Meg Whitman Pours $59 Million Of Her Own Money Into Race- Imagine If That Money Went To HELP Ca?

[KittyWampus]

Instead of trying to buy it?

Whitman Pours $59 Million Of Her Own Money Into CA-GOV Campaign
Eric Kleefeld | April 6, 2010, 3:37PM
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/04/whitman-pours-59-million-of-her-own-money-into-ca-gov-campaign.php?ref=fpb


Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman (R) has put another $20 million of her own money into her campaign to become the next governor of California. That brings her total self-financing thus far to an astonishing $59 million -- the latest in a long line of candidates who have spent lavishly on their campaigns, and who have sometimes done so quite successfully.

Whitman's spending is paying off so far. The TPM Poll Average shows her with a huge lead in the Republican primary, ahead of state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner by 59.6%-18.0%. And in the general election, she has taken a narrow lead over state Attorney General Jerry Brown, himself a former governor and presidential candidate, by 43.7%-41.5%. Whitman's campaign has raised another $11.8 million from outside contributors, and her campaign has said she is willing to spend $150 million of her own money on the race.

So let's take a look at some other major self-financiers -- not simply people who spent $1 million, or $2 million, or $10 million, but tens and tens of millions of dollars, or have even crossed the $100 million line. After all, it's quite conceivable that between the June 8 primary and the November general election, Whitman could end up outdoing them all in one campaign, in the country's biggest state.

• Former Rep. Michael Huffington (R-CA) spent $30 million in 1994, in his unsuccessful Senate race against Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. At the time, this was the most expensive Congressional race in history -- but self-financing was only getting started.

• New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has also been a prolific self-financier, having spent ever-increasing amounts every four years. He spent $74 million in his first election in 2001, another $85 million in 2005, and then renewed his lease on Gracie Mansion for $102 million in 2009.

• Former Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) spent big on this three statewide races. He spent $60 million on his successful Senate campaign in 2000, another $43 million on his successful gubernatorial race in 2005, and then $25.3 million for his failed re-election campaign in 2009.

• Businessman Steve Forbes spent big on his two unsuccessful runs for the Republican nomination for President: $37.9 million in the 1996 race, and $38.7 million for his 2000 campaign.

• Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) spent over $35 million of his own money on his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2008 cycle.

• In the 2004 Illinois Senate race, businessman Blair Hull spent $24 million of his own money in his unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination. A side effect of this was that under the "millionaire's amendment" in McCain-Feingold -- a clause that was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court -- Hull's self-financing enabled Barack obama to raise a higher maximum donation amount form wealthy donors. Hull's campaign collapsed when damaging material from his divorce files became public, and Obama won the primary in a landslide. Whether Obama would have won anyway without the divorce controversies, or the millionaire's amendment, is something we will never truly know.

[movonne]

1. As far as I can see this country doomed...it is like we are going

back in time...almost ever thing I read on here is soooo depressing...ane yet I can't stop looking..

[Blue_Tires]

2. the one-woman stimulus package?

[Bryn]

3. We're being controlled by filthy rich people

Barf!! I hope she loses. What does she wants to be a governor for? Will CA pay her good money? Just think Sarah Palin was very lucky to be a governor of Alaska yet she got out, didn't appreciate it.

[Caliman73]

10. The only reason I can imagine is more money.

She probably won't take a salary, or take a nominal one so that she can seem the "public servant". The truth is that she did not become wealthy by being stupid. She would not be investing her money into something without thinking it would enrich her, if not right now, then down the line. Perhaps it is my biased view of the extremely wealthy, but I see her being driven by desire for more power and more wealth. She is wealthy, but she must think that being in charge of one of the largest economies in the world will get her something good.

Palin was not really rich until after she left the governor's seat. Palin seems, from the information out there about her, to have always been ambitious, cut throat, and greedy. I think she left the governor's office because it was not what she thought it would be. She couldn't get away cleanly with her abuses of power, she actually had to work, and when the bright lights of the national stage and money in the private sector presented themselves, she bit. Palin is easy. She is a climber. She wants to get rich and would exploit herself, her family, or anyone she needed to to gain wealth and power.

Whitman is a different type of creature. She is already incredibly wealthy. What would motivate her except for much more wealth or some type of power that Palin would not fully comprehend.

[glinda]

4. Government should be ashamed since one can "buy" one's office. This is NOT a democracy.

[Johonny]

5. she is willing to spend $150 million of her own money on the race.

Can I estimate about how much money she expects she can make from that office... oh I mean I can feel she's running for the people. It really comes out in her commercials so far. How much less taxes can the wealthy of California pay?

[tularetom]

6. She isn't interested in helping CA - it's a big ego trip

IMO if she wants to feel better about herself she should invest in plastic surgery. It would cost a hell of a lot less than trying to buy an election and she would probably get more satisfaction out of it.

[KittyWampus]

8. she could certainly afford a stylist.

[Cleita]

7. To her that money is like us plunking down $59 to fill our tank with gas.

She needs to be defeated and badly.

[Caliman73]

9. My take on this.

I have said this before. My question, which I think should continue to be repeated, is something along these lines. Taking that Whitman is business savvy into consideration and that the success of any business is to make a profit, why is Whitman pouring almost 60 million of her own money into becoming elected governor of a seemingly bankrupt and failing state?

People really need to be asking this, and asking HER this (not that she would answer). Why would a shrewd business woman be putting her money into this race except to get a larger return for her investment? That to me is the scariest thing about the race and the most obvious. As the OP said, she is trying to buy the governor's seat or at least rent it so that she can use it as an investment vehicle.

We really need to push for "public only" financing of all elections. Elections should not be a business, they should be an evaluation of people who want to lead and at the same time serve the public interest.