Meg Whitman: I Didn't Vote Because I Was Focused On My Family

[Are_grits_groceries]

Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of California in 2010, has an interesting explanation for the fact that she's hardly ever voted, and didn't even register until seven years ago, when she was 46: She was too dedicated to her family to vote.

"I was focused on raising a family, on my husband's career, and we moved many, many times," she told reporters. "It is no excuse. My voting record, my registration record, is unacceptable."

As the Sacramento Bee reported, no record exists of Whitman registering to vote until she was 46, and had already had a very active career in business.

To get a better idea of what that number means, let's compare Whitman's political non-involvement to some other politicians, when they were at that age: Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination for President at 46; Bill Clinton was elected President at 46; Joe Biden was a third-term Senator who had just run unsuccessfully for President. Finally, Sarah Palin ran for Vice President at a younger age than that, 44 years old.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/meg-whitman-i-didnt-vote-because-i-was-focused-on-my-family.php?ref=fpb

Nice try Meg. Nice try.

[t0dd]

1. Lol.. she's just digging herself deeper now! nt

[unpossibles]

2. good god, people!

Please don't tell me that Californians would even consider another Republican in charge, other than the ones who want to shut down even more parks and services.

[alsame]

3. LMAO, what a pathetic excuse. She's done. nt

[t0dd]

11. I bet she is. Some people were saying

this won't matter much, but it kinda takes away all her credibility.

"How do we know if we elect Meg she won't take time out for her family instead of fixing one of the most damaged governments in the world? Can we really afford electing someone so detached, someone that waited until age 46 to even register to vote? Meg Whitman. Not a good citizen. Not someone to lead California." haha, I can just see the ads now...

[alsame]

12. Exactly. How can you vote for someone who was apathetic to

politics for the first 46 years of her life? Was she even paying attention to what was going on in this country?

The ads will write themselves, LOL.

[DontTreadOnMe]

4. Hey Meg!

The people you want to vote for you... are busy raising their families!

[mnhtnbb]

5. BS. She was too busy raking in the dough from eBay.

[hvn_nbr_2]

27. Right! Focused on her family? Ha! She was focused on her greed.

Grammar nerd trivia side note: How often do I get to use three different sentence-ending punctuation marks in one subject line? Or four adjectives in sequence that can also be nouns?

[Hello_Kitty]

6. Right, because what's going on in politics has nothing to do with your family

:eyes:

I'm not one to beat people up for not voting since I'm guilty of having a spotty record up until 2002. I figure better late than never. But, really, don't try to make b.s. excuses for it. Just admit you were lazy and apathetic.

[DJ13]

7. Most people vote because they ARE focused on their family

Must be nice to be so set money wise she didnt feel the need to bother over something as insignificant as voting.

[Happyhippychick]

8. Were you able to get a massage every four years?How about dinner with a girlfriend every four years?

Time = priority We have the time for things that matter to us. That's why we all manage to get to the bathroom on time.

[Tansy_Gold]

9. She's correct.

Her voting record is unacceptable.
Her excuse is unacceptable.
Her candidacy is unacceptable.

You lose, Meg. Now STFU.




Tansy Gold

[Kutjara]

10. Isn't is precious how these...

...monomaniacal, self-obsessed, often sociopathic CEOs suddenly drag their families out of the closet when they need to excuse some fuck-up or other? The usual excuse when Mr. or Ms. Big Shot gets canned for running their company into the ground is that they "want to spend more time with their families." Interestingly, these families are never asked what they think of the idea of having to spend more time with a control freak who they barely know.

Now we get the "oh gosh, I'm just such a super mom I can't possibly take the time to vote" excuse. I'll just bet Whitman spent every waking hour with her kids until the age of 46. Baloney. I doubt her family could pick her out of a police lineup.

[Ruby the Liberal]

14. LOL!

That last line was a riot. :D

[kestrel91316]

13. IOKIYAR. Quit picking on Meg!!!!!!!

[rucky]

15. She'll make a fine politician.

[PA Democrat]

16. Pathetic. And I will bet that her precinct always had plenty of voting machines.

Ms. Whitman has lived in Atherton, CA since 1998. Atherton is one of the wealthiest cities in the US.

[Mz Pip]

17. Lamest. Excuse. Ever.

Right up there with The Dog ate my homework.

I had kids. I always voted. Never missed an election. The polls are open for 12 hours so there was plenty of time to wait until Dad got home or I just took them with me. Pushed that stroller right into the voting booth.

If she's rarely voted and was so busy with her children, how does she know she's even a Republican? Maybe she's a Green or a Libertarian or Natural Law.

[TheKentuckian]

24. On occasion I'd grant that a dog might eat the homework

but the family takes too much time and energy for maybe an hour per decade ain't gonna fly.

[baldguy]

18. Well, she certainly wasn't focused on running her companies.

[chelsea0011]

19. So she is running on a family values platform?

Didn't even register until she was 46? And this egomaniac thought everyone would look the other way?

[Orsino]

20. Voting is for little people.

Those in the know, it seems, see voting for the sham it is?

[closeupready]

21. But if she lets her personal life get in the way of her civic duties, why won't it happen again?

Nope, sorry. It's nice that you care about your family, but if you can't walk and chew gum at the same time, then you are not qualified.

[Kadie]

22. At least she gave up on the 'I am like Sonny Bono' explanation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6650462&mesg_id=6650462


:freak:

[RandySF]

23. Really?

Our son was four months old when my wife took him in a stroller to the polls in June, 2006 (CA Primary). It's not that hard, Meg.

[mulsh]

25. last week she told SF"sKPIX reporter she didn't vote due to her job

'running a diverse company.' I've heard other lame ass excuses from this tool but the family spin will suck in the fundies and wingnuts in this state. She strikes me like a lot tech company execs I've encountered; not too bright but very focused and very greedy and authoritarian. Here's hoping her campaign implodes from her combination of hubris and manure. Maybe then she can focus on her family once again.

By the way, has anyone heard anything about this oh so important family? If they were all that important why hasn't she trotted them out for the gawkers um I mean reporters?

[edbermac]

26. When I voted last November it took me 10 fucking minutes total.

Got in my car, drove 1 minute to the poll, parked, signed in, voted,5 minutes, drove 1 minute back home.

Lady, you've got to be kidding me.

[Brother Buzz]

28. Ah, but she successfully shirked jury duty for years. Slick lady

:sarcasm:

I heard her interviewed on the radio this morning and when she was asked what she thought of John McCain's running mate choice, Sarah Palin, she became incredibly evasive. The talk show host was incredulous at her inability to commit to an opinion about Palin and asked again twice during the interview. Whitman continued responding with ridiculously evasive responses. Nailing Jello® to a tree would have been easier than getting a straight answer from her.

[Orangeone]

29. Carly Fiorina has a spotty voting record too nt

[Canuckistanian]

30. Kinda tells you what she thinks of "civic duties"

Even very basic (and easy) duties.

People like her SHOULD be shamed for never voting.

[Le Taz Hot]

31. Ah, Meg Whitman.

She'll do for California what she did for eBay (completely RUINED it)! Yeah, Meg, like the rest of us don't have families and lives and jobs. :eyes: What a piece of work this one is.