Monday, February 16, 2009

Why Crist embraced the stimulus with "leg-humping enthusiasm"

Wayne Garcia says the Miami-Herald has the 411 on why Charlie Crist embraced the stimulus plan "with leg-humping enthusiasm":

The newest nugget: Florida apparently could receive as much as $12.2b over three fiscal years under the plan. That's up from $11.4b on Thursday and the $11.3b number Crist's Washington office estimated Friday.

That information came from a spreadsheet passed out to Crist and his agency chiefs from Crist's budget office. When Crist was asked how much of the current-year deficit ($500m?) could be closed by the stimulus money, Crist said "A lot." He then walked off.

Can you blame him? Florida's a donor state; according to Paul Begala, Crist's new rival, Mark Sanford, heads a "welfare state".