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Scorched Earth: Charlie Crist Steals State GOP Records & Leaks Them to Press to Smear Rubio

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  February 24th, 2010 at 10:41 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

There is growing speculation that Charlie Crist is going to run as a independent candidate in Florida as he continues sinking in the polls. Just a few weeks ago, Crist and Vice President Biden were caught having a private meal together in Miami. In addition, Crist has returned to embracing the Obama stimulus fraud. Either he’s going Democrat or he’s going independent.

Before he goes, however, Crist is determined to do everything possible to run a scorched earth campaign against Marco Rubio. The latest is beyond the pale. Crist has taken the private credit card records of the Republican Party of Florida and leaked them to the press.

The only records leaked, of course, were those of Marco Rubio. As the Speaker of the House in Florida, Rubio had a credit card with the Florida GOP. He used it to help get Republicans elected, though some of the charges were personal. Rubio reimbursed the Florida GOP for the personal expenses.

That hasn’t stopped Charlie Crist from misappropriating the records to smear Rubio. But for perspective, Charlie Crist’s hand picked Director of the GOP in Florida charged in one month what Rubio charged in two years.

Make a donation to Marco Rubio right now and teach Charlie Crist that the more he tries to smear Rubio, the more Rubio’s war chest will grow to combat the smears.

Remember, the NRSC threw its weight behind Crist because he was ahead in the polls and the NRSC did not want to have to spend a bunch of money. If Crist runs a scorched earth policy against Rubio, throwing every possible smear and lie at Rubio, the NRSC is going to have different arithmetic in Florida.

More details here.

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COMMENTS

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  • Doc Holliday
  • joecollins

    good riddance, Crist.

  • http://www.dcworksforus.com Kenny Solomon

    Right about now, some Trailerhassee-livin’ over-tanned white hair on a political platter would be nice……. Served up verbally bloodied and left to rot in the funk of media malaise.

    Not that I have a strong opinion or anything of the sort. ;)

  • antisocial

    Whether he goes democrat or independent he is bound to lose. If he remains republican he is toast anyways.

  • http://www.voterubio2010.com nelsa

    The Hill Blog had an interesting take on the possibility of Crist becoming an Ind.
    http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/83471-crist-sounding-more-and-more–independent

    Desparation has been redefined by Crist for orchestrating such an obvious attempt at saving his own chameleon-like skin.

    Petty-Obvious-Sleazy and most of all Moderate…

  • nycrepub

    n/t

  • http://www.bloggybayou.com muckraker

    http://www.bloggybayou.com/2010/02/florida-republicans-this-is-we-should.html

    Cheers
    Muckraker

  • tngal

    Obviouslyy Crist believed his association in this matter would not be discovered. It was, and now everyone can see it. Some voters are turned off merely by the appearance of negative ads, in this case it is much worse, it involves theft and blatant attempt at discredidation.

    There’s no hope for Crist, either now or in his dream of a future in politics.

  • WarEagle01

    He’s sure to go Democrat now. He’ll fit right in.

  • bobbymike

    1) Get called a RINO respond with “I’m a Reagan conservative”
    2) RINO voting record pointed out “Denies making the votes”
    3) Start to fall behind in the polls “My opponent is a far right loon”
    4) Falls further behind “flirts with running as an independant”
    5) Falls further behind “becomes a democrat or an independant”

    Why don’t they just skip to 5) and get on with it?

  • annas

    OK–I will send money again. BUT if Rubio turns out to be another Scott Brown I will demand my money back :-)

  • spainishirish

    I imagine Charlie’s little problem is about to become larger than his beard.

  • spainishirish

    I imagine Charlie’s little problem is about to become larger than his beard.

  • spainishirish

    nt

  • curmudgeon

    Because if Brown lost, that’s what we’d have.

    Sure, Brown’s well to the left of us. But considering who he represents and what the alternative was, your & my donations were money very well spent.

  • discerningconservative
  • JadedByPolitics

    the Democrat Party because this little piece of stupidity fits RIGHT in!

  • The_Gadfly

    If they skip right to number 5 they still have credibility and can guarantee throwing the election to the Dems. If they discredit themselves the way Crist and Specter are, there’s a better chance the independents see them for what they are. Which doesn’t excuse the NRSC for the way they wasted money.

  • BA Cyclone

    …far too comfortable to instead switch parties, run independent, or even endorse the Democrat in the race?

    We don’t need that kind of ‘big tent’ in the Republican party. It’s best they get off the boat now, so their narcissism doesn’t cloud the vision when we finally get the chance to govern again.

  • NeoKong

    Haven’t we been here before….?

  • AHL

    This is in addition to my monthly automated contribution that I make as well. I’m not surprised that the St Pete Times is working hand-in-hand with the Crist campaign.

  • partyof1

    That he’ll pull a Dede Scozoffava? no I don’t care if I spelled it correctly.

    Maybe Crist could at least win a straw poll in his own home county before bashing Rubio for doing nothing wrong. Sorry that was mean.

    the NRSC threw its weight behind Crist because he was ahead in the polls

    This is exactly the wrong strategy. Just hang an “R” around your neck and that’s all we’re about eh?

  • hogflight

    that will potentially hand the election to the Dem’s which may be his ultimate payback goal and the best way for him to achieve it.

  • IJB

    I think FL are well on to his game by now, so I don’t see many going with him…

  • fsured

    Stolen/leaked records or not, this is not good. There was a lot of other shady stuff in that too. I’ve been saying this for a while: Rubio is a better conservative than Crist, but he is being overhyped. I honestly think folks are going to be disappointed when all the facts come out. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone pays attention.

    However, did anyone see Jeb twist the knife a little more in that Newsmax interview? OUCH!

