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Crist Vs. Jindal Over The Stimulus: Neither Side Backs Down

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By WILLIAM MARCH

wmarch@tampatrib.com

Published: February 22, 2009

Updated: 02/22/2009 01:21 pm

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist stuck strongly to his alliance with President Barack Obama over the federal stimulus package -- an alliance that has angered many Florida Republicans -- in a nationally televised debate with Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana today.

Jindal and Crist represented opposing future directions for the Republican Party in their appearance on Meet the Press this morning: Jindal a rising hero to the party's conservative base, and Crist the champion of moderate pragmatism.

Neither governor ruled out running for higher office in the near future -- Jindal as a possible 2012 presidential candidate, and Crist as a candidate for the U.S. Senate next year.

Crist failed to agree with the stimulus package on only one point -- he's not ready to say whether he backs Obama's housing proposal, which would help homeowners who can't pay their mortgages. But Crist said he thinks Obama is "on the right track" on the stimulus package overall.

"It's not a matter of bucking the party, it's a matter of helping the people," he said when asked about his support for a cause not popular in his party.

In an exchange not likely to please Republican activists, Crist even mentioned Obama after interviewer David Gregory asked him to name the current national leader of the Republican Party.
Asked to name the current top party leader, Crist replied, "The people."

When Gregory persisted, "Is there no one national leader right now?" Crist replied, "I don't know if there is or is not at this time. Well there is an actual leader, his name is President Obama and the people elected him and I'm willing to give him a good shot."

Jindal, meanwhile, panned the stimulus package as fundamentally opposed to GOP principles, saying only the private sector can solve the nation's economic problems.

"We can't print enough money to get this economy moving again," Jindal said.

He contended that Democrats in Congress had refused to work with Republicans on the stimulus bill to create a "targeted, temporary" package.

Asked about the party's future, he said, "We've got to stand up on principle ... If we can offer authentic, honest solutions, we will build our party. I don't think we expand by becoming an imitation of the other party."

A recent fundraising trip to Iowa helped stir speculation about Jindal in 2012.

He said he plans to run for re-election as governor of Louisiana in 2011, but wouldn't commit to serving out that full term -- "What I'm saying is I'm running for re-election. I have no plans beyond that."

Crist responded as he has for weeks when asked whether he'll run for the Senate next year instead of running for re-election – "I don't know, I'm focused on Florida."

He has said he'll decide after the end of the 2009 legislative session, which concludes May 1, about his political future.

Jindal, elected to Congress from Louisiana and as governor in 2007, is one of a few potential leaders admired by the party's conservative base.

A Louisiana native born of Indian-American immigrants and a convert from Hinduism to Catholicism, he opposes embryonic stem cell research, favors teaching intelligent design in science classes, and has been championed by Rush Limbaugh, who calls him "the next Ronald Reagan."

He said he'll reject part of the federal stimulus money intended for Louisiana -- $100 million for increased unemployment benefits – because it would require what he said is a permanent change in Louisiana law that would increase taxes for state businesses.

Democrats including Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu deny that.

Crist recently appeared with Obama in Fort Myers at a rally to support the stimulus package. That move brought to the surface some criticism of him from conservatives in his own party, which previously had been muted because of his continuing high popularity ratings.

Asked whether he is "an Obama Republican," Crist replied, "I'm a Florida Republican. … l'll take ideas from anybody. It doesn't matter if they're a Republican, a Democrat, an independent."

Asked how to ensure the party's future, he said, "The key is doing what's right for the people…. You need to be a party that works across the aisle."

Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761 or wmarch@tampatrib.com

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