Posted on 02/21/2010 8:21:00 AM PST by SmithL
This month, former Gov. Pete Wilson sent out a letter calling on good Republicans to "unite" behind former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's bid for governor. A largely Democratic effort had been formed to raise $40 million to defeat the billionaire candidate, which Wilson argued forced Team Whitman to launch its general election campaign early.
It was an arrogant move - calling the GOP primary before a single voter has cast a ballot in the June 8 election. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is still in the race. No wonder Poizner recently told me, "She wants to be ordained."
After pouring $39 million of her own money into her campaign, Whitman has blanketed the airwaves with commercials and, as a result, has been trouncing Poizner in the polls. Poizner, who is also rich and put about $19 million into his effort, has preferred to campaign using free media, including debates with former rival Tom Campbell. (Which Whitman skipped.) Poizner wants to debate at the GOP convention in March. Whitman says no.
I reached Wilson on his cell phone Wednesday to ask: How can a candidate who never has run for office, and ducked every debate to date, dare to try to elbow out of the primary the one candidate who has won statewide office?
Wilson answered that even though Whitman is skipping a debate at the March GOP convention, she has agreed to a later debate. I should understand, he said, that Whitman is doing what all savvy candidates, including the likely Democratic nominee, Attorney General Jerry Brown, do - limiting debates and press interviews. "You don't accept every one," Wilson explained, using his why-do-I-even-have-to-say-this voice. "I think this is small potatoes, Debra."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
72 had some good points in it but you choose to ignore them.
Mitt Romney is building a national power base and Meg Whitman is the cornerstone of his plan, that is why he bought a home here, because he wants to have a physical presence in California to promote his handpicked protege.
A vote for Meg Whitman is a vote for President Mitt Romney and a vote to make pro abortion Meg Whitman the GOP face for women, her liberalism would become the dominant image of Republican women.
With President Mitt Romney in charge and Vice President or California Governor Meg Whitman the go to person for all things female, then the conservative thrust that we are engaged in would be check mated and rolled back for many years.
But , Poizner tried to blame his wife for his donation.
Your tax returns do not lie !
If you are not man enough to own up to donation made to a radical nutters like Al Gore but blaming your wife is
disgraceful.
I think our Meg Whitman friend is probably a retread that has played the game before.
To: Kimberly GG
Tim Pawlenty is the plain vanilla candidate for 2012. But then again, the most popular ice cream flavor is vanilla.
I think the two top candidates for ‘12 are going to be Tim Pawlenty and Scott Brown. Neil Cavuto practically endorsed Scott Brown for President yesterday.
3 posted on Friday, February 19, 2010 8:42:27 AM by AlanD
If you think I’d vote for Poizner....
The Sac Bee was caught by Hugh Hewitt of telling a huge lie about Whitman voting records.
The Dem party operative at the Sac Commie Bee made a false claim.
He wrote that he could not find any record of her voting
for the last 20 years.
The Scum left out the FACT the voting records had been destroyed for all those years by local officials .
Hugh Hewitt took apart the Sac Bee editor of that writer on the air and she hung up on him ! It was funny, she was caught red handed in Dem party scam . Whitman stated that she may not have voted in every election because she moved or was living overseas while working
for Disney. Big Deal.
Is it okay to like Tim Pawlenty on FR? I need to get a list of the acceptable people ASAP.
You listen to HH.. he backed Arnie to the hilt.. who cares what her voting record is,, will Van Jones vote for her?
You are trying to put way too much lipstick on Meg.. it ain’t helping, she is what she is.. unfortunately no current candidate is what this state needs..
He’s a half a notch above Norm Coleman.. how’s that?
Like Tim all you want, he ain’t gonna win as long as Mitt and Ron and crews are running things.
“A victory by Meg Whitman in the race for California governor could deliver Mitt Romney a foothold in a Democratic state.”
“But for the next year and a half, the center of Romney’s political universe will shift west to Sacramento, where key parts of his operation have reassembled on behalf of Meg Whitman, a longtime friend and former business colleague who this month entered next year’s Republican primary to become the governor of California.
The former eBay CEO is still readying her headquarters, but it has already become something of a campaign-in-exile for Romney’s ambitions, which could include another presidential run in 2012. His leading fund-raisers and top aides, including one known as the former Massachusetts governor’s “sixth son,” have already signed on with Whitman. Today Romney will appear with Whitman at the state Republican convention, where he is expected to endorse her.
“Mitt’s going to be involved in dozens and dozens of races, but one that he’s particularly excited about is the race for governor of California,” said Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney spokesman.
A Whitman victory could deliver Romney a valuable foothold in a state that will likely be a big, early prize on the Republican nominating calendar. Her 2010 campaign will also offer a proving ground for how a candidate like Romney could compete on traditionally Democratic terrain, selling pragmatic, business-minded remedies for the nation’s economic illnesses.”
