Thurman: Charlie, Who Are You Pandering To? And Why Now?

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

For Immediate Release: July 21, 2009

Miami, FL - Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen L. Thurman released the following statement reacting to Charlie Crist's coming out against Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court:

"Charlie, who are you pandering to? And why now?

"For weeks now, Charlie Crist has claimed that he is too busy 'governing' to tell Floridians where he stands on the most basic of federal issues. Today, by coming out against the nomination of Judge Sotomayor, Crist once again shows that his only core belief is personal ambition.

"As Judge Sotomayor demonstrated in her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, her stirring life story and outstanding career - at nearly every level of our judicial system - makes her uniquely qualified to serve as America's next Supreme Court Justice. Throughout her career on the bench, she has been lauded as a fearless jurist, with a sharp and independent mind and a deep commitment to the rule of law and our constitutional traditions. That's why so many Republicans, including Sen. Mel Martinez, have come out in support of Sotomayor.

"But now that Crist is willing to weigh in on issues currently before the U.S. Senate, Floridians deserve to know how Crist feels about President Obama's efforts to reform health care, how he would vote on the energy bill to curb global warming that the Senate will soon take up, and where he stands on the efforts reform the broken immigration policy."