The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Good-Bye, California

Posted on | October 27, 2010 | 17 Comments

Despite fond hopes expressed by professional Republican “experts” — and Smitty, too — we must consider the unfortunate likelihood that the many millions spent by Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman will purchase only defeat.

Conservative friends familiar with California have praise for Fiorina. Whitman . . . eh, not so much.

Just as I hate to think a mere poll conclusively proves that GOP hopes in California are as extinct as a mastodon in the La Brea tar pits, I hesitate to judge people based on press accounts. But after reading this story about Whitman’s campaign spending, the obvious question is: Why would Republicans expect anyone to vote for such a damned fool?

Whitman has pumped more than $141 million of her own money into the campaign, and some $17 million has been spent on consultants and related expenses. . . .
Whitman has relied on a number of former eBay colleagues with limited political experience. Tokoni Inc., founded by former eBay executives Mary Lou Song and Alex Kazim, has been paid about $4 million to handle online services . . .
Henry Gomez, who oversaw public relations at eBay during Whitman’s tenure, is now a senior advisor to her campaign, overseeing speechwriting and press relations. His firm, HSG, has been paid nearly $913,940, according to campaign finance reports. Gomez and Kazim are both registered Democrats. . . .
Whitman’s team also includes veterans, such as chief strategist Mike Murphy, who once advised Mitt Romney and John McCain among other Republicans. His firm, Bonaparte Films, LLC, earns $90,000 a month. Campaign manager Jillian Hasner, the wife of Florida House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, (R-Boca Raton), earns $30,000 a month.

There’s a lot there to make your eyes roll, but just imagine: Paying your “chief strategist” three times what you pay the campaign manager, while spending millions more to pay registered Democrats to work for your Republican campaign.

And I’m sure lots of grassroots conservatives in California are lined up outside Whitman’s campaign offices awaiting their opportunity to be unpaid volunteers, knowing that Murphy collects $3,000 a day to strategize the campaign that Hasner is paid $1,000 a day to manage.

All this called to mind a post from two months ago, quoting the words of a soldier who commented on the incompetence of his commanders in a letter home:

“Mother, do not wonder that my loyalty is growing weak. . . . I am sick and tired of the disaster and the fools that bring disaster upon us.”

Category: California, Election

Comments

17 Responses to “Good-Bye, California”

  1. LibertarianAdvocate
    October 27th, 2010 @ 11:25 am

    That – in part anyway – is why I gave no money to California candidates.

    My view is it doesn’t matter how much is spent by republicans in California. They won’t win there till the house falls down and voters finally grasp that it is the purveyors of Keynesian economics who demolished their economy. Sad it has to be that way, but it is what it is.

  2. Polichinello
    October 27th, 2010 @ 11:41 am

    $141 million!!!11!!! zOMG!!!11!!!

    First, it should–once again–show how utterly empty worries about “too much money in politics” are. How many times do these vanity campaigns flop? Arianna’s ex met the same fate following the same strategy.

    Second, think of all the good that cash could have done in far more winnable races. Does the GOP really want that Ford Pinto of a prize we know as the CA governorship? It’s just one tap on the bumper away from exploding.

    Anyhoo, it’s fitting that Brown will be there for the big bang. He’s the one that started CA on its path to self-destruction. Let him go down screaming with ship.

  3. Blake
    October 27th, 2010 @ 11:53 am

    I voted Libertarian for governor. Yeah, there is obviously a difference between Meg and Jerry. However, I didn’t see a difference between Meg and Arnold. Plus, Meg is against off shore drilling in CA. Meg supports “green jobs” whatever those are.

    I voted for Fiorina. Easy distinction in that race.

  4. Libertarian Advocate
    October 27th, 2010 @ 12:10 pm

    Linked this story here: http://libertarianadvocate.blogspot.com/2010/10/other-mccain-good-bye-california.html

  5. Smokedaddy
    October 27th, 2010 @ 7:20 pm

    Between Meg & Carly, Whitman is the liberal, as evidenced by her support of enviros & abortion. Carly tho is tied with Boxer if one factors out the skewed sampling of all the major polls, esp LA Times. Truthfully, Cali really needs another 4 years where responsibility can clearly be laid with the Dems for our plight. I’m still actually undecided in the Gov race. But Carly has a real 50/50 shot, thus the $3mln in ads from NRSC.

  6. Brad Schwartze
    October 27th, 2010 @ 9:23 pm

    And who will be there to help promote the message that Keynesianism demolished the economy and it’s time for a better way? You can’t expect the public to “see the light” and state “Ok, whom do the Republicans (or others) have?”

    Way too many CA conservatives and their fellow travellers have taken that attitude, while they’ve watched their party and their movement atrophy.