Meg Whitman
From dKosopedia
Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman (born August 4, 1956) is a former CEO of eBay. She is running for Governor of California against Jerry Brown.
Whitman earned a BA with honors from Princeton University in 1978, and obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1979.
Along with her experience as CEO and President of eBay (1997-2008), Whitman served as Vice President of Bain and Company, as well as Brand Assistant at Proctor and Gamble.
Whitman served as National Co-Chair on the McCain-Palin 2008 Presidential Campaign.
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Campaign Issues
Voting record
Though Whitman seeks to lead one of the biggest and most troubled governments in the world, when it comes to politics, she has been -- to put it kindly -- an absentee citizen for much of her adult life.She has offered regrets, but so far nothing that would provide voters with a better understanding of why she acted as she did and how she since has decided to make the transition to public service in one of the most high-profile and challenging political jobs in the country. Is politics a newfound interest or a lifelong avocation that simply did not include voting?
Will California vote for a non-voter? -- Dan Balz, Washington Post (Sept. 27, 2009)
Job qualifications
"Meg's from Long Island, so she might not know that the Legislature already has teams – they're called committees," said Sterling Clifford, spokesman for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown. "There's an education committee, there's a budget committee and a jobs, economic development and economy committee. So I would like to respectfully suggest that after spending $46 million on campaign propaganda, the Whitman campaign set aside a few bucks for a California civics textbook."Whitman says lawmakers should pick teams and focus -- Amy Chance, Sacramento Bee (Aug. 10, 2010)
In short, Whitman's diagnosis of the California economy is deeply flawed and her "solutions" would be deeply damaging. Her approach to economic policy, which she calls "my kind of supply-side economics," is wrong for California. As we document, the economic "studies" she draws upon are unscientific and an unsound basis for policy. If implemented, her policy proposals are likely to have negative effects on jobs and economic growth and to deepen the state's budget crisis. (Center for American Progress Action Fund report - PDF)
Economists see flaws in Whitman's policy proposals -- Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times (Aug. 10, 2010)
State residency
Note to southern California: Whitman told the press in 1995 that Massachusetts was a better place to raise her family than southern California. "‘It was the right thing to do for our family ... a better place to raise the boys’ than Southern California, she told the Detroit Free Press in 1995 about the move to Massachusetts."Whitman Ad Inflates Her Time In California -- Jack Chang and Andrew McIntosh, Sacramento Bee (2/5/10)
As an environmentalist
"I can't imagine an environmentalist opposing landmark climate legislation that would preserve California's environment and help us capture the 21st century economy at the same time," (Brown spokesperson Sterling Clifford) said.
The Sierra Club, which has endorsed Brown, also criticized Whitman's declaration Tuesday.
"If Meg Whitman is an environmentalist, then BP is the socially responsible company of the year," said Bill Magavern, director of Sierra Club California. He also said she has flip-flopped on the issue of drilling for oil off the California coast.
Gov candidate Whitman claims environmental label -- Juliet Williams, AP/Bloomberg Businessweek (Aug. 4, 2010)
Campaign expenditures
Updated August 2, 2010 (source: Steve Harmon, ContraCostaTimes.com)
$64.3 million on TV, radio, and the Web
$9.7 million on campaign consultants (including $861,474 on her chief strategist, Mike Murphy, a total that engulfs the $83,000 that Jerry Brown has spent on his campaign manager, Steven Glazer)
$7.6 million on campaign literature and mailings
$4.3 million on campaign workers’ salaries and health insurance (including $196,000 to communications director Tucker Bounds, plus $7,349 for meetings and appearances
$125,311 for spokeswoman Sarah Pompei, plus $29,481 on travel and lodging
$101,288 plus $3,968 on travel and lodging for top oppo-research aficianado, Dan Comstock
$125,480 to the former San Jose Mercury News political reporter, Mary Anne Ostrom)
$2.8 million on information technology
$1.7 million on office expenses (AT&T should be very thankful for the business)
$1.2 million on polling and research
$1.9 million on Whitman’s travel, lodging, meetings and appearances
$953,726 on staff/spouse travel/lodging
$847,155 on fundraising events
$703,869 for legal and accounting services
$521,067 on phone banks
$462,030 on postage, deliver and messenger services
$230,000 to the California GOP
$120,910 on print ads (the true tell on Whitman’s feelings about the importance of newspapers)
Total = $99.7 million (Aug. 2, 2010)
Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown's dkosopedia page.
Jerry Brown for Governor 2010.
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