Whitman and Poizner finally debate

Republican gubernatorial frontrunner Meg Whitman finally agreed to debate GOP rival Steve Poizner, and she acquitted herself well, according to news reports. It has always been my belief that Whitman wouldn't be as bad a debater as her handlers feared and she was being damaged a lot more by ducking debates, as well as reporters' questions. The strategy made her look weak.

But that changed Monday night. Whitman and Poizner squared off at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. While Poizner, the underdog in the race, attempted to show he was the conservative candidate in the race, Whitman staked out more moderate positions, according to The Sacramento Bee.

It appears that Whitman is positioning herself for the general election run against Democrat Jerry Brown. California is a blue state and she'll need to move toward the middle if she wants to get elected in November. But Poizner will have something to say about who is going to be the GOP nominee, He's expected to soon launch a media barrage against Whitman.

While Whitman has been spending her considerable campaign funds freely for several months, Poizner has been saving his money for the last few months of the primary campaign. We'll see if he can get traction among Republican voters.

Here's part of the SacBee story on the debate:

"Poizner, the state's insurance commissioner, declared his candidacy "a game-changer" for California and pushed sweeping proposals such as cutting all illegal immigrants from state-funded public services.

"Whitman proposed more measured fixes such as prohibiting so-called sanctuary cities that don't report illegal immigrants to federal authorities."

And Poizner really scored points among conservatives when he said that unlike Whitman, he doesn't listen to National Public Radio. The Roundup, a Sacramento political newsletter, said this was what he meant about his rival: "Translation: She's a liberal pinko commie..."

Whitman challenged Poizner's conservative credentials, charging that he was a once proud moderate, and now wants voters to believe he's from the far right of the party. For example, she said he's flip-flopped on illegal immigration.

You can watch the debate by clicking here.