| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Walters: Failure to vote is big issue for Whitman |
| 2009-10-01 |
| About a year ago, this column surveyed the potential candidates for California governor and the problems that Arnold Schwarzenegger's successor would face, then offered a semi-facetious suggestion that "perhaps all of them should undergo mental evaluation for even thinking about governing California." A few months later, on NBC's "Today Show," host Matt Lauer read that passage to one would-be governor, Meg Whitman, and elicited a characteristically vague response, something to the effect that while "California is failing," she was "uniquely qualified" to save it because she once ran eBay, the global online auction house. Whitman's self-proclaimed unique qualifications apparently include an almost total failure to vote, or even register to vote, until a few years ago -- a revelation by the Sacramento Bee that plagued her during what she had hoped would be a triumphant appearance at last weekend's state Republican convention. Ironically, as Whitman was trying and largely failing to explain away her failure to perform the most elemental civic chore, Democratic front-runner Jerry Brown was appearing before a gathering of party activists in San Diego and echoing the suggestion that running for California governor raises questions about one's mental health. "People ask who's going to be the next governor," Brown, a former governor and now California's attorney general, told the group. "You have to ask who in their right mind would want to be the next governor. "Anybody who thinks that they're going to be governor and going to have a great future doesn't know what's going on in Sacramento. You want somebody to take the job who has no future." Implicitly, of course, Brown qualifies. He'll be 72 next year and knows that win or lose, running for governor next year will be his last chance at making political history. But back to Whitman. She's filthy rich and has spent some of her jillions on high-priced political consultants, so you'd think she'd know her scanty voting record could be a killer issue and would have quickly put it behind her. But earlier this year, she told a Republican audience she had registered as a decline-to-state voter after returning to California in 1998. In fact, as The Bee revealed and she finally acknowledged at the GOP convention, she didn't register to vote in California until 2002 and didn't declare her Republicanism until two years ago. "She misspoke, and it was wrong," her spokeswoman said. Whitman herself did what she usually does when faced with tough questions from reporters -- she clammed up. "I've said what I'm going to say about it, so thanks for that," she responded as reporters tried to question her about why she failed to vote. Business moguls are often surrounded by sycophantic aides who shield them from critical questioning. Politicians can't hide, and if they try, they come across as cowardly and not ready for prime time. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 As a conservative California voter for the past three decades, when has my vote not been can canceled by an illegal alien or ACORN-types or gerrymandering? My vote perhaps counted in some primaries...so maybe Ms. Whitman felt that voting conservative in CA is futile...of course she can't say that. |
| Posted by: HammerHead 2009-10-01 09:21 |
| #1 spent some of her jillions on high-priced political consultants And, of course, they told her what she wanted to hear. That should disqualify her right there. |
| Posted by: Spot 2009-10-01 08:18 |