Well, it's Groundhog Day, which means it's a perfect
day for re-runs of
news. Here's the short version of what you need to
know: Meg Whitman
and Steve Poizner spent a lot of money. And Steve Poizner
thinks
Whitman adviser Mike Murphy is a criminal.
As for old Punxsutawney Phil, he did indeed see his
shadow which means six more weeks of cat-fighting between Steve Poinzer and Meg Whitman.
The LA Times reports on yesterday's strange, but entertaining
developments. "Political reporters were lured to Republican
gubernatorial candidate
Steve Poizner’s office Monday with the promise of a “major
announcement” from his campaign.
"The speculation began to swirl. Was Poizner dropping out of the
race? Was he finally going to unveil radio or television
ads to counter
his main rival, former EBay CEO Meg Whitman?
Nope. He was there to accuse Whitman, and her campaign,
of criminal politics.
"Poizner said an e-mail from Whitman's campaign strategist, Mike
Murphy, was a violation of California political ethics
and state and
federal law.
“Is there anything we can do to get SP to reconsider
this
race?” Murphy wrote. “I hate the idea of us each spending $20 million
beating on the other in the primary, only to have a
damaged nominee.
And we can spend $40 million+ tearing up a guy with great future
statewide potential.”
Send that man to jail!
Murphy responded later in the day with yet another email.
""After reading the ridiculous charges made by Steve
Poizner during
today's strange press conference, all I can say is
that I'm starting to
worry about the Commissioner's mental condition," Murphy
said in a
statement.
Though we sort of agree with Dan Walters: It now means Game On, and for us political reporter types, that's a good
thing.
So who wins in all this emailing and press conferencing?
Political consultants, of course...
"According to reports filed Monday with the Secretary
of State's
office, Republican candidate Meg Whitman has spent
more than $5.2
million on campaign consultants -- and that was just in 2009. Her
Republican rival, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner,
spent $1.5
million on consultants during the same period.
"Our campaign has
a budget designed to win on election day, both in June
and November,"
said Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei. "And we believe
the investments
that we've made in our campaign have worked very well."
"Overall, Whitman spent $19.5 million in 2009, compared with Poizner's $3.7 million.
Atty.
Gen. Jerry Brown, who does not have a challenger for the Democratic
gubernatorial nomination, spent just $34,000 on political consultants
in 2009."
Meanwhile, in Washington, President Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget. Richard Simon looks at what it means for California.
"California stands to receive more than $1 billion from President
Obama's budget plan to help cover healthcare for the
poor and the cost
of jailing illegal immigrants.
The budget proposal includes $25 billion in additional Medicaid funds
for states, of which California is projected to receive
$1.5 billion.
States received a funding boost in the economic stimulus
bill that
Congress passed one year ago. Obama's budget plan would
extend the
funding through mid-2011.
The proposal also includes $330 million to help states pay for jailing
illegal immigrants. The money has long been a priority
for California
officials, who argue that local and state taxpayers
should not have to
bear the burden of Washington's failure to control
America's borders.
California's expected $90-million share would represent a fraction of
the nearly $1 billion the state probably will spend this year on
incarcerating illegal immigrants."
Is that enought to cue up the I-told-you-so from Scwharzenegger and Karen Bass?
Gov Schwarzenegger today will swear in the first-ever female leader of the state's National Guard.
Michael Rothfeld reports, "The California National
Guard will have its first female leader
under the appointment Monday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
of Mary J.
Kight as adjutant general Monday. Kight, currently a brigadier
general and the second in command, will
replace Gen. William H. Wade II on Tuesday. Wade is leaving to take a
high-ranking position with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
in
Naples, Italy."
And finally, AP reports on a chicken playing chicken.
"That's what's happening on a busy Glendale
street where a black hen has been dodging cars, captors
and coyotes for
two months. Officials say the bird has been darting
into traffic
outside Glendale Community College since it was first reported Nov. 20. The chicken has drawn a growing crowd of photographers
and journalists as animal control officers struggle to catch it."
The question, of course, is why...
