"And given the current state of California, Arnold has further curdled that argument; he has left the state in worse condition than he got it in the recall in 2003. That's a classic example of how an outsider can't just ride in on a white horse and clean up the mess."
And Gray Davis has the last laugh. ::)
Isn't Gavin Newsom also running?
Gavin Newsome is unelectable outside of SF. He might pull 40% just because he's a Democrat, but even a lot of Dems out of the Bay Area will fail to buy into his utopian bullshit.
Very good speaker though. Even though I disagree with alot of what he says, I still like to hear him talk.
Interesting guy.
Newsome is the same terd who slept with his campaign manager's wife. ::)
I couldn't care less
You would if you were his campain manager.
I couldn't care less
You would if you were his campain manager.
I couldn't care less that you care less.
Isn't Gavin Newsom also running?
Why are you talking about Gavin Newsom? Do you live in San Francisco? Have you voted for him? Why is he even on your radar screen? ???
I live in the Bay Area and I thought I heard on the news that he was running or announced an exploratory commitee or something to that effect.
Sure, he'll run, but I don't think many people (even in SF) are taking his candidacy very seriously at this point. I wonder why someone who doesn't live in SF would be paying much attention to him or mentioning him in the same breath/thread with Meg Whitman. Can you name three things that make Gavin a viable candidate over say Jerry Brown or Villaraigosa in Los Angeles?
Meg's financial resources, history in the private sector, gender and historical timeframe make her an instant front runner.
The arrogance may be Whitman's
The political novice who would be governor calls state workers 'selfish and arrogant.' That isn't a sound management practice.
George Skelton
From Sacramento
One of the more damning and insulting words in the family dictionary is "arrogant." It's normally used behind the subject's back. In public, it should be deployed guardedly, even by a politician.
Generally, when someone tosses around that adjective, the hurler had better be on solid ground and not living in a glass house, or mansion.
So it was a bit grating recently to read that billionaire political novice Meg Whitman had called state civil servants "selfish and arrogant" in officially announcing her candidacy for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
She repeated virtually the same derogatory description of state workers at the California Republican Party's convention the next weekend in Indian Wells.
Whitman didn't call them civil servants, of course. She used the time-tested conservative, red meat pejoratives "bureaucrats" and "bureaucracy."
This is how she put it to supporters at her formal campaign kickoff in Fullerton:
"Every year, we pay more to sustain an out-of-control state bureaucracy -- a wasteful bureaucracy, out of touch with the needs of Californians. And a selfish and arrogant bureaucracy, unwilling to give an inch even in the toughest of economic times."
Never mind that most state employees are enduring three unpaid furlough days a month, a roughly 14% wage cut saving the state $2.2 billion this fiscal year. The workers don't like it, but they're not yet marching on picket lines.
For months, Whitman has been promising to slash the state payroll "by at least 40,000 employees," returning it to the level of 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's first year in office.
Well, good luck with that.
The state workforce totals about 363,000 full-time equivalent slots, according to the Finance Department. Of those, however, only 203,000 are under the governor's control. The other 160,000 are controlled by, for example, the universities, the retirement systems, the judiciary and the Legislature. Whitman would be powerless to lay off professors, investment managers, court clerks or legislative aides.
No problem, her campaign says. She'd use the governor's line-item veto power to cut budgets by the equivalent salary amounts and force the universities, for example, to choose between firing professors and raising student fees. Again.
The biggest employment growth under the governor's control -- in fact, in all of state government -- has been in the prison system. Roughly 16,000 employees have been added since 2004, the administration says, because of court orders, prison population increases and enforcement of Jessica's Law, a 2006 voter-approved restriction on where paroled sex offenders can live.
At the Republican convention, Whitman announced she'd exempt prison guards, highway patrol officers and firefighters from her layoff notices. So that reduces her potential firing pool by at least 48,000.
She realizes that 40,000 workers can't be laid off immediately, her campaign says. The down-sizing is a first-term goal. She'll figure it all out after she takes office.
Right! This I know: Any significant payroll slashing -- in fact, the fulfilling of other campaign promises as well -- would require a cooperative workforce. And running for the boss job by calling the worker bees selfish and arrogant isn't a sound management practice, whether in the public or the private sector.
A governor or CEO shouldn't be beholden to any union or employee group. And certainly labor leaders can be arrogant. But the workers should be treated civilly, with respect, particularly if they're not threatening you.
Moreover, who is Whitman to be calling civil servants arrogant? What's her credibility? How many times has she even stepped inside a state office except to schmooze a governor?
"Bureaucrats" have always been easy political targets. But so is Whitman.
I don't know her and have no idea whether she comes across as arrogant in person. She can be charming on TV. Some of her ideas sound good.
But some people might consider it arrogant to think you're qualified to be governor of the nation's most populous, most complex state despite never having served in any government position. Not on a school board or even a local commission.
Being the chief executive of EBay is very impressive. But it's no substitute for having acquired knowledge and honed political skills by tussling with city councils or serving in some lower level elective office -- and constantly operating in the public glare while trying to peddle your ideas.
California's political graveyards are littered with wannabe governors who fantasized about using their vast fortunes to buy the top job without first paying any dues.
And not only did Whitman shun the political ladder, she has hardly ever used the ballot box. Or the convenient absentee ballot. Now 53, she didn't even register to vote until 46, the Sacramento Bee reported. She didn't become a Republican until two years ago.
An "atrocious" record, Whitman now admits. "I was focused on raising a family, on my husband's career, and we moved many, many times. It is no excuse. My voting record . . . is unacceptable."
Yes. And this is what the record indicates: Whitman felt she had more important things to do than participate in democracy's most basic civic duty. She couldn't be bothered. Had little interest in public policy.
Now she wants to be governor. Is that arrogant?
If Whitman wants to whack the public payroll, that's a legitimate policy debate. But ridiculing middle-class workers as arrogant smacks of arrogance in itself. It's definitely cheap political demagoguery.
Anyone will be better than Arnold.
He let his wife tell him what to do and the state suffered.
ol girl ugly as fuck
Is there anybody famous in Californial that Allred isn't somehow associated with? She seems to pop up everywhere.
"poof" Did you hear that? That's the sound of $120 million going up in smoke!
The lesson here is clear: be good to "the help" because they can always bring you down. Meg could have so easily hired an immigration lawyer to help Nicky-- insteatd she fired her and told her "you don't know me and I don't know you." Even better she could have paid her a nice chunk of change to disappear or even to go back to Mexico. Instead she turned her out with nothing. Big mistake... big... HUGE!
here's another example: Ben Ladner was effectively stealing millions from American University while he was president and no one was the wiser. But he was nasty to "the help." He once told his chauffeur that he was not allowed to take a bathroom break while driving from NYC to Washington DC. The chauffeur eventually penned an anonymous letter to the board of directors warning that Ladner's expense account was being abused. Result: Ladner was fired!
Ben Ladner's Years of Living Lavishly
American University president Ben Ladner and his wife, Nancy, were behaving like billionaires—until their years of living lavishly caught up with them.
By Harry Jaffe
In January 2004, American University president Benjamin Ladner and AU board chair George Collins took their wives to St. John in the Virgin Islands.
In their roles as president and board chair, Ladner and Collins had become friends. They dined together after board meetings, sailed together, vacationed together.
When Ladner and his wife, Nancy Bullard Ladner, were looking for a second home, Collins and his wife introduced them to Gibson Island, an enclave on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Their wives, both with Southern roots, hit it off. Collins sponsored the Ladners for membership in the island’s tennis and golf club.
But by 2004 the mix of business and fun wasn’t always pleasant. Ladner was lobbying the board for a raise, and he couldn’t leave it in the boardroom. During the trip to St. John, Ladner kept talking about money.
