Meg Whitman's shrinking lead in the Republican gubernatorial primary has the former eBay chief scrambling to stop the big gains that opponent Steve Poizner has been making in recent weeks. Whitman, who has spent more than $65 million on the GOP race so far, has just put up a new TV ad that says Poizner and Democrat Jerry Brown are working together to defeat her.
Whitman even takes on Sen. Barbara Boxer in the ad, and she isn't even running in the same race as Boxer. But Brown and Boxer make Republicans see red, so lumping Poizner in with them seems like a good idea to her handlers.
For a 60-second ad, she found a way to include all the buzzwords that appeal to conservatives: Secure the border, no amnesty for illegal immigrants, stand up to public employee unions, cut wasteful spending, require work for welfare, reform public pensions. Whew. Makes me tired following along. But the ad makes the points that she needs to make to show that she's tough on those issues.
For a time Whitman, as well as most of the statewide media, had written off Poizner, and that allowed her to begin testing themes for the runoff against Brown. But hold on. Poizner didn't disappear into dust as an also-ran. Now Whitman is fighting for the GOP nomination, and this ad, as good as it is, is evidence that she knows she has big problems.
This race is far from over. Whitman has too much money not to rally back. But the momentum is with Poizner -- at least this week.
Watch the Whitman ad and let me know what you think of it.
These ads are dumb, and insulting to voters.
I agree with Rich on this. These ads seem to be based on assumptions regarding the California electorate that are not flattering. Hopefully, they aren't valid either.
Both Poizner and Whitman should be embarassed by their ad campaigns.
The ad sounded like all of the rest of them. I saw her lips moving but all I heard was blah, blah, blah. It does not matter if you have a republican or a democrat in the governor's office the politics of Sacramento will not change. The whole process should be scrapped and redone, i.e., a smaller legislature and equal power to both the legislative and executive branches.
The Meg Whitman ads I have seen are not the Meg Whitman I know.
When Whitman was CEO of eBay I attended Las Vegas eBay Live, an annual convention for thousands of eBayers. The convention traditionally closed with a pep speech by CEO Whitman about what eBay had done for Sellers in the past and would be doing in the future.
Since eBays attitude toward Sellers could, at best, be described as imperial.....raising fees, no telephone calls from Sellers, questions read and answered by computers that NEVER resolved an issue, arbitrary suspensions, Millions of dollars frozen or payments arbitrarily delayed by PayPal, and all sorts of rules and regulations for Sellers that accomplished nothing but to make their lives less profitable and more difficult......you can imagine the kinds of questions Whitman had to field. What I witnessed was an almost open revolt cut short when Whitman walked off the stage early. Apparently, this had become a growing tradition in the last several years. Sellers were very very unhappy with Meg.
So, what was Whitmans solution to this show of dissatisfaction? A committee to hear and resolve the Seller issues? An attempt to explain why recent changes in eBay policy were necessary? Changes in company policy? Anything, at all, to resolve Seller issues? Anything, at all, like the caring concerned Meg of the TV ads?
Nope. Whitman stopped the Conventions. After all eBay was the only game in town. Who cares what Sellers think? Where are they going to go? No convention equals no questions equals no Seller dissatisfaction. Out ear, out of mind....
For more about the real Meg, Google the recent Craigs List lawsuit where Whitman tried to sneak in the back door of Craigs List, by buying shares of stock from a disgruntled owner, and take over Craigslist. When she was unable to bully her minority stake into control of the company, eBay stole the operating secrets, by agreeing not to compete with Craigslist and then, within weeks, starting her own version of CraigsList...Kijiji. Surely we all remember Kijiji?
And of course there was her greatest financial coup..... buying Skype for $3 Billion, spending almost a billion dollars integrating it into eBay and then selling it for for $2 Billion.....Do the math. Of course, in doing this, she so alienated and ignored the wisdom of the brain behind Skype, that he resigned his lucrative new job and started Tesla Motors
This is Queen Meg, the real Queen Meg. The person behind all those caring, listening, warm and fuzzy ads. How could anybody think she will treat the citizens of California any better than she did eBay Sellers. After all, where are the citizens going to go? Nevada?
Her ad? Cliche after cliche. Sounds just like Arnie a few years ago. I am sick of hearing people say that business success somehow transfers into political success. Give me a break. Government is not a business. To imply such is using a false analogy.
