Crist Blasts DeSantis Over His Joe Rogan Comments

“Joe Rogan was right to apologize. As a successful public figure with a large following, he has a special responsibility for the impact his words have. Everyone makes mistakes, and it takes a responsible person to admit when they messed up. That’s why it’s deeply disappointing and offensive to all Floridians that Gov. DeSantis would reject Joe Rogan’s apology. Gov. DeSantis continues to stoke the most divisive elements in our society, from his failure to condemn the Nazis to his promotion of a disgusting racial slur. Florida deserves better.”

— Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor, rebuked incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday for a “shameful statement” regarding Joe Rogan. DeSantis said Rogan should not have apologized for remarks that included racial slurs over the years, a sentiment Crist vigorously contests.

FL Gov: Last-Minute Poll Finds Crist Leading Scott by 1 Point

42% – 41%

Percentage by which former Gov. Charlie Crist, a Democrat, is leading incumbent Gov. Rick Scott, the Republican, in the Florida governor’s race on the day before the election, according to a Quinnipiac poll. Seven percent say they are voting for libertarian candidate Adrian Wylie, and a whopping nine percent of Florida voters say they are still undecided 24 hours before voting gets underway.

Billionaire Behaving Badly – Florida GOP Gov. Rick Scott Delays Debate in Fit of Pique

In case you missed it, check out the remarkable first start of the debate in the Florida governor’s race last night. Incumbent Republican governor Rick Scott, a billionaire, refused to take his place on the stage with his opponent, former Gov. Charlie Crist, a former Republican now turned Democrat, because Crist decided to have a small electric fan placed at his feet.

“Are we really going to debate about a fan?”
– Charlie Crist

When asked why he wanted the fan at his feet, Crist said, “Are we really going to debate about a fan? Or are we going to talk about education and the environment and the future of our state? I mean, really.”

When Scott finally got over himself and the debate began, one of the moderators asked him why he’d held up the event, which was televised live in all 11 Florida television markets and on C-SPAN.

“I waited to see if he––’til––we figured out if he was going to show up,” Scott said, addressing millions of viewers who’d just seen Crist show up five minutes earlier and stand there alone on the empty stage. “He said he wasn’t gonna come to the––he said he wasn’t gonna come to the debate. So why come out until he’s ready?”

Poltico.com has a substantive account of the debate HERE.

For the Presence of a Fan, a Debate Hung in Limbo

Are we really going to debate about a fan? Or are we going to talk about education and the environment and the future of our state? I mean, really.

— Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) as he stood alone on stage at Broward College on live TV waiting to start a gubernatorial debate, while Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) refused to take the stage Wednesday night because Crist insisted on using a fan to keep cool, the Miami Herald reports.>/h2.

The Most Expensive Governor’s Race Produces the Worst Ad

What kind of TV ad does America’s most expensive governor’s race get for nearly $49 million (and counting)? Spots like this, which beg for new and stronger adjectives than the ones being used to describe it: “outrageous,” “demeaning,” “sexist,” and even, “laughable.”

The ad was produced, not by the Scott campaign, but by the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) on behalf of Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The increased “offshoring” of expenditures to outside groups like CRNC could explain why Scott is able to spend less this time around than when he bought his office in 2010 for $75 million of his own money. We can thank Citizens United for the ocean of cash and negative ads in every election since that 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Look at the numbers in the Florida governor’s race this year, and you’ll see how much even a well-known Democratic candidate like former Gov. Charlie Crist is being outspent.

Sophie’s Choice, in Reverse

This is part of Florida’s long, proud of history of only embarrassing itself when we’re sure everyone else is watching.

— Scott Maxwell, columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, advising Floridians on how to survive the next two months, in which the contest for governor between incumbent Rick Scott and former Charlie Crist will feel like choosing, “between rug burn or road rash.”

Dr. Democrat On the Florida Governor’s Race

doctordemocratDear Dr. Democrat:

Question for you — who should I vote for in the upcoming Florida Democratic primary? I’m inclined to vote for state Sen. Nan Rich, but I’m not sure I should or if that would just be a wasted protest vote, as Charlie Crist looks to beat her in the primary. I think I should maybe vote for Crist except that Charlie has become this weird, über-repellent candidate who is, as media increasingly point out, almost as reprehensible as our incumbent governor, lower-than-a-snake’s-belly Rick Scott.

So, should I lodge a protest vote for Rich, assuming Crist will win the primary (though with a projected ultra-low turnout, it might could go either way) and then hold my nose and vote for Crist in the general? But what if Rich wins the primary (unlikely as it seems) and then gets steamrolled by Scott’s money-driven bulldozer?

The possibility of a second term for old Tales from the Crypt is truly frightening.

What’s a dedicated Florida Democrat to do?

Yours truly,

Cogitating in Coconut Grove

[…]

Republican Crist Used Against Democrat Crist

Hi, this is Charlie Crist calling to set the record straight. I’m pro-life. I oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, I support traditional marriage, and I have never supported a new tax or big spending program.

— The voice of Charlie Crist, in a mysterious recorded call Democrats across Florida heard over the weekend that seemed to be attacking likely Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. As the Miami Herald noted, “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.”