At the time Ladner was making $880,750 a year, including base pay, bonus, and incentives. This put him among the nation’s best-paid college presidents. But he wanted more...
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/1714.html
As opposed to who? Pelosi, boxer, feinstein, wasserman-schultz, DeLauro, Napolitano, Kagan, etc?you are making looks a political party thing...Dude she is ugly..even in her own ads she is ugly... bro what the fuck is wrong with you get a grip. wow this is like alarming.
Yes,employing someone for 9 years at 27 dollars an hour is darn near slavery and abuse.Poor poor little illegal.With the money that filthy wet back made why didnt she hire her own lawyer and get legal?
why is she a filthy wet back...because of her skin color?
BECAUSE SHE IS ILLEGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BECAUSE SHE FORGED HER DOCUMENTS AND LIED FOR 9 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BECAUSE SHE IS TRYING TO GET PAID NOW AFTER BEWING PAID 27 DOLLARS AN HOUR FOR 9 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Is that a good enough reason to call her a lying,filthy wet back?Oh so it has nothing to do with her skin color right. ::)
Oh so it has nothing to do with her skin color right. ::)
b]She is far closer to white then you.[/b].
Like i strive for that...Im gonna stick with this Black/latin thing..been workin out for me and my family pretty good..lol
She is far closer to white then you.
Thats hilarious
Why?You said I was ripping her because of her skin color,I said she is closer to white then you.Its always funny,but when I used to call Dead Kenned pasty faced or pale faced or posted about his bloated white belly,NEVER did I hear you jump on race.Again,typical lib.
First off...i have never seen you post that..nor do i know who that is...Ive never heard of the guy.
That would be that big fat rotting corpse Ted Kennedy,but since he is dead,it is now Dead Kennedy.Im sure his stinking corpse looks the same as he drank enough booze to keep his corpse intact for fifty years.Hopefully his strung out junkie son will join him very very soon.
This is a great example of what the majority of illegals are all about. They deceitfully can get something by lying, then immediately turn on who they scammed to get something more when they get exposed.
Deport the bitch, take everything she has (the gain from illegal activity), and do whatever else it takes to make her an example to the other 14.99 million illegal criminals who sneak in.
Big Brown-Whitman debate on KGO radio Tuesday cancelled
The big radio debate between California gubernatorial candidatees -- Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman -- which had been scheduled Tuesday at 10 a.m. on the Ronn Owens' show has been cancelled, the station says.
Sterling Clifford, Brown's spokesman, said the debate was only a "discussion" between the two candidates, and "by mutual agreement,'' the two have decided not to pursue it.
But the debate was announced confirmed by KGO and Owens, one of the country's leading radio broadcasters, after the June primary - and neither of the candidates ever suggested they would not participate.
It was to be the third in a series between California's two gubernatorial candidates, and the only one scheduled for radio.
All this comes on the heels of Saturday's Univision debate in Fresno, dominated by the discussion of Whitman's hiring of an undocumented immigrant as her housekeeper for nine years.
We'll keep you posed and update.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=73752&tsp=1
too bad
i listened to the first debate last week and it was pretty good
I'm voting for Brown
No kidding - you voted for obama so your track record speaks for itself. Brown is one of the people responsible for the pension disaster you clowns have and its only going to get drastically worse.
How about this
you vote for governor in your state and I'll vote in mine
you already know how I feel about pensions but that doesn't change my mind in voting for Brown
Guess what......I'm going to vote for Boxer too
This is why you are one of, if not, the dumbest person on this board.
Because he dosent agree with you
The lesson here is clear: be good to "the help" because they can always bring you down. Meg could have so easily hired an immigration lawyer to help Nicky-- insteatd she fired her and told her "you don't know me and I don't know you." Even better she could have paid her a nice chunk of change to disappear or even to go back to Mexico. Instead she turned her out with nothing. Big mistake... big... HUGE!
Brown up by 4 points, the leader never wants to debate. Whitman had the lead 2 months ago, not anymore.
She knows she's gonna get hammered for this illegal thing.
better for both of them to avoid this one
too bad
i listened to the first debate last week and it was pretty good
I'm voting for Brown
Why are you voting for brown?
Because Straw Man thinks that the man who helped bankrupt California with the outrageous pensions for public employees is going to be the one to reform it. ::) ::)
Whitman's ex-nanny believes housekeeper
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
(10-04) 20:43 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Jill Armstrong says she has good reason to accept Mexican housekeeper Nicandra Diaz Santillan's tale of working in the household of GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman - because Armstrong herself was a domestic for the former eBay CEO.
"I totally believe" Diaz, Armstrong, 59, of Mountain View, said in an interview with The Chronicle. "I know the family. I know what it was like."
Diaz, an undocumented immigrant, on Wednesday publicly recounted her story of long hours and unpaid work for Whitman, charging that she was fired in June 2009 after nine years on the job after asking the gubernatorial candidate for help in getting legal immigration status.
Whitman has said she did not know Diaz was an illegal immigrant and was forced to let her go when she learned about it.
Armstrong, who worked for Whitman and her husband, Griff Harsh, during the summer of 1998, produced her W-2 form from that year, which reflects her stint as a full-time nanny for Whitman. Her hiring was confirmed by Palo Alto-based Town and Country Resources, the employment agency that placed Diaz with Whitman two years later.
Had enough'
Armstrong said she quit after about two months because of the demands and difficulties of the job.
"I had enough," she said in an interview, describing trouble getting paid what she believed she was owed, and challenges in dealing with household chores and in supervising Whitman's two young sons.
Campaign responds
Tucker Bounds, spokesman for Whitman, called Armstrong's complaints "the unsubstantiated claims of a lone employee who worked in the Whitman household for just a few weeks 12 years ago."
He said many other employees "have worked for Meg and Griff over the years and enjoyed a very positive experience."
Armstrong said she was a registered Democrat in San Mateo County until last year and has since moved to Santa Clara County, where she has not yet registered to vote. She added that she is not associated with the campaign of Whitman's opponent in the Nov. 2 election, Attorney General Jerry Brown, Brown's surrogates or union groups. She said is not receiving compensation or any kind of incentive to tell her story.
Armstrong said she came forward because she believed Whitman viewed domestic help as "disposable."
"We're raising their kids, and we deserve respect," she said.
Armstrong - a U.S. citizen who was raised in Palo Alto and is a grandmother of two - said she was an experienced, "full-service" nanny for more than 20 years who had worked for several well-off families in the area.
When she was hired by Whitman and her husband on June 28, 1998, Armstrong said, "The duties were to take care of the kids, take them to their activities, keep the house clean, do the laundry, go to the grocery store" and perform other household jobs.
Armstrong said Whitman and Harsh were in the process of moving from the Boston area into Apt. 215 at the Oak Creek Apartments in Palo Alto, near Stanford University Medical Center, where Harsh works. Armstrong said it was agreed that she would be paid full-time and was brought on to help Whitman get the living space ready before the children came to California.
Balked at paying
"I set up her apartment. I did the unpacking," and other jobs to get the place ready for the children, Armstrong said.
But she described Whitman as "cheap" and said she was surprised when her boss at first balked at paying the agreed salary - arguing that Armstrong didn't "deserve" it because she wasn't yet working full-time as a nanny.
Armstrong said she was also surprised to hear Whitman's explanation last week that her husband did not recall receiving a letter from the Social Security Administration in 2003 that asked the Whitmans to double-check their information on Diaz because the information on file did not match the agency's records.
"Harsh would not forget something like that," Armstrong said. "He had his thumb on everything."
