NEWSFLASH: Crist Clocks Out Early to Play Hardball

For Immediate Release: March 6, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Does it surprise anyone?

After getting called out for taking yet another day off from work in the first week of a heated legislative session, Empty Chair Charlie Crist's office revised his schedule today to include television interviews in the morning and "work and call time" beginning at 3:30 PM.

But by 5:15 PM, Florida's part-time governor had clocked out to chit-chat with Chris Matthews on MSNBC's Hardball. Not about the state's economic crisis, of course.

No, instead Crist pretended to be magnanimous - claiming to support Florida Democrats, but he conveniently ignored the fact that in 2007 he himself threatened to veto any change to the date of Florida's unauthorized early primary as some Democrats had requested in order to comply with DNC Rules.

"The audacity of Charlie Crist is reaching epic levels. Even with the state mired in a recession and the Legislature battling it out over a $3 billion budget shortfall, he doesn't bother to work a full day again," Florida Democratic Party spokesman Mark Bubriski said.

For more information and more details on the part-time governor, visit www.EmptyChairCharlie.com.