Money well spent

Florida political blogs are abuzz today over bonuses paid to top campaign staffers for Charlie Crist's gubernatorial campaign.

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Charlie Crist is proud to call himself "cheap," sharing tales of patching his shoes rather than replacing them and comparison shopping for generic products in drugstores.

But Crist was generous in handing out nearly $600,000 in bonuses to about two dozen employees of his campaign.

That is money well spent. In a year when Republican fortunes around the country came crashing down, the Crist campaign was one of the few GOP bright spots. Campaign staffing is hard, and often thankless, work.

Reports have George LeMieux receiving the largest of these winning bonuses. LeMieux was rewarded for his work with checks of $50,000 for the September primary win, and another $150,000 for the big win in November. More importantly, he is now on the GOP map and will certainly be called on by national candidates in 2008.

"They earned it. I'm grateful to them, and I thought it was appropriate," Crist said Tuesday. He noted the bonuses were "a lot less" than what some other governors paid their campaign workers. (from the Buzz)

Mr. Governor, we agree.