Not exactly your standard Democratic primary platform. But the voice in the robocall really is Crist's and so were the positions he stressed. But it was Charlie Crist circa 2006--not 2014. Back then he was running in the Republican primary for governor and paid for the calls to shore up his conservative support and push back against rival Tom Gallagher's assertion that Crist was a moderate. They certainly were never intended for Democratic voters.
A spokesman for the Crist campaign called it a "shady voter suppression tactic."
"I'm not a scientist either but I can use my brain and I can talk to one," said Crist, arriving for a 25-minute presentation by Professor Jeff Chanton of the Florida State University Earth and Atmospheric Science Department. A consequence of global warming is rising sea levels. Billions of dollars of Florida real estate and roads are at risk as the sea moves inland. [Prof. Chanton estimates 17 inches sea level rise].
Crist said that he felt uncomfortable with his previous party affiliation. Republicans are perceived as "anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-minority, [and] anti-gay," he said, and they refuse to compromise with Obama. The ex-governor said he feels, "liberated as a Democrat."
"I couldn't be consistent with myself and my core beliefs, and stay with a party that was so unfriendly toward the African-American president, I'll just go there," he said. "I was a Republican and I saw the activists and what they were doing, it was intolerable to me."
Crist left the GOP
Yet Crist has little choice but to embrace the law right now. Crist needs to prove his Democratic bona fides; the Democratic base approves of the law. "I think it's been great," Crist said in a CNN interview last Sunday.
Gov. Rick Scott's team released a web ad highlighting Crist's support for the law and Pres. Obama's latest backtrack on the law when he admitted some people might not be able to keep their doctors, despite the president's prior promise.
In 2010, Crist said the Medicare Advantage cuts were reason alone to vote against the legislation. Now, as a Democrat, he's using the "keep and fix" argument. "I don't support the cuts to Medicare Advantage," Crist said. "In every major law, there are things you like & things you don't. The President & Congress should fix it."
What he stands for, he says, is "fairness and trying to treat people right." He thinks now that he never should have been a Republican, the sort of blithe declaration that makes Florida Republicans choke on their food. But it's true that Crist's actions annoyed plenty of Republicans even when he was one of them. As a state senator in the 1990s, education commissioner in the Jeb Bush gubernatorial administration, state attorney general, and governor beginning in 2007, Crist enjoyed bucking his party [on abortion, voting rights, education, and environmental issues]. Other than the party label, Crist says, "None of this is new. I haven't really changed."
When asked about the influential Cuban bloc of voters, most of whom oppose restoring normalcy with Cuba, Crist denounced the trade embargo as an ineffective relic. "I don't think it worked," Crist said. "We need to move forward and get the embargo taken away."
Crist said lifting the embargo would be a boon for his state. "A lot of construction would be required, and South Florida could be the launching pad for all of that," he said.
Crist's statements are a complete reversal of his previous position. In 2010, Crist said he not only opposed removing the trade embargo, but he also was against loosening travel restrictions to Cuba.
After being pressed further, Crist once again addressed his evolving stance on the topic: "I made a mistake. I'm not perfect," he said. "That's the journey I'm on, and I'm still on it."
In 2010, he stood by the ban and said that he believes marriage is "a sacred institution between a man and a woman." Crist said he was inspired by President Obama to finally come out in support of marriage equality. "Everybody deserves to love who they want to. Everybody deserves to marry who they want to. Even the Pope has said, 'Who am I to judge?'"
"Right before Rick Scott was elected in 2010, he was asked about the minimum wage in Florida. He didn't know what it was. Then, when he found out that the people of our state were receiving a 6-cent increase in 2011, he said he was disappointed. I'm sure he'll be equally disappointed to read that despite his objections, the minimum wage in Florida will increase to $7.93 an hour on the first of the year.
"This is good news. Higher salaries mean more Floridians can provide for their families, buy more essentials, and also try to get ahead. And we should do more. Displaced workers and low-wage workers deserve to earn a living wage. Unfortunately, Rick Scott just doesn't seem to get it."
The 2009 fee hike raised automobile registration fees from approximately $46 to $71, forcing Florida taxpayers to pay an additional $25 on average. Scott recognizes that taking money out of the pockets of Florida's families is the wrong approach to expanding Florida's economy.
Crist says he's glad that Governor Scott got on around to rolling back the fees, and that they were never meant to be permanent.
Let's Get to Work is now running a television ad showing clips of Crist expressing his support for Obama's law.
"Charlie Crist's unwavering support of ObamaCare and its disastrous effects on the 300,000 Floridians that are losing their current health insurance plans is alarming," said the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) on Monday. "Plain and simple, Florida cannot afford Charlie Crist and the liberal Obama agenda."
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The above quotations are from 2014 Florida Gubernatorial debates and race coverage.
Click here for other excerpts from 2014 Florida Gubernatorial debates and race coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Charlie Crist. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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