What do you do when you are running for the Republican nomination for Governor, and despite the fact that you have invested large amounts of your own personal fortune in the race, you are being run over by a candidate whose wallet is thicker, looks to be outspending you by as much as four-to-one, and started spending money very early — building up a huge lead going into the final stretch?

The answer is that you do everything, of course.  Everything has included a campaign for Steve Poizner that has used differences between he and Meg Whitman on immigration to drive down her positive numbers with GOP primary voters, throwing out there Whitman’s connections with Wall Street financiers Goldman Sachs as well, as well as highlighting Whitman’s deplorable voting record.   But despite all of these things being hurled into the public marketplace by Poizner’s campaign, little did we know that with all of these various hits on Whitman, Poizner still was holding back the proverbial "kitchen sink" attack.  Well, as of this morning, we can now say that Poizner is using everything, including the kitchen sink, in his quest for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

This morning Poizner launched a web-video that highlights eBay’s role as online marketplace for pornography – seriously.  The web ad is immediately below.  Under the ad are a bunch of quotes released by the Poizner campaign, citing articles in those great "family values" publications (not) — the LA and SF Weekly newspapers. 

From Team Poizner…

Whitman Oversaw The Growth Of Pornography Sales On EBay:

Meg Whitman Oversaw The Growth Of EBay’s Adults Only Section, "Linking Buyers And Purveyors Of Porn And Sex Paraphernalia." "The reason that’s uplifting news is that the woman ultimately responsible for these offerings is now the frontrunner in the Republican gubernatorial primary. During her 10 years as CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman oversaw the growth of the auction site’s Adults Only section, linking buyers and purveyors of porn and sex paraphernalia." (Matt Smith, "Republican Meg Whitman’s Secret Past As A Porn-Peddling CEO At EBay," SF Weekly, 1/13/10)

Whitman Touts Her EBay Success, But Neglects To Mention How Porn Has Contributed To E-Commerce. "On the campaign trail, Whitman has touted herself as a business whiz able to bring jobs to the state. ‘We must overcome our challenges by counting on the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that is a hallmark of California,’ she said in a statement last week. But she didn’t note that California’s modern entrepreneurial spirit often involves selling sex. After all, since its inception, the Internet’s success has been aided by porn." (Matt Smith, "Republican Meg Whitman’s Secret Past As A Porn-Peddling CEO At EBay," SF Weekly, 1/13/10)

In 2000, Experts Estimated That Pornographic Materials And Items Make Up To 5 Percent Of EBay’s Overall Transactions, Earning Millions Of Dollars. "While eBay insists that adult sales represent less than 1 percent of its overall transactions, online porn and auction experts put the percentage higher, somewhere between 1 percent and 5 percent. With eBay’s gross revenue at roughly $2.8 billion a year, that means up to $140 million in extra cash…" (Deborah Picker, "X-Rated EBay," LA Weekly, 3/16/00)
   
The EBay Adult Section Would Be "Considered Quite Successful" Based On The Amount Of Activity. "’If [the adult section] were a Web site alone, it would be considered quite successful, judging from the amount of activity it gets,’ says Mark Dodd, co-founder of AuctionWatch, a San Bruno–based company that tracks online auctions." (Deborah Picker, "X-Rated EBay," LA Weekly, 3/16/00)

Whitman Oversaw The Creation Of The Adult Only Section Dedicated Exclusively To The Sale Of Pornography. "Prior to the company’s 1998 IPO, Whitman oversaw the creation of an eBay section, Adult Only, dedicated exclusively to the sale of pornography, rather than simply including porn items in auctions for more mainstream movies, magazines, or toys. The move was couched as a way to sanitize the overall site. But it was also prescient marketing…" (Matt Smith, "Republican Meg Whitman’s Secret Past As A Porn-Peddling CEO At EBay," SF Weekly, 1/13/10)

EBay’s Adult Sales "Quickly Displacing Adult Bookstores As The Favored Spot To Buy Used Men’s Magazines." "And while these sales haven’t exactly rocked the porn industry, Frederick S. Lane, author of Obscene Profits, a study of pornography in the cyber age, feels eBay is quickly displacing adult bookstores as the favored spot to buy used men‘s magazines. Lane also notes that eBay is part of the broader $2 billion adult e-commerce boom that ‘has wiped out at least half of the existing adult mail-order sales over the last three years.’" (Deborah Picker, "X-Rated EBay," LA Weekly, 3/16/00)

Whitman Herself Has Admitted That Pornography Was On Her Managerial Radar. "Whitman herself revealed in a February 2008 sworn declaration for the Kepas case that porn was indeed on her managerial radar. ‘Certain proposals concerning eBay’s mature audiences policies were presented to me,’ she wrote." (Matt Smith, "Republican Meg Whitman’s Secret Past As A Porn-Peddling CEO At EBay," SF Weekly, 1/13/10)

"’I Have To Believe, At Least In A Subterranean Way, There Are People Who Will Start Talking About It And Be Concerned About It,’ Said Henry Brady, Dean Of The Goldman School Of Public Policy At UC Berkeley." (Matt Smith, "Republican Meg Whitman’s Secret Past As A Porn-Peddling CEO At EBay," SF Weekly, 1/13/10)

This entry was posted on Monday, May 17th, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.