Show me where Charlie Crist offered to "pay" for a new Democratic primary?

[madfloridian]

All day I have heard that he offered a new primary. It would cost a lot of money. I found the transcript, and I just do not see the word "pay" there at all. Just that he said they could have one.

CNN Transcript

CRIST: Welcome back to Florida. It's good to have you here.

BLITZER: Let's talk about the Democrats first, what, 1.7 million Democrats or so voted in their Democratic primary. But that vote is not going to be counted. Are you as the governor ready to let the Democrats have another primary if necessary to seat those Democrats, those Democratic delegates at the convention in Denver?

CRIST: That'd be fine with me. I think it's very important, though, that those delegates are seated. And I'm hopeful that the national Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, comes to the conclusion it's the right thing to do. Every vote must count. Every vote should count, and for the Republicans as well. They're not counting half of ours.

BLITZER: The caucuses, the state parties pay for, but a primary, taxpayers would have to pay for it. You, as the governor, you're saying, go ahead and reorganize. Do a redo of the primary so that the Democrats can vote, presumably for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

Now here is what Crist says:

CRIST: Well, my preference is, you know, the people of Florida already voted, as you know, Wolf. And I think, you know, their vote should count.

Pay for it? Where does it say that? Florida is in a financial crisis right now...a very bad one. The GOP legislature plans to solve it the Bush way by cutting taxes and cutting services. Rubio and his buddies are not about to say sure let's have a do-over, and we the GOP will agree to pay for it. Rubio is Jeb's guy, not Crist's.

Besides nearly every Florida Democratic leader including Karen Thurman and Bill Nelson said no.

Howard Dean offered them almost a million for a caucus, and they said no.

Now, here is the way it was presented to Howard Dean when he was on for his interview with Blitzer...from the transcript:

BLITZER: And you heard Governor Crist of Florida just tell me moments ago he's ready to go ahead and support a redo here in Florida, a new primary, which the taxpayers would pay for if the Democrats want that, in order to make sure that Florida Democrats -- 1.7 million of whom voted -- actually could be seated and have a say at the Democratic convention.

Are you ready to accept his offer right now?

DEAN: Well, it's not him to offer that, but that's a very helpful thing for him to say, because money is an issue here.

Look, there are two possibilities. One is that there would be such a redo, as Governor Crist might suggest. And two is that the party would come and have some other alternative that they would try to push through the Credentials Committee. But we're very willing to listen to the people of Florida.

It wasn't their fault that this got done. It was their political leadership, and if they would like to fix that problem so that we could seat Florida without any problems, of course, we'd like to seat Florida.

Gracious answer by Dean, but the most important thing he said was this:

DEAN: Well, it's not him to offer that, but that's a very helpful thing for him to say, because money is an issue here.

Yet I have been reading all day that Governor Crist said the state would pay for a do-over for the Democrats.

I don't see a statement from him about paying...just Wolf Blitzer putting words in his mouth. And taking the words he put in Crist's mouth and twisting them when he repeated them to Howard Dean.

Please correct me if I am wrong. I can just Marco Rubio laughing up his sleeve.

Nearly all the state leaders said no do-over. But here's the icing on the cake. The Tampa activist whose lawyer is the chairman of the Hillsborough County DEC, and who is going to take this all the way to the Supreme Court said this today.

Lawsuit over Florida delegates will be appealed to Supreme Court if needed.

"We had the election, it's over. I'm sure the New England patriots want a do over, but we're not doing a do over, the Democratic party doesn't have the money," DiMaio says"

Sounds like Victor has the party by the tail.

So show me where Charlie Crist really said he would have the taxpayers pay for a new primary? I just don't see it in the transcript. Dean is right, the offer is not his to make.

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd, and thank you. I heard Nelson with my own ears, saying

it would never happen, and then heard/read that Crist thought it was a great idea. Your connecting the dots is important.

[madfloridian]

2. Blitzer told Dean the taxpayers would pay for it. Nowhere does it say that.

Blitzer really snookered Dean, but Dean handled it quite well. He knew it was not Crist's call.

I just did a search on crist, democratic primary, and not a word except that he would not mind.

:shrug:

[ZinZen]

3. Crist is Republican right?

I was reading that his ulterior motive is to hold another primary (who is paying for it?) so that the Dem primary drags on benefitting McCain. What is your take MF?


BTW- Dean kicked McCain butt on CNN today. Check out Crooks and Liars!

[madfloridian]

4. Yes, Crist is Republican, supporting McCain.

The way Blitzer presented it to Dean was sneaky.

[dkf]

5. I think this is it...

"Florida Governor Charlie Crist said he'd support a repeat of the Democratic presidential primary so the state's delegates can be counted at the party's national convention.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said he's open to the possibility. Primary elections are paid for by a state's taxpayers, so the offer from Crist, a Republican, is ``very helpful'' because money is an issue, Dean said. "

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a_Z1B1gCt_nM&refer=home

[madfloridian]

6. But Crist in the transcript did NOT offer to pay for it.

Bloomberg did not quote the transcript the way I did. Crist did not say taxpayers would pay for it...Blitzer did. That is the way he reported it to Dean. Dean said it was not up to Crist to offer but it was nice and he would listen.

I just watched it again on our DVR, to be sure.

[dkf]

7. It looks like there is an assumption that primaries get paid for by

the state.

I wouldn't know if that is true or not.

[Scurrilous]

8. K & R

:thumbsup:

[dysfunctional press]

9. another fucked-up florida election to be decided by the fat tony & the supremes?

what is it with the morans in that state?

the dnc is allowed to pick it's nominee in the way it chooses- i don't see how the supreme court would even have any jurisdiction over the matter.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. kick

[madfloridian]

11. Crist is using this to help McCain....and Blitzer just played along.

To think that he made up stuff to tell Dean in his interview is appalling.

[madfloridian]

12. I was right. The state ain't about to pay for it.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-polstory0308mar03,0,1974392.story

It was just a sneaky, snaky move and was presented to Dean as truth. He handled it well.