Meg’s Big Moment
The Republican gubernatorial debate tonight in Orange County is all about Meg Whitman. Of course, Steve Poizner will be on the stage with her and he will be a big part of the story. He can benefit tremendously if Whitman falls on her face. But, Whitman is the frontrunner and all eyes will be on her. Can she deliver?
Whitman calmed Republican nerves with her impromptu press conferences at the state Republican convention this weekend. She handled herself well with reporters seeming to put to rest the questions about her confidence and preparedness in unscripted situations. The debate will answer whether she can perform under pressure in the give and take of political discourse. She has to be knowledgeable, and tough but not defensive. How she handles attacks will be important.
If Whitman rises to the occasion, doubts about her will be washed away and her position as frontrunner for the nomination will be solidified. However, if she comes off stilted and uncertain or makes a glaring mistake, Poizner can begin closing the gap between them.
No Moderates Seen at GOP Convention
How conservative was the crowd at the state GOP convention this weekend?
Well, consider this. Meg Whitman called Steve Poizner “the only liberal” in the Republican primary for governor. That’s the same Poizner who spent the weekend complaining that the federal government won’t let him kick the children of illegal immigrants out of school and bar them from hospital emergency rooms.
If there were any moderates hanging around the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara this weekend, they were probably waiting for an opening in the witness protection program.
The result was a conservative version of “Can You Top This?” as played by the candidates for governor and U.S. Senate.
Poizner says he’ll cut the capital gains tax by 50 percent. Whitman pledges to eliminate it.
Five Questions That Probably Won’t Be Asked At Today’s Debate
Here are the five questions that I wish would be asked at today’s debate, but probably won’t be.
1. Ms. Whitman and Commissioner Poizner, the next governor will face budget deficits estimated at $20 billion annually, and a broken governing system that makes it virtually impossible to balance that budget. Several commentators have said you’d have to be crazy to want to be governor under such circumstances. So please describe your entire family mental health history and whatever treatment you are currently receiving.
2. To both of you, polls show that you are a member of a political party whose members believe that President Obama was born in another country and that the theory of evolution is nonsense. Do you agree? If so, what other patently false things do you believe?
3. Commissioner Poizner, early reporting in this race suggested that you are a billionaire like Ms. Whitman. It turns out you are not. Why is it that Meg Whitman richer and more successful than you are?
Girls Gone Wild: The Curious Campaigns of Meg and Carly
The curious campaigns of Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina have been a topic of discussion among women’s organizations and GOP activists for several weeks. Both were prominent at this weekend at the California Republican Party Convention in Santa Clara, where people wonder what’s more relevant – tactics or talk?
I don’t think women are the best fit in every case, nor do I back a woman only because she is female. Unlike Democrat primaries where they heavily recruit women, gender works against women in GOP primaries. Women are portrayed as less ideological and challenged at the bargaining table. This tactical strategy has been used dozens of times to convince Republican voters that women aren’t prepared.
In the case of Meg and Carly, this strategy will backfire as both have business credentials that are far and above most who have ever sought the offices of Governor and United States Senator.