Hi, I’m Charlie Crist. And I’m running for U.S. Senate

[ccharles000]

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist came out swinging with his speech today at the Republican Party of Florida.

In the 12-minute address, basically the first major speech since announcing his 2010 campaign, he acknowledged supporting the stimulus money and “being nice” to President Obama. He said he would not apologize for either.

It’s an interesting shift in strategy for the governor. For one, he was caught in some pretty blatant exaggerations last year about his position on the stimulus money. Now, he’s taking responsibility for it - a trait that voters don’t often see in their politicians. Whether it’s enough to trump the anger in the party, remains to be seen.

He explains his support for the stimulus saying he needed to help Florida. His said he was raised to treat the president with respect (although he does refer to Obama as “that guy” several times.

http://www.postonpolitics.com/2010/01/hi-im-charlie-crist-and-im-running-for-us-senate/