Crist and Rubio take questions after they spoke to the Christian Family Coalition in Miami. Bender/Post

1. No, Gov. Charlie Crist is not giving up his Republican registration. But it’s pretty clear now that he’s decided to promote the independent streak that won him national attention as he built a bipartisan image his first year in office.

2. Speaking of Crist’s first year: With his final State of the State coming on Tuesday, here’s a timely look-back at our coverage of his 2007 speech, when he called for more environmental preservation and a voting paper trail and included a quote from Robert Kennedy:

“For him to get up there and do what he did today, he said: ‘I’m my own man,’ that was a strong message,” said Sen. Victor Crist, R-Temple Terrace, who is not related to the governor. “When he gave his final quote from Robert Kennedy, that was bold, and I watched Speaker Rubio’s face, and I turned to the two House members on either side of me, and I said, ‘Oh-oh.’ “

House Speaker Marco Rubio said Crist’s style has helped improve the tone in Tallahassee. “By far the most optimistic first day of session in the eight I’ve been a part of,” said Rubio, R-West Miami. “I think there is a general tone of cooperation.”

3. By portraying himself as an independent Republican (someone who loves guns, hates taxes and can work across the aisle), Crist is hoping to steal some of the sizzle of Rubio’s image as the anti-establishment candidate. In Broward County, Crist tried to use Rubio’s campaign against him:

“I was decent to the President of the United States and they condemned me for it. Are you kidding me? That’s wrong for them to do that. You’re supposed to respect the office. I will never apologize,” he said.

4. Rubio supporters will say Crist’s rhetoric ignores the real message of Rubio’s nine months of campaigning, which is less about hugging Obama and more about Crist embracing the stimulus plan Republicans were fighting in Washington.

But if Crist wasn’t concerned about national Republicans last year, he’s not this year either. Asked about this disconnect, he pointed to all the other Republican governors who also took stimulus money to prop up their state budgets. “Maybe I was just a little more honest about it,” he said in an interview.

5. Calling himself a “pragmatic conservative” and a “common sense conservative,” Crist seems to be taking a general election approach to the primary. It’s an interesting tactic, particularly in a tea-flavored primary electorate. But right now Crist is 18 points down, so he might not have much to lose. Crist talking to The Post editorial board on Friday:

“I am the governor of all of the people of this state. I have a duty to represent them in a way that I believe comports with what they want, with the kind of decency I think they deserve. That’s why I do what I do and that’s why I act why I act. And if that’s out of favor or out of fashion, that’s okay.”

6. Nice timing for Crist’s first official campaign swing through South Florida, eh?

Rubio’s hometown paper fronts the leaked state party American Express card flap on Thursday, he’s in West Palm Beach for an editorial board meeting on Friday and he gets South Florida television crews on Saturday after news Rubio double-billed taxpayers and the party for $3,000 in airfare.

7. About those plane tickets: Rubio said it was a clerical error that he will repay. But didn’t he cash the reimbursement checks? He was asked Saturday why he didn’t realize the mistake when he received two checks.

“I didn’t realize what card was used to pay for it,” Rubio said. “That’s the problem. It was all done through a travel agent, so ultimately staff and the office prepares the form. And they just didn’t do the comparison.”

Crist delays some lunches while he distracts the cooks with his campaign stickers at Wings Plus in Coral Springs. Bender/Post

8. Crist is using questions about the tickets to shift the debate from who is more conservative to who is more electable.

“This race is not about right vs. left, it’s about right vs. wrong. And you deserve right,” he said in Broward County. “If we nominate someone who nobody can trust, then what’s going to happen to him in November? They’re going to lose. They’re going to go down.”

9. Oh yeah, there is another race in November. That reminds me - both Democratic U.S. Senate candidates were at the Christian Family Coalition forum on Saturday.

10. Former Mayor Maurice Ferre ran down his Catholic credentials while U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek jumped right into the abortion issue, saying he was pro-choice but should be given credit for showing up to speak to the pro-life group.

“I am running to be your senator. I’m not running to be your pastor. I’m not running to be your rabbi or whatever the case may be,” Meek said. “I stand up for everyone in this state. Everyone. That’s the reason I’m here.”

11. Not only did Meek tailor his comments to accommodate the unlikely Jew in the Christian forum audience, but he also made sure to speak to potential supporters of Obama’s health care reform. “I have health care,” he said. “The question is do you have health care? And what am I going to do about it? Am I going to say, ‘Let free enterprise take care of your health care needs?’”

“Yes,” someone in the front row answered.

12. Ready for the everyman narratives this year? Test your skills and match the candidate to the story:

A.) The son of Cuban immigrants who worked bars and hotels so he could someday become Florida House speaker.

B.) The grandson of the thrifty Pennslyvania shoe-shiner who put seven kids through school, including one named Charlie Crist Sr.

C.) The son of a single mother who worked as a luggage carrier and state trooper.

“No one in this race has lifted over 300 bags like I have,” Meek said.

Crist a bit later: “Kendrick, I will tell you this, when I was in law school, I didn’t pick up bags at the airport. But I waited on people at the country club. I served people their water. I parked their cars.”

13. Rubio was introduced at the forum by his buddy, Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami. Ladies and gentleman, the Honorable David Rivera.

14. If Florida Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher considers the media the enemy, Rubio just likes to mess with it.

When a preacher asked everyone in the hall to join hands for the closing prayer on Saturday, Rubio smiled and nodded a few times at the nearby gaggle of a dozen or so South Florida reporters, urging us to hold each other’s hands . Didn’t happen, much to Rubio’s disappointment.

15. Full disclosure: I’ve blatantly ripped off the “scribbles” concept from one of my heroes of journalism, Cleveland Plain Dealer sports writer Terry Pluto. Check out his books if you or someone you know is a Cleveland sports fan or you’re looking for the best book on the now-defunct American Basketball Association.

Tags: Charlie Crist, Kendrick Meek, Marco Rubio, Maurice Ferre, scribbles

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 6:15 am and is filed under 2010 campaigns, audio. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.