White House: Crist Loved Obama Stimulation
Crist keeps trying to get away from Obama, but the White House pulls him back in
By TODD WRIGHT
Updated 6:14 PM EST, Thu, Nov 5, 2009
The conservative walls are closing in on Gov. Charlie Crist and now the White House is piling on.
After going on a national cable news show Wednesday night to rebut claims that he endorsed President Barack Obama's stimulus plan, the White House came out Thursday to say they get cable, too, and watched Crist try to wiggle his way out of what has become the major issue in the race for the 2010 U.S. Senate seat.
"I think he was very supportive of the legislation and supportive of the benefits that it would have and has had for the state of Florida in seeing positive economic growth," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. "I would say yes, yes."
The White House went on to say how fantastic Crist was during the stimulus campaign in Florida, which was highlighted by the hug seen round the world.
It may be in Obama and his Democrat friends' best interest to weaken Crist's chances at coming to Washington because most analysts believe the Dems' top candidate, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, wouldn't stand a chance against Crist.
But he could potentially beat Marco Rubio, Crist's chief rival.
Try as he might, Crist can't seem to get away from that moment or his decision to stray from party lines and push for some of the billions in federal dollars being offered to boost the state's struggling economy.
When asked by CNN host Wolf Blitzer if he regretted helping Obama, Crist said calling the president's plan "remarkable" and "fantastic" was misunderstood.
"Well, I didn't endorse it. I didn't even have a vote on the darned thing. But I understood that it was going to pass and I wanted to be able to utilize it for the benefit of my fellow Floridians," Crist said.
Rubio also gets cable at his home in Miami and he had something to say about Crist's back pedaling, which could help gain him favor with the voters.
"Unfortunately for Charlie Crist, the evidence of his stimulus support is on video," Rubio campaign spokesman Alex Burgos said Thursday. "By denying he infamously supported the stimulus, Charlie Crist is hoping he can reinvent his record and that voters forget he once embraced it."
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Miami
First Published: Nov 5, 2009 4:27 PM EST
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