GOP candidate skips appearance with Bush (Crist)

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061105/ap_on_el_gu/florida_governor_2;_ylt=AhMgNHUwowzPGivnah4XNIhh24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTA2ZGZwam4yBHNlYwNmYw--

GOP candidate skips appearance with Bush

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist decided Sunday to skip an appearance with
President Bush in favor of crisscrossing the state in the final hours before Election Day.


Crist, the state attorney general, is in a close race with Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Davis (news, bio, voting record) to replace the president's brother, Gov.
Jeb Bush, who can't seek re-election because of term limits.

Crist's chief of staff, George LeMieux, said that the decision to skip the Monday rally with Bush in Pensacola wasn't a snub of the president, but a choice to appear in seven other cities where Crist has a chance of gaining ground.

"It's a big state. We need to be in all the places we need to be," LeMieux said. "It's because of the time and it's because there are some opportunities."

The attorney general's opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, seized on the news, saying the president is one of the Republican's biggest supporters.

[jpak]

1. COWARD!!!!

Can't be seen with the Worst President Ever...

ugh

[KingFlorez]

2. He doesn't want to sink his campaign

[NOLADEM]

3. Damn, when Jesus himself doesn't want to be seen with you, what is left

:evilgrin:

[jonnywishbone97]

4. Darn

I was hoping to flip off two neopukes at the same time.

[Chipper Chat]

5. Bullcrappy

Maybe the real story is that Bushie did not want Crist to be seen with him. You know, all those roomers flying about Crist being a friend of Hoggard, etc: Boosh is a ho - moe - fobe dontcha know.

[zonkers]

6. Davis is getting hammered down here with scathing neg. tv ads.

[PermanentRevolution]

9. Which one's worse...

The "Jim Davis is a terrorist commie" one or that idiotic "We drove all the way to Washington to see him!" tourist family one?

I honestly can't say. All of 'em make me want to put a baseball bat through my TV.

[zonkers]

14. Oooh, that father and son make my skin crawl.

[BlueManDude]

7. lemme guess - previous committments?

[Blaq Dem]

8. Maybe they ought to dump Bush on Kat Harris

She could do no worse.

[stanwyck]

15. Scarboro just reported that Harris demanded

to be on the stage with Bush in Pensacola and was turned down.
Wow. Somebody actually WANTS to be on the stage with Bush. And he won't let her on the stage.
Pretty soon, the cheese will stand alone.

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. I bet Ms. Kathy is going to be pissed

Maybe she'll be so pissed, she spill the beans about 2000? Especially, since obviously the Bush's don't appreciate all she's done for them.

[stanwyck]

23. You know...that could happen!

The woman is clearly unhinged. Even the GOP has run away from her since she they got what they needed from her.
She's the abandoned mistress. And I think you're right. She's not going to gracefully fade away.
She'll go fatal attraction on the GOP.
And write a book and go on talk shows.
Maybe my favorite GOP whore will join her: Jeff Gannon. I bet that guy has some stories.

[gratuitous]

10. And it's not because nobody likes the president

So stop saying that!

[wicket]

11. Apparently Rove was none too happy about this:

Rove gets uppity

[Erechtheides]

12. oh noes!

Looks like poor little Shrub has political cooties.

[soup]

13. 10,000 expected.

'about' 7,000 showed up.

>>White House aides mocked Crist's choice to duck the Bush rally, which they only learned about on Sunday morning - too late to change the printed schedules that had Crist introducing the president at the rally.

Crist chief of staff George LeMieux said the conservative Pensacola area was so firmly in his camp, and so hard to get to, that it made more sense to campaign elsewhere in the state. Said Crist: "I'm glad he's come to our state, but I've got to get around Florida."

Still, Karl Rove, Bush's top political adviser, suggested that reporters see whether Crist would be able to hastily assemble anything like the Pensacola event, which drew about 7,000.

Bush ignored the flap. "I strongly suggest you vote for Charlie Crist to be governor of the state of Florida," he said.

With Crist as a no-show, Bush was joined on stage by a host of Florida Republican officeholders and candidates - but not by Republican Rep. Katherine Harris. She has run a much-panned Senate race that has had her Republican elders cringing and both the president and retiring Gov. Jeb Bush largely avoiding her.<<
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_BUSH_FLOL-?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

[Omaha Steve]

16. Florida GOP Candidate Snubs Bush

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/06/politics/main2156578.shtml

Florida GOP Candidate Snubs Bush
White House Irked At Gubernatorial Candidate Crist For Ducking President

PENSACOLA, Fla., Nov. 6, 2006

(CBS/AP) As the midterm election drew close to the finish line Monday, President Bush jetted to a conservative corner of Florida's panhandle. He was met with cheers and an enthusiastic crowd, but also got a big snub.

To the White House's embarrassment and irritation, Republican Charlie Crist, whom Mr. Bush came to help in his bid to succeed the president's brother as governor, decided at the last minute to skip the chance to be by the president's side. Crist said he needed to campaign elsewhere in the state, CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller reports.

President Bush's aides are now battling the perception he is doing his party as much harm as good and was unwanted in many districts.

The White House did not hide its irritation at Crist for ducking the president, though Mr. Bush still urged Republicans to vote for Crist.

FULL story at link above.

[peter_the_great]

17. Right now Bush is like dog poo.

If you step in it, it will stick and smell.

[goforit]

18. This is old news. George is a dark cloud nobody wants around.

[soup]

19. Brilliant election eve game.

Hard (R)s are gonna vote for Crist.
Hard (D)s are gonna vote for Davis.

Then there's those pesky middle of the road voters.
Not happy with **Bush, but not wanting to go (D).
Hmm, what to do?

Why not have unpopular **Bush go to FL and speechify to the base, and Charlie can say he's too busy ~wink, wink~ to make an appearance.

It'll distance Charlie from the low-polling WH, make some news noise this evening (like we haven't heard the name Crist repeated until it makes us puke already) and sway some of those people who are still undecided.

Fourth quarter. Sounds like a plan. Bastids.

[soup]

20. and **Bush snubs Harris - bwahahahaha....

Harris Stuck in the Stands at Bush Event

Katherine Harris may be the only statewide Republican candidate to trek all the way to Pensacola Monday to see President George W. Bush. But that didn't get her much.

As she sat in the stands with her husband, Bush mentioned her from the stage and encouraged the crowd of 10,000 to also vote for the four other missing statewide candidates: Charlie Crist, Bill McCollum, Tom Lee and Charlie Bronson.

Who did make the stage with the President: A slew of local state lawmakers, Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, First Lady Laura Bush, RPOF Chairwoman Carol Jean Jordan, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller.

--Anita Kumar
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2006/11/harris_stuck_in.html

---

Poor Kat, stuck in the stands...

[Roy]

21. The genius of Karl Rove

Isn't this about typical for the media declared genius. Forcing the most unpopular person in this country on republicans in tight races.

This confirms, to me at least that the MSM is will of aware of republican cheating. They continue to harp on Karl Roves' genius, cherry pick the polls which puts repub in the best light, and cleaning up dubya speak and promote how smart and full of conviction idiot Bush is.

But they refuse to even mention election irregularities nor the rampant and blatant attempts to disenfranchise large portions of the population. Not only will they not talk about these problems, they won't even acknowledge they exist.