Posted on 11/06/2006 10:49:13 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) -- The White House did not hide its irritation Monday at Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist for ducking President Bush at a campaign rally in the Republican-friendly Panhandle.
Crist said he considered the Pensacola area so firmly in his camp that it made more sense to campaign elsewhere in the state as the race to replace outgoing Gov. Jeb Bush tightened.
On a tarmac in Texas where the president boarded Air Force One for the trip east, Bush political strategist Karl Rove mockingly questioned what kind of alternate rally Crist could put together that would rival the expected 10,000-person crowd that Bush was expected to draw at the Pensacola Civic Center.
The White House already had distributed schedules saying Crist would introduce Bush at the rally.
Crist's opponent, Democratic Rep. Jim Davis, seized on the news.
"Now that the president is so unpopular, Charlie refuses to stand side by side with him," Davis said. "It says when the going gets tough, Charlie won't stand up."
Crist's chief of staff, George LeMieux, said the candidate already has strong support in the heavily Republican Pensacola area and thought his time would be better spent campaigning elsewhere. LeMieux said the decision had nothing to do with the president's job approval ratings.
Jeb Bush will attend the Pensacola event in Crist's place. Rep. Katherine Harris, who is mounting a lukewarm challenge to Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, will also be with the president. Before the September primary, Republican leaders failed to support Harris.
Bush is using the last day of his 10-state campaign swing to flush out GOP and swing voters needed to keep Republicans sitting in the governor's offices of Arkansas and Texas as well.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The scary thing is that if I lived in Florida, I would have to hold my nose and vote for him.
shhh - it's Rove++ - show for the press to put R's over the top - they don't realize they've just been USED like a dirty beach blanket to pump the last minute message to voters that Crist is independent. Watch and learn ... from Rove the magnificent ;)
and it's CNN no less ROFLMAO!
What a schmuck.
At least in California, the wimpy looking candidates are running for office as Democrats.
The Getty image photo you posted in response #1 had to be removed.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1111944/posts
"Now that the president is so unpopular, Charlie refuses to stand side by side with him," Davis said. "It says WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, Charlie WON'T STAND UP."
Ummm, Hello, Kettle? It's Pot. You're black.
Let me see if I can say something nice about Crist....
Crist wasn't too smart here, was he?
Sorry but I see no direct quote by Rove. Couple that with the source, CNN, and color me skeptical.
When the WH wants news unfavorable to the President to get out there, they call CNN the 'hostile media'...I can believe that...
The Republican spin (maybe Truth) is that Crist looked at his numbers and made a last minute change to campaign where he needed to. The panhandle is already his, so he needed to go and get the vote out in hostile territory.
It makes sense to me. And 1 day before election, who can blame the guy for doing what he thinks he needs to do to win?
Zactly.
Well if the President's "unpopularity" affects the status of the Governor's popularity...how come Jeb Bush was and still is one of the most popular Governor's in Florida's history?
'nuff said!
I did vote for him last week and yes you are correct I had to hold my nose as he is a pathetic RINO.
Which puke will raise taxes more, him or Davis? Jeb held the line in two terms, no new taxes and no new social experiments. That is about to change.
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