Crist, Rubio clash on ethics, issues in debate

In their first face-to-face debate, Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio traded punches along expected lines, with Crist attacking Rubio's use of a Republican Party credit card for personal expenses and Rubio painting Crist as a liberal who would blindly follow the Obama administration.

The two Republican candidates for U.S. Senate followed those themes through much of the 40-minute debate on Fox News Sunday.

Crist lodged repeated ethical attacks against Rubio during the debate - so many that Rubio, the former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, couldn't answer them all.

"There is a clear, stark distinction between Speaker Rubio and myself," Crist said. "I think public service is something you do to help other people. ... Speaker Rubio has used public service to enhance his own personal enrichment."

Crist sought to portray the campaign as being about "trust," and Rubio as being untrustworthy, citing newspaper investigations into his state GOP credit card and independent political committees Rubio set up as state House seaker to help elect iRepublicans.

"All it helped was Rubio Incorporated," Crist said. "Family members got hired;he got a $130 haircut or whatever it was."

Rubio responded by denying using the credit card and accounts as a personal piggy bank.

"Those allegations are false, those allegations have been proven false," he said.

But Rubio also had to acknowledge, "I wish we had done a better job of reporting it."

Crist also jabbed at Rubio for not releasing his income tax returns.

"Is it because you're doctoring the books?" Crist said.

Rubio continuously tried to link Crist and the president.

"Who do you trust to stand up to Barack Obama and offer a clear alternative?" Rubio asked.

Rubio managed to maintain a calm demeanor in spite of the attacks.

As the two clashed on the future of Social Security and other entitlement spending, for example, Rubio presented more thorough proposals - even though those proposals may not be popular with elderly Floridians.

Rubio said to cut the national debt, the nation must consider raising the retirement age for Social Security and changing the formulas by which benefit levels are automatically increased to adjust for inflation - an argument Social Security policy analysts have made for years.

"I think all of that has to be on the table," he said.

The higher retirement age, though, would apply to younger workers, not people 55 or older, Rubio said.

He said he backs the idea of partially privatizing Social Security with private investment accounts but said that idea has been defeated in the past and is "off the table."

Crist, on the other hand, said the solution for Social Security is "getting the waste and the fraud out."
Both candidates agreed the recently adopted health care reform needs to be repealed.

"The real problems with health care are access and affordability," Crist said.

"We can't afford it," Rubio said.

The shadow of Jeb Bush, one of the most popular political figures among Florida Republicans, hung over the debate as both Crist and Rubio sought to portray themselves as backing the former governor's agenda.

Rubio said Crist has failed to continue the legacy of Bush.

"In 2006 I voted for you when you said you would be a good Jeb Bush Republican," Rubio said. "Your record is very different."