ZOMBIE CONTENTIONS

The get-a-life ridiculous criticism of not-yet-a-candidate for senator Carly Fiorina’s “web-site” (actually more an on-line sign-up sheet), led me to take a look at the site of ex-eBay CEO and recently declared gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman – and to start thinking some more about the upcoming year in California politics.

Considering Whitman’s background, not to mention her personal wealth, I would have expected a rather high level of sophistication from her on-line effort – state of the art, whatever the art happens to be right now – but there’s nothing knock-yer-socks off about it aesthetically or technically.  It’s just – nicely done, on first glance friendly and completely un-frightening, yet obviously quite serious, kind of like Whitman herself.   Anyway, I don’t think a politician’s web site should typically aim for flash or web-graphical genius. 

While we’re stuck on style, both Whitman and Fiorina invite us to use their first names, but Meg’s comfy greens and organic typeface contrast strongly with Carly’s hot reds and shopaholic sans-serifs.  But here’s where aesthetics steer you wrong – unless you’re one of those very old-fashioned Americans whose first association with green is greenbacks:  How many political greens would feature right there on the front page an op-ed by the candidate – dateline 9-16-09, San Jose Mercury News -  entitled “To create jobs, curb environmental regulation”?

Such a sentiment, stated front and center, would have been almost unimaginable coming from a truly ambitious, would-be mainstream California politician of the last couple of decades. It’s the kind of thing flinty cons like Tom McClintock or Bruce Hershenson might have grumbled to smallish audiences in valiant losing efforts. Meg, who has the relative newcomer’s freedom to position herself tactically, has chosen their message, separating herself explicitly from Governor Arnold’s Green Republicanism:

Within months, Sacramento will be handing down new rules to implement AB32, the far-reaching law to restrict greenhouse gas emissions. Signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, AB32 may have been well intentioned. But it is wrong for these challenging times.

With this ongoing economic crisis, the governor has the ability to issue an executive order putting a moratorium on most AB32-related rules. I urge him to do so. And if he does not, I will issue that order on my first day as governor.

This could get interesting.  Maintaining the not-so-green theme, and contrary to what I’ve heard elsewhere, Meg’s “on the record“ page describes her as open on offshore drilling:

With advances in drilling technology that reduce environmental risks, we need to re-look at offshore drilling. We have to utilize our resources here at home to reduce dependence. I want to look at new technologies such as slant drilling.

Don’t want to give you the wrong idea:  Those three sentences are the very last ones on the page, and her overall message is first and foremost a jobs message, secondly a fiscal one.  I think those are the right emphases, at least for now.  We’d probably have to see another $1.00/gallon for the drilling message to start moving up again.

As for Carly, another CEO turned Republican politician but with a mixed reputation, I suspect she’ll be Megger than Meg on jobs, business, and the fisc, but she hasn’t enunciated a program yet.  We’re left with personal impressions and question marks:  By demeanor and background she comes across as “cosmopolitan” rather than “conservative” or “populist,” and supporters of the already declared Republican for Senate Chuck Devore question her apparently late conversion to a pro-life stance, but it’s hard to see an urbane or modern, less than 100% rock-ribbed image as a major electoral liability – against Barbara Boxer, in California. In any event it won’t be an aesthetic critique of Carly’s pre-candidacy web-site that decides things for me – or, I suspect, for very many others.

I’ll give the guys to Carly’s and Meg’s respective rights every chance to win my vote, and their supporters every chance to raise their game.  (I’ll even take a hard look at Chuck Devore’s web site!)  But, even with the table tipped more in a conservative and populist direction than in a long time, Republican competitors may have their work cut out for them.  The concurrent campaigns of the zillionaire and ga-zillionaire hi-tech power-blondes, political outsiders in what’s shaping up to be an outsider’s year, could make for an appealing synergy, while seeming to offer an instant image makeover for the state of Boxer, Pelosi, and Feinstein.  It may seem a little fanciful, dreamy, showy - some will say superficial – but it would be no less typically Californian, and intrinsically no less important to national politics, for being so.