California's New Governor's Race

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright June 12, 2010
All Rights Reserved.                                

            Sealing 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.  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.  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.  She went on to complete her MBA at Harvard a year later.  Much of her career was spent in product development and marketing, including Procter & Gamble, Stride Rite Shoes, eventually becoming CEO in 1995 of Florists Transworld Delivery.

            Her interest in politics grew after joining the 2008 primary campaign of former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney as a finance director.  When Romney dropped out after disappointing results, she joined the failed campaign as a national co-chair of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).  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.  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.  She has no experience in local, state or federal government service, only recently voting after announcing her campaign for governor.  Whitman finds herself now running against one of the most experienced elected officials in U.S. history.

            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].  Brown’s only real motive for running again for governor is to help save the state from its current calamity.  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.  Whitman promises to apply her “business savvy” to saving the state.

            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.  Voters expressed ultimate frustration tossing Davis out for his inept handling the state’s power crisis that left the state billions in the red.  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.  Since alienating both Republican and Democratic elected officials, Arnold watched the state crumble under the nation’s worst recession since the Great Depression.  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.

            Whitman’s campaign slogan calls for a “new beginning,” pointing fingers at state workers, unions and unsustainable pension funds.  When she presided over Ebay [2001-2002], she joined the Board of Goldman Sachs, enriching herself $1.78 million on cheap IPO shares.  Her multimillion-dollar compensation from Ebay apparently wasn’t enough.  “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.  It didn’t work,” said Brown, referring to the failed experiment with Schwarzenegger.  After booting Davis out of office, Arnold promised to put the state’s fiscal house in order.  He knew nothing about state government or the political process to bring about change.  Now Whitman asks the state to take another gamble with a political novice.  She has a plan of balancing the budget on the backs of state’s workers.

            California’s current financial mess isn’t only related to nation’s punishing economic downturn.  It’s related to failed leadership to create cooperation on the part of Republican and Democratic elected officials.  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.  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.  More antagonism and unrealistic plans from an inexperienced governor will push the state over the precipice.  Whitman’s new plan is no real plan but another wrecking ball designed to blame state workers and unions for California’s current mess.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.