama agenda. Despite this latest reinvention, Charlie Crist’s record not only demonstrates a clear willingness to stand with the Obama agenda, but Floridians have every reason to wonder if he’ll even show up to work at all.” – Alex Burgos, Rubio Campaign Spokesman