Poizner has been endorsed by California Republican Assembly. Whittman is not. President Reagan refered to CRA as the conscience of the
Republican Party
ALL of these ads as well as the politicians are stating the same speeches all of the politicians have. It is as if someone wrote a speech 20 years, or more, ago and the people running for office just keep spewing out the same old rheteroric. These are all just more super wealthy people who are blatantly telling the people what they think we want to hear and not one of them will do anything for the people or come through on their promises. I have seen this first hand. I have seen politicians hire a team of people to write speeches, take polls and say what they believe the people want. Howvever, the people keep electing the liars. Not one has a true and real plan. Not one has addressed the issue of how if California replaced just the streetlights and the government buildings with ONE particular free energy device that been offered to them, (which they have all ignored) within two years, California would have a surplus of over $80 Billion dollars annually forever and that is after paying all the bills. Imagine how education, police, fire and just about every department in California would benefit from this kind of continuous money EVERY year! No more layoffs, lower taxes and California could become one of the most succussful states in our country. Yet, these politicians ALL ignore this. Why? Because they don't care about the people. They care about themselves and the other rich people they owe. Things will NEVER change until we stop listening to these fatcats and elect a working person to office. Of course, working people don't have $65 MIllion to spend on an election do they? The people are more at fault by not listening to the real solutions and ignoring the same old political status quo we see every election year. We are going to fail as a country and as a nation and no one cares.
Meg Whitman has been endorsed by Pete Wilson, Mitt Romney, Kevin McCarthy, Condi Rice and Darrell Issa.
This video provides a strong, positive message that will resonate with all Californians. We need an outsider approach not the same liberal Sacramento politicians. We need a business approach, and the next governor must stand up and she must have a spine of steel.
Meg has the right plan (http://www.megsplan.com) and the right message (http://www.meg2010.com) to rebuild our Golden State.
Meg Whitman is spending millions to buy an election. Why?
California is in deep trouble because of Republican Governors. Schwarzenegger is latest of a line of GOP bad apples foisted on the public. George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson established the vehicle tax policy that was later blamed on "Gray" Davis who had nothing whatsoever to do with it. No one thought that Arnold could handle the job and they were right but people were pissed about a huge jump in vehicle taxes. Schwarzenegger was so stupid that he eliminated the vehicle tax increase mandated by GOP law without bothering to replace the revenues. That idiot move put California $4 billion+ into the red.
Whitman promises even more mean spirited and double dumb policies.
I say NO to all GOP candidates. They drove the bus into the ditch and should not be allowed to drive again.
A pox on both their houses!
Politicians all claim they are interested in their constituency. That's not a virtue. Leaches are also interested in dogs. They both have the same function.
To paraphrase H. L. Mencken: Most politicians, if they thought it would give them more power, money or votes, would come out gleefully in favor of incest, polygamy, astrology, and cannibalism.
The deficit makes this campaign a serious matter. The main issue is not that complicated: do you and your children want to make sacrifices to assure that public employees continue to receive far more compensation than equivalent private sector employees? Of course, voters should have the right to support lavish public employee compensation but they should be able to vote on it first. This is that vote.
Her eBay history by Doug Hardin is interesting. I'm pessistic about what any Repub Governor can do in Sacramento, without a massive change in Republican Assembymen and State Senators.
Whitman roars like a dragon, no different than most to the right. I admit reform is necessary and there needs to be a cap on state spending. We just keep on spending like no end in sight. At the same time the Republicans have a tendency to lean in favor of relaxing regulations upon industry like offshore drilling and military contractors don't bother them one bit. They see no problem as long as it brings jobs into Califorrnia even if they give tax breaks and incentives to these giants.
At this juncture, even the Democrats have shifted to the right. I don't recognize Jerry Brown from his past persona. However strange this voting season seems, the popular rant is to outdo one another in showing how much more conservative they are than the other candidates. To be conservative with the public's money is a good thing. Even conservatives have a problem where they want to allocate the money that doesn't exist!
On the issue of immigration. Whitman better watch out! If we get to the point of being another Arizona and if we run out of farmworkers, there will be a lot of angry farmers who depend on migratory work. This is the kind of Republican talk seemingly appeasing to people that have no idea how it could hurt California agriculture! Likewise, a reminder to all the other candidates for governor of California.
Three cheers TC!
If one thinks "Whitman roars like a dragon" I'd say you need to put away your Peter, Paul and Mary LPs until the election season is over. It sounds to me like a lot of folks wish to intentionally push California over the precipice, just like Obama is doing with the federal government. At the same time I hear people who think they have an understanding of the TeaParty movement attempt to manipulate perceptions of that membership over and over again with evil words. Who is being the most dishonest and unpatriotic? Who is being the most destructive to the American way of life? I don't believe it's anyone who desires fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets. The politicians in Sacramento have created a mess that is being compared to what is occurring in Greece. It's time to wake up. Freedom is connected to markets and fiscal conservatism is a wonderful notion if kept in a context of the American experience. The heart of America is our Constitution. Follow it to the liberty you seek when the election is said and done. If a politician even hesitates to dicuss the entire Bill of Rights, as written, then be suspicious. There is a reason. When someone has to have another voice speak to what they believe in, be suspicious. There is a reason. This is not a movie about the future. We are one more fake away from misery. Protect your children from this irresponsible set of circumstances, send patriots to represent you. It may well be your last chance.