After two months, Armstrong said, "I called her up and said, 'Meg, I quit. I can't handle it anymore.' "
Her biggest problem, she said, came months later when she was ready to file her taxes but hadn't received a tax form from Whitman. She called her former employer to say, "Meg, you did not give me a W-2."
Creative accounting
Armstrong heard nothing and "had to threaten to take her to the IRS" before Whitman's accountant called back and said, "Give me the numbers; give me the hours," she recalled.
"That's Meg's responsibility," Armstrong said she replied. "Isn't she supposed to have all that written down?
"He said, 'Look, will you work with me?' " Armstrong said. "And that's how we came up with the numbers."
Armstrong's W-2 form shows her salary for two months of full-time work was exactly $5,200.
I hope every single taxpayers take note of these disgusting illegals. Every last one needs to be catapulted back.
I hope every single taxpayers take note of these disgusting illegals. Every last one needs to be catapulted back.
"I'm not anyone's puppet,'' says Meg Whitman's ex-maid
Nicky Diaz Santillan, GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's undocumented ex-maid, Wednesday insisted she is "not anyone's puppet,'' and said she came forward to tell her story about working for the former CEO to be a voice for others who are still "in the shadows."
But Diaz's Los Angeles attorney, Gloria Allred refused to disclose how the immigrant worker's case came to her attention -- and again denied she was connected to the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown.
Diaz, reading from a statement at a news conference carried live on some stations, said, "I'm not anyone's puppet..Nobody made me do it. Meg Whitman was wrong when she said somebody put a gun to my head. Nobody did.''
"I want to be heard,'' she said. "I want the people who clean houses and do the job that the others don't want to do, to be treated with respect and dignity."
Diaz's live statement can be seen here.
Diaz's appearance on television Wednesday marks Allred's third televised press conference on the matter, and a full week of coverage in a news story has roiled the California governor's race in which Whitman is competing hard for the critical Latino vote against Brown.
The Whitman campaign has charged that Diaz has been used by Democratic operatives, including Brown and his surrogates, as part of a "smear" campaign.
Allred, long a Democratic activist, would not say how Diaz made contact with her law firm. "You may never find out -- or you may find out,'' she said. "We do not disclose the names of attorneys or any individual who refers cases to this law firm."
Whitman said she hired Diaz through an agency, and was provided with what she believed to be proper documentation for the employee, who worked for her from 2000-2009. Whitman has said that Diaz was like "a member of the family'' and that she was forced to fire the maid when she learned she did not have legal immigration status.
Diaz and Allred both allege that Whitman knew of the Mexican-born housekeeper's undocumented status. They have said Diaz was fired when she asked Whitman for help in becoming a legal citizen in June 2009.
"Housekeepers are human beings too....we have feelings,'' Diaz said. "I'm not doing this only for me, but also for all the people who are taken advantage of by their employers."
"I knew the risk of speaking out, and I was afraid for my family. Despite my fear, I decided to come out from the shadows..in which millions of people live every day,'' she said. "It's not fair that we work hard and then get thrown away like garbage.''
Diaz added, "Meg Whitman, don't say I was part of your family, because you never treated me like I was."
Asked if Diaz is being compensated for her story, Allred said no.
"(Diaz) is not being compensated for making her statements,'' said Allred. "I don't know what the future holds...(but) as of this date, she has not received any compensation for saying what she is saying."
Allred, asked how the maid is supporting herself currently, said: "It's very difficult right now for Nicky.''
"And if there's anybody who wishes to help Nicky in this time of great stress and challenge and risk, I'd be very happy to make sure that she is helped in the way that is appropriate,'' she said.
Asked if she had any connection to Brown or his surrogates, Allred did not specifically answer the question. ""Anybody who knows me, knows that nobody tells me what to do,'' Allred said. "I have not spoken to Jerry Brown in about a year or two,'' she said. "I have no idea who's even on his staff.''
But she refused to say more. "All I can tell you is I have a client. I'm speaking out on (her) behalf,'' she said.
"We have represented employees in employment matters for more than three decades. This is the number one emphasis of our law firm,'' she said. "It is not a surprise that we would be referred in a matter involving employment."
Allred also cited a report in the San Francisco Chronicle today which detailed the story of Jill Armstrong, a Mt. View woman who says she was Whitman's first nanny in California after Whitman came here in 1998 from Massachusetts to take on the post as CEO of eBay.
Armstrong told the Chronicle that Diaz's story rang true to her; she said she left the job in Whitman's employ a full time nanny after just a summer due to the challenges of working for Whitman, her husband Dr. Griff Harsh and their two young sons.
Tucker Bounds, spokesman for the Whitman campaign, asked to comment on her story, called Armstrong's complaints "the unsubstantiated claims of a lone employee who worked in the Whitman household for just a few weeks 12 years ago." He said many other employees "have worked for Meg and Griff over the years and enjoyed a very positive experience."
Interesting how this article uses undocumented, immigrant worker, Mexican born....... Why not call her what she is? A fucking criminal who entered the US illegally? I really don't give a fuck what Mrs. Diaz Santillan has to say, as a matter of fact the only place she should be speaking from is Mexico. And Allred should have her law license revoked for running the freak show. Fed up with the media circus bullshit.
Bump for straw
Why are you voting for brown?
And it appears today that cali's pension liabilities are far worse than originally thought. Guess who is one of the main architects of that? Brown.
And you people are going to vote for that? Good - watching your state burn to the ground and you stupid libs left broke and destitute os going to be a complete joy to watch.
Well you see doing a hatchet job on a republican ( by a lying criminal none the less) than actually getting the state squared away is much more important.
Some of stupid shit I see on this board just about dashes any hope that I had for this country making a comeback.
Just look at the posts of some of the fools on this board - they are still kneepadding daily, denying reality, ignoring objective fact and failures, and focusing on the most idiotic shit you could ever imagine.
We deserve a total collapse with people like this basing their voting decisions on the claims of illegal aliens.
There must be something fucked up in the wiring of libs brains. We have an illegal alien who used forged documents and lied that she was in the us legally - anything she says is the TRUTH
On the other hand we have a successful business woman, who happens to be a republican/conservative - The bitch is evil, look how she treated the above criminal ::)
Give me a fucking break, the 60's really turned this country into PC shit hole.
One woman created tens of thousands of jobs and has paid tens of millions of dollars in taxes, the other is a lifelong govt employee leeching off the system.
And now that Cali is in such a mess fiscally because of the bloated govt - these idiots are clamoring to put one of the architects of the mess back in power.
This is the type of stupidity on display we have.
Yes the definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Kazan - I believe we should divide the nation in 2 at point. The makers who want to be left alone on one side, and the lazy takers and far left idiots on the other. Let them destroy their own half and leave the rest of us alone.
One woman created tens of thousands of jobs
Whitman
outsourced
40% of
Ebay jobs.
And doing so made ebay a very successful company. It's just not feasible for a lot of companies to keep 100% of jobs in this country these days. It's funny that people would rather the corporations go bankrupt (so the other 60% of American-based workers lose jobs) than stay competitive. Makes sense. ::)
And if you want to look at why jobs are so easy to outsource to where ever you have to look no further than the federal government
we can make america a VERY successful country by exporting our entire tech sector to india, our entire mnfg sector to china, etc.
I mean... the companies would be doing AWESOME with the cheaper overseas wages. Like you said, it's just not feasible to keep 100% of the jobs. Maybe whitman can export 40% of cali jobs overseas.
This is a straw man. She outsourced 40% of the jobs (according to you). She did not outsource "our entire tech sector".
Your argumentative skills fucking blow lately. It's just word games with you.
But I see you'd rather ebay have gone bottoms up so that the other 60% of American employees lost their jobs. That's cool. Nice to know you want more Americans out of work.
so it's cool if she corrects Cali's economic woes and balances the state budget by slashing 40% of govt jobs?
