Whitman demonstrates the power of her money

[Kablooie]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Meg Whitman's record-breaking spending in the race for governor has enabled her campaign to blanket California with more TV ads and mailers than any other in state history, while also tapping new technologies to further broaden her reach.
...
Dozens of outside consultants and a paid staff the size of some presidential campaigns run an operation that seems to be the living embodiment of Whitman's book title: "The Power of Many." After record amounts spent on television advertising, mail and ground organization, there has even been enough money left over to sponsor a youth soccer team.

"She has the money to do everything," said Garry South, a Democratic consultant who ran Gray Davis' campaigns for governor, "and she is doing everything."
...
Whitman is now unloading on Brown, releasing ads and mail pieces almost weekly. According to the Brown campaign, Whitman's ads showed up at least 170,000 times in state media markets from the primary through third week of August, even as multiple mailers were arriving at selected voters' homes.
...
Data are compiled and used to reach specific segments of the electorate through tele-town halls, for which thousands of likely voters are patched onto a conference call with the candidate. Cable TV viewers watching a Whitman ad are encouraged to push a button on their remote controls if they want Whitman's job creation plan mailed to their homes.

"The idea is to spend vast amounts on technology to chop up the electorate as many ways as possible so you're hitting a Fresno woman making $40,000 to $50,000 a year who cares about education and air quality," said Adam Mendelsohn, a Republican consultant.
...
"She spent more in the summer than the average candidate would spend in the entire general election," Hoffenblum said.

"Only a Republican with this kind of wealth can truly be competitive in this state, even in this climate. If she wins, she proved that it worked. If she loses, you'll be lucky to see a billionaire put in for his filing fee again."

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-whitman-money-20100902,0,1671751.story

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What I can't figure out is WHY she's so anxious to be the head of such a horrendously dysfunctional government as California.
She must have some hidden agenda and I'll bet it won't bode well for the regular folk who live in this state.

[msongs]

1. whitman for president. there it is nt

[DBoon]

2. Whitman for Emperor!

[Kerrytravelers]

3. I fear for my state if this woman buys it. I really, really do.

Everyone thinks California is a mess now, just wait until this horrible woman is done with us. We'll be utterly destroyed. Destroyed.

[earth mom]

4. Yep, Whitman is trying to "buy" California...

I fear that she will screw it up even more than it already is...just like she screwed up ebay. :yoiks:

[earcandle]

5. Time to prove we are NOT DATA ANIMALS. We are human...

Spend your bucks, laby-itch.  

We are way too smart for you.

Brown, Gavin... 
somebody wake the fuck up and do something fucking brilliant.

Ask Alex Perlman what to do. Or Peter. 

[OHdem10]

6. Up until now, I did not get too concerned about the self-funding

of campaigns.

I must say the amount of money she has put into this
campaign--makes me think, there is something wrong.
Has she not spenct almost 100 K ??? Was it 60 or 80
for the Primary????

If one must spend this much, they have no following,
they are simply buy a position of power. Does not
speak well for our Democracy. Oh yes, I hear she
wants to be President that is why the Governorship
is so important.

[davidhilton]

7. I heard on a local LA station today, Whitman was ahead by nearly 10 points

in some poll or another. I really hope we don't screw up again(remember we voted in Ahnold - twice!) and vote in Queen Meg. She creeps me out - is she actually from California?

[shanti]

13. screw the polls

she creeps me out too, along with fiorina :(

[Control-Z]

25. 10 points?!?!

Seriously? I find that very hard to believe. What station was it?

[krabigirl]

30. Well, there is that tea party candidate that i think will split the right wing vote.

At least i hope...

[SleeplessinSoCal]

8. What on earth does she stand for? Does she support the green economy waiting in the wings?

[wordpix]

18. she's a repuke standing for more power for the multinational corporations

she knows that spending millions will net her billions in the long run. They're all in bed together.

[sakabatou]

26. She stands for greed

[krabigirl]

32. She stands for the prison-industrial complex.

[nvme]

9. I will say this if that shitbag

gets gov I can promise you she will wind up being flush into the GOP 2012 mix

[fascisthunter]

10. it's well past time voters stop voting for folks who are rich

as if they understand anything the common man/woman goes through everyday.

