ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist®.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style3 { height: 68px; } .MsoNormal {} h1 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style4 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style6 { height: 69px; } h2 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Arial; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style7 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } .style8 { font-size: small; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> &nbsp;<table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140" class="style6"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" class="style6"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#8226; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#8226; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#8226; <a href="teflon.html"> THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#8226; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> REACTIONS</a> &#8226; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2"></td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style4">California&#39;s New Governor&#39;s Race</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b> (310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright June 12, 2010<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="style7">S</span><span class="style8">e</span>aling her victory over Republican State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poisner Tuesday, June 8, 53-year-old former Ebay CEO Meg Whitman cashed in her $80 million primary investment, earning the right to take on 72-year-old Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown in November s gubernatorial election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While Whitman takes much credit for Ebay s success, she earned a $1.4 billion fortune during the  90s dot-com bubble, enabling her to spend lavishly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whitman began her academic career at Princeton University in 1974, studying  pre-med before switching majors, eventually graduating 1978 in economics  with honors, the lowest academic distinction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> She went on to complete her MBA at Harvard a year later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Much of her career was spent in product development and marketing, including Procter &amp; Gamble, Stride Rite Shoes, eventually becoming CEO in 1995 of Florists Transworld Delivery.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Her interest in politics grew after joining the 2008 primary campaign of former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney as a finance director.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When Romney dropped out after disappointing results, she joined the failed campaign as a national co-chair of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>In Sept. 2009, she launched her campaign for governor of California, spending extravagantly on campaign ads to win her name recognition, eventually beating Poisner June 8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Before joining Ebay in 1998 and earning her dot-com fortune, Whitman worked for Hasbro Toys Playskool Division as a general manager, marketing Mr. Potatohead and Teletubbies in the U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>She has no experience in local, state or federal government service, only recently voting after announcing her campaign for governor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whitman finds herself now running against one of the most experienced elected officials in U.S. history.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Brown, the only son of former Gov. Edmund G.  Pat Brown Sr., has a distinguished and accomplished record of California public service, serving the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees [1969-1971], elected Secretary of State [1971-1975], elected Governor of California [1975-1983], appointed Chair of the California Democratic Party [1989-1991], elected Mayor of Oakland [1998-2006] and finally elected State Attorney General [2007-present].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Brown s only real motive for running again for governor is to help save the state from its current calamity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Faced with over 12.6% unemployment, ballooning $20 billion budget deficit and a bleak future, Brown hopes his experience, deep knowledge of state government and leadership can bring the state back from the brink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whitman promises to apply her  business savvy to saving the state.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>When current Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger beat former Gov. Gray Davis in a bizarre recall election Oct. 7, 2003, hopes were high for the Hollywood action-hero-film-maker to reverse California s downward spiral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Voters expressed ultimate frustration tossing Davis out for his inept handling the state s power crisis that left the state billions in the red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Schwarzenegger promised a new start but promptly alienated California s Democratic legislature calling them  girly men, accusing elected officials of pandering to employee unions and special interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Since alienating both Republican and Democratic elected officials, Arnold watched the state crumble under the nation s worst recession since the Great Depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Having no solutions to the state s fiscal woes, Arnold found himself at odds with his own party and the state s majority of Democratic elected officials.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Whitman s campaign slogan calls for a  new beginning, pointing fingers at state workers, unions and unsustainable pension funds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When she presided over Ebay [2001-2002], she joined the Board of Goldman Sachs, enriching herself $1.78 million on cheap IPO shares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Her multimillion-dollar compensation from Ebay apparently wasn t enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> It s not enough for someone rich and restless to look in the mirror one morning and decide,  I want to be governor of California. We tried that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>It didn t work, said Brown, referring to the failed experiment with Schwarzenegger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>After booting Davis out of office, Arnold promised to put the state s fiscal house in order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He knew nothing about state government or the political process to bring about change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Now Whitman asks the state to take another gamble with a political novice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>She has a plan of balancing the budget on the backs of state s workers.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>California s current financial mess isn t only related to nation s punishing economic downturn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>It s related to failed leadership to create cooperation on the part of Republican and Democratic elected officials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Whitman can t expect to get along with a Democratic legislature promising to gut the University of California, State College system, Community Colleges, Dept. of Social Services, DMV or any other state agency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Only an experienced governor with cooperation from Democrats and Republicans can overhaul the state s current waste, fraud and mismanagement that put California dangerously close to insolvency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>More antagonism and unrealistic plans from an inexperienced governor will push the state over the precipice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Whitman s new plan is no real plan but another wrecking ball designed to blame state workers and unions for California s current mess.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><b>John M. Curtis </b>writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He&#x2019;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.</p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> Homecobolos> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">©1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"> Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>