(It might be true, I dunno... makes sense to me in an economic sense, but what do you do with all those workers then?)
should we remove the minimum wage?
this would allow american workers to earn a lot less, which would keep mnfg jobs here. It just makes no economic sense to pay an american $8 an hour to make Nikes when you can pay a person $8 a DAY to do it overseas *or less
I'm personally against min wage. As are many of the tea party candidates.
Because it's more government interference in the private sector, does flipping a burger really require that much skill to warrant 8/hr? I think not.
megs mexican vote=gone
This comment got to me, when I was growing up we were all Americans, over the last couple decades suddenly there we aren't just Americans anymore, but mexican-americans, africa-americans.........
This comment got to me, when I was growing up we were all Americans, over the last couple decades suddenly there we aren't just Americans anymore, but mexican-americans, africa-americans.........
I guess some people will believe anything, Brown is a progressive, then all of the sudden he is a centerist?
Yeah, as if energy prices are not high enough out there. ::) ::)
The level of utter stupidity of the average californian never ceases to amaze me.
Yeah, as if energy prices are not high enough out there. ::) ::)
The level of utter stupidity of the average bay area or los angeles basin californian never ceases to amaze me.
The one-time environmental leader who left an admirable progressive legacy his first time in the governor's office (including the Agricultural Labor Relations Board, the California Conservation Corps, and the liberal Rose Bird Supreme Court) and who is willing to stand up and oppose the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant has become a centrist, tough-on-crime, no-new-taxes candidate. And his only solution to the state budget problems is to bring all the players together early and start talking.
No wonder our nation is fucked beyond repair with idiocy like this.
brown represents everything that caused this mess, everything obama.
yet he'll probably win this race, despite all the anti-incumbent sentiment---
BECAUSE THE REPUBS LET A WEAK CANDIDATE BUY HER WAY TO THE NOMINATION.
If they had voted based upon candidate strength, honesty, and competence, she woudn't have won it. instead, they let themselves be suckered by her mass advertising buys. She bought the nomination, but it's not working in the general. Just like in DEL and NY, the repubs nominated an unelectable candidate.
Insurance commissioner Steve Poizner was a better GOP choice than Whitman, but he did not have the party backing nor the money to keep up with her. :-[
SJ Mercury News Recommends
Jerry Brown for Governor
Jerry Brown is the right choice for governor
Jerry Brown offers California exactly what it needs in its next governor: a mature politician who can get things done in Sacramento and who brings good ideas, strong principles and a reputation for telling the truth.
It's popular in some circles to say we need an outsider with business experience to run government. We tried that. It didn't work. This is the time for a leader who can work the system and who will act in the best interests of the people of California. Capping his career with a second run for the office he held three decades ago, Brown, at 72, has no ax to grind, no simmering ambition that would lead him to trump the public good with pandering to special interests. He is motivated by his desire to leave a shining legacy after a lifetime of public service.
We enthusiastically recommend him for governor.
The alternative, Meg Whitman, has demonstrated through her campaign a loose relationship with the truth, a poor understanding of government and a penchant for platitudes. Her carefully packaged positions offer pat solutions for problems whose depth and complexity clearly elude her. We recommended her in the Republican primary over the shape-shifting Steve Poizner, but as the campaign has unfolded we've come to see that she utterly lacks the qualifications to be governor.
Whitman is spending more than $140 million on this campaign -- breaking all records -- largely to buy misleading ads and pay a herd of consultants to tell her what to say. Their aim is obvious, targeting various interests. What we don't know is who Meg Whitman really is, how she thinks or what she values. She can't buy credibility.
Brown is the opposite. He's so un-packaged that you never quite know what he's going to say, and sometimes it's, oh, let's just say impolitic. But when he discusses California's history, politics and challenges, you're sure to learn something. This is the benefit of his longevity in public life, including a variety of statewide offices and the thankless job of mayor of Oakland. His insight is deep and his institutional memory vast, illuminating not only what California's problems are but how they evolved through decades of different governors -- all but one since him a Republican.
Brown is not sanguine about the state's problems, but he is pragmatic. He believes in incremental change. Not long ago, this would have frustrated us. But after seeing dramatic reform ideas crash and burn (the constitutional convention) or languish on life support (California Forward's proposals), we're ready to give incremental a try.
Brown's years of public life have offered the opposition lots of campaign fodder -- a disadvantage of having a record, unlike Whitman, who rarely even voted until recently. That record is fair game, but many of Whitman's attacks are not fair.
Brown is not a pawn of unions, although labor supports him. As governor, he vetoed several pay raises for public employees, and he now supports a second tier of pension benefits, while Whitman panders to police and firefighters by exempting them from reform. Brown is proud of starting two Oakland charter schools, hardly the way to court the teachers unions.
He is a business advocate: As mayor of Oakland, he even tried to get an exemption from state environmental laws for new development in the struggling city. He supports California's global warming legislation, which has created jobs in the only sector
that's been growing through the recession, while Whitman's position on the law is wishy-washy. And he is clear on immigration policy while Whitman was all over the map even before her undocumented former housekeeper showed up.
Brown has built relationships with members of both parties, working well with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example. When we asked Whitman recently what Democratic leaders she has met with to prepare for this run, she replied: none.
Perhaps the best illustration of Whitman's manipulation of facts and cluelessness about government is the anecdote she likes to tell about eBay's building project in San Jose. It took 21/2 years to break ground, and she uses this as an example of government regulation run amok. But it was eBay's decision to redesign the project that held things up, not San Jose, which fast-tracked the plan. When we brought this up to her, she shrugged and said it just shouldn't have taken that long -- as if the reason didn't matter.
Jerry Brown doesn't need to fudge anecdotes to make a point. He knows what he's talking about from experience. And if he makes a mistake, he'll own up, probably with self-deprecating humor.
Brown is the right choice for California at this critical time.
Still most of what I see is why not to vote for someone. Lol
Why vote for Brown? So far All I seem to get is why not vote for Meg
Why vote for Brown? So far All I seem to get is why not vote for Meg
Good luck getting a straight answer.
Good luck getting a straight answer.
Here is the 333386 calculus
1. Meg - extremely good CEO of EBAY - 50 - 50 chance she does a good job.
2. Brown - 100% chance he will raise taxes and increase the failed policies that are driving people from your state.
Do you go with a person with a 50-50 shot of success or a 100% chance of failure?
::)That might be the most effective ad this election cycle.
"Meg Whitman said it herself, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results,'" said Brown campaign manager Steven Glazer. "Yet the Long Island native has had no qualms about recycling the same platitudes, repackaging the same campaign events and rehiring the same high-priced consultants as the state’s current governor."
That might be the most effective ad this election cycle.
As if brown is going to any different?
Dude she took jobs out of the US and sent them to China...
Yeah very Patriotic. Way to go meg...Champion for the middle class
3333 just shut the fuck up already
Ha ha ha ha - again Mal - business and econ definately is not your thing.
Dear God are you ignorant. i knew you were light in this area - but damn - this takes the cake.
1. The policies of democrats and far left freaks in California have sent HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS to other states and overseas.
2. Meg Whitman has paid tens of millions of dollars in taxes to California to fund the govt while Jerry Brown has done nothing but cost the state in terms of salary, health care, pensions, etc.
3. Meg Whitman, as CEO, is reportable to her shareholders and board of directors, and to the bottom line of the company. No company exists solely as an employment agency. Her job is to increase the companies' bottom line, period.
4. Meg Whitman, as CEO - helped CREATE far more jobs, and offshoots from those jobs in the form of self employment, and home based businesses, than any amount of jobs she "outsourced". Again - think Mal - I know econ is not your thing.
