Charlie Crist brings back the hug

06/05/2014

Well this is interesting. On what has become known on social media as "Throwback Thursday" the Charlie Crist campaign for Florida governor has posted a February 2009 video of his infamous speech welcoming President Barack Obama to the Sunshine State.

At the time of Obama's visit to Fort Myers, the nation's economy had collapsed and Florida was one of the hardest hit states.

In his introduction of the President, the Crist, then a Republican, alks about how Florida balances its budget, the need to cut the state budget while not raising taxes, and the importance of the stimulus package "to help education, to help our infrastructure, and to have health care for those who need it the most, the most vulnerable among us."

Crist goes on to say: "We need to do it in a bipartisan way. This issue about helping our country is about helping our country. This is not about partisan politics. This is about rising about that, helping America and reigniting our economy."

At the end of his brief remarks, Crist reaches out to shake Obama's hand and Obama leans into Crist turning the shake into a sort of hug that would become the rallying cry for Tea Party voters who loathed Obama.

Crist's plans to become a U.S. senator went up in flames as Republican Marco Rubio deftly capitalized on Tea Party anger to throw Crist out of the Grand Old Party and get himself elected to the Senate.

One might think that this 1 minute and 42 seconds that helped stall Crist's political career would be something he would rather forget.

Apparently not.

And the newly minted Democrat does not appear ready to abandon Obama.

Expect Governor Rick Scott's campaign to fire back at this video.

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