Bart has said! Pay attention and elect non-politicians with good business experience whenever possible regardless of party...
Ol' Meg clamis to have loved both Ronald Reagan and Prop 13, yet she couldn't be bothered to actually vote for either one!
I have had it with all the negative propaganda from this candidate. I even sent a letter to her campaign headquarters complaining about it. Then today I received another pamphlet where she states she's against illegal immigration and wants to do something about it. Fat chance with all the Hispanic legislators in Sacramento!! Does she think she's running a private company? Promises and promises but were she to be elected, she'll find out it's not that easy.
Cutting public service jobs during a recession is double stupid. The former employees suddenly become a deficit because of unemployment etc.
The cure is to wake up and begin paying a fair rate for the services you want. You know little things, like educating our children. Howard Jarvis promised that Proposition 13 wouldn't hurt the schools, but we've seen California education drop from the top four in the nation to 46th or lower. Lack of funding has destroyed California's education system from top to bottom.
The main reason being that Corporations are allowed to keep the same rates until they are sold which is hard to do with stock companies with clever accountants. Some big business properties are paying the same property rates as when Proposition 13 began in 1978.
One of the keys to California prosperity was always having highly educated workers available for tech industries etc.
Stop exempting Companies like Walmart, Mobil Oil, etc etc from rate increases and California might be able to begin supporting an education system worthy of an advanced nation.
I think the real Meg is finally standing up and Tom McClintock is right, she represents Arnold's third term. The Bee analyzed Poizner right, a fiscal conservative and social moderate, right up my alley!
Whitman says Brown is helping Poizner? The Democratic Party advert branding Whitman as a creature of Goldman-Sachs must be working, at least it must be getting under her skin.
California is nothing like Greece, but it will be if we let the Republicans drive it into the ditch the same way they drove the national economy into the ditch during the eight year reign of Bush and Cheney. If an economic emergency strikes will Whitman suspend her campaign to fly to Sacramento so that she can strike an ineffectual pose for the cameras ala John McCain? Ha ha ha ha...
I love that shes coming out saying where she stands. Im voting for her. Im sick of the politician types. She is a strong woman and hopefully wont be pushed around by big business and unions.
Meg Whitman is spending millions to buy an election. Why? She is really very stupid, who is paying really for all those ads? Who is going to be really incharge of my beloved California?
California is in a very deep troubles because of Republican Governors. Schwarzenegger is latest of a line of GOP bad apples foisted on the public.
George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson established the vehicle tax policy that was later blamed on "Gray" Davis who had nothing whatsoever to do with it.
No one thought really that Arnold could handle the job and they were right but people were pissed about a huge jump in vehicle taxes. Schwarzenegger was so stupid that he eliminated the vehicle tax increase mandated by GOP law without bothering to replace the revenues. That idiot move put California $4 billion+ into the red line.
Whitman promises even more mean spirited and double dumb policies.Same as Poizner,they are both always talking about inmigration,I really do not care about it because the guy that clean up my pool every week is from Argentina and the girl that make the dishes in my kitchen is from Mexico,I pay them what I agree to pay ,Whitman and Poizner want to wash my head with stupid ideas about inmigrants like in the Arizona Laws.I do not share with them ,why don't they say nothing about how they think to solve the California bankrupcy?,simply they do not have a little minimum of idea.
I am really concern about my financials and about the small business that I run and the future of my current and future customers.the FUTURE of my family in California,OUR state.
I say NO to all GOP candidates. They drove this BIG bus called CAlIFORNIA into the ditch and all that people should not be allowed to drive it again.
It is timeto VOTE for a BETTER FUTURE !
Its the Politicians that have ruined California not Republicans or Democrats. Arnold simply has no back bone to stand up against the politicians. Meg is far from stupid. I sense that perhaps you are offended by a successful woman.
i'a citizen my personal opinion:meg whitman is going to work only to rich people like her.she wants only slaves to work on labor.meg thinks that she has power only because is too rich, she is not a good person maybe she is evil. i will vote for mr.jerry brown he is a very honorable gentleman and he atacks corruption on any level, mr jerry brown is a inteligent man he practice justice for all and that lady meg anly wants atract attentionbut deeply she is an ignorant woman. so i will never vote for her. my vote is for mr jerry brown.