5. She has a record of success. I guess in the Mal way of thinking, it would have been better if she took the company from prosperity to bankruptcy. From her site:
At eBay, Meg made history. Meg steered eBay through the dot-com rise and fall that saw the vast majority of high-flying start-ups crash and burn, while eBay turned in one quarter of dramatic growth after another. When she joined eBay, the company had just $4.7 million in revenues and 30 employees; when she retired in March of 2008, ten years later, the company had nearly $8 billion in revenues and 15,000 employees worldwide – with millions of users in California alone. During that journey, Meg appeared on many “top CEO” lists and national magazine covers. Time ranked her among the world’s most influential people. Fortune ranked her the most powerful woman in business in 2004 and 2005. And Business Week listed her among business’ top managers year after year.
So she didnt outsource?
Most US companies just can't be competitive these days without outsourcing. It sucks but globalization has forced US companies to do that to stay competitive. What's worse, outsourcing 10% of your jobs while adding thousands more and turning your company into a juggernaut or not outsourcing any, adding less, becoming uncompetitive and eventually bankrupt?
I don't understand why you're complaining about this when Obama has setup programs to train foreign workers for the specific purpose of outsourcing jobs.
Most US companies just can't be competitive these days without outsourcing. It sucks but globalization has forced US companies to do that to stay competitive. What's worse, outsourcing 10% of your jobs while adding thousands more and turning your company into a juggernaut or not outsourcing any, adding less, becoming uncompetitive and eventually bankrupt?
I don't understand why you're complaining about this when Obama has setup programs to train foreign workers for the specific purpose of outsourcing jobs.
I dont like the fact that Obama did it. I hate outsourcing.
BF - the level of economic ignorance is staggering and far worse than I ever ever imagined.
This thread is perfect proof of that.
Meg =
Meg =
Seriously...i would like to see that
Voting record
The Sacramento Bee reported that Whitman did not vote for 28 years, after reviewing her voting records in California.[72][73] Whitman has described her voting record as "atrocious", apologized for it,[73] and stated that she is happy to discuss the matter.[74] Whitman answered questions about her record in September, replying, "And I think the reason is, is for many years, I wasn't as engaged in the political process and should have been."[75]
For Governor ::)
Ha ha ha ha - again Mal - business and econ definately is not your thing.
At eBay, Meg made history. Meg steered eBay through the dot-com rise and fall that saw the vast majority of high-flying start-ups crash and burn, while eBay turned in one quarter of dramatic growth after another. When she joined eBay, the company had just $4.7 million in revenues and 30 employees; when she retired in March of 2008, ten years later, the company had nearly $8 billion in revenues and 15,000 employees worldwide – with millions of users in California alone. During that journey, Meg appeared on many “top CEO” lists and national magazine covers. Time ranked her among the world’s most influential people. Fortune ranked her the most powerful woman in business in 2004 and 2005. And Business Week listed her among business’ top managers year after year.
33367 no offense you could say that Meg was at the right place at the right time. Ebay's early entry into their respective market gave them an edge over early competitors such as Ubid.
Had the company folded while she was CEO, would she have shared the blame in the collapse?
I think the founders where most instrumental for the success of the company. Meg wasn't a bad CEO by any stretch. I just feel anyone could have run this business. I'm also a long time Ebay shareholder. I initially Bought Ebay Shares in 1998. However, i sold 80% of holdings in 2004 &2005. I just felt that the the company lost there way under Meg. They started to alienate many long time users who built the company up to where it is today.
While that all is probably true, her record still is miles better than Brown and i see no reason to not trust her leadership in a govt position vs a guy who is a proven failure.
While that all is probably true, her record still is miles better than Brown and i see no reason to not trust her leadership in a govt position vs a guy who is a proven failure.
I disagree... While she has no voting record, I think anyone who will take a 120 Million dollar bonus while firing people to be pretty classless.
Why does class not count?
That said, Brown is certainly not perfect, but he's a retired Airforce officer, has always ran on a fiscally responsible platform and probably has opinions on the issues that mirror your own views a lot 33333333 (at least according to his website).
He comes across like the kind of guy you'd vote for... That's just an opinion of course.
The conventional viewpoint says we need a jobs program and we need to cut welfare. Just the opposite! We need more welfare and fewer jobs. Jobs for every American is doomed to failure because of modern automation and production. We ought to recognize it and create an income-maintenance system so every single American has the dignity and the wherewithal for shelter, basic food, and medical care. I’m talking about welfare for all. Without it, you’re going to have warfare for all.
Not my kind of guy.
So all of his other viewpoints which you obviously agree with are negated by the fact that you think your wallet will be hurt by it?
I see... Well, at least we understand what matters to you the most.
no - the fact that he leads or at least recently lead a city that is now defunct and bankrupt due to reckless liberal policies is what matters to me. The fact that he and the other far left idiots like Boxer advocate policies that are collapsing the nation are what matter to me.
But who cares right? Meg had a nanny! Go Brown!
Dude... Who cares about the Nanny shit?
Seriously man...
I don't expect you to know this, but it's not "Liberal" policies that are fucking California... It's the people. The actual voters are why California is in a bind.
You don't know this, because you're not anywhere near California, but I happen to have an apartment there and I know what goes on.
In 2008 there was a ballot measure asked about.... There was basically a question on the ballot of "Should we cut spending".
Of course over 50% of the population voted "yes".
Then under that, there were ballot votes for:
"Should we cut safety"
"Should we cut education"
"Should we cut transportation"
"Should we cut social services"
On each fucking measure they couldn't get 50% of a vote on yes.
Everyone in state wanted to cut, but no one wanted to cut from the shit THEY use.
So no... Brown's policies are not to blame, the voters are.
If you're the kind of person who believes in personal responsibility, then you should not be blaming it on Brown... You should be blaming it on the voters.
But then who would tell the truth when the voters fuck up? No one.
In an effort to humanize herself Meg has released a new commercial.
The Republican uses the ad to remind voters of her personal history as a longtime California resident and former chief executive of eBay. In spite of spending more than $160 million on her campaign so far -- including more than $140 million of her own fortune -- Whitman trails her Democratic opponent Jerry Brown in the latest Los Angeles Times poll, 52 percent to 39 percent.
Furthermore, while Brown only gets a 48 percent positive favorability rating in the L.A. Times poll, with 44 percent of voters saying they have an unfavorable view of him, Whitman is even more unpopular -- just 37 percent of voters said they viewed her favorably, while 52 percent said they had an unfavorable view of her. Whitman may have lost ground with voters, according to the L.A. Times, after her former housekeeper charged that Whitman kept her on as an employee, even after learning that the housekeeper was an illegal immigrant.
Again - read my link - CALI is in utter freefall as result of your out of control govt.lol the sky is falling
lol the sky is falling
Mal = Low information voter part of the 95% who really don't matter electorally. Sad but true.
Brown takes credit for... Whitman! :D
Right..low info?...but i just destryed your thread about "i hate obamacare it raised atlantis med 30%."Oh but it wasnt obama care they were fucked before obama care was inacted
Or your..."Obama sucks he spent 3 trillion" while Most was in Defense, Social Security, and Unemployment (which you dare not touch while the economy was where it was).
OR your "Obama used his cell phone to call SWat team on grandmothers"
Fam i do this shit when i feel like it...
So miss me with the "unimportant vote low information...shit is brass tax when it comes to spending with you..but when the broad quit you want to make excuses right.... give me a mother fucking break....
That is really good.
:D
Brown takes credit for... Whitman! :D
haha, that was clever..
So after Brown gets elected and has an all dem state house - who are you far left libs going to blame then when the state collapses?
he's up, what, 52 to 39%
A better repub candidate would be creaming his ignorant ass right now.
