Charlie Crist (D. FL) loves the Affordable Care Act and he wants you to know it:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/...
Some Democrats are running away from Obamacare, but not Charlie Crist. The Democrat candidate for Florida governor is embracing the Affordable Care Act.
"I think it's been great. The roll-out was difficult. I'm sure the president feels that way, too," Crist said Sunday morning on CNN's "State of the Union."
Crist noted that he had seen Obama in Miami on Friday.
"I know that he has a compassionate heart, he cares about people," Crist told CNN's Candy Crowley. "People getting health care is like a civil right."
Crist dismissed concerns that seniors on Medicare Advantage could lose their doctors and said that issue was a fear tactic by Obamacare's opponents.
"At the end of the day, this is going to be a very popular program because it's doing the right thing for the people of our country and my state," Crist predicted. - Orlando Sentinel, 3/9/14
Here's a transcript of what Crist said in his interview with Candy Crowley:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/...
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN: The charm offensive. Listen let me talk to you about President Obama because we are at a point in the mid-term that we see a lot of Democrats who actually don't want the president either in their state or in their district because of the Affordable Care Act has not gone as well as it might have and they have angry constituents.
You on the other hand are embracing it. Is it you are fully embraced - you think that nothing about Obamacare has irreparably harmed Floridians in any way?
FORMER GOV. CHARLIE CRIST: No, I don't think so at all. I think it has been great. And I know the roll out was difficult. I'm sure the president feels that way it too. I had an opportunity to visit with him Friday in Miami. He and Michelle were there, the first lady. And, you know, I just know that he has a compassionate heart, he cares about people. People getting health care is like a civil right. I mean people need to have shelter. They need food. They need water and they need health care and they deserve it. We're the richest country in the world. We ought it provide it and God bless him for doing it. - RCP, 3/9/14
And Crist has been blasting his opponent, Governor Rick Scott (R. FL), over the ACA:
http://www.pnj.com/...
He faulted Scott for not pushing harder to accept federal Medicaid funds which could have been used to provide health insurance coverage to nearly 1 million Floridians.
Crist also criticized Scott for opposing federal money for high-speed rail and for opposing a hike in the minimum wage. Florida’s $7.93 minimum wage is higher than the federal rate, but it is below the $10.10 level that President Obama and many Democrats support. There are bills pending in the Florida Legislature to raise the rate but they are not expected to get heard during the session that started last week. - AP, 3/9/14
And Crist also offered some advice to his fellow Democrats:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/...
The Republican-turned-Democrat gave a full-throated defense of the Affordable Care Act, a law Democrats are largely keeping quiet about after the federal website’s rollout turned into a fiasco last fall.
But Crist said those Democrats “ought to strengthen up.”
“This is going to be a very popular program,” he told CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.
Crist argued Democrats are “overthinking,” and they should simply support President Obama, despite his recent spate of low approval numbers.
“He deserves (their support), and that will bring them home and unify them and that will make November very good for Democrats,” Crist said. - CNN, 3/9/14
This is why I'm pumped for Crist's comeback. I'm happy to have him on Team Blue and he has my full support. He's also pretty funny:
http://www.tampabay.com/...
We knew already that Charlie Crist could convincingly play a Republican or Democrat or independent, depending on the day.
On Saturday, we learned he can also be a darned good stand up comic.
"I'm a guy with a healthy ego. But every time my ego gets a little out of control my wife reminds me that John McCain considered me and Sarah Palin for vice president and decided Sarah was more qualified," Crist told a white tie crowd gathered in Washington, D.C., for the 129th anniversary dinner of the Gridiron Club and Foundation Saturday night.
Florida's former Republican governor and current Democratic gubernatorial front-runner was the dinner's Democratic representative, Texas Sen. Ted. Cruz represented Republicans and Secretary of State John Kerry spoke for the White House before more than 600 guests, including Washington journalists, ambassadors, White House officials, military leaders and a few celebrities, such as Stephen Colbert and Martina Navratilova.
"I know what you're thinking: 'Why Charlie Crist?' Simple: The Gridiron wanted someone of color," quipped the ever-tanned St. Petersburg resident. "It's an honor for me to have been invited to this legendary event, one that has such a great tradition. The Gridiron always pokes fun at candidates from both parties. You could have saved time and just invited me." - Tampa Bay Times, 3/8/14
You have to respect a guy who can laugh at himself. But if there's one thing GOP isn't laughing about it's Scott's poll numbers:
http://www.tampabay.com/...