SNIP
“In the last two years, the trajectories of the two, who both declined to be interviewed for this story, have intersected again. Whitman was an early and prominent Romney backer, the most visible business figure raising money on his behalf. Now she is positioning herself much as Romney did in his first, ultimately unsuccessful race, for US Senate in 1994, as a moderate supportive of abortion rights and a fiscal conservative with managerial acumen rare in politics.
“People that supported Mitt would probably also be drawn to the executive experience Meg had in the private sector and think it would be very beneficial in governing the state,” said Spencer Zwick, who met Whitman when he directed Romney’s presidential fund-raising operation and is now her senior adviser and finance chairman.
It is the first time Zwick, a Utah native who became so close to Romney while working for his Olympic organization that he is treated as part of the family, is working for a politician other than Romney. Zwick, now a partner with Romney’s son Tagg in Solamere Capital, says he will stay in Boston but travel regularly to California, where the equity firm has business interests.
On Whitman’s campaign, Zwick will work alongside deputy campaign manager and finance director Don Stirling, a professional fund-raising consultant who worked for Romney’s campaigns and PACs and who was appointed by Romney to head the Massachusetts Sports & Entertainment Committee.
In late 2006, Zwick and Stirling were both involved in controversial outreach to Mormon church leaders to enlist support for Romney’s presidential campaign, the Globe reported at the time. Stirling participated in meetings at the Salt Lake City headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which as a nonprofit institution is prohibited by tax laws from participating in electoral politics. Whitman’s campaign declined to make Stirling available for an interview.
Other members of Whitman’s staff include veterans of Romney’s California team, including his senior adviser and finance director in the state. This week, Whitman’s exploratory committee unveiled a finance committee that includes several Romney donors, including Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, former Northwest Airlines chairman Gary L. Wilson, and investor Thomas R. Tellefsen, who served as Romney’s national finance chairman. Others on the list demonstrate the range of West Coast entrepreneurialism, from Silicon Valley venture capitalist Floyd Kvamme to weight-loss specialist Jenny Craig.”
SNIP
“Whitman, along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, is likely to create one of the best-funded campaigns in the country this year, a presidential-style operation at the state level. But aides to both Whitman and Romney downplayed the idea that Romney’s confidants gave him an unusual presence on her staff.
“My sense is that Meg Whitman is attracting talent from across the political spectrum,” said Fehrnstrom. “She’s attracting people who were affiliated with Rudy Giuliani, with John McCain, with Mitt Romney, with all the candidates in 2008.”
Yet Romney is the only one of the three considered a possible 2012 presidential candidate, and if Whitman won, backing from the governor of the largest state could offer him a key boost.
Last year, Romney’s last hope for a campaign comeback ended when Florida’s Republican governor, Charlie Crist , came out just before his state’s primary for McCain. By the time the race reached California, in February, Romney’s bid was lost, and he withdrew after the primary.”
Norm , your quoting a story that the Sac Bee ran and they had to retract.
The Sac Bee was caught by Hugh Hewitt of telling a huge lie about Whitman voting records.
—
Post the retraction and Hugh’s interview link.
I am just being practical. Poizner has not spent a dime to promote his ideas but rather called in Jerry Brown to smear his rival and plus that pathetic excuse using his wife to explain his donation to Al Gore recount was unreal.
There are no great candidates because the ACCOR< SEIU, Nurses Union and Moveon.org has so much money to blow.
practical .. pragmatic .. matters not
We’re hosed.. and the CaGoP is stukc on studip.
W.A.S.S.
Norm , it time to hit the park with kids.
bye.
Meg Whitman has donated to:
John Kerry-Democrat, Vietnam
Barbara Boxer-Democrat
Mitt Romney-Liberal, Longed to fight in Vietnam
Maria Cantwell-Democrat
GARY L. ACKERMAN-Democrat “This isn’t the first time the Congressman was labeled as anti-Christian”
MIKE HONDA-Democrat,”Honda has been a defender of the civil rights of American Muslims.”
Was one of your past sign on names “steven33442” ?
No, my first name is Alan. Is it okay to like Tim Pawlenty? I thought he did a great job on Meet the Press today.
I got a laugh from his “smash out the window of big gov’t” line.
You support pro abortion Meg Whitman enthusiastically, and your ticket for President is either pro abortion Scott Brown and his weeks of Senate experience, or moderate, non social conservative, Tim Pawlenty.
I Just don’t get the feeling that this is your first turn around the FR block.
I think Meg Whitman is the strongest GOP candidate for Governor this go-round. I would also commit to voting for you should you decide to run for Governor of California.
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