But whiteman is in over her head, let's be honest. She tried to buy the seat. She's not charismatic. She's not a "leader"... she's a private sector buerocrat who has no clear plan other than "vote out the bums". She's not hot. She's just another fat rich lady who wants power. And unless she gets hot, or develops an actual plan that'll work, the lib state will pick a lib candidate.
he's up, what, 52 to 39%
A better repub candidate would be creaming his ignorant ass right now.
But whiteman is in over her head, let's be honest. She tried to buy the seat. She's not charismatic. She's not a "leader"... she's a private sector buerocrat who has no clear plan other than "vote out the bums". She's not hot. She's just another fat rich lady who wants power. And unless she gets hot, or develops an actual plan that'll work, the lib state will pick a lib candidate.
How is Jerry Brown a better leader or how is he even a "leader" when he has shown to be a failure? How can a state follow someone who already failed them?
That is very stupid.
if palin runs in 2012, she'll try this very same approach, Bay.
She'll try to only speak to fox, etc.
and just like whitman, it won't fly. People are smart enough to know when a person is taking softball Qs all day.
sort of like your boy Obama only doing black radio and comedy channels?
LOL...WHATS BLACK RADIO?
LOL...WHATS BLACK RADIO?
if palin runs in 2012, she'll try this very same approach, Bay.
She'll try to only speak to fox, etc.
and just like whitman, it won't fly. People are smart enough to know when a person is taking softball Qs all day.
Don't really know - it was on ABC radio in NYC today that ahead of the election - obama is calling into black radio stations to try to motivate the hip hop vote toget out there and vote for continuation of the democrat slave plantation.
Bro...im just lookin for the perfect beat
Go old school - the new stuff is wic wic whack.
Cause Mal - I know you think I'm some crazy nut & and maybe I am, but if you met me in person - we probably would be tight like friends from the block.
I know... i dont take no internet shit serious...me and chaos bumped heads on this thread and we cool in real life..
I have screamining matches with some of my boys on stuff and we laugh it off seconds later. We still tight. Your a good guy, and that is why i never take anything too much seriously on the internet.
Its fun though. This site is cool cause we can all scream at each other and just laugh it off seconds later. If you go to othwer site, that does not occur.
That is why I like getbig - we are all cool with each other - even when we want to strangle each other at times.
I know the deal bro.
Bay, why are you still avoiding Ozmo's questions? You really lost credibility here. :-\
She must have made an anti-gay remark somewhere in her past. You know BF, those twinks are a vindictive and non-forgiving bunch.
Wow! This really makes her look bad! :-[So does her jacket.
Meg Whitman stopped by a Cuban bakery in Glendale Friday. And in the past few days, she's also hit a pizza parlor, an ice cream shop and a diner.
$142 million down the drain. :P
$142 million down the drain. :P
Nothing compared to the 20 billion dollar hole the far left has to fill next year in deficit in the budget.
Who was in office when that happened?
Look dude... You know full well that it's not at all the governor or legislature that caused that hole.
Its the decades of far left legislatures and a RINO/DINO Gov for yuears and years.
CA is the poster child for far left stupidity.
Why is it when the economy was good, it wasn't a problem, but now of course, it's far left policies... Come on man. Seriously, it was great with far left policies during the .com boom and the silicon valley start, but now... yes, the policies are killing them.
They will recover... They are not getbig.
Ha ha - are you kidding? Seriously - do you even remotely know about their pension time bomb and $20 billion dollar deficit next year?
I am well aware, but the "pension time bomb" as you put it is hardly a far left problem.
It's something that has always been in place and being "left" has nothing to do with it.
Yes it does - since the left wing is the one who continually pushes for more pension benes, more govt employees, less contributions by govt employees, etc etc.
Really? When was the last time the right wing decided to cut employee benefits, thereby ensuring their eventual demise in government?
just about any candidates of quality - who weren't just wall street job exporters trying to buy elections - would have whooped Brown and Boxer, two d-bags who don't deserve the office.
unfortunately, repubs underestimated just how popular a CEO would be... a CEO without any real likeability... a CEO without any clear plan for making change.... among independent voters.
maybe they'll learn for the next election, who knows.
Christie is tryng in NJ, and other states are trying more tiered programs.
These defined benefit programs are a madoffian scheme at best and are destroying the nation.
Congrats on spending 3 weeks avoiding Ozmo's questions, Bay! Credibility = gone.
Congrats on spending 3 weeks avoiding Ozmo's questions, Bay! Credibility = gone.he has never had any on here other than with those to nice to call him out on his hypocrisey and ignorance...
I guess Meg campaign's was a value compared to Linda McMahon's campaign @ 100 dollars per vote..
I think they ladies should just have gave out crisp dollar bills for votes me thinks
Linda got screwed. She was a far better candidate than Blumenthal.
Linda got screwed. She was a far better candidate than Blumenthal.
In case you were wondering...
No Tax Write-Off for Whitman's Millions
By JENNIFER GOLLAN
The audacious sum that Meg Whitman spent on her failed bid to become the first woman governor of California is not tax deductible, according to the IRS.
Federal law does not allow candidates or any contributors, for that matter, to receive a tax deduction when they donate to a campaign.
Whitman, bested by Democrat Jerry Brown, spent more than $161 million during the race--the largest sum of any non-presidential candidate in U.S. history. The former chief executive of eBay, Whitman is worth $1.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
Whitman's lavish spending, an explosive controversy with her former immigrant maid and a scripted persona was not enough to outmaneuver Brown, whose strong labor backing, experience and support among independents and Hispanics helped him win the governor's seat.
Your jealousy of her financial success is getting to be sickening.
How is that jealous? He's pointing out it's not tax deductible. Bad investment if ever there was one!
Big business vs. liberal policy.
When neither option is attractive, people seem to stick with the more experienced one.
Iread that Cali has a $20 Billion dollar deficit next year with zero way to pay for it,.
Actually michael savage keeps saying she and carly did not win because they ran milqetoast campaigns vs bold ones.
So...who the fuck is michael savage..he isnt an expert. He is Beck lite
He only lives there, is a PHD, has over 8 Million listeners, and has been calling is straight for years.
________________________ ________
BTW - tell me how Brown is going to repay the 8 Billion Cali owes to the Fed Gov for UE loans?
So...is his phd in campaign stragety. What the fuck does that have to do with the price of tea in china. Spotting qualifications aint your strong suit bro ::) "he has a phd" .. He obtained a Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of California, Berkeley, in nutritional ethnomedicine.[14 And that makes him an expert on how to run a campaign?...dumb shit to say bro...very dumb.
Rachael Maddow Got a BA from Stanford and a Doctorate in Phil from Oxford...is she an expert on Running a Tampa 2 Defense?...
Fuck....what a fuckin tard
Madcow also predicted that the nut Grayson was a shoe in for re-election. BTW - don't blame me - but savage has you libs pegged.
but does that make him a campaign expert as you stated "he lives there and has a PhD." How does that Qualify him to be an Expert on Campaign Strategy
It doesnt, I made that point to show you that he is not some uneducated fool. He has authored 20 books and has been correct on a ton of things long before this.So.. i said who the fuck is Michael Savage and how the fuck is he qualified on campaign strategy and you said he has a phd (in nutrition) and he lives in Cali...and i say..so the fuck what. and how does it qualify him to be campaign strategy and especially because you are quoting and cut/paste his comments like that some how lends authenticity
He made the comment as a taxpayer who lives in the state of Cali and observing the race.
But i'm glad for you guys - you made Cali a laughing stock of the nation along with NY.