On Tuesday, as Scott kicked off the Legislature’s 60-day lawmaking session, he gave the annual state of the state speech, a campaign-like preview filled with job-creation statistics.
But many of Scott’s fellow Republicans were paying attention to a different set of numbers: a raft of poll data-points that make the GOP queasy because it shows Democrat Charlie Crist has broad support across Florida right now. The highlights:
• 34 percentage points — the margin Crist beats Scott by in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, according to one business interest’s statewide survey. This margin is 12 points greater than Democrat Alex Sink’s in the 2010 governor’s race. If she had earned Crist’s poll numbers in just these two counties, Sink would have won.
• 10 percentage points — the margin Crist beats Scott by in another business interest’s statewide poll.
• 8 percentage points — the margin Crist beats Scott by in two other business interests’ statewide polls.
• 7 percentage points — the margin Crist beats Scott by in a fourth business interest’s statewide poll.
• 6 percentage points — the margin Crist beats Scott by in a poll of Republican-controlled state House districts across Florida.
• 4 percentage points — the margin Crist beats Scott by in North Florida, a Republican stronghold. The number is well within the poll’s error margin. But it’s a cumulative 17-point shift in favor of Democrats compared to 2010, and Sink would have won the governor’s race with this North Florida margin.
• 2 percentage points — the margin Scott beats Crist by in a poll of Republican-controlled state Senate districts in North Florida. Again, it’s within the error margin. But again: If Sink had had this margin, she probably would have won the governor’s race.
• 1 percentage point — the margin Crist beats Scott by overall in that poll of Republican-controlled state Senate districts. The poll was paid for by the Republican Party of Florida.
That last number — compared to the others — might initially look like a spot of good news for Scott. = Tampa Bay Times, 3/9/14
And the Florida GOP isn't feeling good about these numbers at all:
http://www.miamiherald.com/...
“There’s no way to sugarcoat this: It’s awful,” said a top Florida Republican, one of a dozen who provided or confirmed with the Miami Herald the crosstabs, presentations or individual slices of the above-mentioned polls, six in all, which were taken in advance of the lawmaking session. The Herald agreed to protect sources; they fear retribution from the governor’s office and campaign, which freezes out those perceived as naysayers or who aren’t yes-men.
Perversely, the leaking of unflattering poll numbers about Scott is an act of self-preservation by Republicans.
They know what Crist, a former Republican governor, has the power to do if he wins: Divert a major portion of special-interest campaign money to the Florida Democratic Party and away from the Republican Party, which currently controls the state House and Senate.
With Crist in the governor’s mansion, Republican lawmakers probably would face tougher races to maintain control of the Legislature. GOP consultants might have less high-priced work. Republican lobbyists get less of a cut as Democratic lobbyists increase in importance in the state Capitol.
There’s time for Scott to turn things around. For a time, late last year, it appeared Scott was closing the gap with Crist. But it no longer looks that way. - Miami Herald, 3/9/14
With Republicans freaking out about these numbers, they're going to be raising a lot of money for Scott and who better to bring in than the man who lost the Sunshine State in 2012:
http://www.tampabay.com/...
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Gov. Rick Scott are headlining a Republican Governors Association fundraiser March 24.
For Scott, the event is paybacks of sorts: the RGA contributed $2.5 million to his Let's Get to Work political committee on Jan. 27 amid a Florida fundraising tour by the association's embattled leader, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
This RGA fundraiser -- suggested contributions start at $25,000 per couple -- is slated to be held at the Coral Gables mega-mansion of Miguel "Mike" Fernandez, a Florida health-insurance tycoon.
Fernandez was a major Romney donor in 2012 and serves as the finance chairman of Scott's re-election campaign. He contributed at least $1.4 million directly to the governor since 2010 -- including a single $1 million check he stroked on Nov. 2 as former Democratic Gov. Charlie Crist hopped into the race. - Tampa Bay Times, 3/9/14
This race is ours for the taking but we can't let our guard down. If you want to donate or get involved with Crist's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.charliecrist.com/