  • proudgop

    He was in Miami and probably went to nice salon. Even mens hair cuts here in NYC start at 100 at least.

    There is such a double edge sword here we taxpayers pays for all First Ladies clothes and even Presidents regardless of party I don’t see why campaigns can’t use money for imagery purposes no matter what anyone wants to say imagery is important.

  • Castor

    The fat lady has sung ahead of schedule..
    It is time.
    Jeb, pick up the phone and tell Charlie Crist a thing or two about the facts of political life and by the way mention Reagan?s eleventh commandment in passing.
    I?m sending an additional contribution to Marco now.
    How about the rest of you?

  • txharleyman

    …. Scott Brown is a U. S. Senator from Mass. for goodness sake. You knew that he was going to have to support some liberal BS just to maintain his credibility. Brown is smart. He knows how far he can go and still not loose his conservative support.

    Quit falling for the liberal’s lie that Brown is just a D in disguise. He singlehandedly stopped OBAMACARE, and the fear of losing their jobs to conservative momentum kept liberal Republicans from jumping ship and supporting OBAMACARE.

    And you need to get real. A member of congress can not and should not be so doctrinaire that he or she has to vote for every “conservative” initiative simply because you want him or her to.

  • edintexas

    Let’s not forget that a haircut would be a personal expense, and according to Eric “Rubio reimbursed the Florida GOP for the personal expenses.” I don’t care what he does with his own money (at least as long as he isn’t tying up traffic at an airport while getting his haircut).

    Out here in the boondocks I’m ticked off that my haircut price last year went up to $10.00.

  • fsured

    to a party Amex, and then get reimbursed? Does that make any sense? I have a company credit card but pay for my haircuts on my own credit. I don’t wait for a reimbursement check.

    Hey, I’m not saying Rubio broke any laws, but this does stink a little. One last thing-not to rip on Erick too much, but he is accursing Florida’s governor of stealing and leaking credit card records. That’s a pretty serious charge. The truth is nobody knows who leaked this info.

  • revolutionary

    I mean- so he charged his haircut. Maybe that was the only form of payment he had on him at the time. He paid all of his personal expenses back so I could give a rip how much he charges on the card. There is a certain amount of “celebrity” that goes with this game and I doubt he can just hop on over to the Mastercuts and get a $15 do. How many presidential candidates have we heard about getting haircuts that were several hundred dollars? You think that was paid back? If you think him charging a haircut on an expense card stinks a little- I’d like to know where you been? This is nothing in the way of what other politicians pull that they get away with…it would be different if he was burning up that credit card for everything under the sun, but apparently the “leaked” documents show he is a modest spender that is FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE by paying what he owes. Hmmmmm…that sure stinks of, oh I don’t know, character? What a problem to have!

  • fsured

    The idea that Rubio couldn’t go to a Mastercuts because of his “celebrity” is absurd. When he was Florida’s Speaker, he had little fanfare. He was not a celebrity. He was simply a State Rep. Florida’s House speakers do not have paparrazi following them.

    Second, the haircut is just one example of a potential problem. Go thru the articles down in the state and it’s pretty eye-opening.

    Finally, I have to express my frustration. I am not a Crist loyalist. In fact, I will vote for Rubio (I’m a Florida voter). However, as a person that follows and participates in this state’s political environment, I find it comical the amount of adoration that Rubio is now getting. Like I’ve said before, he is a better conservative than Crist. However, he is not the bellweather conservative that many of you all believe. We are doing a disservice to our party to simply ignore Rubio’s record. It’s not what many of you believe. Rubio is simply better of two evils. Nothing more.

  • http://www.voteforteri2010.com teridavisnewman

    RINO Crist and RINO Kirk make a lovely pair. Let’s hope the voters demand better.

  • Joshua Persons
  • revolutionary

    But my point is that if this is all Crist has on him- or whoever leaked the documents- it is pretty small potatoes. Not every candidate is perfect. They don’t always behave how we want or never do things we dislike. Maybe he is the better of two evils, but he seems- from all accounts- to be a straight player with little to hide. I don’t live in FL, but I do concern myself with other states’ politics because it really does affect all of us in some way.

    And the comment about “celebrity” was not intended to mean he had paparazzi following him. I meant that when you are surrounded in certain circles, your standards of living tend to fall into that circle and maybe that is how his circle lives. Not saying wrong or right by any means- that is personal choice. There are many examples I could give, but I don’t think pointing out preferences, or standards of necessity for those without, is really what this is about. Just think of the appearances that must be kept by the haves because the have nots live vicariously through them.

  • soljerblue

    even larger than his ego!

  • fsured

    that the Crist campaign has done their opposition research on Rubio. This, I am sure, is just a small part of what they have found. The Crist campaign is not going to lay everyting on the table. So, I would be shocked if this is all they have. on Rubio It’s a slow leak which I’m sure is a strategic decision.

    My larger point, however, is that many of us have annointed Rubio as this great conservative leader, and his record is contrary to that. I’m afraid that we are willing to ignore anything on Rubio because of the hatred towards Crist. Like you said, though, no candidate is perfect. I just fear blind adoration.

  • revolutionary

    I heard it said once “Never put all your faith in another human…they will let you down 100% of the time”. I hope Florida makes the right choice- we can all pretty much agree it’s not Crist- but we certainly don’t want the whole pulling the wool thing to happen.

  • leehazel

    We had a glimpse of this sort of thing when Bush became president. The children in Clinton’s White House trashed furniture and computers.

    Liberals are simply way to childish to be given any responsiblility. Crist is a liberal, or at least he is behaving like one.

    I hesitate to even think about what a new Republican president could face from the outgoing Obama crowd in 2012.

    PC is Thought Control
    LEE