Bidding gets higher for governor’s job (Feb. 26)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
I don’t know about you, but to me, the governor’s race so far seems very odd.
First, there’s Meg Whitman, who so far is the champ in spending money. You would think she was a breakfast cereal the way she spends money on advertising, and the thing she advertises is that she used to run eBay. However, at no time does she say how that qualifies her to be governor.
Then, there’s Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, also a dot.com millionaire. While he hasn’t bought as much radio and television advertising as Meg Whitman has, there’s no question he will be able to. The real question, rather, is whether he actually will spend as much. Poizner’s advantage going into the race is that he actually has held public office.
And, last week, he received a welcome gift, the chance to cast a regulatory eye on Anthem Blue Cross for raising rates on some 700,000 California policy holders. If he takes Anthem to the woodshed, he will appear to some voters as one who knows what he is doing in Sacramento — a rare thing indeed, these days.
Both Whitman and Poizner probably mean well, but if you were a person from Mars, and came to earth to look at California’s gubernatorial race, it probably would occur to you right off the bat that the governorship of California is up for auction to the highest bidder. Sort of like a sought-after item on eBay. The person who bids high enough has the best chance at it.
However, the auction has a ways to go. Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown, who has been governor once before, hasn’t even filed for the job — but that is soon to change. Word has it that on Tuesday he will pay the $35,000 filing fee at the Alameda County Courthouse, making his candidacy official. Then, the bidding will really get hot. He has a big war chest, too.
