# Charlie Crist (D) v. Rick Scott (R) (Inc) FL Governor's Race **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 5, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157 "2013-11-05T16:46:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/21 "2013-11-06T04:55:44Z")
It’s not a hijack. We’re talking about Rick Scott and you handwaved away his accomplishment by saying it was just because Florida hit bottom from the real estate bust. Bringing up California proves you wrong. That’s not a hijack, although I agree that part of the discussion is pretty much settled and can end now. Rick Scott actually does deserve much credit for reviving the state. Precisely because the other real estate boom/bust states failed. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/22 "2013-11-06T13:56:41Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Rick Scott actually does deserve much credit for reviving the state. Precisely because the other real estate boom/bust states failed. How does he deserve credit? Seriously, what has he done? Yes, the job rate has gone up, but I would argue that it would have gone up no matter who was in the mansion. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/23 "2013-11-06T14:33:04Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It’s not a hijack. We’re talking about Rick Scott and you handwaved away his accomplishment by saying it was just because Florida hit bottom from the real estate bust. California isn’t comparable. Our real estate market rose much more quickly and much more recently (perhaps artificially relative to California’s, because we don’t have that stupid Prop 19 thing). Our job market growth has been almost entirely in the construction industry, too (we also made slight gains in manufacturing). Scott promised to create 700,000 jobs in Florida in 7 years (he called it his “7-7-7-” plan but somehow avoided being lumped in with Herman Cain as a loon who just yells out numbers). He’s actually on pace to do that, assuming he gets another term, but here’s the kicker: the Department of Economic Opportunity or whatever it was called back then had already predicted that we’d add a million jobs post-recession anyway. So basically his biggest achievement is to back up a campaign promise that he would grow the economy by less than it would have grown if he did nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/24 "2013-11-06T14:43:41Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Scott promised to create 700,000 jobs in Florida in 7 years (he called it his “7-7-7-” plan but somehow avoided being lumped in with Herman Cain as a loon who just yells out numbers). He’s actually on pace to do that, assuming he gets another term, but here’s the kicker: the Department of Economic Opportunity or whatever it was called back then had already predicted that we’d add a million jobs post-recession anyway. > > So basically his biggest achievement is to back up a campaign promise that he would grow the economy by less than it would have grown if he did nothing. Heh. I was working on a government website at the time and we were told to put the 7-7-7 plan prominently on the site. After the media furor over the whole “that’s less than we expect anyway”, we were told to take it down and make no further reference to it. 😛 FYI, it was the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) before it was DEO (which is too close to DOE (Education) and confuses people all the time) - before that it was DLES - Department of Labor and Employment Security. What can I say, we like to rename things. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/25 "2013-11-06T14:54:52Z")
The funny thing is I correspond with them on a regular basis and still don’t know when they’re called what. And by regular basis, I mean I send them a stack of forms every week to find out if certain people have filed for unemployment. I’ve taken to leaving the agency name out of the address on the letter, and just addressing it to the person who deals with such things. _Her_ name hasn’t changed in seven years. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/26 "2013-11-06T15:30:50Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The funny thing is I correspond with them on a regular basis and still don’t know when they’re called what. And by regular basis, I mean I send them a stack of forms every week to find out if certain people have filed for unemployment. > > I’ve taken to leaving the agency name out of the address on the letter, and just addressing it to the person who deals with such things. _Her_ name hasn’t changed in seven years. 🙂 It’s possible I know her. I worked over there for a couple of years. Have they turned on the new system yet? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/27 "2013-11-06T15:33:20Z")
Not sure. We still have to do everything by paper because that’s what the Division of Workers’ Compensation requires. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/28 "2013-11-07T00:24:14Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > How does he deserve credit? Seriously, what has he done? > > Yes, the job rate has gone up, but I would argue that it would have gone up no matter who was in the mansion. Scott didn’t raise taxes. Scott solved Florida’s budget problems in his first year. For Jerry Brown, not only has the budget been an ongoing problem, but he’s raised taxes to close the budget gap. Now we can argue about how those policies affect employment, but Florida has performed better than California. The two governors’ differing economic policies can explain it as well as anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/29 "2013-11-07T00:30:59Z")
