I was at the Beverly Hilton the other night attending a business function. When I first arrived, it was clear something big was going on at the hotel. A crowd was gathering and there were maybe 20 security guys running around wearing those earplugs with the skin-toned wires that go down the backs of their collars.
I learned that Meg Whitman would be arriving in an hour or so to attend a political fundraiser. I asked a member of her staff if I could attend and a helpful press aide obliged. My timing was perfect; I could go to my other event first and then see Meg Whitman an hour later.
When I got there, the room was quite packed, brimming with Republican enthusiasm. Uplifting music played loudly as Meg Whitman videos played in the background.
Mitt Romney introduced Meg Whitman in glowing terms and David Foster, songwriter, provided uproarious entertainment (he said he was a Democrat, but very impressed with Meg Whitman).
Terry Semel, former CEO of Yahoo (and Warner Bros. before that), said he thought Meg Whitman, as head of Ebay, was the greatest CEO in Silicon Valley he met during his tour of duty there.
Perhaps most compelling, video interviews with staffers who used to work for Whitman at Ebay were positive and seemed quite authentic. It is nice to hear the troops say nice things about the boss. Meg is a good listener and processes lots of information thoroughly, arriving at good conclusions, they said.
It took a while before Meg finally took the microphone, but when she did, she very quickly became the towering star of the show. In very detailed and methodical fashion, using no notes, she outlined why California’s top three priorities had to be job creation, controlling state spending and fixing the schools.
These are the same three points we’ve all seen and heard by now in the TV commercials, but the 30-second version isn’t nearly as compelling as her more detailed presentation. She is very good at painting the big picture, seeing the relationships between all the moving pieces and revealing her vision for how things could be different.
If we don’t fix these three items, she argued, the rest might not matter. She doesn’t ignore other issues; she just says we need to focus on the big three to start. Her very well done 48-page policy booklet that I picked up on the way out is very easy to read and follow; I highly recommend it. Despite her newcomer status and her spotty voting record, she has done her homework.
In addition to being smart, she also seems like the real deal, confident and determined. She exudes old-fashioned values (hard work, family, sacrifice), and yet clearly, as builder of a highly successful technology company, she is very tuned in to the world of today. This is not just about ego, it seems; she truly wants to serve. And she has the energy.
Many of my Democratic friends seem to not be taking Meg Whitman seriously, this being a Democratic state and all. But they do so at their own peril: This lady is good.
And despite the fact California is overwhelmingly Democratic, California voters often go with Republican governors (Schwarzenegger, Deukmejian, Wilson, Reagan), so as to offset the dysfunction that exists in the Democratically-controlled state assembly. And let’s face it: there is plenty of dysfunction to offset these days.
I’ve always admired Jerry Brown. He was way ahead of his time back in the 1970s with his talk about our entering an era of limits and the need to move toward alternative fuel sources. The Governor Moonbeam label always seemed dumb to me, it said more about those who uttered it than it did about Jerry Brown, in my view. His thinking way back then is now mainstream thinking today. So let’s give Jerry extra brownie points for the vision thing. He was way ahead of the pack.
But does he still have a clear vision for the future as we go forward from here? And, if he does, will the people follow? Or is Meg Whitman about to zip by him in the passing lane? It is by no means a stretch to think she could position herself as the candidate of the future in this race, without any of the moonbeam stuff.
As Ebay chief she came to understand the power of technology and the jobs that could be created by doing things in a new and different way. She’s not constrained by the old rules, she’s not part of the old-boy system. She’s young, she’s smart, and she seems to get what she wants. Projects she takes on (think Ebay) seem to work out in spectacular fashion.
If Meg Whitman becomes governor, she will, overnight, become a national figure who could go all the way. For Meg Whitman to become viewed as a potential candidate for president assumes she gets elected governor and does a good job. I see no reason to think this couldn’t happen. As stated above, the lady is good.
Whoever wins, and whatever party we belong to, we should all want our governor to succeed. We need our governor to succeed.
If all this comes to pass and Sarah Palin is still in the picture at that time, I think Sarah will look a little silly by comparison. Meg Whitman might be the Ronald Reagan-type leader Republicans have pined for since the Gipper exited the scene.
I’m not suggesting Jerry Brown can’t or won’t pull this off. He deserves our respectful attention. He’s bright as hell and might soon unleash a terrific campaign. I sincerely hope he does. And this is, as is pointed out often, a Democratic state.
Moreover, because Meg Whitman is wealthy, she will have to overcome voter skepticism that she is trying to buy her way into office as some sort of entitlement. Other successful CEOs have tried and failed, money guarantees nothing.
I rode an elevator with Jerry Brown a few years ago, we had a fun chat in the 30 seconds or so we were together. I asked if I could ask a few questions right then and there, and he was more than willing, but his handler informed him he was late and couldn’t do it. I liked Jerry Brown’s spontaneity. Like Meg Whitman, he seems quite comfortable in his own skin.
California is lucky to have two candidates who are both smart, articulate and not your typical politicians. It’s time for a serious and very adult conversation to begin. We simply can’t go on the way we have in recent decades. It’s time for a real change.
Westside Today has hosted some great political discussions in the past. We’d be delighted to organize a friendly conversation between the two candidates in the months ahead.
In the meantime, if Jerry Brown’s people see this article and want equal time, I’m more than happy to oblige. He has a lot of admirers in this part of the world.
