Crist ads aim to strengthen conservative credentials

[ccharles000]

TALLAHASSEE - The governor is looking nervous on the campaign trail. He's trying to bolster his conservative credentials, but he's making some questionable claims to do it.

Ten months before the primary election in his 2010 U.S. Senate campaign, Gov. Charlie Crist is airing his first paid advertisements touting a conservative record, in two radio spots running statewide. The ads come at a critical time for the Republican candidate: his once-bulletproof popularity is showing cracks. And despite having a well-stocked campaign account, Crist is facing a real primary fight against former House Speaker Marco Rubio, a favorite among conservatives.

In the ads, Crist presents himself as a penny-pinching conservative and blasts President Barack Obama for being a big spender.

" Washington is out of control, yet the president has the same tired answer for every problem: to spend more of your money," the governor says in the ad. "Washington needs a dose of Florida common sense."

The governor's ads, though, make some dubious claims. He takes credit for cutting state spending by $7 billion, even though the lousy economy and declining tax receipts forced the reductions. In fact, the Legislature trimmed the governor's proposed budgets every year he's been in office. And in May, Crist signed into law more than $2 billion in tax and fee increases on cigarettes, driving fees and other items.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-crist-campaigning-101609,0,967164.story

[Turbineguy]

1. "... Florida common sense..."

:rofl: