NutMeg NOT for Governor

by Dennis Green

Former CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman, aka, “NutMeg,” is not a serious candidate for Governor of California. Trust me, I’m a volunteer for Jerry Brown. But she is a real nut-bag. Stiffed the press, didn’t even bother to register to vote, claims that being rich and running a big company qualifies her for politics. Unlike those governors who were merely actors. Like the last Republican.

And she’s also a multi-billionaire, and so can afford to buy that residence in Sacramento that Jerry once eschewed. He also drove, as I recall, a battered old two-door Plymouth, but that was back in the ‘70s, when he was tagged “Governor Moonbeam.”

In fact, I was working as an editor and lobbyist for UC when Governor Jerry Brown decided to give all state employees a flat COLA, which amounted to merely $63 apiece. I was not amused.

So when I had the opportunity to meet with him in his warehouse/loft in Oakland in 1998, as head of a delegation of business leaders from Alameda, I was uncertain what to expect. We’d heard he would be running for mayor.

“We hope,” I announced at the start of the meeting, prowling around his office as was my style, “that if you’re elected mayor of Oakland, we may enjoy a more kindly, friendly neighbor, one who will help us mediate the Oakland Airport noise ordinance!”

Jerry was not impressed. In fact, he said, “Goddammit, Green, sit down! You’re making me nervous!” I sat down, but I did not back down an inch.

By the end of that meeting, we had an accord, and I was so impressed by Jerry’s pragmatic approach to things, that I walked with him across the big open floor space and asked how I could volunteer for his campaign. He was delighted by my offer. And I found him completely grounded, down to earth.

So I worked in the big loft all that summer, writing pitches, stuffing envelopes, even answering the switchboard. I learned enough, first-hand, about Jerry’s operation and his operating style that I had more confidence in him than ever when all was said and done. And he brought 20,000 new residents into downtown Oakland during his eight years in office, changed the whole climate of Oakland, put through dozens of initiatives to strengthen law enforcement.

Some of those gains have gone all to hell under the reign of Ron Dellums, an old recycled Washington, D.C. hack brought out of retirement to prevent the Hispanics from taking power. But Jerry still resides in Oaktown, and there’s still hope.

Meg Whitman refused for weeks to meet with the press, has not voted in any elections in years, and has spent millions of dollars of her own money on her campaign. She isn’t very photogenic, or charismatic, so I can understand her reluctance to appear on camera, except in those expensive TV commercials made around her (usually still photo) image. But as an absentee politician, she comes off as a bit eccentric, if not a real nut.

Hence the nickname “NutMeg.” Can she replace Arnold the Governator? Let’s hope not. But if she does, the goodies in eSacramento will always go to the highest bidders! Business as usual.

©2010 Dennis Green