Arnold Schwarzenegger,  California Budget,  California Governor 2010,  Meg Whitman,  Steve Poizner

California Budget Pandering and Math 101 – Do Poizner and Whitman Have the Right Stuff?

Meg Whitman feb 17 b

Meg Whitman, a likely candidate for California governor, speaks in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009. The former eBay chief executive stressed her goals of job creation and limited government

Dan Walters has a piece this morning that makes it nauseatingly clear – Both the LEFT and RIGHT are pandering to California’s chronic structural deficit problems and offer little in solutions:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who often utters fact-challenged pronouncements, told the simple truth about the state’s budget deficit just before the Legislature adopted billions of dollars in new taxes, spending cuts and loans to close the gap, to wit:

“Anyone that runs around, I think, and says that this can be done without raising taxes, I think has not really looked at it carefully to understand this budget or has a math problem and has to get back, as I said, and take Math 101.”

Given the hyperventilation we’ve seen in the last few days, this state must have lots of innumerate people.

Governor Schwarzenegger replaced former Democrat Governor Gray Davis via recall because of his California budget failures and increasing tax burden. Arnold has done little over the past six years except bloviate about post-partisan politics, global warming and accept every increase in spending the California Legislature delivers to him. The Governator has failed.

California needs fiscal leadership and budget reform with a specific plan – not pandering.

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former e-Bay CEO Meg Whiman, both Republican candidates for Governor should direct their energies towards solving California’s problems and leave the political hyperbolic pandering to John and Ken. Both bloviated at this weekend’s California Republican Party convention in Sacramento.

Two wealthy Silicon Valley titans courted support for their 2010 gubernatorial campaigns Saturday before riled-up party activists angry over taxes, fed up with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and distrustful of moderate candidates.

So state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner promised at a news conference that he would never raise taxes as governor.

And former eBay CEO Meg Whitman carefully explained to more than 900 state party delegates why she registered as a decline-to-state voter from 1998 to 2007 before re-registering as Republican.

She also apologized for “failing to vote on a number of occasions,” including in the 2003 recall election of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

“They have things to prove to party activists,” said Republican political consultant Dave Gilliard of the top two GOP contenders to replace Schwarzenegger. “They have to give some red meat to demonstrate their commitment to Republican principles. Taxes will be the litmus test.”

Time for leadership instead of “RED MEAT.” Time for a plan not a website.

What is their excuse?

Poizner-Not-Another

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