So.. i said who the fuck is Michael Savage and how the fuck is he qualified on campaign strategy and you said he has a phd (in nutrition) and he lives in Cali...and i say..so the fuck what. and how does it qualify him to be campaign strategy and especially because you are quoting and cut/paste his comments like that some how lends authenticity
He is a voice like any other, and 8 million people find him credible enough to listen to on these matters.
So.. And you quote him like he is some kind of expert...Who gives a fuck...
I can quote my maid on her thoughts Oregons offense. She is a voice...
After seeing the massive margines for both boxer , pelosi, brown, and the dems running the table in that stupid state, it is very clear there is nothing either whitman or fiorina could have done to win.
Your state is just FUBAR
Why...because you said so?..Who the fuck are you? You dont declare shit
The great state of my Birth....the state known as California, The great California... is still the best
Only state dope enough to Elect Conan as Gov...We own other states
Ha ha ha ha. Sorry - you dont own shit - Califnorian is massively in debt and on the brink of financial collapse.
Shut it BITCH
California's economy is the largest of any state in the US, and is the eighth largest economy in the world.[1][2] As of 2008, the gross state product (GSP) is about $1.85 trillion, which is 13% of the United States gross domestic product (GDP).[3] The state's GDP growth rate slowed to 0.4% in 2008 after having grown 3.1% in 2006 and 1.8% in 2007.[3] As of 2010 California along with Texas leads all other states in the number of Fortune 500 headquarters at 57 companies each. (April 2010 Fortune Magazine)
Shut it BITCH
California's economy is the largest of any state in the US, and is the eighth largest economy in the world.[1][2] As of 2008, the gross state product (GSP) is about $1.85 trillion, which is 13% of the United States gross domestic product (GDP).[3] The state's GDP growth rate slowed to 0.4% in 2008 after having grown 3.1% in 2006 and 1.8% in 2007.[3] As of 2010 California along with Texas leads all other states in the number of Fortune 500 headquarters at 57 companies each. (April 2010 Fortune Magazine)
ha ha ha ha ha - your posts make me laugh so hard you have no clue.
mal, there is no doubt Cali is in a fuckin' mess, to try to argue otherwise is futile. Gross anything means shit, net is the only thing that is going to show if they are viable or not. They are spending MUCH faster than they are generating.....just like the US as a whole, but Cali is on the leading edge of it. Thats why any financial situation, such as the real estate debacle, often are seen first in Cali and then the rest of the US.As Cali Goes...America Goes...We Own...
So dispute it..
After seeing the massive margines for both boxer , pelosi, brown, and the dems running the table in that stupid state, it is very clear there is nothing either whitman or fiorina could have done to win.
Your state is just FUBAR
Tell that to Schwarzenegger, Pete Wilson, and George Deukmejian... all GOP governors in California.
Whitman and Fiorina were flawed candidates from the get go, and they ran poorly executed campaigns--especially Whitman. Running a bad campaign almost makes sense when you have no money... but she had unlimited resources and is now forever tagged as America's most expensive loser. :-[
She won't recover.
Arnold was a celebrity candidate with good PR and acting skills and came after a disastrous Gray Davis. also - the demographics of your state are changing to where the DEMOCRAT-NO-MATTER-WHAT vote is increasing.
So dispute it..
Oh lord. Just give it up Meg!
Meg Whitman Eye's Senate RunWhy doesn't this broad just hold a public bonfire to burn up another $100 million?
by Cody Nagel
After losing $160 million dollars of her own money, Meg Whitman is at it again. Reports are flying across the Internet this morning that Meg Whitman is eyeing a 2012 Senate run against Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein. The move has come as a surprise to many political analysts, and has California Democratic operatives licking at their chops for a chance to face the infamous failed gubernatorial candidate.
As for my personal take on this, let's just say, huh? Apparently Whitman did not get the message that the voters of California sent her a few weeks ago. No matter how much money she pours into these failed power grabs it seems Meg has forgot one thing, the message has to resonate with voters and her message does not. California is a odd political state for any candidate. With one of the highest populations in the country California has also earned a reputation for having one of the most complex election maps.
My advice for Meg would be to do what all other failed Republican candidates do. Get a job with Fox News. It has worked wonders for Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, just to name a few.
Bay, any respect you had in this forum is gone... take a hike jerkoff.
I'll ignore your posts if you ignore mine, deal? 8)
I'll ignore your posts if you ignore mine, deal? 8)no, I'll fucking happily mock your dumb ass and you can do whatever you want... I can't believe the level you lowered yourself to... Zero respect for your ass and yea, I know, you don't care...
Bay was cool when he was just focused on outing real hypocrites, but this latest bullshit,... lower than low... WTF was he thinking...
You fairies really are an emotional bunch who hold a grudge no?
no, I'll fucking happily mock your dumb ass and you can do whatever you want... I can't believe the level you lowered yourself to... Zero respect for your ass and yea, I know, you don't care...
Whitman paid a high price for Latino distrust of GOP
A former strategist says the candidate lost so conclusively because her party continues to alienate the state's fastest-growing voter group.
George Skelton
Meg Whitman's former lead spokesman is starting to speak up about the candidate's losing race for governor. And he's shouting about the need for Republicans to stop the demagoguery over illegal immigration.
Senior advisor Rob Stutzman isn't exactly spilling his guts about the former EBay chief's spectacular thumping. The billionaire lost to low-budget Jerry Brown by 54% to 41%, despite spending a record $160 million-plus, roughly $142 million of it her own money.
But the veteran Republican strategist is blaming the mini-landslide size of Whitman's loss on some ugly dust-ups over illegal immigration that alienated Latinos from the GOP.
On Nov. 2, a record 22% of the California electorate was Latino. They voted heavily for Democrat Brown — somewhere between 64% and 80%, depending on which poll you believe.
Whatever the real figure, it should scare the GOP because Latinos are by far California's fastest-growing voter group.
"Republicans need to understand that they live in suburbs with second-generation Mexican American neighbors whose parents came here and worked in agriculture and the service industries and are very proud" of their families' success, Stutzman says.
"They sit around at cocktail parties and they listen on talk shows and hear their parents referred to as 'illegals.' And we wonder why these people don't want to register as Republicans."
Stutzman, 42, is no RINO — what right-wing ideologues deride as a Republican in Name Only — even if he did serve as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's first communications director. His party credentials include communications jobs with former Atty. Gen. Dan Lundgren and state Senate Republicans. He also ran a successful 2000 initiative campaign to ban same-sex marriage.
Don't get him started on illegal immigration. He favors regulating immigration but detests reviling immigrants.
"We've got to stop looking at it as purely a legal issue," he says. "If you want to make it a moral issue, we should appreciate the virtue of men and women trying to make the best life possible for their families.
"As long as radio talk show guys demagogue on the issue and Republicans are cowed and not willing to stand up to it, nothing's going to change."
Meaning party candidates will continue to lose statewide elections. In November, it was a clean Democratic sweep.
"This is our circular firing squad until we get beyond the rhetoric and slogans and we start to show empathy," Stutzman continues.
"Didn't we say the same about the Irish and Italians 100 years ago? 'They smell funny and drink too much.' In California, we need to turn the page."
But there's a ballot initiative afoot in California to duplicate Arizona's controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants. It's sponsored by a former member of the state GOP's executive committee, Michael Erickson.
Stutzman blames the Arizona law for helping to motivate California Latinos to turn out "and vote very anti-Republican."
And he accuses Whitman's Republican primary opponent, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, of being "really reckless" in inserting illegal immigration as the "front and center" issue. "No question we were hurt."
OK, time out.
It was, after all, Whitman who ran a TV ad featuring former Gov. Pete Wilson — a devil incarnate for many Latinos — promising that she would be "tough as nails" on illegal immigration.
