Been out out of the office all day, but this piece was in today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail…
Meg Whitman has been running up the score in her California GOP gubernatorial primary against Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. To date, the former eBay CEO poured over $56 million into her campaign compared to Mr. Poizner’s $17.5 million. Ms. Whitman has jammed the airwaves with ads attacking Mr. Poizner’s conservative credentials. Mr. Poizner faces a nearly 50-point deficit in the polls with just two months to go until the primary.
Rather than conceding, Mr. Poizner has launched an aggressive tit-for-tat campaign. His latest ad links Ms. Whitman to just about everything California conservatives disdain: amnesty, ObamaCare, Barbara Boxer, abortion, TARP and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The ad says a Whitman administration would "continue taxpayer-funded benefits to illegals — a skyrocketing cost under ObamaCare. . . . For 28 years Whitman refused to vote Republican. But she contributed to, and campaigned, for Barbara Boxer. Like Boxer, Whitman supports taxpayer-funded abortion. Whitman even supported the disastrous bank bailout. After Arnold, don’t we deserve a Republican?"
Ms. Whitman’s campaign says she has supported a guest-worker program, not amnesty for illegals. Nor has she "refused to vote Republican" — she just hasn’t voted much at all, except for Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George H.W. Bush in 1988. And while she contributed $4,000 to Barbara Boxer in 2003 as part of "Technology Leaders for Boxer," Mr. Poizner donated $10,000 to Al Gore in 2000. And both candidates have supported abortion rights.
As for the slur on the Governator, Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear sniped that Mr. Poizner’s ad "was a good reminder that’s he’s still in the race. I had totally forgot about that."
Democrat Jerry Brown obviously sees a chance to turn the situation to his advantage. On Saturday, he proposed a three-way debate, which inevitably would turn into a gangup by him and Mr. Poizner on Ms. Whitman (Mr. Poizner was quick to accept). In the latest Field poll, Ms. Whitman led Mr. Brown by three points — but that was before her Republican opponent lobbed his Hail Mary attack campaign onto the airwaves. Mr. Poizner, himself a Silicon Valley millionaire, is understandably miffed at being overwhelmed by Ms. Whitman’s wallet and star power after laboring to build his own political cred as state insurance commissioner. But his campaign is finished. His recent memoir recounting his experiences teaching for a year at a San Jose public high school was widely panned as self-serving. The principal of the school even refused to allow him onto campus. Now Mr. Poizner may be talking his way out of a future in the Republican Party altogether.
— Allysia Finley
As always, Allysia doesn’t mince words.
April 19th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Pretty well on the money on Poizner…except one. Taking on blowhard Schwartzmuscle is no ticket out of a Republican future. His failed promises and his ugly egomania ascertain him to be among the forgettable failures.
As to Steve, a genuine good guy, he can always try and buy a well chosen Republican congressional seat a la Darrel Issa. Although, when I suggest that to one of his handlers back in December, it was firmly and roundly rejected. Even back then they were irrationally ignoring the poll predicted gubernatorial disaster.
Yes! Lots of money gives the ambitious false visions of grandeur.
April 19th, 2010 at 12:00 am
I don’t know. As an outsider, both a Democrat and a slate vendor who hasn’t been able to sell to either side, I think the poll numbers are very misleading. Just last week a government professor who is a friend of mine gave her class a written test asking among other things, how many students could identify any of the Republican candidates for Governor. Exactly two could identify either candidate (one know both, the other only Whitman). Neither could name a single issue they were identified with and everyone else in the class said they didn’t know either candidate. Not very scientific, but it also fits what I have observed. When I talk to people who don’t follow politics, they know nothing about the race and when I talk to people who do read the paper, they have some vague idea a woman named Whitman is running for Governor, but there is no identification of her with any issue and no one seems to know anything about her background. So I think the poll numbers are very misleading for that reason. If either candidate makes a strong case for why it is important that they are elected Governor, I think they can win the primary because I think everyone’s support is very soft. Poizner has said from the start that he would be behind until the last six weeks, so until we start seeing his TV ads then, I don’t think that anyone has any idea how this race really stands. In fact I am not sure if Tom McClintock is up on TV saying Poizner is the only one you can trust with your money, that it might not be enough by itself to make this race even. JMO!
April 20th, 2010 at 12:00 am
McClintock is sounding more and more like Florida Governor Charlie Crist…a failing king maker who endorsed RINO McCain….how did that turn out?
Just sit back and relax…the attack ads make one gag!
How could Republicans even contemplate voting for Whitman or Poizner in the primary….their records are more than disturbing!!!
April 20th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Because money is all they care about. If you don’t have it, you are nothing.