Is Meg Whitman too green for the conservative core of the Republican Party?

Wednesday the San Jose Mercury News released the news that eMeg has offered $200,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund from her charitable foundation, $100,000 more than what was first thought.

The Mercury News reported that much of the donation was “aimed” at the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta, and the plight of the smelt.

Whitman also offered over $1 million to secure a portion of private land for open space in Colorado, a case of NIMBY from the residence of Telluride, Colorado – of which Whitman owns a swatch of property herself.

Meg’s charitable donations to secure Telluride’s openess is stark for some conservatives, but for those who are members of the ’well-to-do’ crowd, this is not a major issue. Republicans in the Placer County cities of Loomis, Rocklin, Roseville and Granite Bay have been familiar to “smart growth” and “open spaces” development for some time now; this is nothing new, nor shocking for Republican cities, counties and districts in California. And in many cases, it is seen as private sector property ownser protecting their private investments, nothing more.

The major concern for Meg Whitman is the $200,000 to EDF.

Give Meg credit, she has been determined to be a quick study of agriculture, farming and the heartland of the breadbasket of California since the early days of her announced campaign. But news that she deposited over $200,000 to help turn off the water in the Delta will carry a current hard to swim in once the Republican Trio decide to jump into to the debate waters come 2010.

If it is found that Meg Whitman’s foundation contributed thousands of dollars to protect the Delta, and its Smelt, over human farmers, families and generations of agricultural producers, Whitman may have a real dust-up from the dust bowl region of the Golden State.

I can hear it know, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner gets 5-minutes of rebuttal time and he says, “Meg you gave $200,000 to EDF that eventually aided in turning off  the water for thousands of farmers and families downstream from the Delta’s flow, what do you have to say for yourself?” This is an easy point for Team Poizner at a time when water is king in California. 

So who is this Environmental Defense Foundation that has the attention of Meg’s millions?

Simple Internet searches reveal EDF as a co-author of the California Global Warming Solutions with the National Resources Defense Council in 2006. The next year (2007) EDF co-founded the United States Climate Action Partnership; a coalition of major corporations and environmental groups supporting action on global warming. And in 2009, EDF announced its support of the Federal Government’s “Cap-and-Trade” initiative and California’s AB-32 emissions legislation.

Since eMeg has stated that she desires the water to be turned back on for the Delta and breadbasket of California, and that she would offer a moratorium on AB-32, the campaign question that Meg Whitman may be facing with her $200,000 contrition to EDF is: “When did you part company with the ideology of EDF?”

Giving $200,000 to EDF at a time that their enviro-agenda was fully recognizaable will aggravate the core of the party, as well as farmers, their families and residents of the heartland of California. The fact that Whitman has set herself at odds with EDF’s Delta dilemma will be seen either be seen as a positive independent streak, or another candidate attempting to be a political opportunist – willing to do and saying anything just to get elected?

Chalk this up as a future debate issue between eMeg and Steve Poizner – if we ever get to a joint debate.

Then there is Steve Poizner’s Charitable Foundation accounting numbers.

While all of the attention is on Meg’s gifts to environmental causes, nobody has asked the obvious question: “Why does Steve Poizner’s charitable foundation only have $7,000 as its balance?” How can a millionaire have such a small amount of cash in his (and his wife’s) charitable foundation?

Here is a successful businessman who sold two separate lots of QUALCOMM stock in 2000, with 67 other business partners, for a pre-taxed total of a reported $250 million. Nine years later, after two market falls and considering the tax withholdings, you would figure that Steve Poizner is worth upwards of $80 million.

Why does he only have $7,000 ($14,000 before 2008) in his charitable foundation?

Or better yet, is Steve Poizner as wealthy as he has been reported being?

In California, money is fuel – especially if you’re talking about the statewide race that has become the gubernatorial brinks truck of expenditures. Just to be considered as a serious gubernatorial candidate one has to either hold millions, or hold the ability to gather millions for the race.

From recent reports of cumulative campaign contributions, Steve Poizner has had a hard time welcoming donations to his campaign thus far. It leaves you wondering, “Is Steve Poizner as wealthy as he leads others to believe him to be?” And if he is not, this may be the most ignored story between the ”GOP Trio” of candidates.

Poizner’s campaign has recently been offering suggestive notions that they will begin to spend their bankroll on media buys and ads come the turn of the year. Thus far Poizner has been willing to allow eMeg to spend her millions with only criticism.

If Steve Poizner is worth millions, what is he waiting for?

If Poizner’s Pointmen are waiting until we turn the calendar to unleash their bankroll, why is there is no evidence that Team Steve has entered production houses anywhere in the state to produce January television, radio and media ads to flood the market come 2010? 

Take it from someone who knows the media business, to have the production ready by January you must be in production now.

Taken in light of recent media reports that Steve Poizner will receive his salary if he is fortunate to become the next governor of California, that he will continue to use the CHP for security detail and not refund the state’s budget, and even the consideration that Meg Whitman has challenged him to contribute to the state’s party – as she did- to the tune of $250,000, there is nothing flowing from Steve Poizner’s wallet.

Just a thought: “Is he really as wealthy as he says – or allows the media to say that he is?”

As we enter the holidays, there are no major campaign ads and no great campaign expenditures coming from the Steve Poizner. What is he waiting for? He has been stuck at a single-digit poll number for the past few months. Common means Tom Campbell has been outpacing him, and Poizner owns the advantage of the Office of Insurance Commissioner; where is his media? 

It begs the question: “Is he really the mega-million dollars man that we thought him to be when he entered the race?”

Dollars to donuts, in this race it matters folks.