GOP hopefuls spar over immigration, climate change

Sacramento Bee ^ | 3/16/10 | Jack Chang

[SmithL]

COSTA MESA – In the first gubernatorial debate of the Republican primary, underdog candidate Steve Poizner sought Monday to establish himself as the true conservative of the race while rival Meg Whitman offered more moderate proposals on core GOP issues such as illegal immigration and the state's climate change law.

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.

She also took a softer stand on AB 32, which requires the state to cut greenhouse gas emissions, by calling for a one-year moratorium on its implementation. Poizner said he supported an initiative on the November ballot that would suspend the legislation until the state unemployment rate falls by more than half.

"I believe California is headed in completely the wrong direction," Poizner said at the debate, hosted by moderate Republican group New Majority California at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. "I want to be governor so we can take California in a completely different direction."

Poizner entered the debate hoping to gain ground on Whitman in public opinion polls, while Whitman was already targeting the Democrats' sole major gubernatorial candidate, Jerry Brown.

Whitman also promised a break from the status quo but didn't go as far as Poizner did on several issues.

[SmithL]

Republican gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner greet each other before Monday's debate at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa. They are scheduled to meet again in a May 2 debate in the Bay Area.

[Diogenesis]

Meg Whitman's campaign guru donated max to Obama -- while she advised McCain
"Even as former eBay CEO Meg Whitman acted as a high-profile backer and adviser to 2008
GOP presidential candidate John McCain, her top aide Henry Gomez -- now an eMeg
gubernatorial campaign majordomo -- donated the maximum to Democrat Barack Obama,
federal records show. Gomez, a trusted top insider in Republican Whitman's 2010 gubernatorial
campaign, donated the maximum $2,300 allowed to the general election campaign of Obama
in the days before -- and the weeks following -- the former eBay CEO's high profile televised
address to the GOP National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he accompanied Whitman around the..."

[pogo101]

Both of these folks are unacceptable soaking-wet numbers.

I suppose the less-liberal one is Poizner — the one with about 1/8 of Whitman’s campaign budget. I’ll vote for him in June, but I’m not holding my breath for him to win.

So, barring scandal, it’s Whitman or Moonbeam: A liberal against an arch-leftist.

I guess it’s either Whitman in November, sit it out or vote for a 3d party.