He didn’t “solve” anything. He gutted everything that he didn’t personally care about. That’s like saying Obama would be solving the federal budget issue if he vetoed all discretionary spending. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/30 "2013-11-07T00:37:10Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Heh. I was working on a government website at the time and we were told to put the 7-7-7 plan prominently on the site. After the media furor over the whole “that’s less than we expect anyway”, we were told to take it down and make no further reference to it. 😛 > > FYI, it was the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) before it was DEO (which is too close to DOE (Education) and confuses people all the time) - before that it was DLES - Department of Labor and Employment Security. What can I say, we like to rename things. That’s just the Blorida way! ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/31 "2013-11-07T00:46:27Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He didn’t “solve” anything. He gutted everything that he didn’t personally care about. That’s like saying Obama would be solving the federal budget issue if he vetoed all discretionary spending. That’s one way of looking at it as well. Except that Florida has been allowed to grow consistently, while California’s growth has been in fits and starts. The last few months have been disastrous for California, with their unemployment rising while the rest of the country’s drops. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/32 "2013-11-07T15:38:53Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Now that the Virginia race is over I can start feeling bad for Florida voters. This probably isn’t as bad as Cuccinelli vs. McAuliffe, but it’s pretty bad. Well, we haven’t even had the primaries yet; other candidates might emerge. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/33 "2013-11-07T22:20:28Z")
Crist is the definition of a political opportunist. There’s a reason he got blasted in the race against Rubio and Meeks. He says what he thinks will get him elected. Scott, while not perfect, has shown to be a competent governor. This is definitely not a case of the “lesser of two evils”. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/34 "2013-11-07T23:04:03Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Crist is the definition of a political opportunist. There’s a reason he got blasted in the race against Rubio and Meeks. He says what he thinks will get him elected. Scott, while not perfect, has shown to be a competent governor. This is definitely not a case of the “lesser of two evils”. No, it isn’t. Far better an opportunistic more-or-centrist than a sincere committed RW who follows the lead of [ALEC](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legislative_Exchange_Council). That’s a case of could-be-better vs. evil. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/35 "2013-11-08T00:41:51Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Scott, while not perfect, has shown to be a competent governor. Yeah, not even close. He’s a “drown-the-baby” tea-partier. Hell, even the GOP had to slap him down a couple of time. Believe me or not, I have worked with state government in Florida for going on 20 years. And I wasn’t kidding earlier, his executive office is reaching down into regulatory agencies in an absolutely unprecedented way and doing damage that will take 10 or more years to undo. Literally THOUSANDS of years of experience are being forced out for industry cronies who could give a shit. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/36 "2014-01-08T19:51:53Z")
Crist’s lead [seems to be growing](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/governor/fl/florida_governor_scott_vs_crist-3545.html) even though Scott’s unfavorability rating has bottomed out. Interestingly, _Allen Fucking Insane West_ leads Scott by a point in the latest PPP poll (among GOP primary voters.) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/37 "2014-01-08T20:01:48Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Scott didn’t raise taxes. Scott solved Florida’s budget problems in his first year. For Jerry Brown, not only has the budget been an ongoing problem, but he’s raised taxes to close the budget gap. > > Now we can argue about how those policies affect employment, but Florida has performed better than California. The two governors’ differing economic policies can explain it as well as anything else. Tax rates have nothing to do with unemployment. In fact, governors have very little to do with unemployement, whether it goes up or it goes down. You can’t have it both ways, arguing on one hand that “government is completely incompetent and can’t do anything” and on the other that “golly, when we’re in charge of government, it creates jobs”. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/38 "2014-01-08T20:09:11Z")
If governors have little to do with unemployment, how come employment just happens to be doing better in states with Republican governors, while Illinois and California continue to be the worst laggards? Those two states raised taxes. A lot. > **[LAUS Home : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/lau/home.htm)** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/39 "2014-01-08T20:17:57Z")
Because rural residents tend to be conservative, and the current wave of unemployment is hitting urban residents hardest. Got any hard questions? And California’s problem isn’t that they raised taxes a lot. Rather, most of California’s problems are due to the fact that they can’t raise taxes as much as they need to, due to idiotic conservative policies that got entrenched in the state constitution. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157/40 "2014-01-08T20:21:13Z")
Big industrial states are more susceptible to swings in the economy and have Democratic bases, small rural states are less susceptible and have Republican bases. It isn’t that Republicans manage states better, it’s that states with less volatile economies tend to be redder. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charlie-crist-d-v-rick-scott-r-inc-fl-governors-race/673157.md?page=3)