Less than 2 weeks from election, Crist still question mark for many

[seafan]

Less than 2 weeks from election, Crist still question mark for many

Kennedy & Garcia
October 29, 2006

Republican Charlie Crist prides himself on his ability to listen and says he will govern from his heart if elected the state's chief executive Nov. 7.
But Crist continues to give Democrats and other skeptics ample occasion to wonder what's really inside his head.
Crist last week stepped boldly into Florida's insurance crisis by saying he "probably would" have vetoed an insurance package approved by the Republican-led Legislature and signed into law by outgoing Gov. Jeb Bush.
But the attorney general defended not throwing his opinion into the fight last spring when it consumed the Legislature.
"That's not my style. I'm not a grandstander," said Crist, even though he called news conferences and issued press releases on other issues, such as his much-promoted "anti-murder" legislation.

Crist recently made a similar late-hour conversion on whether felons who complete their criminal sentences should automatically get their voting rights restored. He didn't advocate automatic restoration, long opposed by Bush, until he met with newspaper editorial boards around the state earlier this month.
Crist last week said he felt his earlier silence stemmed from "respect" for the views of the governor on the issue.

Criticized by Democrat Jim Davis for remaining silent in the Terri Schiavo case, blasted during the Republican primary by Tom Gallagher for his positions on abortion, the front-running Crist looks destined to enter the governor's office as a political mystery.
"I don't know what he's going to do as governor," said incoming House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. "And I know a lot of my Republican colleagues feel the same way."

As leader of the nation's fourth-largest state, the next occupant of the Governor's Mansion will have issues coming at him fast and furious. Bush usually thrived on the hectic political pace, flinging opinions on state, national and world events freely.

((((:rofl:))))

Crist also took the plunge when his insurance comments gave Davis ammunition for ridicule. And by nightfall, Crist had moved away from the veto option on the insurance bill, with his campaign issuing a statement asserting instead that he would have "worked with the Legislature to correct its shortcomings."
Gelber, a Davis supporter, said such moves only deepen the Legislature's feeling of unknown about Crist.
"You could do a full chart comparing where the candidates are on issues, with Charlie as the only candidate," Gelber said.

snip

[Poppyseedman]

1. Crist may be a question mark, but where the hell is the Davis campaign?

the Crist machine has been going full bore for months and you barely hear a word out of Davis operation, up until basically the last two weeks there was no Davis campaign as far as I could tell.

[seafan]

2. "Where is the Davis campaign?"

You are certainly correct about the $18.8 million Crist *machine*, with the express intent to overwhelm any media attention on his very worthy opponent.


Compared with Crist's Bush-fattened $18.8 million campaign blanketing the state, Davis' campaign operates with just over $6 million.


While Crist is taking unfair and illegal advantage with code-violating campaign banners draped on the sides of skyscrapers in Tampa and St. Pete, Davis is running first-class ads like this one and this one; he's criss-crossing the state, talking with regular people, and rapidly gaining support.

Jim Davis delivered a much stronger and more capable impression during the first debate. Did you watch it?

The final debate is tomorrow night.


As of today, newspaper endorsements for Jim Davis are:

St. Petersburg Times
Palm Beach Post
Florida Today
Sarasota Herald Tribune
Daytona Beach News Journal
Gainesville Sun



One other thing to mention: Charlie's boss Jeb is also using the power of his office to cancel Cabinet meetings so his buddy Charlie is free to campaign. So Charlie is even less effective in his job as our Attorney General. Unacceptable.



But, in spite of Charlie's $18.8 million campaign, Jeb's permission slip for Charlie to skip Cabinet meetings so he is free to campaign (look who skates by the real empty chair!), and a blanket of negative TV advertising, with the hope of hiding Charlie's thin record of actually doing much for the people of Florida as Attorney General....

Look at what the Palm Beach Post said today:

Yet, despite Crist's formidable advantages, recent polls suggest that Davis is within striking distance of becoming Florida's 44th governor.

I hope you don't need to ask "Where is the Davis campaign?" again.