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Davis gets specific; Crist too vague

Jim Davis had a good night Tuesday night, and Charlie Crist had an average one. In the first televised debate between the candidates for governor, Davis spoke more clearly and specifically about the issues that matter most to Floridians: taxes, education and homeowners insurance. Crist had the smoother delivery, but his answers were not as specific or as reassuring as they are on the campaign trail.

Davis, the Democratic nominee from Tampa, will never be mistaken for a gifted orator. But he confidently and concisely summarized his positions in a manner that should be helpful to voters just tuning in to the race. He was particularly good at describing his education plans, which involve transforming the FCAT from a stick that punishes students and teachers into a more useful, broader measure of learning. Crist, the Republican nominee from St. Petersburg, missed an opportunity to reassure educators and parents frustrated by the obsession with standardized testing. While the attorney general has indicated he is open to tweaking the FCAT, his answers were too vague and he came off as a strong defender of the current system.

Similarly, Davis spoke more directly about taxes. The Tampa congressman would cut local school property taxes by $1-billion next year, noting that Gov. Jeb Bush and the Republican-led Legislature have shifted the school tax burden from the state to local property owners. He also supports capping assessments on businesses and investment properties that don't benefit from Save Our Homes now. Crist would double the homestead exemption and allow homeowners to take the Save Our Homes tax break with them when they move. But he oddly has no plan for immediate tax relief or to ease the burden on small business owners and renters.

Neither Crist nor Davis adequately described their plans to ease the homeowners insurance crisis. Crist emphasized his plan to force auto insurers who write homeowners policies in other states to do so in Florida, but that is too simplistic and won't solve the problem. He should have talked about his support of a reasonable plan to make it easier for insurers to get reinsurance from the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. Davis came closer to offering more immediate relief, but his plan also poses a greater risk to the state.

Both men strayed from the facts when they criticized each other's backgrounds. Crist's record as attorney general is significantly better than the one Davis described. And Crist's harping on the votes Davis missed in Congress while campaigning is a side issue. Over his 10 years in the House, Davis has made more than 90 percent of the votes.

The candidates may have had their best moments when they deflected what could have been knockout punches. Asked by Davis about his running mate's opposition to funding stem cell research, Crist neatly pointed out that he supports stem cell research and that the viewpoints of the candidate at the top of the ticket matter most. Asked by Crist why it took him so long to admit he was wrong when he voted against compensating two black men who spent time on death row for a murder they did not commit, Davis calmly replied that he made a mistake.

This was a debate where voters could draw distinctions. Crist is a Republican populist who avoids bogging down in social issues and sounds more comfortable sketching broad goals than policy specifics. While he is ahead in the polls, he should offer more details and fewer platitudes in next week's final debate. Davis is a moderate Democrat who would adjust the course set by Republicans in Tallahassee. He put his best foot forward Tuesday night. The question is whether he's too late.

Jim Davis had a good night Tuesday night, and Charlie Crist had an average one. In the first televised debate between the candidates for governor, Davis spoke more clearly and specifically about the issues that matter most to Floridians: Taxes, education and homeowners insurance. Crist had the smoother delivery, but his answers were not as specific or as reassuring as they are on the campaign trail.

Davis, the Democratic nominee from Tampa, will never be mistaken for a gifted orator. But he confidently and concisely summarized his positions in a manner that should be helpful to voters just tuning in to the race. He was particularly good at describing his education plans, which involve transforming the FCAT from a stick that punishes students and teachers into a more useful, broader measure of learning. Crist, the Republican nominee from St. Petersburg, missed an opportunity to reassure educators and parents frustrated by the obsession with standardized testing. While the attorney general has indicated he is open to tweaking the FCAT, his answers were too vague and he came off as a strong defender of the current system.

Similarly, Davis spoke more directly about taxes. The Tampa congressman would cut local school property taxes by $1-billion next year, noting that Gov. Jeb Bush and the Repubican-led Legislature has shifted the school tax burden from the state to local property owners. He also supports capping assessments on businesses and investment properties that don't benefit from Save Our Homes now. Crist would double the homestead exemption and allow homeowners to take the Save Our Homes tax break with them when they move. But he oddly has no plan for immediate tax relief, and he curiously has no answer for why he has no proposal to ease the burden on small business owners and renters. He indicated he would push to immediately make the Save Our Homes tax break portable, but that does not help the taxpayers who are suffering the most.

Neither Crist nor Davis adequately described their plans to ease the homeowners insurance crisis. Crist emphasized his plan to force auto insurers who write homeowners policies in other states to do so in Florida, but that is too simplistic and won't solve the problem. He should have talked about his support of a reasonable plan to make it easier for insurers to get reinsurance from the Hurricane Castrophe Fund. Davis came closer to offering more immediate relief, but Crist correctly pointed out that the Democrat's plan also poses a greater risk to the state.

Both men strayed from the facts when they criticized each other's backgrounds. Crist's record as attorney general is significantly better than the one Davis described. And Crist's harping on the votes Davis missed in Congress while campaigning is a side issue. Over his 10 years in the House, Davis has made more than 90 percent of the votes.

The candidates may have had their best moments when they deflected what could have been knockout punches. Asked by Davis about his running mate's opposition to funding stem cell research, Crist neatly pointed out that he supports stem cell research and that the viewpoints of the candidate at the top of the ticket matter most. Asked by Crist why it took him so long to admit he was wrong when he voted against compensating two black men who spent time on Death Row for a murder they did not commit, Davis calmly replied that he made a mistake.

This was a substantive debate where voters could begin to draw clear distinctions. Crist is a Republican populist who avoids getting bogged down in social issues and sounds more comfortable sketching broad goals than policy specifics. While he is solidly ahead in most polls, he would be wise to offer more details and fewer platitudes in Monday's final debate. Davis is a moderate Democrat who would adjust the course set by Republicans in Tallahassee. He put his best foot forward Tuesday night. The question is whether he's too late.

[Last modified October 25, 2006, 01:32:18]