[Gin]

11. over saturation may backfire.....if she wins...look out California

[totodeinhere]

16. So you advocate that we vote against John Kerry next time?

He is the richest man in the Senate.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2vbajsh

[fascisthunter]

20. No, But I Do Propose We Change the Election Process

by installing a publicly funded system in which all candidates work with the same amount of money. Let their ideas and words determine whether people want to vote for them or not. Each candidate also gets the same amount of face time in the media no exceptions. This way folks like Kucinich and many others can be heard. Open up democracy, real democracy and watch this country become something greater than before.

[totodeinhere]

21. With the current makeup of the Supreme Court, that isn't possible. n/t

[fascisthunter]

22. well, I Intend on Doing What I Can to Change the System

the supreme court's makeup will change eventually so it would be good to start an info campaign now on this very subject. I intend on working towards this goal.

[primavera]

31. + 1,000,000!

[shanti]

12. the reason why

she's so anxious to become governor? mo money! i don't believe for a minute that the money she is shoveling into her campaign is all hers, and they expect payback. california is the crown jewel, as GAS/pete wilson have proven (pete wilson is mentoring nutmeg too). all that money that was made in the stock market is going into elections. think about it: a person can spend so much. the rest is to maintain the status quo.

as far as her blanketing the state with her shit, i haven't seen one mailer from her in my own mailbox. :shrug: she does spend a lot on teevee (oprah) and online newspaper ads tho.

[kiranon]

14. Whitman, the spoiled child candidate, has no idea what it means to be frugal.

[totodeinhere]

15. The thing I don't get is, why would any sane person want to be governor of that state

given the intractable problems they have. In a way, I almost wish Whitman would win. She would probably be recalled within a few months. But as a loyal Democrat I take that back. Of course I support Jerry Brown, but I hope he is ready for a firestorm once he takes office.

[Kablooie]

17. I'd bet he's as prepared as anyone can be. He's been there before and has no monetary motive.

[Poll_Blind]

23. I'm sure there are a number of reasons why she wants that position. And, I'm equally sure that...

...if her gamble pays off and she does win, the return she expects will dwarf what she paid.

What these incentives are, I couldn't rightly say. But when someone like her is digging in the desert, there's a damned good reason for it.

PB

[wordpix]

19. Jerry Brown needs to start his Gov. Sunbeam campaign for solar energy

:) At least it will show he's got a sense of humor (for those who don't know, he was known as "Gov. Moonbeam" when gov in the '70's)

[pinniped]

24. Pig Whitman is on every damm TV channel and every damm radio station.

You are only safe watching the PBS family of stations, where that POS is not allowed to advertise.

This POS even has 2 ad spots on the sfgate.com website, one running along top and one on the right side.

Fucking disgusting.

[Joe Bacon]

27. Queen Meg is flooding me with junk mail!

E-mails, cable TV ads, radio ads, my mailbox is stuffed with junk from Queen Meg. Every day I open my mailbox, there's more junk from Meg. She's even sending out DVDs on half a dozen different proposals. Suddenly, I got a whole stack of new drink coasters with her ugly mug on them. I put them face down because I don't want my coffee mugs to shatter!

And I'm getting a lot of junk from Crazy Carly too! That goes straight to the dumpster. I tried to toss Carly's trash into my kitchen wastecan, but the can refuses to accept it!

And from Jerry Brown? Not a thing!

[lunatica]

28. Jerry Brown will start his campaign in earnest after Labor Day

He has little choice since she's outspending everyone by a factor of 100 to 1. It's the same for Barbara Boxer.

And they're both seasoned and fireballs. They don't compromise with the important things.

[Onlooker]

29. I just donated $50 ...

... and I'm from MA, but it would terrible if this election is bought by a billionaire, and Jerry Brown has a long and consistent history of progressive politics.

http://www.jerrybrown.org/

[Jennicut]

33. And so it goes, the buying of an election and the death of democracy.

And it won't get any better in the coming years. We have Linda McMahon in CT trying to buy an election as well. So annoying to see these idiots on tv 24/7.