Marco Rubio - U.S. Senate - 2010

Miami, FL – Just a year ago today, Governor Charlie Crist departed from his typically lax 2009 schedule to actually put in some serious work to endorse, promote and advocate for the federal economic stimulus bill.

Although he would later claim he “never endorsed it,” February 3, 2009 was a day he did just that, writing a letter to President Obama in support of the $819 billion stimulus bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Crist: “We are writing to express our support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which passed last week in the House and is under consideration currently in the Senate.” (Letter To President Obama, 2/3/09) READ THE LETTER

By that point, Crist had already:

• Worked The Phones With Florida’s Congressional Delegation. Associated Press: “Most Republican governors have broken with their GOP colleagues in Congress and are pushing for passage of President Barack Obama’s economic aid plan that would send billions to states for education, public works and health care. … Florida Gov. Charlie Crist worked the phones last week with members of his state’s congressional delegation, including House Republicans.” (“Jindal Will Accept Stimulus, But Would Have Voted Against It,” Associated Press, 1/31/09)
• Started Making The Rounds On National TV In Support Of The Stimulus. For full re-cap of interviews: WATCH “CRIST IN HIS OWN WORDS: THE STIMULUS”

And showing that no deed goes unnoticed, President Obama himself called to thank Crist for his leadership in endorsing, lobbying for and promoting the stimulus:

• Obama Calls Crist To Thank Him. (“Crist Gets Obama’s Thanks On Stimulus Support,” St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald, 2/3/09)

RUBIO CAMPAIGN STATEMENT
“At a pivotal moment during last year’s stimulus debate, Charlie Crist breathed air into the sails of the failed Democrat plan, while deflating Republican efforts to rally behind an alternative. Charlie Crist was wrong to promote the stimulus as sound, job-creating economic policy in the first place and he was untruthful to deny he ever did. Charlie Crist’s gross misjudgment and miscalculation on the stimulus has now condemned future generations of Americans with mountains of debt.

“Through www.StimulusBomb.com, we are holding Charlie Crist accountable for supporting a policy that has not stimulated the economy, failed to stop unemployment from rising, and left our children and grandchildren to pay for his mistake.” – Alex Burgos, Rubio Campaign Spokesman