It was Whitman who endorsed the Arizona law — but only for Arizona, she weakly insisted, not for California. Many Latinos saw that as a distinction without a difference — and ominous.
And it was Whitman who proclaimed that she wouldn't allow admission to community colleges or state universities for high school grads who had been carted to California illegally as children by their parents. That wasn't quite the show of "empathy" that Stutzman calls for.
All that began as Whitman was trying to protect her right flank from the extremist Poizner. I always thought she paid too much attention to the lightweight. But Stutzman says Whitman couldn't risk ignoring him because at one point he pulled within single digits of her.
Big waste of money and potential Latino votes. Whitman wound up winning the GOP nomination by nearly 38 points.
Fortunately for the likes of Whitman, there won't be any party nominations starting in 2012 when a new open primary system takes effect. "Somebody like her, I would advise to take a serious look at running as a nonpartisan," Stutzman says.
The primary campaign baggage became too burdensome in the general election. And the final straw was the disclosure — aided by the Brown-friendly nurses union — that Whitman for nine years had employed an illegal immigrant maid.
After having learned that the housekeeper was undocumented, Whitman said, she had fired her — very coldly, it seemed.
The question that millions have since asked is why didn't Whitman and her high-priced team of consultants break news of the maid themselves, in their own way and time, minimizing the political fallout.
Stutzman doesn't want to talk about it.
But bet on this: Neither he nor other senior advisors knew about the maid. Only Whitman and her tight inner circle did. And even if the strategists had known, they wouldn't have revealed it while Poizner was on the prowl. They would have, however, immediately after the primary.
Blame that one on Whitman and the naivete of a first-time candidate.
"We still wouldn't have won," Stutzman says. "But it would have been closer.
"The [Democratic] math was insurmountable. California Democrats rallied around the president. We had difficulty keeping the campaign focused on jobs and the economy. Brown and his union allies kept [attacking Whitman's] character….
"Brown was more disciplined than I thought. I tip my hat to those guys."
And until the GOP stops frightening Latinos, there'll likely never be any Republican elected governor.
This is why Jerry Brown won. 8)BUMP
This and the fact that Meg was a flawed candidate from day one. ::)
Jerry Brown's budget cuts start in his own office
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer
On his fifth day in office, Gov. Jerry Brown announced that he is returning $7 million to the state treasury through a slew of cuts, including shaving the governor's office budget by 25 percent.
California is facing a deficit of up to $28 billion over the next 17 months, and Brown will unveil his budget proposal Monday - a plan that is expected to include deep cuts in spending as well as a restructuring of how many government services are delivered.
On Friday, the new governor announced a number of budget cuts to offices controlled by the executive branch.
As expected, Brown axed the secretary of education position, an advisory office under the governor that was worth $1.9 million annually. Brown also returned the lion's share of transition funds allocated to him, spending just $120,000 of the $770,000 available.
He also cut $4.5 million from the governor's office's $18 million annual budget, in part by eliminating the office of the first lady. Brown's wife, Anne Gust Brown, has already taken an unpaid position as special counsel to the governor.
"California is facing a huge deficit and it is necessary to find savings throughout all of government," Brown said in a written statement. "We all have to make cuts and I'm starting with my own office."
In order to cut one-quarter from his office's budget, Brown eliminated the position of cabinet secretary and all deputy cabinet secretaries. He cut press and communications staff; closed field offices in San Diego, Riverside and Fresno; and cut the governor's Washington, D.C., office staff. Additionally, as Brown announced in December, he eliminated the office of Laura Chick, the special inspector general appointed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to audit federal stimulus spending in California. That position was temporary and set to expire midyear.
Brown's spending reductions were praised by tax watchdogs, including the California Taxpayers' Association.
"The state definitely needs to economize in every agency and every department, and this is a great first step," said David Kline, a spokesman for the association.
Like I said - I am going to pull out a lawn chair with a case of beer and thoroughly enjoy your state imploding when you clowns elect Brown.
btw, how is that beer going down? By all accounts Brown is doing a very good job and is poised to be reelected. 8)
brace youself for an extremely subjective, opinionated assessment of California, Void of any real facts, but yet, passed on as truths.
i have this "guy" pegged
brace youself for an extremely subjective, opinionated assessment of California, Void of any real facts, but yet, passed on as truths.
i have this "guy" pegged
I didn't see any facts showing how well California is doing, but I recently talked to a business owner in California who said things are pretty bad.
Last week I got the highest appraisal I've ever had on my house. I hope things continue to go as badly.
It's good for you, but given that Cali has some of the lowest home ownership rates in the nation, the anecdotal evidence just isn't convincing.
I didn't see any facts showing how well California is doing, but I recently talked to a business owner in California who said things are pretty bad.
It's good for you, but given that Cali has some of the lowest home ownership rates in the nation, the anecdotal evidence just isn't convincing.
How is that 30 Billion dollar hole working out ?
Just fine thanks. Hole has been filled and the state is in the black. :-*Really? Calis turned it around? Good for them.
Courtesy of Jerry Brown. You may recall that Whitman wanted to cut taxes which would have taken about an additional 15 billion out of state coffers. ::)
Really? Calis turned it around? Good for them.
Now hopefully some of the Californians that fled up here when California was going under will move back down there.
Again - read my link - CALI is in utter freefall as result of your out of control govt.
Like I said - I am going to pull out a lawn chair with a case of beer and thoroughly enjoy your state imploding when you clowns elect Brown.
I can't wait till Cali collapses - its going to be joyous to watch the far left idiots sit and wonder why.
Like I said - I am going to pull out a lawn chair with a case of beer and thoroughly enjoy your state imploding when you clowns elect Brown.
Although it's not surprising the governor wins praise from his own party faithful — 80% of Democrats approve of his job performance in the new survey — Brown's real strength may rest on his ability to placate some of his natural political enemies. Twenty-seven percent of Republicans polled say they too approve of the governor's job performance.
Even more notable, 19% of registered Republicans who say they plan to vote in June for businessman Donald Trump nonetheless approve of how Brown is handling things in Sacramento.
Brown's job approval rating seems to transcend party lines.
Like I said - I am going to pull out a lawn chair with a case of beer and thoroughly enjoy your state imploding when you clowns elect Brown.
Brown plugged the $30 billion hole left by Arnold. He did not lay off 40,000 state workers as Meg Whitman pledged to do... As he steps down, he leaves the State with a $14 billion reserve fund and a $15 billion surplus in State coffers. Elections have consequences.
Well done Governor. Thank you for your service to the State of California.
Brown plugged the $30 billion hole left by Arnold. He did not lay off 40,000 state workers as Meg Whitman pledged to do... As he steps down, he leaves the State with a $14 billion reserve fund and a $15 billion surplus in State coffers. Elections have consequences.With some of the highest taxes it's no wonder! Yet he refused to fund more reservoirs, wasted billions on a train to nowhere and begged Trump for money to fix the damn he couldn't afford to repair, gave the utilities permission to raise our rates to pay for lawsuits due to their negligence, hasn't fixed a road in decades, our infrastructure is falling apart and every other weekend there is a water main breaking somewhere. But you're claiming he has left the state with billions in reserves and coffers? LMAO!!
Well done Governor. Thank you for your service to the State of California.
Imagine living in California and being proud of the politicians there. Whew...No way. These politicians are crooked as fuck. The CA government should be investigated from the bottom to the top.
Very good speaker though. Even though I disagree with alot of what he says, I still like to hear him talk.He would be a better speaker if he lost the thesaurus. Fuck that dude gets verbose
Interesting guy.
He would be a better speaker if he lost the thesaurus. Fuck that dude gets verbose
Epic response to a post from 2009