Gov. Rick Scott, under pressure to answer the lawsuit filed against him yesterday with the Florida Supreme Court that would force him to accept federal funds for the state high-speed rail project, took time out from his costly "Share A Little Sunshine" advertising tour to peddle his fact-free excuses for not taking the money. Apparently seeking to "railroad" the public without tough questions, Scott went straight to the "brain-trust" that is FOX and Friends.
The amount of fumbling by Rick Scott was pretty amazing, considering it was a FOX-GOP-TV interview.
Scott used his now familiar script and playacted his tiresome role as the mother of all taxpayer martyrs as he made his case in standing firm against progress.
Scott said that if the project was cancelled, Florida would have to pay back the money. Wrong.
Scott said that Florida will have to pay back the money down the road anyway. Wrong.
From The U.S. Department of Transportation:
"has addressed every legitimate concern Governor Scott has raised with respect to plans to connect Florida through high-speed rail. We have repeatedly and clearly told Governor Scott and his staff that Florida would not bear financial or legal liabilities for the project, and that there is strong private sector interest in taking on the risk associated with building and operating high-speed rail in the state."
Scott also claimed there would be huge cost overruns. Steve Doocy actually questioned him on that one, asking how much those overruns would be. Scott fumbled here, and then said "Billions. Just billions." These "vague" billions were of course pulled right out of the "report" Scott used to base his decision to turn down the project in the first place. The "report" written by the Reason Foundation, a conservative think tank whose Board Of Trustees includes David H. Koch.
Howdy-Doocy also managed to trip him up on one other item. He mentioned the "j" word: jobs. Asserting that the rail project would create jobs, Scott responded that it would only create short-term jobs. Brilliant response, Gov.! All construction jobs are short-term, but nonetheless, construction jobs provide a backbone for the economy in Florida. (But then Scott hasn't been a Florida resident for very long.) Perhaps Scott thinks those trains will run magically by themselves.
The interview may have made a believer out of some, mainly Steve Doocy, but it wasn't very convincing. Scott isn't very good at bluffing.
I'm not sure which of the two is less informed, Rick Scott or Steve Doocy?
They "report," you decide.
